(06-16-2022 06:50 AM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(06-16-2022 01:34 AM)Milwaukee Wrote:  .

The CUSA is going to struggle with WKU & MTSU, so it would struggle to an even greater extent without them unless they the conference were to make a bold move and bring in new members with national visibility (e.g., UConn FB, UMass FB, NDSU FB, S. Dak. State FB, and matching basketball (non-FB) members).

I know your intent is to pimp the Dakotas and that's OK but CUSA 4.0 is gonna surprise lots of folks. All nine schools care about basketball (Rare at the G5 level) and several have legit basketball pedigrees...UTEP, WKU, NMSU are perrenially successful and even MTSU, Liberty, and LaTech have a good hsitory. SHSU, FIU, and JaxSt hold their own as well.

In football, LaTech, WKU, MTSU, and Liberty would finish well in any G5 conference year after year. That's a solid core. SHSU & JaxSt are successful FCS callups and UTEp went bowling last year so they may have turned the corner. No longer will CUSA be bottom heavy.

I realize there will be a flood of SBC fans, as they always do, come here to slam my analysis because as we all know, the SBC with their 4 or 5 good teams and 9 or 10 bottom feeders is the next best thing since sliced bread.

Mark my words, CUSA 4.0 will be fine unless we make the mistake the SBC just did and over expand.

I see CUSA 4.0 finishing 3rd or 4th out of 5 G5's on a regular basis. It may take a year or two for SHSU and JaxSt to get on their feet (and I wouldn't be surprised if they're successful out of the gate) but altho adding the Dakotas for football might prop up CUSA 4.0 a little in football, it would likely result in further flight. , especially from WKU, MTSU, and maybe LaTech if they have other options.

It's true that the CUSA has a core of quality programs.

My main concern is their broadcasting arrangements, or the lack thereof. Closely related to that is the diminutive size of the conference. I don't expect the CUSA to dissolve, mainly because it seems likely that the FCS-to-FBS influx will continue at its recent historical pace (about 5-10 new FBS programs per decade or nearly 1 new FBS program per year, on average).

The reason why I keep pushing the two Dakota schools is that - - while the conference does have a solid core group of programs - - the short list of football expansion schools that has been discussed (Tarleton, EKU, SFAU, Kennesaw) seems somewhat unimpressive.