(11-06-2021 09:40 AM)PTJR Wrote:  

(11-05-2021 05:28 PM)PTJR Wrote:  

(11-05-2021 05:13 PM)mjs Wrote:  I thought WKU and MTSU to the MAC was a done deal. It's not like the additions to CUSA are that great. 2 FCS teams, Liberty and the headaches they could cause, and far off New Mexico State. It will be a solid basketball conference especially if they stay. Who know, maybe the MAC will decide to add UMass and WKU, and MTSU will stay in CUSA. Right now, I'd lean slightly toward WKU and MTSU going to the MAC, but I think it is close to a coin flip.

You do know that NMSU is less than 45 minutes from UTEP, which since UTEP is already in the CUSA, doesn’t make them far off if a team has to go to UTEP anyway. So if WKU and MTSU remain with the CUSA, they would already be at nine full football members. Given that, I don’t know how interested the CUSA will be in either UMAss or UConn as football only members. Or in Little Rock as a non football member.

But, with Liberty and Jacksonville State leaving the ASun, that conference looks more attractive to me for Little Rock anyway, for reasons previously stated on this subject. And highly likely more achievable!

With the loss of Jacksonville State, the ASUN football aspirations took a step back, as they now will only have 5 teams currently committed to play football in the league. But in a statement quoted in the story about the CUSA expansion, etc in the ADG today, the UCA AD said in October that the league planned on having 8 football members (maybe 7 now?) and this was echoed by the ASUN Commissioner, although no future football member possibilities were identified.

Presumably the new football members would most likely come from the remains of the OVC or eastern part of the Southland. South Carolina State from the MEAC is also a strong possibility. In any event, this bears close watching as it could well impact Little Rock’s future.

Their main objective, at the moment, is to add football teams. Still, I think there is a reasonably good chance they would be open to us joining the conference if that is what we want to do.