(09-27-2019 09:18 AM)CougarRed Wrote: (09-24-2019 11:15 AM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote: (09-24-2019 08:52 AM)bullet Wrote: It would be a big step down in prestige to go to the Sun Belt.
It's not necessarily (1) fair or (2) true as regards on-the-field results. But, yes, the Sun Belt is still considered less prestigious than the C-USA. By a decent margin.
Is it because Western Ky, FIU, FAU, North Texas and Middle Tennesse St left the Sun Belt for CUSA a few years ago, and a "pecking order" was established?
Or because CUSA averages 1,500 to 2,000 more per game in announced football attendance?
Or some other reason?
Doesn't seem a "big" step down to me. A very small step down, maybe.
Either way, if the Sun Belt has a few more years like the current season and CUSA continues to beat almost no FBS teams in the nonconference, perceptions will change . . .
Probably the biggest reasons are a combination of history, basketball success and academic standing of the top schools. And then there is the name. CUSA 3.0 <> CUSA 2.0 <> CUSA 1.0, but they still have the brand name.
One piece of history is simply time in FBS.
60% of the Sun Belt hasn't even been in FBS 8 years. 70% weren't in FBS in 2000.
30% have started up football in the last 10 years. Only ULL was in FBS before 1992. CUSA has some of that too, but isn't nearly so extreme. Note that I think CUSA adding Charlotte and Old Dominion was a mistake. They should have gone after Arkansas St. and ULL, which were more established football programs.
Conference Joined top level
USA always UTEP
USA always Rice
USA 1963 Southern Mississippi
Sun Belt 1974 Louisiana-Lafayette
USA 1989 Louisiana Tech
Sun Belt 1992 Arkansas State
Sun Belt 1994 Louisiana-Monroe
USA 1995 North Texas
USA 1996 Alabama-Birmingham
USA 1998 Marshall
USA 1999 Middle Tennessee
Sun Belt 2002 Troy State
USA 2006 Florida Atlantic
USA 2006 Florida International
USA 2009 Western Kentucky
Sun Belt 2012 South Alabama
Sun Belt 2012 Texas State
USA 2012 Texas-San Antonio
Sun Belt 2013 Georgia State
USA 2014 Old Dominion
Sun Belt 2014 Georgia Southern
Sun Belt 2014 Appalachian State
USA 2015 Charlotte
Sun Belt 2017 Coastal Carolina