(11-03-2021 02:46 AM)All4One Wrote:  

(11-03-2021 12:22 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 07:27 PM)All4One Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 07:21 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(11-02-2021 06:46 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  According to Dennis Dodd about 30 fcs schools want to be the 8th choice. You would think out of that number, a few will be good to go.

2 of the 30 are Sam Houston State and Jacksonville State. This is my count.

1 AEC Stony Brook
4 ASUN Jacksonville State, UCA, UNA, EKU
1 A10 Dayton
1 Big Sky Idaho
1 Big South North Carolina A&T
2 CAA Delaware, Towson
1 Horizon Youngstown State
5 MVC Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Southern Illinois, Illinois State, Indiana State
2 OVC Murray State, Tennessee State
1 SoCon Chattanooga
3 SWAC Jackson State, Texas Southern (Houston market), Florida A&M
2 Summit North Dakota State, South Dakota State
5 WAC Sam Houston State, SFAU, Lamar, ACU, Tarleton State

Pick and choose.

I can see quite a few of those having reached out, but you left out UMass, who absolutely 100% reached out to CUSA to be a football-only affiliate. The AD Bramford even showed the brochure they sent to the CUSA office and member institutions in an interview he recently gave.

UMass is already FBS. This is 30 FCS schools reacing out.

According to the article in question:

Quote:Sources tell CBS Sports that Conference USA commissioner Judy MacLeod has received calls from up to 30 prospective members to fill that eighth spot.

Article doesn't say all 30 are FCS schools. With that said, UMass is likely one of them, but they wouldn't help the league retain compliance as an FBS-sponsoring conference needing 8 full members, so the 8th will likely come from FCS....or lower. I am 99% sure Division II Tarleton State has also reached out.

I wouldn't be surprised if Arlington and Little Rock from the Sun Belt are somehow counted in that 30 number, as well.

Tarleton is a member of the WAC. They are in year 2 of their move to D1 move.

Tarleton athletics was linked to CUSA by Thamel on Friday, 10/22. Later that night, they released a statement that the stadium was expanding to 20-25k in the next 18 months. The next day (10/23) they announced a football attendance over 16k. This tells me Tarleton has been in contact with CUSA.

Bringing UT-Arlington and Little Rock would be great for CUSA. It would give them two D1 teams in footprints and major media markets (although not much DMA penetration). Tarleton and UT-Arlington could be travel partners as they were 80 miles from each other.