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CUSA Positives - HTOWN_HERD - 02-18-2021 10:04 AM
A lot of negativity on this board regarding our conference mates and the conference in general. I thought I would take a stab at only highlighting the positives I see in everyone.
East
FAU- I’ve never been on campus but have heard it’s beautiful. Like Marshall, it’s classified as an R2 university so the academics are good as well. They have prioritized football, and been competitive while making good coaching hires. Their lack of attendance is a concern, but this is something I feel will change over time IF they keep winning.
Charlotte- Their fans on here seem level headed. The location is great, and Marshall has a lot of alums in the area. They did the right thing by not building a 30K seat stadium right off the bat and will expand as needed. Good academics and are classified as an R2. I feel like they are trying to prioritize football, but have not seen the fruits of their labor yet. If we suffer through their growing pains, I feel they will prove to be a large fanbase over time and will be able to fill up the stadium for home games. It’s not easy starting football from scratch at any level.
ODU- ODU looks to me like a sleeping giant. They have a large enough fanbase to consistently sell out home games in their stadium. Personally, I believe they are one good coaching hire away from becoming what CCU did this year and possibly more. I know we get sick of hearing about potential, but they certainly have it. R2 university so good academics. At some point the ODU add is going to pay big dividends for CUSA. Bank on it.
WKU- Beautiful campus. I don’t feel like looking up the numbers, but I am pretty sure they have more conference titles than any one in CUSA since the re-alignment. The best part of them for me is that I really don’t like them, but respect the heck out them at the same time. They have proved to be a great add for CUSA. They also hired away the best offense in FCS (I’m jealous), so this year they could put up a fireworks show. I’m not sure of their academics but I’m sure it’s as good as anyone else’s in the league. WKU is a solid member.
FIU- Ehhh, I don’t much about you all. Good location and you are a R1 university. Maybe someone else that is more familiar could elaborate on FIU.
Middle TN- Again, don’t know much about them. They do always seem to be solid in all sports.
I’ll do CUSA West after while. IMO, The West in this conference is where most of the potential is to separate ourselves from the bottom G5 conference. They have the brand power to get some recognition. When I say brand I’m not trying to diminish anyone. I just mean that people know who UAB, Southern Miss, La Tech, North Texas, and UTEP are even if they haven’t been successful as of late. It’s takes time to get this, so a lot of the new programs just need time to get it. Except for FAU, hiring Lane instantly gave you all a boost.
RE: CUSA Positives - rileylives - 02-18-2021 10:36 AM
FIU could be a sleeping giant. They have everything in place, with the right administration, to become everything UCF became in Orlando.
I like having Charlotte on board. I know our fanbases have a friendly internet rivalry, however, we are glad to count you as brothers.
I am thoroughly impressed with WKU. Much like Marshall and Southern Miss, schools that don't have the biggest budgets or coolest markets, you do your thing well on the field and court.
I have more positives, but I'll try later.
RE: CUSA Positives - HTOWN_HERD - 02-18-2021 01:55 PM
West
UAB- Prioritizing football. Made a great coaching hire in Bill Clark and have won what 2 of the last 3 CUSA titles? With a brand new stadium that may well be the best in G5, the sky is the limit for the Blazers. They have everything they need to become a G5 power. I also read somewhere that their med school is top notch.
Southern Miss- Southern Miss is Southern Miss. Like Marshall, I hope they got this coaching hire right, and get back to be in or around the Top 25 every year. They have all the fan support and history needed to be successful.
La Tech- La Tech reminds me a lot of Southern Miss. History good players and the fan support needed to support the program. I have been impress with their basketball since entering CUSA
UTEP- I started a thread about them the other day on here. If they ever get the right coaching staff in place look out. No other G5 team can boast 50K home attendance. El Paso is a beautiful city as well.
Rice- I think their football program is on the way up. I don’t know much about Rice in general, but I’m pretty sure they also have a national power baseball team.
North Texas- I don’t know much about the Mean Green, but they have had some solid seasons so far in CUSA.
UTSA- I literally know nothing of the Roadrunners. Hopefully someone in this thread will eventually elaborate on them a little. San Antonio is a pretty large city, so hopefully they can win enough to fill the Alamo Dome.
RE: CUSA Positives - MUsince96 - 02-18-2021 03:46 PM
We have NCAA auto bids and a CFP contract to the G5 NY6 bowl.
RE: CUSA Positives - ghostofclt! - 02-18-2021 04:08 PM
clt says we have a small jeep
RE: CUSA Positives - HTOWN_HERD - 02-18-2021 04:26 PM
(02-18-2021 03:46 PM)MUsince96 Wrote: We have NCAA auto bids and a CFP contract to the G5 NY6 bowl.
We need to work on finishing dead last in the G5 rankings to start receiving a bigger cut of the CFP money. Especially since we are carrying 14 members. Some of these new coaching hires in CUSA really need to pan out.
RE: CUSA Positives - Side.Show.Joe - 02-18-2021 04:45 PM
Here are few off of the top of my head...
Rice- I'm from the Houston area so Rice has always been a respected university, and I have followed their program since back the SWC days. Very happy that North Texas conferences with them.
LA Tech- I love that LT doesn't really change. The are the model for consistency in the west. They have not posted a losing season since their first in C-USA, back 2013. That is very impressive. Plus they don't goof around with their uniforms and logo. Consistent even with their branding.
UTEP- Lots of alums in our Texas markets. They bring crowds to games in Denton, Houston, and San Antonio.
UTSA- I love the city of San Antonio. They have a great location, and our programs and fans have managed to gain a mutual dislike for each other.
Southern Miss- They remind me a lot of LA Tech. They are one of the more consistent programs in C-USA.
UAB- They are fighters, and I like that. Clark has that program rolling. I hope they are ready for the day when he moves on to bigger opportunities.
WKU- I admire their ability to recruit basketball players. Their program was consistently among the best in the Sun Belt, and now they are consistently among the best in C-USA.
MTSU- We had some great games in both football and basketball back in the Sun Belt days. I enjoy being in a C-USA with them. I hope they can find a way to grow beyond their current situation in football and basketball.
FAU- I don't care how far away they are, I like North Texas playing FAU. They are one of the better programs in the east and have a Florida heavy roster. UNT has a mostly Texas roster. Games with them almost become contests of state bragging rights for our players.
FIU- similar to FAU, but to a lesser extent. But, I do love Miami. I'm a beach person.
Marshall- Got to give credit to Marshall for what they have done over the years. They are similar to LA Tech and Southern Miss in that respect. Another program where distance doesn't matter. They are among the best in the conference almost every season, so we want o play them.
Charlotte- I really don't know much about Charlotte, other than they once attempted to label their basketball team the "Mean Green", and they made it to the Final Four back in '77. That is impressive. And, I think they have a lot of potential for future growth if they are committed to that goal.
ODU- Their basketball program has made it to the NCAA Tournament field of 32 three times (1986, 1995, & 2010). That is a positive.
RE: CUSA Positives - MUsince96 - 02-18-2021 05:20 PM
(02-18-2021 04:26 PM)HTOWN_HERD Wrote:(02-18-2021 03:46 PM)MUsince96 Wrote: We have NCAA auto bids and a CFP contract to the G5 NY6 bowl.
We need to work on finishing dead last in the G5 rankings to start receiving a bigger cut of the CFP money. Especially since we are carrying 14 members. Some of these new coaching hires in CUSA really need to pan out.
I was going with the bare minimum obvious lol.
RE: CUSA Positives - rileylives - 02-18-2021 05:25 PM
If you blur your eyes during one of the following matchups, it looks like a spring game scrimmage...
Rice vs ODU
UNT vs Marshall
Charlotte vs UAB
UTSA vs UTEP
FAU vs La Tech
CUSA Positives - owl at the moon - 02-19-2021 07:08 PM
clt says since Mean Green is already taken that Charlotte will rebrand as the Polite Green
CUSA Positives - owl at the moon - 02-19-2021 07:13 PM
Also I know I’m probably outvoted on here but I just thought some of the innovative things we’ve tried in basketball were pretty cool.
At least worth trying to see if they take off:
Pod Play
Dueling Courts
RE: CUSA Positives - rileylives - 02-19-2021 07:17 PM
Pod play was controversial. However this would have been the perfect year for that setup (if scheduling was not an issue).
Just from a pure analytical perspective, 4 to 5 top 100 NET teams playing four games in a row would have been sweet.
RE: CUSA Positives - Seminowl - 02-19-2021 07:38 PM
(02-18-2021 10:36 AM)rileylives Wrote: FIU could be a sleeping giant. They have everything in place, with the right administration, to become everything UCF became in Orlando.
I like having Charlotte on board. I know our fanbases have a friendly internet rivalry, however, we are glad to count you as brothers.
I am thoroughly impressed with WKU. Much like Marshall and Southern Miss, schools that don't have the biggest budgets or coolest markets, you do your thing well on the field and court.
I have more positives, but I'll try later.
The problem with FIU is that they share Dade county with UM. UCF doesn’t share Orange County with another FBS school. Likewise, FAU has the potential to establish a stronghold from Palm Beach County down to South Broward. South Broward is really where our territory starts to overlap with UM and FIU.
Long story short, they are currently living in the shadows of UM. If I break it down geographically our territory is 3-5 million of the South Florida Pop, UM is 6-8 million, and FIU is like 70,000 people in sweetwater (mostly FIU students).
RE: CUSA Positives - rileylives - 02-19-2021 07:44 PM
(02-19-2021 07:38 PM)Seminowl Wrote:(02-18-2021 10:36 AM)rileylives Wrote: FIU could be a sleeping giant. They have everything in place, with the right administration, to become everything UCF became in Orlando.
I like having Charlotte on board. I know our fanbases have a friendly internet rivalry, however, we are glad to count you as brothers.
I am thoroughly impressed with WKU. Much like Marshall and Southern Miss, schools that don't have the biggest budgets or coolest markets, you do your thing well on the field and court.
I have more positives, but I'll try later.
The problem with FIU is that they share Dade county with UM. UCF doesn’t share Orange County with another FBS school. Likewise, FAU has the potential to establish a stronghold from Palm Beach County down to South Broward. South Broward is really where our territory starts to overlap with UM and FIU.
It's the student population that I make the FIU to UCF comp.
What blows my mind is a team with a top 5 student population nationwide having one of the worst FBS attendance numbers.
On the flip side, Marshall, with one of the lowest public school student populations in FBS has a healthy attendance average.
However, Marshall is so ingrained into the culture here while I'm confident even most FIU students don't even watch football.
To close this post in a positive, FIU has such potential if they can gain even a sliver of that student base
RE: CUSA Positives - Seminowl - 02-19-2021 07:50 PM
(02-19-2021 07:44 PM)rileylives Wrote:(02-19-2021 07:38 PM)Seminowl Wrote:(02-18-2021 10:36 AM)rileylives Wrote: FIU could be a sleeping giant. They have everything in place, with the right administration, to become everything UCF became in Orlando.
I like having Charlotte on board. I know our fanbases have a friendly internet rivalry, however, we are glad to count you as brothers.
I am thoroughly impressed with WKU. Much like Marshall and Southern Miss, schools that don't have the biggest budgets or coolest markets, you do your thing well on the field and court.
I have more positives, but I'll try later.
The problem with FIU is that they share Dade county with UM. UCF doesn’t share Orange County with another FBS school. Likewise, FAU has the potential to establish a stronghold from Palm Beach County down to South Broward. South Broward is really where our territory starts to overlap with UM and FIU.
It's the student population that I make the FIU to UCF comp.
What blows my mind is a team with a top 5 student population nationwide having one of the worst FBS attendance numbers.
On the flip side, Marshall, with one of the lowest public school student populations in FBS has a healthy attendance average.
However, Marshall is so ingrained into the cute here while I'm confident even most FIU students don't even watch football.
To close this post in a positive, FIU has such potential if they can gain even a sliver of that student base
I made some edits to the post above, but either way they have a decent student pop, but 90% of their students are diehard UM fans. FIU more than any other university suffers from little brother syndrome. Some of their students treat FIU like a feeder community college into UM.
I’m not trying to be a hater. I want them to succeed in some form because they are our rivals, but their students/alumni don’t even want them succeed. The FIU fans I know are almost ashamed of their school and will quickly switch the topic to UM. I respect the true fans, but they are too rare.
RE: CUSA Positives - Side.Show.Joe - 02-19-2021 07:57 PM
(02-19-2021 07:13 PM)owl at the moon Wrote: Also I know I’m probably outvoted on here but I just thought some of the innovative things we’ve tried in basketball were pretty cool.
At least worth trying to see if they take off:
Pod Play
Dueling Courts
I loved Pod Play. We had some great games against WKU and LT at the end of last season. But, I could see where it would make things even tougher for a program if they have a few down season in a row.
RE: CUSA Positives - rileylives - 02-19-2021 08:08 PM
(02-19-2021 07:50 PM)Seminowl Wrote:(02-19-2021 07:44 PM)rileylives Wrote:(02-19-2021 07:38 PM)Seminowl Wrote:(02-18-2021 10:36 AM)rileylives Wrote: FIU could be a sleeping giant. They have everything in place, with the right administration, to become everything UCF became in Orlando.
I like having Charlotte on board. I know our fanbases have a friendly internet rivalry, however, we are glad to count you as brothers.
I am thoroughly impressed with WKU. Much like Marshall and Southern Miss, schools that don't have the biggest budgets or coolest markets, you do your thing well on the field and court.
I have more positives, but I'll try later.
The problem with FIU is that they share Dade county with UM. UCF doesn’t share Orange County with another FBS school. Likewise, FAU has the potential to establish a stronghold from Palm Beach County down to South Broward. South Broward is really where our territory starts to overlap with UM and FIU.
It's the student population that I make the FIU to UCF comp.
What blows my mind is a team with a top 5 student population nationwide having one of the worst FBS attendance numbers.
On the flip side, Marshall, with one of the lowest public school student populations in FBS has a healthy attendance average.
However, Marshall is so ingrained into the cute here while I'm confident even most FIU students don't even watch football.
To close this post in a positive, FIU has such potential if they can gain even a sliver of that student base
I made some edits to the post above, but either way they have a decent student pop, but 90% of their students are diehard UM fans. FIU more than any other university suffers from little brother syndrome. Some of their students treat FIU like a feeder community college into UM.
I’m not trying to be a hater. I want them to succeed in some form because they are our rivals, but their students/alumni don’t even want them succeed. The FIU fans I know are almost ashamed of their school and will quickly switch the topic to UM. I respect the true fans, but they are too rare.
FAU has definitely outpaced FIU. You've been a great addition.
RE: CUSA Positives - HTOWN_HERD - 02-19-2021 09:23 PM
Agree, FAU has been a great add.
RE: CUSA Positives - blazr - 02-20-2021 03:56 AM
(02-18-2021 01:55 PM)HTOWN_HERD Wrote: West
UAB- Prioritizing football. Made a great coaching hire in Bill Clark
Don't sleep on Andy Kennedy. I don't know who would, but just putting that out there...
RE: CUSA Positives - AdoptedMonarch - 02-20-2021 06:44 AM
(02-20-2021 03:56 AM)blazr Wrote:(02-18-2021 01:55 PM)HTOWN_HERD Wrote: West
UAB- Prioritizing football. Made a great coaching hire in Bill Clark
Don't sleep on Andy Kennedy. I don't know who would, but just putting that out there...
Barbers?