(06-10-2017 06:05 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(06-10-2017 03:53 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(06-10-2017 03:13 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  The C-USA and SBC schools, particularly LA Tech, need to just face the fact that they are all essentially playing at the same level and that they are better off working together, reorganizing their memberships to create an Eastern Conference and a Western one. The MAC has always been a regional conference with a tight conference footprint and things work just fine for them.

Both sides have a lot to gain in boosting paid attendence by facing more regional rivals and saving money in travel expenses

Has there ever been a case where two conferences worked together in such a manner? Why would we think it's going to happen now?

If you are going to try to form a new conference from these two, why not try to make the strongest conference? You could make a league with two geographically rational divisions that would arguably be more like the AAC and MWC, and clearly better than the MAC and the CUSA and SBC leftovers.

For example:

East: App State, Marshall, Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Southern and Coastal Carolina.

West: Arkansas St, ULL, Troy, Southern Miss, Louisiana Tech and Rice.

I never said there was precedent, just that it was logical.

I have to disagree on that line up as being the best of the two. How does Coastal make the list when they've play Zero Games as an FBS school and just expanded their stadium to meet the qualifications. I think the American and MWC are way better than that group.

I wasn't trying to identify the twelve best teams as I was twelve teams that were both strong as a group and geographically compelling. While this group lacks the marquee teams at the top, it also lacks the weakness at the bottom that characterize the AAC and MWC.

It isn't as compact as, say the MAC, or some other proposals here. But each division serves a different region, and the 12 teams are from 11 different states to broaden its commercial appeal.

Personally, I don't expect any significant changes with CUSA and SBC. I just offer this as a strategic alternative to just trying to minimize travel costs. It's always been my experience that rarely do enterprises succeed and grow just by cutting costs. They grow by increasing appeal.