(08-14-2017 10:52 AM)panama Wrote:  Nothing in there precludes you having a contractual scheduling or bowl arrangement between schools.

This was answering the question about having an FBS Football conference of Independents. Simple answer, you can't.

Scheduling of independents rarely has much in the way of alliances because independents are all going in different directions.

Notre Dame is effectively a P5 conference member, with 8 built in games, 7 after September (5x ACC, Stanford, USC, Navy, and almost always a B1G school in September as a 9th).

Army has built it's schedule out almost a decade ahead, with a national brand that doesn't need an alliance - they mostly want geographic diversity among G5 (a California school, a Texas School a DMV are school, a Florida school, a Great lakes school, and so on), usually with 4 game deals; they have no difficulty finding partners among the schools in conferences.

BYU focuses on building a heavy P5 schedule, usually with 5 or 6 P5 schools (this year is unusually light with 4, tthe out years have 5 or more) along with Boise State and Utah State. They have plenty of G5 schools, especially in the west that will schedule them, even in a 2 for 1 (BYU needs home games). Their biggest issue is getting a heavy hitter to play in Provo in November as the home schedule gets really weak after early October -- that is get one P5 to visit late in the year. (Notre Dame owes them a visit to Provo, but the Irish want out of it)

None of these have any need nor would be interested in any alliance of Independents. That leaves UMass, Liberty and NMSU. As it is they do sort of work with each other. Liberty being the one with wads of cash coming out every orifice simply buys their schedule. While a 2 year 4 game series between Liberty and NMSU is set, it's clear Liberty is the driver as NMSU hosts the early October game and visits Lynchburg for the late November game. This series will likely end in 2020 or be scaled back, even a 2 for 1 (NMSU visiting Liberty twice for Liberty to visit Las Cuces once). Liberty will schedule NMSU and/or UMass as need to fill an October or November slot going forward. Their money allows them to book a Virginia, ODU or any other more attractive school. Their political connections to the President helped land a 4 game series with Army. Liberty's cash allowed them to buy out both sides of two other already scheduled games between G5 schools to add four games.

NMSU is pretty much on the ragged edge as far as staying in FBS. They have booked 2018 (they'll likely add some Big Sky FCS opponent for the November 3rd date, which will be their last home game) and are close to completing 2019 (features 3 body bag games and no home games after mid-October) but which will likely look the same, 4 G5 home games (one the alternating New Mexico/UTEP rivalry, one a front end of a Liberty pair) and an early November FCS game. It really looks like they need to find a conference by 2020 or else they will be in deep trouble.

UMass is set up to run for awhile and don't seem to need an alliance for schedule help. The question about them is when will the political will to continue to underwrite a program with pretty much zero faculty support, very little student or alumni support and a modest fan base? Looks like five years anyway. Scheduling is not a problem for them, especially with Foxborough sweetheart deal.

The alliance is thus an answer in search of a question.