Rumors on ESPN suggesting it as a possibility to remain more regional.
The new Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson, formerly serving in the same role with the WAC, has options. The first may be to follow in the footsteps of the Conference USA and the the Mountain West Conference.
"There has been banter about the possibility that the Sun Belt and WAC could merge, especially with Benson's deep history with one league and future role with the other," Adam Sparks of the Daily Journal News wrote.
"The Sun Belt could make a play to snag Conference USA schools in the southeast such as UAB, Southern Miss, East Carolina and others."
RE: USM, ECU, UAB and possibly others to Sun Belt?
ESPN always has and always will have an ulterior (sp?) motive for what they put out there. IMO, this is their way of marginalizing the CUSA remnants. ESPN, how much I loath thee.
....for the love of God, I can't spell worth squat today.
(This post was last modified: 02-18-2012 12:43 PM by eagle215.)
RE: USM, ECU, UAB and possibly others to Sun Belt?
(02-18-2012 12:40 PM)Beagleagle23 Wrote: USM WOULD NEVER go to the Suck Belt.
General Hammond (interim AD) is smarter than that.
Brian Mackin has indicated UAB will ride this alliance thing until it drops, as well.
Could UAB end up back in the Belt? I wouldn't rule anything out, but that's not the mindset currently prevailing on the southside, no matter what ESPN or Tom Benson thinks.
RE: USM, ECU, UAB and possibly others to Sun Belt?
(02-18-2012 12:38 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote: Rumors on ESPN suggesting it as a possibility to remain more regional.
The new Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson, formerly serving in the same role with the WAC, has options. The first may be to follow in the footsteps of the Conference USA and the the Mountain West Conference.
"There has been banter about the possibility that the Sun Belt and WAC could merge, especially with Benson's deep history with one league and future role with the other," Adam Sparks of the Daily Journal News wrote.
"The Sun Belt could make a play to snag Conference USA schools in the southeast such as UAB, Southern Miss, East Carolina and others."
That is ridiculous. Terry Holland master minded this alliance. Why would ESPN think that he is now going to change his mind and take our Pirates to the Sun Belt? I can tell you that the Board of Trustees would never allow it even if Terry changed his mind.
I just emailed him a name recently for the new conference and he passed it on to Banowski and James because he liked it. He sounded very excited about the merging of our two conferences, so I cannot believe that we would change course now to go to a lesser conference.
I know that War Torn Ruston guy believes whatever ESPN writes, but most of the work they do is speculation. 80% of the time they are wrong.
RE: USM, ECU, UAB and possibly others to Sun Belt?
Terry Holland would never in a million years go along with that plan. If the Alliance failed he would simply pick up the phone with Southern Miss and Marshall and procede to put together a new Conference
RE: USM, ECU, UAB and possibly others to Sun Belt?
(02-18-2012 12:54 PM)Raleighwood Pirate Wrote: That is ridiculous. Terry Holland master minded this alliance.
No he did not. He was trying to get into the Big East. (not that others would have turned it down; but they didn't have their resources focused there). This was "master-minded" by some Presidents who have been fighting for a decade for reasonable access from the BCS, who are trying to get the jump on the "super conference"
Holland has wanted regionality, which he may get through the Alliance.
RE: USM, ECU, UAB and possibly others to Sun Belt?
Any mixing of the Sun Belt/CUSA would cause challenges for even the richest Sun Belt schools.
Using the below website, here are the numbers for income from tickets sold and contributions for CUSA and Sunbelt schools. I used those numbers because those are the best indicators that I know of to use as an indication of how supportive alums and the local community are of the program.
Attendance numbers are easily juggled as we've all seen, income from tickets sold isn't as easily inflated.
RE: USM, ECU, UAB and possibly others to Sun Belt?
The additions of USM, ECU and some others from CUSA could make the SunBelt decent. It'll also allow the schools to actually drive to away games and create more regional rivalries. If the CUSA east and Tulane joined...it could be a pretty good conference. MWC can consume UTEP and Tulsa and remain a decent conference, too.
Actually...CUSA should just keep the East and Tulane and expand with the SunBelt teams they want and let UTEP and Tulsa go to the MWC. Grab WKU, FIU, FAU, La Tech, Troy, South Alabama and MTSU...along with USM, ECU, Tulane, Marshall and UAB would be regional and fairly decent. Plus...it gives not one but two Florida teams to hate.
The travel expenses in the proposed CUSA/MWC alliance will be brutal for all-sports. Think about it.
RE: USM, ECU, UAB and possibly others to Sun Belt?
(02-18-2012 01:11 PM)ShoreBuc Wrote: Terry Holland would never in a million years go along with that plan. If the Alliance failed he would simply pick up the phone with Southern Miss and Marshall and procede to put together a new Conference
Although all the C-USA schools are strong links in this, I'd guess USM, ECU & to a slightly lesser extent, Marshall, are the lynchpins in this alliance.
As they go, the alliance goes.
RE: USM, ECU, UAB and possibly others to Sun Belt?
(02-18-2012 01:36 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote: The additions of USM, ECU and some others from CUSA could make the SunBelt decent. It'll also allow the schools to actually drive to away games and create more regional rivalries. If the CUSA east and Tulane joined...it could be a pretty good conference. MWC can consume UTEP and Tulsa and remain a decent conference, too.
Actually...CUSA should just keep the East and Tulane and expand with the SunBelt teams they want and let UTEP and Tulsa go to the MWC. Grab WKU, FIU, FAU, La Tech, Troy, South Alabama and MTSU...along with USM, ECU, Tulane, Marshall and UAB would be regional and fairly decent. Plus...it gives not one but two Florida teams to hate.
The travel expenses in the proposed CUSA/MWC alliance will be brutal for all-sports. Think about it.
Do you understand the geography for ECU? The Sun-Belt isn't that good for ECU, and isn't a driving league. There's zero positive in it for ECU. It's a silly and stupid idea.
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USM, ECU, UAB and possibly others to Sun Belt?
