(09-24-2010 05:34 AM)emu steve Wrote: We have a MAC expansion thread including a nice discussion of James Madison.
I look at the C-USA map and see 12 teams but only 3 eastern schools (i.e., Marshall, ECU and UCF).
Questions:
1). Would C-USA like to go to 14 teams and say add JMU, Charlotte, or some other schools moving up?
2). Could they go up to 16 by adding even more schools in the East?
3). Would C-USA try to poach Temple for their eastern division???
1) The answer to this is no. CUSA likely would not look at FCS schools. The goal for CUSA should be to obtain the 7th BCS bid that was close to being tendered for the MWC.
2) I don't think CUSA will try to add anyone from the East outside of maybe Temple.
3) CUSA will try if possible to poach Temple for their eastern division. They may be unsuccessful in doing so.
Keep in mind there are probably going to be a lot more changes in the next 2-3 years before CUSA reacts.
-The latest rumor out of the Big East has the conference thinking about expanding to 12 with some combination of Memphis, UCF, UMass, Delaware, Temple, and Florida Int.
-CUSA could likely decide to look west for its expansion. If Memphis and UCF go to the Big East and AFA goes Indy as some predict (they are already balking at the idea of a 9 game MWC football schedule).
-That could lead to a situation where CUSA adds TCU, UNM, Boise, Fresno, Nevada, UNLV to go to 16. Wyoming, CSU, SDSU would in this case have to head back to the WAC.
-SDSU was added to the MWC in an era where markets were what dictated which confrences belonged in the BCS. Now its strictly perfomance based and with SDSU not a cash cow in either sport could find itself on the outside looking in if a CUSA-MWC merger occurs.
-UNLV will likely be safe with its cash cow basketball program.