(08-05-2021 03:49 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(08-05-2021 03:34 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  So if say 8 to 10 existing FBS schools forming a new conference would likely be quickly granted FBS conference status because they are adding no new members to the FBS club.

FBS isn't the sticking point. The NCAA basketball tournament autobid is the sticking point. CUSA is a pure one-bid league. The Powers That Be aren't going to shrug their shoulders at a group of low-majors putting together a new conference to steal a bid that "rightfully" belongs to a P5 or Big East team that goes 8-12 in conference play and goes out in the conference tourney quarterfinals.

Precisely. If they apply for a waiver of the continuity rule ... and their case for a waiver is not as strong as the Big East's, so they can't really appeal to that as a precedent, they are just asking "pretty please, don't apply the rules to us?", there will be strong lobbying against the waiver being granted, and it is unlikely to be granted.

But if they meet the qualifications for an FBS conference, they'll simply BE an FBS conference. There's no time delay or countdown to that ... that will apply so long as there are eight core FBS members that satisfy the sports sponsorship requirements and the conference satisfies the sports sponsorship requirements to be a multi-sport Division I conference.