https://www.breezejmu.org/sports/jmu-bov...dff64.html

(10-12-2026 09:28 AM)SpaceRaider Wrote:  https://www.breezejmu.org/sports/jmu-bov...dff64.html

I didn't expect to see this so soon. Will be interesting to see how much JMU had to pay and/or how many years they have to forgo full distributions.

Also very interesting to see what happens next.

Will the the SunBelt raid CUSA again or will they raid the MAC instead? I can see them picking off Ohio U or Miami

Or do we pick up some SBC teams?

(10-12-2026 09:48 AM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  Or do we pick up some SBC teams?

Would be nice, but I don't see any SunBelt teams wanting to make that jump.

the cheap schools are not going to want to increase their travel and I don't see the ones who left CUSA for the SunBelt wanting to return.

I doubt they are in panic mode yet.

(10-12-2026 09:43 AM)sigke Wrote:  

(10-12-2026 09:28 AM)SpaceRaider Wrote:  https://www.breezejmu.org/sports/jmu-bov...dff64.html

I didn't expect to see this so soon. Will be interesting to see how much JMU had to pay and/or how many years they have to forgo full distributions.

Also very interesting to see what happens next.

Will the the SunBelt raid CUSA again or will they raid the MAC instead? I can see them picking off Ohio U or Miami

According to Peter Thamel
JMUwill pay the American 23 million entry fee
JMU will receive a media deal pay same as the 6 CUSA adds
No current American member will get a lower media payout

Does the SBC end division play?

Wished FIU could go to the American and NMSU to the MW or PAC. Then CUSA would be more attractive to App and Ohio.

The timing is interesting. Why Now?

I did expect JMU to be gone 1st out of the SBC.

Realignment is crazy.

American will not stay at 15.

Will either go to 16 for cushion or permanent Or is expecting to lose 1-3 schools.

Sunbelt was likely to vote this week to increase exit fees from $5m to $25m!

By making the move today, JMU will pay $5m to leave Sunbelt and $23m to join American, so $28m total, with all of it coming from new corporate donors.

If we had waited till next week it would've cost us $48m to make the same move. No brainer.

Once the Sunbelt passes the exit fee increase, i doubt any current Sunbelt team is going to be in a position to leave the conference anytime soon.

THAMEL>>American isn't adding anyone else imminently, per sources. They may add down the line, but this is not a pairing. The pressure of Sun Belt exit fees prompted this decision.

(10-12-2026 10:32 AM)DukesTG Wrote:  Sunbelt was likely to vote this week to increase exit fees from $5m to $25m!

By making the move today, JMU will pay $5m to leave Sunbelt and $23m to join American, so $28m total, with all of it coming from new corporate donors.

If we had waited till next week it would've cost us $48m to make the same move. No brainer.

Once the Sunbelt passes the exit fee increase, i doubt any current Sunbelt team is going to be in a position to leave the conference anytime soon.

AND--I doubt the SBC passes an exit fee That Large.

IMO--just don't see members "fencing themselves in" to a very high amount.

25M? No way (Of course--if you are JMU-why take the chance).

(10-12-2026 10:47 AM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  

(10-12-2026 10:32 AM)DukesTG Wrote:  Sunbelt was likely to vote this week to increase exit fees from $5m to $25m!

By making the move today, JMU will pay $5m to leave Sunbelt and $23m to join American, so $28m total, with all of it coming from new corporate donors.

If we had waited till next week it would've cost us $48m to make the same move. No brainer.

Once the Sunbelt passes the exit fee increase, i doubt any current Sunbelt team is going to be in a position to leave the conference anytime soon.

AND--I doubt the SBC passes an exit fee That Large.

IMO--just don't see members "fencing themselves in" to a very high amount.

25M? No way (Of course--if you are JMU-why take the chance).

JMU has quoted the $25 million number a hundred times without getting where the concept of negotiations come from.

The SBC's exit fee at present is minimal and does little to deter teams from making moves. It cost Tech more to leave CUSA than it would to leave the SBC. The league needs to increase our exit fees, but there isn't a way $25 million happens. Keith Gill wants $25 million, but his job is to keep the league together. He doesn't actually have a vote.

I'm guessing we'll go up to around $10-12 Million.

Congrats to the Dukes. What a great move for them.

JMU just kicking arse and taking names seemingly across all sports.

Their leadership is the opposite of ours at MT............... jealous

This move by JMU might lead to the SunBelt picking up Tarleton State.

OR could even lead to the SunBelt deciding on replacing them with a football only South Dakota St, or one of the Montanas (though, I doubt this)

Reasons:

1) Chance for SunBelt to get back into Texas market

2) Unless I'm mistaken, the only CUSA target schools for SunBelt which would see potentially drastic travel savings by moving to SunBelt would be Jax State and Kenny State. Because SunBelt pays out on average less per school, I would GUESS Jax and KSU are the only two where it could still be a net positive. Meaning, I think most CUSA schools would say no to invite, or wouldn't be invited in first place. Same with MAC schools.

If Georgia State leaves the SBC we can kiss Kenny goodbye.

$28 million PLUS a reduced media deal to join AAC. Didn’t think they’d be that desperate to leave the Sun Belt East.

(10-12-2026 01:16 PM)Baldspot Wrote:  $28 million PLUS a reduced media deal to join AAC. Didn’t think they’d be that desperate to leave the Sun Belt East.

Wonder if E$PN dangled the carrot ?

My suspicion is that SBC will not go west nor get back into Texas, nor will they step dramtically out of their current footprint. I imagine they will target WKU, MTSU, Delaware, Missouri St., Ohio, and maybe FIU. There is too much ill will to target Liberty, which isn’t a match culturally anyway. I think the SBC East will control who gets an invite.

(10-12-2026 11:34 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(10-12-2026 10:47 AM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  

(10-12-2026 10:32 AM)DukesTG Wrote:  Sunbelt was likely to vote this week to increase exit fees from $5m to $25m!

By making the move today, JMU will pay $5m to leave Sunbelt and $23m to join American, so $28m total, with all of it coming from new corporate donors.

If we had waited till next week it would've cost us $48m to make the same move. No brainer.

Once the Sunbelt passes the exit fee increase, i doubt any current Sunbelt team is going to be in a position to leave the conference anytime soon.

AND--I doubt the SBC passes an exit fee That Large.

IMO--just don't see members "fencing themselves in" to a very high amount.

25M? No way (Of course--if you are JMU-why take the chance).

JMU has quoted the $25 million number a hundred times without getting where the concept of negotiations come from.

The SBC's exit fee at present is minimal and does little to deter teams from making moves. It cost Tech more to leave CUSA than it would to leave the SBC. The league needs to increase our exit fees, but there isn't a way $25 million happens. Keith Gill wants $25 million, but his job is to keep the league together. He doesn't actually have a vote.

I'm guessing we'll go up to around $10-12 Million.

Yes, this is where the MAC needs to be as well, but there's also the possibility of a GOR being attached to a new and improved MAC media deal with ESPN. It's a very fluid situation indeed!

(10-12-2026 01:12 PM)sigke Wrote:  This move by JMU might lead to the SunBelt picking up Tarleton State.

OR could even lead to the SunBelt deciding on replacing them with a football only South Dakota St, or one of the Montanas (though, I doubt this)

Reasons:

1) Chance for SunBelt to get back into Texas market

2) Unless I'm mistaken, the only CUSA target schools for SunBelt which would see potentially drastic travel savings by moving to SunBelt would be Jax State and Kenny State. Because SunBelt pays out on average less per school, I would GUESS Jax and KSU are the only two where it could still be a net positive. Meaning, I think most CUSA schools would say no to invite, or wouldn't be invited in first place. Same with MAC schools.

I think the number of CUSA teams that the SBC can get are more limited now because we've grabbed the obvious ones already, but there are still options out there.

I still think the sensible solution is that our two conferences and the MAC schedule a meeting at an airport hotel with a nice conference room somewhere and start talking about making sensible decisions based on where College Football is headed and how we can best compete as a shared group in that setup.