(10-15-2026 09:04 AM)polkhigh Wrote:  And seriously, what the Hell is a Tarleton????

Not sure if you’re serious in asking, but in case you really don’t know, Tarleton State is an FCS program on the other side of Ft. Worth in the TAMU system that’s been spending a sh*t ton of money.

They should be off the list simply because we’d have to deal with how to abbreviate them.

(10-15-2026 09:18 AM)HarborPointe Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 08:50 AM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 08:10 AM)EigenEagle Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 04:39 AM)army56mike Wrote:  

(10-14-2026 10:54 PM)GSUALUM17 Wrote:  beyond that, is anyone really having fun in CUSA? the products on the field is so poor. I watched both CUSA football games tonight. The quality of competition just doesn't pass the FBS eye test. Where is the money going?

You realize we are basically the same conferences competitively?

Series Breakdown (2020s / Last 5+ Years)

- 2020s Decade Record (All Games): Conference USA teams are 39–27 against Sun Belt opponents (Sun Belt is 27–39).
- 2020s Decade Record (Bowl Games): 9–9 (50.0%).

I found the website you got that from, and you have that backwards. It's 39-27 Sun Belt.

Conference USA has cleaned up in bowl games (because it usually means a 3-5 Sun Belt team plays a 6 or 7 win CUSA team). But in Massey Composite averages and SP+ rankings the Sun Belt has always been well ahead of CUSA.

In the 2020s, I think pre-pandemic CUSA was on top though

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

Pre-pandemic, 3 current Sun Belt programs were in CUSA.

4

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

(10-15-2026 09:28 AM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 09:18 AM)HarborPointe Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 08:50 AM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 08:10 AM)EigenEagle Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 04:39 AM)army56mike Wrote:  You realize we are basically the same conferences competitively?

Series Breakdown (2020s / Last 5+ Years)

- 2020s Decade Record (All Games): Conference USA teams are 39–27 against Sun Belt opponents (Sun Belt is 27–39).
- 2020s Decade Record (Bowl Games): 9–9 (50.0%).

I found the website you got that from, and you have that backwards. It's 39-27 Sun Belt.

Conference USA has cleaned up in bowl games (because it usually means a 3-5 Sun Belt team plays a 6 or 7 win CUSA team). But in Massey Composite averages and SP+ rankings the Sun Belt has always been well ahead of CUSA.

In the 2020s, I think pre-pandemic CUSA was on top though

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

Pre-pandemic, 3 current Sun Belt programs were in CUSA.

4

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

Ah, yes. We just added another, didn’t we?

(10-15-2026 09:26 AM)HarborPointe Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 09:04 AM)polkhigh Wrote:  And seriously, what the Hell is a Tarleton????

Not sure if you’re serious in asking, but in case you really don’t know, Tarleton State is an FCS program on the other side of Ft. Worth in the TAMU system that’s been spending a sh*t ton of money.

They should be off the list simply because we’d have to deal with how to abbreviate them.

I had never heard of Tarelton until CUSA people started mentioning them last year. Lots of people in the other parts of the country don’t think about the state of Texas or what goes on in Texas.

(10-15-2026 09:42 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  I had never heard of Tarelton until CUSA people started mentioning them last year.

Same.

(10-15-2026 09:47 AM)HarborPointe Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 09:42 AM)GreenBison Wrote:  I had never heard of Tarelton until CUSA people started mentioning them last year.

Same.

I had never heard of Kennesaw either.

(10-15-2026 09:04 AM)polkhigh Wrote:  I never even heard of WKU until they showed up on the schedule in 2014. I dont understand why their name keeps coming up.

And seriously, what the Hell is a Tarleton????

I believe it's a brand of cigarettes.

(10-15-2026 09:51 AM)webster Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 09:04 AM)polkhigh Wrote:  I never even heard of WKU until they showed up on the schedule in 2014. I dont understand why their name keeps coming up.

And seriously, what the Hell is a Tarleton????

I believe it's a brand of cigarettes.

Tarleton Lights or Menthol

(10-15-2026 09:51 AM)webster Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 09:04 AM)polkhigh Wrote:  I never even heard of WKU until they showed up on the schedule in 2014. I dont understand why their name keeps coming up.

And seriously, what the Hell is a Tarleton????

I believe it's a brand of cigarettes.

Tarleton Lights or Menthol

(10-14-2026 10:43 PM)HarborPointe Wrote:  

(10-14-2026 09:12 PM)MUther Wrote:  They keep mentioning making more in CUSA, but it’s simply schools exiting and entering the conference paying all that. When the music stops and the chairs are full it will be CUSA trying to survive on their FCS salary. I wouldn’t leave if I were them, either, knowing an enormous pay cut was looming over my head. They need to spend their effort figuring out how to pinch pennies over the next decade.

The Sun Belt uniquely handles certain member expenses through the conference office. The net payment to the school is the gross income minus those expenses, which the school in turn doesn’t owe. It’s like getting withholdings on your paycheck instead of having to make actual payments for your taxes, insurance, etc. Other conferences pay out the gross but then the schools are responsible for the expenses.

CUSA probably is still churning through a bunch of exit/entry fees, but even without that, there’s a disparity built into the accounting that deflates the SBC “payouts” vs. theirs.

Is CUSA still getting money from that run to the Final Four that FAU had a number of years back?

(10-15-2026 10:29 AM)Eagleholic Wrote:  

(10-14-2026 10:43 PM)HarborPointe Wrote:  

(10-14-2026 09:12 PM)MUther Wrote:  They keep mentioning making more in CUSA, but it’s simply schools exiting and entering the conference paying all that. When the music stops and the chairs are full it will be CUSA trying to survive on their FCS salary. I wouldn’t leave if I were them, either, knowing an enormous pay cut was looming over my head. They need to spend their effort figuring out how to pinch pennies over the next decade.

The Sun Belt uniquely handles certain member expenses through the conference office. The net payment to the school is the gross income minus those expenses, which the school in turn doesn’t owe. It’s like getting withholdings on your paycheck instead of having to make actual payments for your taxes, insurance, etc. Other conferences pay out the gross but then the schools are responsible for the expenses.

CUSA probably is still churning through a bunch of exit/entry fees, but even without that, there’s a disparity built into the accounting that deflates the SBC “payouts” vs. theirs.

Is CUSA still getting money from that run to the Final Four that FAU had a number of years back?

Yes. They get that money for 2 or 3 more years, then it dries up. They've got a couple more years on money they inherited from departing AAC Schools and then they are on their own.

By the time someone turned around and joined CUSA, they likely would not get any of that income.

If WKY isn't coming, just get rid of UL-M.

(10-15-2026 08:54 AM)bcp_jmu Wrote:  

(10-14-2026 04:24 PM)stinkfist Wrote:  

(10-14-2026 10:37 AM)FreeBirdJohnnyReb Wrote:  Well that's good to know.
It makes Ohio and Liberty (who has plenty of $$ and wants to come) more appealing and maybe one of those TX schools (Tarleton?).

the last thing the belt needs is another Tejas school...

when applying the concept of geo-realignment in the G category, it's Bibberty or bust...

Take Tarleton any day over Sam Houston - T has their stuff together and is a grower AND a shower

Go play in the AAC sand box. Thank you.

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

what if... Tarleton State is actually serious. might even have ambitions for PAC12.

https://frontofficesports.com/article/ta...o-the-fbs/
- $45 million athletics budget
- $200 million earmarked for athletics. Rev share already running.
- $130 million basketball arena/event center
- $30mil renovations for the football stadium

(10-15-2026 04:44 PM)GSUALUM17 Wrote:  what if... Tarleton State is actually serious. might even have ambitions for PAC12.

https://frontofficesports.com/article/ta...o-the-fbs/
- $45 million athletics budget
- $200 million earmarked for athletics. Rev share already running.
- $130 million basketball arena/event center
- $30mil renovations for the football stadium

They make a lot more sense for the PAC 12 than stretching their conference from Boise to Boone.

(10-15-2026 04:53 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 04:44 PM)GSUALUM17 Wrote:  what if... Tarleton State is actually serious. might even have ambitions for PAC12.

https://frontofficesports.com/article/ta...o-the-fbs/
- $45 million athletics budget
- $200 million earmarked for athletics. Rev share already running.
- $130 million basketball arena/event center
- $30mil renovations for the football stadium

They make a lot more sense for the PAC 12 than stretching their conference from Boise to Boone.

cant get there from FCS. possibly willing to spend for a temporary FBS home?

(10-16-2026 12:31 PM)GSUALUM17 Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 04:53 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(10-15-2026 04:44 PM)GSUALUM17 Wrote:  what if... Tarleton State is actually serious. might even have ambitions for PAC12.

https://frontofficesports.com/article/ta...o-the-fbs/
- $45 million athletics budget
- $200 million earmarked for athletics. Rev share already running.
- $130 million basketball arena/event center
- $30mil renovations for the football stadium

They make a lot more sense for the PAC 12 than stretching their conference from Boise to Boone.

cant get there from FCS. possibly willing to spend for a temporary FBS home?

As long as they understand coming in that the exit fee will be eleventy billion dollars.

Is WKU coming?

I think the biggest hold up from the WKU administration would not just be the current lost revenue, but the fact that several Sun Belt East members may not be sticking around long term. WKU would want to be in a conference with Marshall, App, and ODU. If those guys aren't hanging around long term that affects the future outlook. Of course we always had fun belt days with Troy, USA, and ULaLa a couple decades ago and personally I would like to play those guys again (we have Troy some).

The reality is all hell is going to break loose in the next couple years with the ACC falling apart by likely losing at minimum 4 teams and potentially 8 and that will change everything. So do you want to spend millions now or just wait and see how things shake out? If CUSA tries to vote on an exit fee increase however that could speed up the decision making for a couple teams similar to JMU.

(10-16-2026 01:11 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  Is WKU coming?

Yes, they just need Marshall, App, Coastal and ODU to sign that piece of paper about the increased exit fee first.

Get that done and I'm sure we can arrange for a school named WKU to join the Sun Belt. I just never said which state they were in.