(12-24-2018 09:59 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  

(12-24-2018 08:47 AM)TrueBlueDrew Wrote:  

(12-24-2018 06:56 AM)BRtransplant Wrote:  When it comes to moving to a new conference, schools always have to consider the fact that if they turn the offer down, one of their conference mates will likely get (and take) the offer. The fear of missing out (FOMO), always plays a part in these kinds of decisions.

Having lived through the demise of the WAC, trust me when I tell you that when it comes to changing conferences, it's every man for himself.

But what exactly are we afraid of missing out on? Playing our games on Stadium/Facebook Live? Being in a conference with the lowest CFP payout by a wide margin? Paying an exorbitant amount of travel costs to play fringe teams our fans have never heard of? Why would we be sad if we turned down an invite and another conference mate accepted it instead?

(12-24-2018 09:25 AM)T2003 Wrote:  

(12-23-2018 10:40 PM)herdfan129 Wrote:  CUSA and Sun Belt may be pretty even in football but there is no comparison in basketball. CUSA is definitely the bigger/better conference from top to bottom.

I only care about football:

CUSA has two storied G5 programs in Marshall and S Miss and both should be in the AAC rather than CUSA. Marshall hosts teams like Pittsburgh and Boise St in the same season and S Miss gets bowl games vs Florida State - this has nothing to do with CUSA though. If you have a history of being ranked in the Top 25, produce legends like Randy Moss and Brett Favre and a number of big upsets year after year then brand recognition will do this for you. It’s not the CUSA brand, it’s the programs’ individual brands. It requires more teams like this to elevate an entire conference brand (think Louisville, TCU, UCF, Memphis, East Carolina, etc). However, teams like MTSU, FAU, FIU, UAB, etc are dragging you guys down. Actually, being in CUSA hurts you guys - while UCF, Memphis and East Carolina at least have the chance to progress, Marshall and S Miss are stagnating - and some SBC and remaining CUSA teams are catching up.

I admire both S Miss and Marshall for their histories and I hope Troy can continue to be successful and maybe get there in the next 5-10 years. Technically some SBC teams are right there now, coaching, facilities, performances, etc but brand and history is not there yet. It takes more than just winning 10 games and go to a bowl game. Years of Top 25 rankings and NFL legends are crucial. So yes, I do admire/respect individual programs but not (G5) conferences...

Thank you for the kinds words about Marshall. I obviously respect Troy as well. I'll never forget us upsetting #6 Kansas State and then going on the road the following week to Troy (which I think was one of the biggest/best home game you all had ever had at that particular point in time but could be wrong.) Yall kicked our butts haha.

Agree with what you are saying. Imagine what Marshall, So Miss, Troy, App State, and Ga Southern could all do for a conference brand if we were all under the same banner. Getting pissed just thinking about it to be honest.

Yes, it was our biggest home game until then and we had Demarcus Ware. This win was the starting point for us - following year we beat a ranked Mizzou at home and then Oklahoma St.
However, same thing happened to us this year when we travelled without our starting QB to Liberty just a few weeks after upsetting Nebraska. It was their biggest home game and they got their win. It was the first time for us being the “big guy” playing a clear non-FCS underdog and the opponent celebrating like beating an SEC team or sth. Interesting experience.