@MattBrownEP tweeted a story about the CAA and conference realignment. In the comments Matt added-

"For realignment junkies: while calling around on this story, two different industry sources told me that multiple schools in Conference USA looked into splitting off and starting their own league, just like the MWC did from the WAC, to form a more east-coast-ish conference"

https://twitter.com/mattbrownep/status/1...09120?s=21[/php]

So, is he talking about CUSA or CAA?

(10-02-2020 07:39 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  So, is he talking about CUSA or CAA?

The article is about CAA. But there's a piece about CUSA within the article.

It would make sense if true. CUSA is too spread out and our TV monies isn't making up for the distance between some of our schools.

If the rumor is true, it’s some of the East schools—with ODU and Charlotte leading the charge.

If CAA schools are in the know on this than at a minimum, they’ve been talking to JMU.

If the same rules were in place now that were in place when the MWC was created regarding BB autobids I think it would have already happened. Also the CFP is a hurdle.

Ok ODU folks, we know you guys are involved in any C-USA breakaway talks. If you are breaking away whose invited to your party?

(10-02-2020 09:39 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  If the rumor is true, it’s some of the East schools—with ODU and Charlotte leading the charge.

If CAA schools are in the know on this than at a minimum, they’ve been talking to JMU.

If true, there's a limited number of schools that would improve the situation for them. So you would need all 9 C-USA schools east of the Mississippi River.

Any new conference won't improve travel for Marshall, WKU, FIU, FAU, or USM. For the new conference to be better for them, it would have to be higher quality. So you can't add Coastal Carolina or an FCS team (unless the FCS team has great basketball, like if VCU wants to start football).

That limits you to adding Liberty, App State, Georgia Southern, and Georgia State. You'd need 3 of the 4 to get to 12 teams for a conference championship game.

That means you'd have to convince the Georgia twins. But this new conference doesn't offer any travel advantages for them. They're right in the middle of the Sun Belt; they'd be trading 4 flights to AR, TX, and LA for 4 flights to WV, Miami, and Norfolk.

Without the Georgia schools, this proposal is dead.

You don’t need 12 for a CCG. Theoretically you could have one with only 8 teams.

East: Marshall, JMU, ODU, Charlotte, App St
West: GA St, GA South, UAB, MTSU, WKU

If you’re feeling dangerous add FAU and FIU to the mix, one in each division so everyone gets to go to south Florida.

(10-02-2020 09:17 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  It would make sense if true. CUSA is to spread out and our TV monies isn't making up for the distance between some of our schools.

If the 9 CUSA schools east of the Mississippi left and added Appalachian State, that would make a decent G5 conference. The Sunbelt could then take the five remaining CUSA schools and add Texas State and Louisiana Tech to form a western division. They would have 14 football members and 16 for basketball.

Even better would be to also add New Mexico State in the west and Liberty in the east and further separate into two 8 team conferences.

I wonder if UMass and/or UConn would be considered as FB-only affiliates if this were to happen.

It's no secret that CUSA schools are unhappy. It makes no sense for a CUSA East school to fly its olympic sports out to Texas multiple times a year when there are schools at their same level a stone's throw away. With the old CUSA configuration, the tv money offset the cost of travel, but that money has dried up and now CUSA schools are feeling the heat.

North:
Marshall, ODU, JMU, App State, Charlotte, Coastal

South:
Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Troy, UAB, FAU, FIU

Excellent Football, great basketball, good baseball, and a relatively tight footprint within divisions

6 metropolitan schools (Ga State, UAB, FAU, FIU, Charlotte, ODU)
6 traditional college town schools (Ga Southern, Troy, Coastal, App, Marshall, JMU)

Similar academics so the presidents should be on board.

I'm sure lots of ideas are floated behind closed doors at CUSA schools, but there are rules about creating conferences. And there's exit fees to consider. Neither the east side nor the west side wants to be the ones to leave and pay up.

(10-02-2020 09:17 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  It would make sense if true. CUSA is to spread out and our TV monies isn't making up for the distance between some of our schools.

It's not just being spread out that's the problem. It's having too many members splitting a pie that's too small to begin with. Having four extra mouths to feed that don't add a dime to your revenue is the bigger problem.

(10-02-2020 11:18 AM)ken d Wrote:  

(10-02-2020 09:17 AM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  It would make sense if true. CUSA is to spread out and our TV monies isn't making up for the distance between some of our schools.

It's not just being spread out that's the problem. It's having too many members splitting a pie that's too small to begin with. Having four extra mouths to feed that don't add a dime to your revenue is the bigger problem.

True as well. I never thought CUSA should have went to 14 teams after "The Big Realignment Event".

(10-02-2020 11:14 AM)EigenEagle Wrote:  I'm sure lots of ideas are floated behind closed doors at CUSA schools, but there are rules about creating conferences. And there's exit fees to consider. Neither the east side nor the west side wants to be the ones to leave and pay up.

But if there’s a widespread belief that the system is broken and they are better off split than together they should mutually agree to drop the exit fees to make it happen.

(10-02-2020 10:10 AM)Crayton Wrote:  You don’t need 12 for a CCG. Theoretically you could have one with only 8 teams.

You could have a CCG with fewer than 8 teams; you'd just be out of compliance with the FBS requirement for at least 8 full, FB-playing members.

(10-02-2020 09:46 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  If the same rules were in place now that were in place when the MWC was created regarding BB autobids I think it would have already happened. Also the CFP is a hurdle.

Exceptions can always be made. And we are close enough to the first CFP expiring that by the time this would come to fruition, the new deal would be in negotiation.

(10-02-2020 11:56 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-02-2020 11:14 AM)EigenEagle Wrote:  I'm sure lots of ideas are floated behind closed doors at CUSA schools, but there are rules about creating conferences. And there's exit fees to consider. Neither the east side nor the west side wants to be the ones to leave and pay up.

But if there’s a widespread belief that the system is broken and they are better off split than together they should mutually agree to drop the exit fees to make it happen.

But would there ever be a mutual split? If any school feels they are being slighted then the exit fees will be enforced.