(11-02-2021 10:05 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  ... Really, if it was all about money and scheduling, Liberty should not have joined. IMO, they are better off as a program Independent than joining this version of CUSA.

But I think for Liberty, the overriding issue was breaking the ice in terms of the anti-religious stigma that FBS conferences have had regarding them. This is their chance to get in to a conference, and once that happens, it positions them to move to a better one later on.

So IMO they made a strategic move to take a step back now, to open up more steps forward later.

I would say it is more a sideways move now, to open up forward steps later ... since they are doing this for the exposure, and being a formal part of the conversation about the Access Bowl spot ... which looks likely to be followed by a race for the top six FBS champions ... is worth something to Liberty on its own.

Also, don't be surprised if it is the CUSA Remnant 3, + NMSU/Liberty + FCSx4 (the two announced plus two more to be timed with the formal WKU/MTSU announcement) + UMass FB Only, which under Liberty's current football scheduling makes the transition easier, since they have a number of games with NMSU and UMass already on their future schedules, and allowing them to get the full Go5 base distribution of $1m/school up to 10 schools.