UCA Interested In Joining CUSA

So, I don't think they are interested in the Southland. Their eyes are FBS right now especially CUSA.

I have to admit I clicked on the link just to find out who UCA was.

University of Central Arkansas. Now I know.

Who would be the 12th?

"Teague said UCA spoke with C-USA on a feeling-out basis, but the conference ultimately went with Kennesaw State."

This is the only mention of UCA/CUSA, I don't think it was ever really a serious conversation

If I remember correctly, Matt Brown said remaining ASUN members would be on the list of potential additions if CUSA needs to expand again: Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, Austin Peay, and North Alabama.

It makes sense, with Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State moving from the ASUN to CUSA.


It's also why the talk of "Why didn't the G5 kill CUSA?" was a joke, because CUSA always had more than enough candidates to backfill.

CUSA will be the future path for all (underserving) G5s. The continued expansion will never cease so why not just make everyone D1?

(11-12-2022 10:51 AM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  CUSA will be the future path for all (underserving) G5s. The continued expansion will never cease so why not just make everyone D1?

All the schools in question are already D1.

(11-12-2022 09:32 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  UCA Interested In Joining CUSA

So, I don't think they are interested in the Southland. Their eyes are FBS right now especially CUSA.

Good scoop, St. David

Maybe UCA and Arkansas Tech in a package deal?

(11-12-2022 11:30 AM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  ... Maybe UCA and Arkansas Tech in a package deal?

There's no urgent reason for CUSA to be looking to expand past 10 at this point in time, and going to 12 waters down the conference distribution on the media contract they just worked out.

So further invites might just depend on who CUSA got raided for and how many they need to reload to get back to 10.

(11-12-2022 10:28 AM)Yosef181 Wrote:  If I remember correctly, Matt Brown said remaining ASUN members would be on the list of potential additions if CUSA needs to expand again: Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, Austin Peay, and North Alabama.

It makes sense, with Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State moving from the ASUN to CUSA.


It's also why the talk of "Why didn't the G5 kill CUSA?" was a joke, because CUSA always had more than enough candidates to backfill.

C-USA would probably have been at the point where even FCS teams wouldn’t have been willing to join the conference if WKU and MTSU had joined the MAC.

CUSA is in a spot where they know that the school(s) they have considered previously or would consider for the future are going to be there unless there’s a significant realignment shuffle that forces the MAC and/or Sun Belt to be looking towards the FCS side of D1 as well

(11-12-2022 10:28 AM)Yosef181 Wrote:  If I remember correctly, Matt Brown said remaining ASUN members would be on the list of potential additions if CUSA needs to expand again: Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, Austin Peay, and North Alabama.

It makes sense, with Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State moving from the ASUN to CUSA.


It's also why the talk of "Why didn't the G5 kill CUSA?" was a joke, because CUSA always had more than enough candidates to backfill.

Western Kentucky would block Eastern Kentucky from joining if all four moved up at once. Middle Tennessee might even try to block Austin Peay from joining as well.

(11-12-2022 10:51 AM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  CUSA will be the future path for all (underserving) G5s. The continued expansion will never cease so why not just make everyone D1?

Let's remember how we got to this point in the first place - conferences are constantly raiding other conferences of their own members, going from 10 to 12 to 14, and now 16 and soon, beyond that. The raided conferences then backfill - by raiding other conferences down the line, ending with FCS callups.

I don't think one cannot credibly cheerlead "expand! expand! expand!" at the upper end, then bemoan the survivalist reactions at the lower end.

(11-12-2022 11:30 AM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  

(11-12-2022 09:32 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  UCA Interested In Joining CUSA

So, I don't think they are interested in the Southland. Their eyes are FBS right now especially CUSA.

Good scoop, St. David

Maybe UCA and Arkansas Tech in a package deal?

Don't start that mess. There is no chance we go D1, much less FBS.

(11-12-2022 12:37 PM)NJMark Wrote:  

(11-12-2022 10:51 AM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  CUSA will be the future path for all (underserving) G5s. The continued expansion will never cease so why not just make everyone D1?

Let's remember how we got to this point in the first place - conferences are constantly raiding other conferences of their own members, going from 10 to 12 to 14, and now 16 and soon, beyond that. The raided conferences then backfill - by raiding other conferences down the line, ending with FCS callups.

I don't think one cannot credibly cheerlead "expand! expand! expand!" at the upper end, then bemoan the survivalist reactions at the lower end.

Way too much common sense for some of the crowd here.

(11-12-2022 11:45 AM)Poster Wrote:  

(11-12-2022 10:28 AM)Yosef181 Wrote:  If I remember correctly, Matt Brown said remaining ASUN members would be on the list of potential additions if CUSA needs to expand again: Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas, Austin Peay, and North Alabama.

It makes sense, with Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State moving from the ASUN to CUSA.


It's also why the talk of "Why didn't the G5 kill CUSA?" was a joke, because CUSA always had more than enough candidates to backfill.

C-USA would probably have been at the point where even FCS teams wouldn’t have been willing to join the conference if WKU and MTSU had joined the MAC.

That wouldn't have mattered. For some FCS schools, if the opportunity is there to increase your brand awareness by moving up, you take it. It doesn't make a difference if MTSU and WKU are there or not.

(11-12-2022 12:37 PM)NJMark Wrote:  

(11-12-2022 10:51 AM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  CUSA will be the future path for all (underserving) G5s. The continued expansion will never cease so why not just make everyone D1?

Let's remember how we got to this point in the first place - conferences are constantly raiding other conferences of their own members, going from 10 to 12 to 14, and now 16 and soon, beyond that. The raided conferences then backfill - by raiding other conferences down the line, ending with FCS callups.

I don't think one cannot credibly cheerlead "expand! expand! expand!" at the upper end, then bemoan the survivalist reactions at the lower end.

The Sun Belt was "calling up" a zillion FCS schools long before the chaos in power conferences. The original C-USA also called up UAB and South Florida.

This phenomenon predates the chaos at the top of CFB.

(11-12-2022 01:11 PM)Poster Wrote:  

(11-12-2022 12:37 PM)NJMark Wrote:  

(11-12-2022 10:51 AM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  CUSA will be the future path for all (underserving) G5s. The continued expansion will never cease so why not just make everyone D1?

Let's remember how we got to this point in the first place - conferences are constantly raiding other conferences of their own members, going from 10 to 12 to 14, and now 16 and soon, beyond that. The raided conferences then backfill - by raiding other conferences down the line, ending with FCS callups.

I don't think one cannot credibly cheerlead "expand! expand! expand!" at the upper end, then bemoan the survivalist reactions at the lower end.

The Sun Belt was "calling up" a zillion FCS schools long before the chaos in power conferences. The original C-USA also called up UAB and South Florida.

This phenomenon predates the chaos at the top of CFB.

How does pointing to the knock-on effects of previous rounds of P5 conference realignment prove that FCS call-ups "pre-date" what is happening at the top of CFB?

Its great that UCA is at least interested. That makes 3 serious FCS to FBS transition candidates for CUSA (UCA, EKU, Tarleton)

FCS
Kennesaw St. (41,181) Cap: 8,318
Lamar (16,191) Cap: 16,000
Eastern Kentucky (14,465) Cap: 20,000
East Tennessee (14,334) Cap: 7,694
Tarleton St (13,996) Cap: 15,000
Western Carolina (12,243) Cap: 13,742
Stephen F. Austin (11,946) Cap: 14,575
Northwestern St. (11,447) Cap: 15,971
Chattanooga (10.239) Cap: 20,412
Tennessee Tech (8,394) Cap: 16,500
Central Arkansas (8,244) Cap: 10,000
TAMU-Commerce (7,369) Cap: 13,500

DII
Central Oklahoma (16,910) Cap: 10,000
West Georgia (13,510) Cap: 10,000
West Florida (13,043) Cap: 5,038
Valdosta St. (12,416) Cap: 11,249
Angelo St (10,775) Cap: 5,870
West Texas A&M (10,051) Cap: 8,500

EKU is blocked by WKU. Tarleton has already been vetted but might not have the votes. UCA then quite possibly might be the next school in CUSA.

(11-12-2022 12:37 PM)NJMark Wrote:  

(11-12-2022 10:51 AM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  CUSA will be the future path for all (underserving) G5s. The continued expansion will never cease so why not just make everyone D1?

Let's remember how we got to this point in the first place - conferences are constantly raiding other conferences of their own members, going from 10 to 12 to 14, and now 16 and soon, beyond that. The raided conferences then backfill - by raiding other conferences down the line, ending with FCS callups.

I don't think one cannot credibly cheerlead "expand! expand! expand!" at the upper end, then bemoan the survivalist reactions at the lower end.

The incentive also so much higher to be playing in a FBS conference so maintaining enough membership for the conference is an upmost priority. NMSU and Liberty jumped right into CUSA when offered. In the 70's and 80's programs would rather be independent in some cases over joining a low level conference.