(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:04 PM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 10:43 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  This sounds entirely reasonable to me. The lowest payment of $8M is for 27 months notice. The damage done to the conference when a team leaves is about TIME. If a new school (presumably of lower financial means) requires 2 years to leave their former conference, this gives three months for a search, offer, acceptance, and to line up all the paperwork. A reasonable amount of time.

If a team wants to leave earlier, it hurts the Sun Belt more. The new team may need financial help getting out of their original contract early to make up for someone else’s early exit. The original “early exiter” should have some financial responsibility for making the SBC whole in helping onboard a new team. It sure costs a lot more than $8M to leave CUSA in less than 2 years these days. Just ask LA Tech folks.

How much did Tech end up paying?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

(10-16-2026 09:04 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  Wow. The Sun Belt is scared and the bottom feeders have put handcuffs on the better programs that have aspirations to do better.

It was a very savvy move by JMU to get out before a desperate league implemented exit penalties. See ya maintainers. I hope you enjoy your mediocre existence.

10/10 bait

(10-17-2026 10:05 AM)Eagle in the gym Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:04 PM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 10:43 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  This sounds entirely reasonable to me. The lowest payment of $8M is for 27 months notice. The damage done to the conference when a team leaves is about TIME. If a new school (presumably of lower financial means) requires 2 years to leave their former conference, this gives three months for a search, offer, acceptance, and to line up all the paperwork. A reasonable amount of time.

If a team wants to leave earlier, it hurts the Sun Belt more. The new team may need financial help getting out of their original contract early to make up for someone else’s early exit. The original “early exiter” should have some financial responsibility for making the SBC whole in helping onboard a new team. It sure costs a lot more than $8M to leave CUSA in less than 2 years these days. Just ask LA Tech folks.

How much did Tech end up paying?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

SMU set the bar. The American got ripped off.

(10-17-2026 10:05 AM)Eagle in the gym Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:04 PM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 10:43 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  This sounds entirely reasonable to me. The lowest payment of $8M is for 27 months notice. The damage done to the conference when a team leaves is about TIME. If a new school (presumably of lower financial means) requires 2 years to leave their former conference, this gives three months for a search, offer, acceptance, and to line up all the paperwork. A reasonable amount of time.

If a team wants to leave earlier, it hurts the Sun Belt more. The new team may need financial help getting out of their original contract early to make up for someone else’s early exit. The original “early exiter” should have some financial responsibility for making the SBC whole in helping onboard a new team. It sure costs a lot more than $8M to leave CUSA in less than 2 years these days. Just ask LA Tech folks.

How much did Tech end up paying?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

The sponsorships are the $23 million… The number needed so that conference distributions stayed the same till a new media deal.

Use the $5 million well because it’s likely the SBC media deal goes down now with the main property gone.

(10-16-2026 04:08 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  People forget that when MTSU and FIU first left the Sun Belt in 2011, they did so to join a CUSA that had UCF, Memphis, Houston, and SMU among its membership. All four of those schools left within a year. East Carolina followed a year after that.

To speak nothing of the teams C-USA added to make ECU happy, then they left immediately after we added those teams.

(10-17-2026 05:11 PM)Luckyshot Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 04:08 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  People forget that when MTSU and FIU first left the Sun Belt in 2011, they did so to join a CUSA that had UCF, Memphis, Houston, and SMU among its membership. All four of those schools left within a year. East Carolina followed a year after that.

To speak nothing of the teams C-USA added to make ECU happy, then they left immediately after we added those teams.

Yep. We can frustrate fans by raising exit fees etc, but I much prefer our system where we aren't doing everything we can to beg a team to stay who may just leave on their own in a few years anyway.

(10-17-2026 02:33 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 10:05 AM)Eagle in the gym Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:04 PM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 10:43 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  This sounds entirely reasonable to me. The lowest payment of $8M is for 27 months notice. The damage done to the conference when a team leaves is about TIME. If a new school (presumably of lower financial means) requires 2 years to leave their former conference, this gives three months for a search, offer, acceptance, and to line up all the paperwork. A reasonable amount of time.

If a team wants to leave earlier, it hurts the Sun Belt more. The new team may need financial help getting out of their original contract early to make up for someone else’s early exit. The original “early exiter” should have some financial responsibility for making the SBC whole in helping onboard a new team. It sure costs a lot more than $8M to leave CUSA in less than 2 years these days. Just ask LA Tech folks.

How much did Tech end up paying?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

The sponsorships are the $23 million… The number needed so that conference distributions stayed the same till a new media deal.

Use the $5 million well because it’s likely the SBC media deal goes down now with the main property gone.

LOL, you think the Sun Belt actually negotiated its media rights deals recently?

Literally we're under the exact same deal we signed when you guys were in FCS.

(10-17-2026 05:22 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 02:33 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 10:05 AM)Eagle in the gym Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:04 PM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  How much did Tech end up paying?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

The sponsorships are the $23 million… The number needed so that conference distributions stayed the same till a new media deal.

Use the $5 million well because it’s likely the SBC media deal goes down now with the main property gone.

LOL, you think the Sun Belt actually negotiated its media rights deals recently?

Literally we're under the exact same deal we signed when you guys were in FCS.

Yep, the deal went up when JMU, ODU, Marshall and USM joined.

Amazing what some believe without doing the minimal of research.

(10-16-2026 09:04 PM)Hart Foundation Wrote:  Wow. The Sun Belt is scared and the bottom feeders have put handcuffs on the better programs that have aspirations to do better.

It was a very savvy move by JMU to get out before a desperate league implemented exit penalties. See ya maintainers. I hope you enjoy your mediocre existence.

Can't wait for the Pukes to leave, hopefully sooner than later.

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

(10-17-2026 05:26 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 05:22 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 02:33 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 10:05 AM)Eagle in the gym Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

The sponsorships are the $23 million… The number needed so that conference distributions stayed the same till a new media deal.

Use the $5 million well because it’s likely the SBC media deal goes down now with the main property gone.

LOL, you think the Sun Belt actually negotiated its media rights deals recently?

Literally we're under the exact same deal we signed when you guys were in FCS.

Yep, the deal went up when JMU, ODU, Marshall and USM joined.

There are some things you don't understand.

JMU leaving isn't going to make the SBC media deal go down.

(10-17-2026 02:33 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 10:05 AM)Eagle in the gym Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:04 PM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 10:43 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  This sounds entirely reasonable to me. The lowest payment of $8M is for 27 months notice. The damage done to the conference when a team leaves is about TIME. If a new school (presumably of lower financial means) requires 2 years to leave their former conference, this gives three months for a search, offer, acceptance, and to line up all the paperwork. A reasonable amount of time.

If a team wants to leave earlier, it hurts the Sun Belt more. The new team may need financial help getting out of their original contract early to make up for someone else’s early exit. The original “early exiter” should have some financial responsibility for making the SBC whole in helping onboard a new team. It sure costs a lot more than $8M to leave CUSA in less than 2 years these days. Just ask LA Tech folks.

How much did Tech end up paying?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

The sponsorships are the $23 million… The number needed so that conference distributions stayed the same till a new media deal.

Use the $5 million well because it’s likely the SBC media deal goes down now with the main property gone.

Ya'll are 1 mediocre coach away being another average g6 team. "Property"?, sounding like LaTurd.

Sent from my SM-S931U using Tapatalk

(10-17-2026 02:33 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 10:05 AM)Eagle in the gym Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:04 PM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 10:43 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  This sounds entirely reasonable to me. The lowest payment of $8M is for 27 months notice. The damage done to the conference when a team leaves is about TIME. If a new school (presumably of lower financial means) requires 2 years to leave their former conference, this gives three months for a search, offer, acceptance, and to line up all the paperwork. A reasonable amount of time.

If a team wants to leave earlier, it hurts the Sun Belt more. The new team may need financial help getting out of their original contract early to make up for someone else’s early exit. The original “early exiter” should have some financial responsibility for making the SBC whole in helping onboard a new team. It sure costs a lot more than $8M to leave CUSA in less than 2 years these days. Just ask LA Tech folks.

How much did Tech end up paying?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

The sponsorships are the $23 million… The number needed so that conference distributions stayed the same till a new media deal.

Use the $5 million well because it’s likely the SBC media deal goes down now with the main property gone.

I'll be honest...blows my mind that you guys would invest $23 million to join a conference to play against teams like Charlotte, Temple, UAB, Rice, Tulsa etc. What are you thinking?

I would have invested that $23 million into your stadium to replace the east stands or do other facility upgrades that are needed. That way you would be in a decent position if the ACC ever had to add a number of schools in the future.

It will be interesting to see how it all works out. Good luck.

(10-17-2026 05:11 PM)Luckyshot Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 04:08 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  People forget that when MTSU and FIU first left the Sun Belt in 2011, they did so to join a CUSA that had UCF, Memphis, Houston, and SMU among its membership. All four of those schools left within a year. East Carolina followed a year after that.

To speak nothing of the teams C-USA added to make ECU happy, then they left immediately after we added those teams.

Adding a slight correction to the first post for ego purposes. We were never going to be in the same conference as FIU. Them and the others were invited as backfills for us about half a year after we got Big East invites. The ones that ditched them that they thought they'd share a conference with were ECU, Tulane, and Tulsa.

(10-17-2026 10:42 PM)space orange Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 05:11 PM)Luckyshot Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 04:08 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  People forget that when MTSU and FIU first left the Sun Belt in 2011, they did so to join a CUSA that had UCF, Memphis, Houston, and SMU among its membership. All four of those schools left within a year. East Carolina followed a year after that.

To speak nothing of the teams C-USA added to make ECU happy, then they left immediately after we added those teams.

Adding a slight correction to the first post for ego purposes. We were never going to be in the same conference as FIU. Them and the others were invited as backfills for us about half a year after we got Big East invites. The ones that ditched them that they thought they'd share a conference with were ECU, Tulane, and Tulsa.

we don't care

(10-17-2026 09:10 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 02:33 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 10:05 AM)Eagle in the gym Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:04 PM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  How much did Tech end up paying?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

The sponsorships are the $23 million… The number needed so that conference distributions stayed the same till a new media deal.

Use the $5 million well because it’s likely the SBC media deal goes down now with the main property gone.

I'll be honest...blows my mind that you guys would invest $23 million to join a conference to play against teams like Charlotte, Temple, UAB, Rice, Tulsa etc. What are you thinking?

I would have invested that $23 million into your stadium to replace the east stands or do other facility upgrades that are needed. That way you would be in a decent position if the ACC ever had to add a number of schools in the future.

It will be interesting to see how it all works out. Good luck.

You have to look at this not from a fan's perspective, but from the perspective of university leadership.

JMU's goal is to move from R2 to R1 status, grow enrollment, and essentially use athletics as the way to get its name out there more. Short-term, moving into a conference with similar schools to where we are or want to be helps as does the perception of the American as a stronger football and basketball conference. Long-term, with the expected shake up in FBS and potential split coming in 5-10 years, we don't have a chance to get into the future highest division directly from the Sun Belt.

The stadium/facility expansion you mention is already in the works with an active RFP process currently happening. This project includes athletics facilities as part of a public/private partnership entertainment district.

(10-18-2026 09:56 AM)bridgeforthduke Wrote:  You have to look at this not from a fan's perspective, but from the perspective of university leadership.

JMU's goal is to move from R2 to R1 status, grow enrollment, and essentially use athletics as the way to get its name out there more. Short-term, moving into a conference with similar schools to where we are or want to be helps as does the perception of the American as a stronger football and basketball conference. Long-term, with the expected shake up in FBS and potential split coming in 5-10 years, we don't have a chance to get into the future highest division directly from the Sun Belt.

The stadium/facility expansion you mention is already in the works with an active RFP process currently happening. This project includes athletics facilities as part of a public/private partnership entertainment district.

The irony here is that the Sun Belt might replace James Madison with Ohio, a school that is already R1, has a higher enrollment, and has a larger football stadium.

(10-18-2026 10:00 AM)Yosef181 Wrote:  

(10-18-2026 09:56 AM)bridgeforthduke Wrote:  You have to look at this not from a fan's perspective, but from the perspective of university leadership.

JMU's goal is to move from R2 to R1 status, grow enrollment, and essentially use athletics as the way to get its name out there more. Short-term, moving into a conference with similar schools to where we are or want to be helps as does the perception of the American as a stronger football and basketball conference. Long-term, with the expected shake up in FBS and potential split coming in 5-10 years, we don't have a chance to get into the future highest division directly from the Sun Belt.

The stadium/facility expansion you mention is already in the works with an active RFP process currently happening. This project includes athletics facilities as part of a public/private partnership entertainment district.

The irony here is that the Sun Belt might replace James Madison with Ohio, a school that is already R1, has a higher enrollment, and has a larger football stadium.

Ohio would be a great get for the Sun Belt IMO.

(10-17-2026 09:10 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 02:33 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 10:05 AM)Eagle in the gym Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:04 PM)hannibalDawg Wrote:  How much did Tech end up paying?

Sent from my SM-S928U using Tapatalk

I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

The sponsorships are the $23 million… The number needed so that conference distributions stayed the same till a new media deal.

Use the $5 million well because it’s likely the SBC media deal goes down now with the main property gone.

I'll be honest...blows my mind that you guys would invest $23 million to join a conference to play against teams like Charlotte, Temple, UAB, Rice, Tulsa etc. What are you thinking?

I would have invested that $23 million into your stadium to replace the east stands or do other facility upgrades that are needed. That way you would be in a decent position if the ACC ever had to add a number of schools in the future.

It will be interesting to see how it all works out. Good luck.

You have to keep in mind that JMU isn't paying anything to the American out of pocket. It's a corporation that's willing to enter into a $23M sponsorship arrangement with the American contingent on JMU joining the conference. A portion of that revenue will be distributed to JMU just like every other school in the conference.

Now obviously that corporation's interest is in JMU, so you might ask why they didn't just enter into a $23M sponsorship with JMU directly. The nature of this sponsorship hasn't been disclosed, but I'm told that it's less prominent than field logos or jersey patches. Even if there are JMU-affiliated executives or board members at this corporation, they can't justify paying $23M to JMU alone for whatever minor sponsorship this is. They're accountable to shareholders. But they can justify $23M for the arrangement with every team in the American.

This $23M only exists if JMU moves to the American. There's no alternative way of spending it, because it's not our money.

Funding for our stadium is entirely separate and is part of a multibillion dollar public-private partnership to redevelop our Mid Campus area, including the stadium. That development includes 10,000 net new beds, a mixed-use district, hotel and conference center, an indoor tennis facility, a new natatorium, an IPF, and stadium expansion. As you think about JMU's positioning for the ACC that you mention, this partnership is at the center of this push, and it's entirely distinct from the American sponsorship deal.

(10-17-2026 05:26 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 05:22 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 02:33 PM)Dukes_Royals Wrote:  

(10-17-2026 10:05 AM)Eagle in the gym Wrote:  

(10-16-2026 11:26 PM)Eagle Talon Wrote:  I understand Tech paid $8M to CUSA as exit fees alone... I’m sure more in legal fees, joining fees, new turf and signage, etc. I imagine finding replacements only gets more expensive from here. The cap at 18M lets anyone who seriously needs to leave at the end of this season a fair buy out. I mean, JMU just paid $23M in JOINING fees.

Who knew the AACK longed for JMU so much? All it took was corporate sponsors giving $23M plus future sponsorships. Very very loved!

The sponsorships are the $23 million… The number needed so that conference distributions stayed the same till a new media deal.

Use the $5 million well because it’s likely the SBC media deal goes down now with the main property gone.

LOL, you think the Sun Belt actually negotiated its media rights deals recently?

Literally we're under the exact same deal we signed when you guys were in FCS.

Yep, the deal went up when JMU, ODU, Marshall and USM joined.

Right. But that also means the current deal isn't likely to go down. It was signed when JMU was a good FCS team moving up, and had never had the ability to show what they could do at FBS level.

What we are losing is future potential value, as our porential agreement in a conference with JMU challenging for the playoff is lower than without it. But in terms of actual payout for school now, it likely doesn't change if we make the right add behind it.