(09-09-2021 09:57 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(09-09-2021 09:12 PM)herdfan129 Wrote:  

(09-09-2021 09:10 PM)UAB Schnauzer Wrote:  

(09-09-2021 09:08 PM)rileylives Wrote:  I definitely do not want Marshall to just up and join the Sunbelt.

i think their plan is to offer the best of whats left after the AAC makes their choice.

That's what I think as well. Depending on who the AAC invites and who else is invited to the Sun Belt then I would strongly consider this as a Marshall fan.

There was a rumor a week or so ago about the Sun Belt commissioner being in Huntington, which at the time seemed a little crazy (why would he be in Huntington?) Now I'm wondering if it was true, and I will say the rumor came from one of our pay boards and came from what I consider the most reputable Marshall poster out there.

I’m pretty positive it wasn’t true. I’ve been talking to the AState president, he’s been coy about it all and his response to the tweet was we are always looking for the right schools if there is opportunity.

Yeah, but you don't give a number (going from 10 to 12) unless you have actual plans to expand. What you are talking about is like that random announcement from the MWC lol

(09-09-2021 11:08 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  This is ridiculous. Some of you fellow C-USA guys have gone nuts. Use your head for something besides a hat rack!! Joining the Sun Belt just because you don't like the commish? Playing football on Tuesday or Wednesday nights (even though only once or twice a season). Signing up for a LONNGG term deal where espn owns your soul for not much more than we make now.

The SBC is just POSTURING (if this report is true). Sure hope our presidents and AD's have more moxie than some posters here.

No I don't have a perfect, quick solution-- but I can assure you running to the SBC like a bunch of scared little girls is not the answer.

We're half posturing half serious. The posturing part is the Sun Belt's attempt to show that we can keep our programs together without worrying significantly about the AAC.

The serious part is that we have every intention of picking up two FBS teams and moving to 12. We have been granted an audience by the kingmaker of football, and they have provided us with a blessing of a new TV contract to go and recruit new members. Yes, we kissed the ring a bunch to get there, but it also included a promise of no increases to the Tuesday/Wednesday Night TV slots.

Side note: Brett McMurphy almost certainly picked this up from someone inside the SBC offices. He has contacts there.

If Marshall goes anywhere, I really hope WKU and So Miss are included.

The AAC sent out a similar message a few weeks ago if I recall. Ya never know, if CUSA gets decimated then some might be willing. The way I see it we’ll soon have 3 conferences spanning the SE from the east coast to Texas making peanuts. Arguing about who has the most peanuts is stupid. The time is coming for regionalization.

(09-09-2021 11:45 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  The AAC sent out a similar message a few weeks ago if I recall. Ya never know, if CUSA gets decimated then some might be willing. The way I see it we’ll soon have 3 conferences spanning the SE from the east coast to Texas making peanuts. Arguing about who has the most peanuts is stupid. The time is coming for regionalization.

I think there are realistically 2 options that all of the G5’s will have once the P5’s finish their dance. Go small and do a ‘regional’ thing or go big and do a ‘best of’ conference. Our only hope is the 2nd one. Travel costs will be less an issue if it means we stay at least somewhat relevant.

(09-10-2021 05:59 AM)FrankyP Wrote:  

(09-09-2021 11:45 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  The AAC sent out a similar message a few weeks ago if I recall. Ya never know, if CUSA gets decimated then some might be willing. The way I see it we’ll soon have 3 conferences spanning the SE from the east coast to Texas making peanuts. Arguing about who has the most peanuts is stupid. The time is coming for regionalization.

I think there are realistically 2 options that all of the G5’s will have once the P5’s finish their dance. Go small and do a ‘regional’ thing or go big and do a ‘best of’ conference. Our only hope is the 2nd one. Travel costs will be less an issue if it means we stay at least somewhat relevant.

Well relevant is relative but why couldn’t we be relevant in regional conferences?

(09-10-2021 06:17 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(09-10-2021 05:59 AM)FrankyP Wrote:  

(09-09-2021 11:45 PM)mturn017 Wrote:  The AAC sent out a similar message a few weeks ago if I recall. Ya never know, if CUSA gets decimated then some might be willing. The way I see it we’ll soon have 3 conferences spanning the SE from the east coast to Texas making peanuts. Arguing about who has the most peanuts is stupid. The time is coming for regionalization.

I think there are realistically 2 options that all of the G5’s will have once the P5’s finish their dance. Go small and do a ‘regional’ thing or go big and do a ‘best of’ conference. Our only hope is the 2nd one. Travel costs will be less an issue if it means we stay at least somewhat relevant.

Well relevant is relative but why couldn’t we be relevant in regional conferences?

No. Not if you win a CCG over a bunch of bottom-dwelling, totally irrelevant teams. Contrast that to winning a CCG over some of the top-rated G5 teams.

(09-09-2021 10:07 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(09-09-2021 09:15 PM)All4One Wrote:  While football accounts for a large slice of pie of the driving force in expansion, it is not the only driving force. The Sun Belt knows this, which is why they are trying to use their COVID football season success as a selling point.

Covid season success?

Four of the past five seasons the Sun Belt garnered more from the CFP than CUSA based on the performance bonus.

https://businessofcollegesports.com/coll...f-payouts/

I went to this link and there is 6 years of data here (the link for 2021-2020 shows the 2020-2019 data). 3 of those years CUSA received more and the SBC received more the other 3 years. The total of these amounts from these 6 years of data is that CUSA received ~1.1M more than the SBC. CUSA $92.9M vs SBC $91.8M

$1.1M out of ~$92.3M average isn't a material difference in my opinion.

(09-10-2021 08:01 AM)topper1296 Wrote:  

(09-09-2021 10:07 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(09-09-2021 09:15 PM)All4One Wrote:  While football accounts for a large slice of pie of the driving force in expansion, it is not the only driving force. The Sun Belt knows this, which is why they are trying to use their COVID football season success as a selling point.

Covid season success?

Four of the past five seasons the Sun Belt garnered more from the CFP than CUSA based on the performance bonus.

https://businessofcollegesports.com/coll...f-payouts/

I went to this link and there is 6 years of data here (the data for 2020-2021 shows the 2019-2020 data). 3 of those years CUSA received more and the SBC received more the other 3 years. The total of these amounts from these 6 years of data is that CUSA received ~1.1M more than the SBC. CUSA $92.9M vs SBC $91.8M

$1.1M out of ~$92.3M average isn't a material difference in my opinion.

92.9/14 = $6.635

91.8/10 = $9.18 or 91.8/12 = $7.65 - UTA and LR do not get CFP payouts so it's really hard to get an exact per team amount. UTA/LR however do get equal shares of the TV money. So if they bounce and the SBC adds two new full members the TV money doesn't get diluted any further.

You all sound like ODU fans. :)

But seriously it's about to get weird. I hope we all land somewhere happy and prosperous.

Ain't nobody got a crystal ball regarding conference realignment. But, I just don't think there is a snowball's chance in Jamaica that any CUSA program is gonna "Join the Sun Belt". The Sun Belt's recent success with Appy State, Coastal Carolina and to a lesser extent Louisiana is impressive! Nevertheless, the overall academic and athletic programs for CUSA and Sun Belt make it a helluva lot more likely that CUSA takes from SB than SB from CUSA. All of our collective speculation depends on B12 and AAC.

The Sun Belt does offer a few things that eastern CUSA schools have been wanting: a more centralized Conference Tourney.

The SBC just inked a 5 year deal to play in the Bay Center in Pensacola. Not a bad place to spend a long weekend watching basketball.

(09-10-2021 08:26 AM)BlueRaiderBoy Wrote:  Ain't nobody got a crystal ball regarding conference realignment. But, I just don't think there is a snowball's chance in Jamaica that any CUSA program is gonna "Join the Sun Belt". The Sun Belt's recent success with Appy State, Coastal Carolina and to a lesser extent Louisiana is impressive! Nevertheless, the overall academic and athletic programs for CUSA and Sun Belt make it a helluva lot more likely that CUSA takes from SB than SB from CUSA. All of our collective speculation depends on B12 and AAC.

ESPN has a crystal ball and that is where the SBC has an advantage.

(09-10-2021 08:30 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  The Sun Belt does offer a few things that eastern CUSA schools have been wanting: a more centralized Conference Tourney.

The SBC just inked a 5 year deal to play in the Bay Center in Pensacola. Not a bad place to spend a long weekend watching basketball.

That is a great location to watch basketball. KUDO's to the SBC. Too bad it's a weekend of watching basketball from the worst fbs conference in basketball.

Just let the AAC get decimated. Then the AAC can become the eastern based league. The SB can become the southern/gulf league. CUSA can become the Texas mid west league. Reshuffle the teams accordingly. Nobody will be any better than anyone else. All three would likely have similar value. The remaining piece is bowl affiliations. Work it out. It cant be that hard.

(09-10-2021 08:39 AM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(09-10-2021 08:30 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  The Sun Belt does offer a few things that eastern CUSA schools have been wanting: a more centralized Conference Tourney.

The SBC just inked a 5 year deal to play in the Bay Center in Pensacola. Not a bad place to spend a long weekend watching basketball.

That is a great location to watch basketball. KUDO's to the SBC. Too bad it's a weekend of watching basketball from the worst fbs conference in basketball.

Luckily for the SBC, TV deals at our level aren’t based on basketball. Football drives it all. The SBC figured that out when CUSA did their “market” grab a few years ago.

(09-10-2021 08:53 AM)monarx Wrote:  Just let the AAC get decimated. Then the AAC can become the eastern based league. The SB can become the southern/gulf league. CUSA can become the Texas mid west league. Reshuffle the teams accordingly. Nobody will be any better than anyone else. All three would likely have similar value. The remaining piece is bowl affiliations. Work it out. It cant be that hard.

I think the difficulty is all the other sports outside BB and FB. Making sure all those sports have homes.

(09-10-2021 08:57 AM)stAteNation Wrote:  

(09-10-2021 08:39 AM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(09-10-2021 08:30 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  The Sun Belt does offer a few things that eastern CUSA schools have been wanting: a more centralized Conference Tourney.

The SBC just inked a 5 year deal to play in the Bay Center in Pensacola. Not a bad place to spend a long weekend watching basketball.

That is a great location to watch basketball. KUDO's to the SBC. Too bad it's a weekend of watching basketball from the worst fbs conference in basketball.

Luckily for the SBC, TV deals at our level aren’t based on basketball. Football drives it all. The SBC figured that out when CUSA did their “market” grab a few years ago.

Not sure what that has to do with anything I stated. We all know realignment is driven by football. It must be wonderful for your basketball coaches during recruiting..."Hey, football drives the bus so we don't give a flip about basketball. Wanna come play for the worst basketball in all of FBS?"

All ribbing aside, I never expected WKU, a small market school, to even get an invite to CUSA in the first place back in 2013/14. We all know the difference in football between the SBC and CUSA is negligible...one league has an up year and they are considered better. The next, the other does. There's a good chance CUSA reclaims the mantle this year. Who knows.

Regardless, I was happy with our move to CUSA because of basketball. Playing in the same conference again with old basketball rivals like UAB, ODU, Charlotte, MTSU and LaTech was very exciting for us. This new round of realignment, WKU won't be so lucky. My gut tells me we will be left hanging with a dead, non-viable conference again, like the SBC was in 1991 when the three remaining teams (WKU, USA, and Jacksonville) had to merge with the American South. Regardless, for one hundred years regardless of what level we played, what conference we were members of, WKU has consistently done well in both sports, decade after decade. That won't change, regardless where we end up.

Maybe the SBC can get JMU and Liberty. I can't see why a CUSA school would join.