(12-12-2017 07:43 PM)rileylives Wrote:  Realignment season doesn't start for a few weeks.

We'll have months to beat that dead horse, so everyone, be patient.

Also, mods, we need a dead horse emoji...

I believe in addition by subtraction. With a regional conference you are eliminating a lot of operating costs for your non-revenue and revenue sports. Since the new media contracts the amount of money earned for being in this league has reduced dramatically. So by going to a regional conference you do not lose very much money if any because regional broadcasting may be more attractive. You have to get fans interested in the games. For Charlotte, playing App St. would get a lot more interest than playing La Tech. Not too many people living in Charlotte are La Tech graduates, but there are a lot of App grads. Also, driving over to/from Boone, NC is much more realistic for fans.

When the AAC and other conferences renegotiate their deals with ESPN they will be looking to cut costs. More schools will be looking at regional conferences as a survival means.

(12-12-2017 09:21 PM)Dowless Wrote:  I believe in addition by subtraction. With a regional conference you are eliminating a lot of operating costs for your non-revenue and revenue sports. Since the new media contracts the amount of money earned for being in this league has reduced dramatically. So by going to a regional conference you do not lose very much money if any because regional broadcasting may be more attractive. You have to get fans interested in the games. For Charlotte, playing App St. would get a lot more interest than playing La Tech. Not too many people living in Charlotte are La Tech graduates, but there are a lot of App grads. Also, driving over to/from Boone, NC is much more realistic for fans.

When the AAC and other conferences renegotiate their deals with ESPN they will be looking to cut costs. More schools will be looking at regional conferences as a survival means.

You named one school now fill in the rest of the conference. But lets be honest here there is nothing stopping UNCC from playing Appy St OOC each and every year instead of a South Florida or Miami Fla. or a number of other OOC games.

That's one game

If the key is a regional conference then maybe schools should drop down to FCS in football and join a bus league.

Most of us were in one of those regional bus league conferences at some point. Everyone that was fought to get away from it. So if that is key then maybe the biggest key in saving a million or two....

pay our coaches like those small regional conferences do

That's the one sure way you can save money

Here's the solution to CUSA's woes:

Drop UTEP, add ULL.
Drop ODU, add App State
Drop Charlotte, add Troy
Drop Rice football, add Ark. State

(12-12-2017 10:00 PM)TTT Wrote:  Here's the solution to CUSA's woes:

Drop UTEP, add ULL.
Drop ODU, add App State
Drop Charlotte, add Troy
Drop Rice football, add Ark. State

None of those drops/adds make sense. This is not conference USM. To be honest we should drop the schools that complain the most and take App (for Charlotte/ODU)/ Troy (for UAB). If your school is worried about travel budgets you should drop to FCS. Maybe all this complaining is why some schools were left in the CUSA.

(12-12-2017 10:34 PM)Seminowl Wrote:  None of those drops/adds make sense. This is not conference USM.

Wait, this isn't CUSM???

x

(12-12-2017 10:34 PM)Seminowl Wrote:  

(12-12-2017 10:00 PM)TTT Wrote:  Here's the solution to CUSA's woes:

Drop UTEP, add ULL.
Drop ODU, add App State
Drop Charlotte, add Troy
Drop Rice football, add Ark. State

None of those drops/adds make sense. This is not conference USM. To be honest we should drop the schools that complain the most and take App (for Charlotte/ODU)/ Troy (for UAB). If your school is worried about travel budgets you should drop to FCS. Maybe all this complaining is why some schools were left in the CUSA.

The conference can't help the fact that the Florida schools are so far away... these 4 schools bring the core of the conference closer. What schools would FAU/FIU like instead?

(12-12-2017 10:58 PM)TTT Wrote:  The conference can't help the fact that the Florida schools are so far away... these 4 schools bring the core of the conference closer. What schools would FAU/FIU like instead?

1. CUSA East + SBC East
2. CUSA West + SBC West
Done.

(12-12-2017 10:58 PM)TTT Wrote:  

(12-12-2017 10:34 PM)Seminowl Wrote:  

(12-12-2017 10:00 PM)TTT Wrote:  Here's the solution to CUSA's woes:

Drop UTEP, add ULL.
Drop ODU, add App State
Drop Charlotte, add Troy
Drop Rice football, add Ark. State

None of those drops/adds make sense. This is not conference USM. To be honest we should drop the schools that complain the most and take App (for Charlotte/ODU)/ Troy (for UAB). If your school is worried about travel budgets you should drop to FCS. Maybe all this complaining is why some schools were left in the CUSA.

The conference can't help the fact that the Florida schools are so far away... these 4 schools bring the core of the conference closer. What schools would FAU/FIU like instead?

I would like all complaints to be shelved for 5 years. The problems with both conferences are that we have been hit by realignment hard. Stability comes with time. Don’t worry, we will go down to Harrisburg a couple more times to take your lunch money. Then our history will be enough to hold you over.

Here is a hypothetical article proposing Southern Cal go independent.

https://www.sbnation.com/college-footbal...gnment-lol

Would it make financial sense for certain G5 schools to go independent? 30 years ago a lot of schools were independent in football.

You can't politically subtract. You can't get the votes and it's bad blood.

You ADD more schools and tighten the divisions geographically, but you have 3 divisions of 6.

Let's get aggressive, kill the Sunbelt, grab the entire bottom of the FBS, and control membership from then on. You consolidate a bunch of resources and TV markets in the process.

(12-12-2017 06:33 PM)thefaU Wrote:  

(12-12-2017 05:48 PM)pilot172000 Wrote:  But were are the good football programs? I know FAU won the Conference this season but what about the whole of of CUSA 3.0 since 2013? Who has been bringing in the wins?

The East.

Um not exactly. Tech, Marshall, USM, MTSU and WKU have all been at the top of the Conference in overall wins the first five years of CUSA. Just because you hired a scumbag for a coach and won a title after an entire decade of mediocrity doesn't mean you and your five fans are Florida State.

(12-12-2017 07:27 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  

(12-12-2017 04:29 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(12-12-2017 03:56 PM)FIUFan Wrote:  

(12-12-2017 02:09 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  AAC has three schools (essentially four) that are using $25 million or more in university fund and/or student fees to supplement their athletic department and that is without having access to data from SMU, Tulsa, Temple, Tulane or Navy to see how they are funding.
Among publics there are 10 FBS that transfer $24.8 million or more, four are AAC.

If that investment doesn't result in higher revenue and the political environment for higher ed doesn't start improving, things could get really sticky.

Sorry old friend but you've been pushing that tired message for nigh on 20 years. Perhaps it's time to shelve that idea and get on with the program; we sure aint wait'n around for you. Might be why the AAC and C-USA are chock full of large metro-area schools.

Oh please don't be a drama queen.
I only picked this mantle up after the housing bust. Because anyone with half a brain can look around the country and see that states aren't pouring new money into higher ed. Many large universities are rapidly increasing enrollment to make up the shortfalls (Arkansas and Alabama have started admitting more out of state than in-state students to bolster enrollment), there is a looming debt crisis in student debt. Schools are borrowing too much as well (UNT got down graded in its debt rating when they had to cut their budget from an enrollment dip).

I follow a program that tore down the old press box and built a new with loge boxes, suites and club seats, built an indoor practice facility, and as I write is doing the earth work for a new end zone facility and cashing $10 million in checks written yesterday. I understand investing but I also understand there are a lot of schools who have debt payments extending past the life of their fat TV contracts too.

Investment without return will sink you. The Big 10 tried to raid the ACC and got turned down by UNC, Duke, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Virginia. The one who took the bait was the Maryland program that was getting some nasty inquiries from the state government about the fact that they were not only in the red but they were close exhausting their reserve funds. They joined Big Ten because Big 10 offered to pre-pay them $30 million.

Cal-Berkley is considering layoffs and dropping a number of sports because they can no longer sustain a deficit in excess of $20 million.

In CUSA WKU has dropped sports and the reduction in state higher ed funding was cited as a reason.

Arkansas-Little Rock has dropped from 15 sports to 14 because of declining enrollment.

Pepperdine has cut men's track and women's swimming and diving.

Live in fantasy land thinking everything is OK. The history of intercollegiate athletics in the US is littered with busts and booms. AAC's newest member was the last casualty of the round of schools dropping football in the 80's during a bust period.

Eight states have increased higher ed funding over the past five years by an average of 1.5% per year or less. Seven states have cut their funding over five years and one is unchanged. West Virginia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Louisiana are all states that are down over the past five years.

Correct.

There will be a point where schools can not afford to put the money (what we are seeing today) into sports. Enrollment is dropping for a lot of us and that is dollars most of our schools can't make up.

As I pointed out a number of times just because a school is not putting as many dollars into sport in fees and other related cost. Does not mean they are in better shape than some of those that are putting 3 or 4 million more into sports.

A better judge is cost per enrollment. That's why schools like Western, Marshall, Ark St, Middle, just to name a few are a bubble pop from being in deep trouble.

While schools that are spending more (larger part/% of the budget than a Marshall or S. Miss or Tech) have more room to actually grow. They have 10 to 20 to 30 thousand more student to hit up and can afford to raise student fees because most are at a lower %.

Schools that have a culture of supporting football in the stands, with donations and with TV viewership are in a better position because those do not evaporate with the stork of a pen. If you depend on student fees, one legislative session or change in university leadership can wipe out your program. If you are drawing 25-30K for important games, attracting more lucrative apparel and media deals and garnering community support you have a better chance of long term success.

(12-13-2017 08:52 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  Um not exactly. Tech, Marshall, USM, MTSU and WKU have all been at the top of the Conference in overall wins the first five years of CUSA. Just because you hired a scumbag for a coach and won a title after an entire decade of mediocrity doesn't mean you and your five fans are Florida State.

I want to point out you listed 3 East teams and 2 West teams. You proved my point for me.

And I was just having some banter. No need to be so sensitive. It's all in good nature.

(12-10-2017 06:46 AM)BRtransplant Wrote:  The AAC will never be a P6 conference member because there will NEVER be a P6. Only an idiot would think that The P5 conferences will relinquish the strangle hold they now have on absolute power over what happens in college football. The sole reason that the access bowl exists at all is that the P5 conferences's want to prevent an anti trust lawsuit. Being a crybaby wannabe is very unbecoming, and the P6 drivel coming from AAC members is asinine and it makes them look foolish. They should instead celebrate being the "best of the rest" for now. That's as good as any of us can hope for.

Lol I love it! I can feel your bitterness through the computer.
Lets get this straight CUSA fan boy.

You can say we aren't P6 as much as you want but the point is.. we aren't you..
The AAC doesn't want anything to do with the G4 and wants to separate ourselves as much as possible.. we do it in wins, attendance, revenue, markets, and many other stats. why not mentally with a cute slogan

You think its foolish? I bet you do CUSA boy.
I'm not surprised this slogan insults you, so the responses are understandable.

Call us a joke, say we're foolish you think we care?
Thats all opinions.. You know whats a fact? We are far ahead of you.
You're struggling to compete with the Sun Belt and MAC, not even close to the MWC.

(12-12-2017 09:37 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  You named one school now fill in the rest of the conference. But lets be honest here there is nothing stopping UNCC from playing Appy St OOC each and every year instead of a South Florida or Miami Fla. or a number of other OOC games.

That's one game

If the key is a regional conference then maybe schools should drop down to FCS in football and join a bus league.

Most of us were in one of those regional bus league conferences at some point. Everyone that was fought to get away from it. So if that is key then maybe the biggest key in saving a million or two....

pay our coaches like those small regional conferences do

That's the one sure way you can save money

I think regional conferences can work. The MAC is a perfect example. Granted, a significant amount comes from TV money by playing on non-Saturdays but the MAC is probably the most stable of the G5 conferences.

(12-13-2017 11:56 AM)grapes Wrote:  

(12-10-2017 06:46 AM)BRtransplant Wrote:  The AAC will never be a P6 conference member because there will NEVER be a P6. Only an idiot would think that The P5 conferences will relinquish the strangle hold they now have on absolute power over what happens in college football. The sole reason that the access bowl exists at all is that the P5 conferences's want to prevent an anti trust lawsuit. Being a crybaby wannabe is very unbecoming, and the P6 drivel coming from AAC members is asinine and it makes them look foolish. They should instead celebrate being the "best of the rest" for now. That's as good as any of us can hope for.

Lol I love it! I can feel your bitterness through the computer.
Lets get this straight CUSA fan boy.

You can say we aren't P6 as much as you want but the point is.. we aren't you..
The AAC doesn't want anything to do with the G4 and wants to separate ourselves as much as possible.. we do it in wins, attendance, revenue, markets, and many other stats. why not mentally with a cute slogan

You think its foolish? I bet you do CUSA boy.
I'm not surprised this slogan insults you, so the responses are understandable.

Call us a joke, say we're foolish you think we care?
Thats all opinions.. You know whats a fact? We are far ahead of you.
You're struggling to compete with the Sun Belt and MAC, not even close to the MWC.

the problem for the AAC is the gap between the P5 and the AAC/MWC is far, far greater than the gap between those two leagues and the rest of the G5 (CUSA, SB, MAC)

You can say you are far ahead, but the P5 aren't in anyone else's radar, including the AAC.

Let me also add that there are a couple of things that will be MUSTS before you see realignment between the SBC and CUSA imho:

1) A 12/12 split. (We are 14 and they are 10)
2) TV money has to be equal
3) Bowl tie-ins divided equally
4) Conferences have to be divided so as to retain the autobid in bb.

IF it were to happen, CUSA might realign in a north/south fashion:

North: ODU, Marshall, MT, WKU, Charlotte, APP
South: GaSt, GS, CCU, FAU, FIU, UAB

Which leaves the Belt just as good:

East: USA, Troy, USM, ASU, ULL, ULM
West: UTEP, UNT, TXST, Rice, UTSA, LaTech

But it ain't gonna happen.

(12-13-2017 11:56 AM)grapes Wrote:  

(12-10-2017 06:46 AM)BRtransplant Wrote:  The AAC will never be a P6 conference member because there will NEVER be a P6. Only an idiot would think that The P5 conferences will relinquish the strangle hold they now have on absolute power over what happens in college football. The sole reason that the access bowl exists at all is that the P5 conferences's want to prevent an anti trust lawsuit. Being a crybaby wannabe is very unbecoming, and the P6 drivel coming from AAC members is asinine and it makes them look foolish. They should instead celebrate being the "best of the rest" for now. That's as good as any of us can hope for.

Lol I love it! I can feel your bitterness through the computer.
Lets get this straight CUSA fan boy.

You can say we aren't P6 as much as you want but the point is.. we aren't you..
The AAC doesn't want anything to do with the G4 and wants to separate ourselves as much as possible.. we do it in wins, attendance, revenue, markets, and many other stats. why not mentally with a cute slogan

You think its foolish? I bet you do CUSA boy.
I'm not surprised this slogan insults you, so the responses are understandable.

Call us a joke, say we're foolish you think we care?
Thats all opinions.. You know whats a fact? We are far ahead of you.
You're struggling to compete with the Sun Belt and MAC, not even close to the MWC.

Ok, I sniggered at this one. Look, I believe most members here would jump at the chance to join the AAC, so lets just get that out of the way.

Outside of a couple of members of your conference, the attendance is in the same dismal boat as the rest of the G5. Add to that, if you take out a couple of members, your value as a conference drops significantly.

YOU are as far ahead of the other G conferences are you are going to be and you can call yourself a P6 all you want, but that doesn't make it so. Last I looked you are still apart of the G5 as long as the P5 wants it to be that way. Call the rest of us G4 all day long, it doesn't change a thing. YOU are G5, probably the best G5 conference, but you ARE G5.

Define P conference and lets see where you stand
I only need to name one of the benefits, and that one throws your P6 idea out of the window, and its a big one, hold your breath..................1. You have an auto bid to a BCS level bowl every year and don't have to fight with the rest of the G5 for the "thanks for playing" bowl....

See, just ruined your P6 naming scheme in one observation....so welcome back to the G5, your are going to be here a while.

(12-13-2017 11:40 AM)thefaU Wrote:  

(12-13-2017 08:52 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  Um not exactly. Tech, Marshall, USM, MTSU and WKU have all been at the top of the Conference in overall wins the first five years of CUSA. Just because you hired a scumbag for a coach and won a title after an entire decade of mediocrity doesn't mean you and your five fans are Florida State.

I want to point out you listed 3 East teams and 2 West teams. You proved my point for me.

And I was just having some banter. No need to be so sensitive. It's all in good nature.

It wasn't directed at you necessarily. I should have been much less coarse. My apologies. My argument was not East West as much smaller football schools vs larger metro area universities