(12-24-2020 01:34 PM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  How many other times has a one conference that raided another conference been surpassed by the very conference that it raided?

I do think the raided conference, the Sun Belt, has definitively surpassed C-USA on the football field, and while the TV payouts are pretty close to even, the SB's deal with ESPN over less-subscribed-to channels gives it an edge in the abstract "exposure" as well. It remains to be seen if somehow the SB is capable of taking C-USA programs away in the future; Marshall, S. Miss, and other administrators may feel differently from their fans. Solely because of geography, I think the most willing school to switch from one to the other would be Sun Belt member Texas State, but it's hard to say if there would be more C-USA members interested in switching than SB members.

EDIT: In the interest of being objective, I'll add that C-USA has a superior bowl deal, with ties against the AAC and at least backup ties against some P5 leagues. The fact that the SB wasn't able to get similar deals underscores a failure by SB Conference leadership.

Has this been proven out? What's the non-bowl head to head between the conferences over the past few years?