(04-25-2017 06:14 PM)Blue Raider Dave Wrote:  

(04-25-2017 06:12 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  

(04-24-2017 10:56 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(04-24-2017 10:01 PM)Side Show Joe Wrote:  I think the Belt fans have done enough ridiculous pestering. They all know we will not merge with them. Hopefully, stupid beat writers like Minimum, will refrain from publishing garbage like this in the future. Time for this whole thread to be moved over to the smack board. Any other C-USA fans agree?

The truth of the matter is that not a single one of us has any idea how our athletic departments will be thinking in 5 years. The State of Athletics could be an entirely different world at that point. We can all sit here and argue about this now, and then be sitting here in 5 years complaining that it hasn't happened yet.

Truthfully, if there is a merger, I hope Arkansas State is out of the Sun Belt when the time comes.

You are correct. None of us can see the future. But, I do know that even 5 years from now,... I still won't want to merge with the Sun Belt.

Our ADs and school presidents will do what they believe is best for our individual programs. At North Texas, a merger with the Belt would virtually end much of the current support and financial investment by booster. We have no good reason to reorganize with many of the programs we left just 4 short years ago. Stability and time is all C-USA really needs.

You'll find the same sentiment at Middle Tennessee and I would venture to guess it would be the same at Western.

There's not that much mutual interest left between UNT and the Belt schools, save Texas State. But if you want the Belt to help your conference out, then they will need to be accommodated properly. And no, the NCAA ain't giving you an incentive to raid another conference and cause more chaos. So its probably either a merger or no deal. The Belt is fine with 'no deal'.

So, here's the problem

How do you get 8 yes votes in the 12 member Sun Belt Conference?

ULM will vote no if they're not with the other Louisiana schools (and that includes La Tech). USA will probably vote no if not with USM. UALR and UTA need to be accommodated (and UNT might be an issue for UTA). Troy probably wants to stay with USA and USA strongly prefers going WEST. Ark State will want to retain access to the Gulf Coast.

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The only plausible way this works is as follows

CUSA

East Division - Coastal, App, UNCC, ODU, Ga Southern, Ga State
West Division - FIU, FAU, MTSU, WKU, UAB, Marshall

Sun Belt

East Division - USA, Troy, Texas State, Ark State, ULM, ULL
West Division - La Tech, USM, UNT, UTSA, Rice, UTEP

UALR and UTA remain members of the conference..

Yes, I'm aware that USM should be in the East and Texas State should be in the West.....but I think this keeps USM from playing in a division with all new teams.

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This proposal even keeps 8 Sun Belt members in the Sun Belt and 8 CUSA members in CUSA so continuity isn't an issue either.
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There is a potential problem in this scenario and it is the Bowl tie ins. Most of the bowl tie ins in the new conference would be naturally aligned with the new Sun Belt schools (Mobile, Montgomery, New Orleans, Dallas, New Mexico, Frisco/Arizona, Shreveport) versus (Orlando, Bahamas, St Petersburg and Hawai'i?). I'm sure a solution could be worked out. I suspect that one way to do it is to make the Camellia Bowl and the New Orleans Bowls between the two conferences then figure something else out with ESPN's help.

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La Tech would vote no as they would play in the same conference with UALR, ULL and ULM

USM might not like it either. Not sure UAB really wants to be shoved east either (Maybe switch UAB and Troy - but whoever goes East out of those two probably isn't going to be very happy). Some CUSA schools will be disappointed to lose USM, but if the alternative is the 14 team, 3 time zone conference, then maybe they'll go along.

I think this is the kind of deal that might get done. One of UAB/Troy plus La Tech and possibly USM might be unhappy, but that's how a deal would get done.

Otherwise, you're not poaching Ark State or App to play in a 16 team league with 1 autobid and the same CFP as a 10 team league and no more TV money. And you're not poaching anyone to play in a league with no CFP payout and no NCAA autobid.