Louisiana Tech never wanted an upper hand with the Sun Belt. They never had ANY desire to go back there. Jeez

Not only should we look at N.Texas as a member but in 2011 if nothing opens up for UTSA in the C-USA they could be another option.

Would the WAC ever go to 12? N.Texas, UTSA, & UC Davis or Montana

Is Temple really gonna leave the A-10 for the MAC in 2010? UMass fans keep talking about how dumb their study of FBS is because they don't have the money. Is there a backup plan for a 14th member of the MAC? I say JMU. Youngstown St. is another option, right in the footprint.

If there is no Big East split and Temple & or UMass become full members of the MAC, won't they be kicking themselves for doing that?

Fresno St. Alum Wrote:Is Temple really gonna leave the A-10 for the MAC in 2010?

They really have no choice. In 2010, Temple's football-only contract agreement with the MAC will be up. At that time, Temple will be asked to join for all sports or leave completely. Maybe Temple would be picked up by Sun Belt for football otherwise they would have to drop down to 1-AA or gut it out as an independent for a few years and hope that they don't completely suck again and the Big East might let them in again. All Temple fans talk about on their message board is getting back into the Big East. Not that it isn't a nice goal to want to achieve but the possibility that it happens seems very slim.

epasnoopy Wrote:

Fresno St. Alum Wrote:Is Temple really gonna leave the A-10 for the MAC in 2010?

They really have no choice. In 2010, Temple's football-only contract agreement with the MAC will be up. At that time, Temple will be asked to join for all sports or leave completely. Maybe Temple would be picked up by Sun Belt for football otherwise they would have to drop down to 1-AA or gut it out as an independent for a few years and hope that they don't completely suck again and the Big East might let them in again. All Temple fans talk about on their message board is getting back into the Big East. Not that it isn't a nice goal to want to achieve but the possibility that it happens seems very slim.

SBC will no longer accept football-only members so Temple will have to look elsewhere.

ManzanoWolf Wrote:

epasnoopy Wrote:

Fresno St. Alum Wrote:Is Temple really gonna leave the A-10 for the MAC in 2010?

They really have no choice. In 2010, Temple's football-only contract agreement with the MAC will be up. At that time, Temple will be asked to join for all sports or leave completely. Maybe Temple would be picked up by Sun Belt for football otherwise they would have to drop down to 1-AA or gut it out as an independent for a few years and hope that they don't completely suck again and the Big East might let them in again. All Temple fans talk about on their message board is getting back into the Big East. Not that it isn't a nice goal to want to achieve but the possibility that it happens seems very slim.

SBC will no longer accept football-only members so Temple will have to look elsewhere.

There is another possibility. What if the Big East adds Central Florida and a Catholic basketball school in 2010, expanding to 18 members overall, and CUSA is not ready to add anybody available as a full member just for the sake of having 12 schools? Temple could join CUSA as a football-only member for a couple of years while waiting to see if the Big East decides to stick with 18 schools or decides to split around 2014 or 2015 instead. CUSA would gain the luxury of sitting at 11 members in basketball and minor sports while waiting to see if UTSA can develop like they claim they will or finding out if North Texas, Louisiana Tech, etc., do the things needed to make themselves worthy options.

I don't think the BE would go to 18 I figure they'd just split first but if they added 2 I figure Memphis would be at the top of the list then UCF. C-USA would pass on Temple for either M.Tenn St., Charlotte w/fb or UTSA w/fb

If Temple goes to the MAC as a full member who will they add as a 14th member? UMass doing a FBS study, fans say that they don't have the money, JMU will have 24K seat stadium in a year or two., Youngstown St. natural fit but hasn't said anthing about moving up.

Krocker Krapp Wrote:According to threads on the Louisiana Tech and North Texas boards, WAC Commissioner Karl Benson said during a halftime interview on Saturday that the Mean Green still have a standing invitation to the league.

Why he would say this now, and not sensibly focus behind the scenes on helping develop possible future WAC members located in states that are actually in the West, might be an ominous sign of things to come.

Simple - how does Benson keep one of the WAC's key assets - Louisiana TEch - happy? Expand in the east. If he doesn't do something, the WAC is liable to lose Tech next time C-USA is looking for a team. Can't afford that.
Adding N Texas makes perfect sense.

there is stuff on the sun belt board explaining why N.Texas won't join the WAC and on the C-USA board why they won't take La Tech

Fresno St. Alum Wrote:there is stuff on the sun belt board explaining why N.Texas won't join the WAC and on the C-USA board why they won't take La Tech

There was stuff on the Michigan board saying Les Miles was going to Michigan. What is your point?

Fresno St. Alum Wrote:If Temple goes to the MAC as a full member who will they add as a 14th member? UMass doing a FBS study, fans say that they don't have the money, JMU will have 24K seat stadium in a year or two., Youngstown St. natural fit but hasn't said anthing about moving up.

I hope not YSU. We already have enough Ohio schools in the MAC. Adding YSU adds little to no value (market, academics, etc.). UMass would not be such a bad option but they would likely have to add all sports. I don't see them getting a football-only invite since they don't have an established 1-A football program or a huge market like Temple. Besides, it would give Temple and Buffalo another close traveling partner. UMass and Temple hoops would help improve the MAC and get that elusive at-large bid. Mostly though, i would hope the MAC would be aggressive in adding Army or Navy as the 14th member. Both have great facilities, strong academics (part of the reason why Temple and Buffalo were added), their own TV and bowl contracts, and good attendance. Army and Navy already have a lot of future games with MAC teams. Phil Steele has even talked about the addition of Army to the MAC.

Quote:Army has not had a winning season since 1996 and has never won more than 4 games
in a season during that span. This is a program with too good of a history to go through such
struggles. I mentioned it in the magazine and I want to mention it again here. Army should join
the MAC as it would be a perfect fit. The MAC is in desperate need of another team so it can
balance its schedule and count all MAC games in the division standings. I know Army was just
9-41 in CUSA action when they joined that league but that was too big a jump. The MAC
would provide them with a legitimate shot at contending for league honors on a yearly basis
and also give them exposure in the great recruiting states of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
The MAC has its headquatters in Cleveland and just added Temple which brings in the
city of Philadelphia. It is a nearby location for Army as the MAC already has a team in New
York state (Buffalo) so travel costs would not be that great. In the CUSA they were an East
Coast team playing in a Southern conference. Both Army and the MAC need this union to
happen and I think it would be a WIN/WIN agreement.

Juice752 Wrote:

Fresno St. Alum Wrote:there is stuff on the sun belt board explaining why N.Texas won't join the WAC and on the C-USA board why they won't take La Tech

There was stuff on the Michigan board saying Les Miles was going to Michigan. What is your point?

The main reason i don't think it will happen is that they already said no. Nothing has changed since then. The UNT fans point out things that make it seem even less likely. Anything can happen but it doesn't look like it will. I say we go for UC Davis, Montana or UTSA(w/FB)

The Big East can't add two football schools if it expands to 18 members. It has to be one football school and one Catholic basketball school to keep the voting balance at 9/9. The Catholic basketball schools would veto any other arrangement and that would lead to a split instead. A split in 2010 would be bad for either side, however, as conditions will not be optimal enough to ensure success for both sides at that time. The end result might be the two sides agreeing to stay at 16, or expand to 18, for another five years. It will frustrate everyone who keeps waiting for a split but I will just laugh at them. The inner workings of the Big East are far too complex for people who have not experienced them to predict.

When I said thay'd add Memphis and UCF I meant they'd split and add them. You say you could see 18 but never a split. Good god do they want to be a D-II conference with that many members. 16 sucks, 18 worse. There is a lot of talk going on about this on the C-USA board. Reasons why it will happen and reasons why it wont. I've been following conference movement since 1990 and all I can say is it always changes back then a 12 team conference was crazy talk.

Oh yeah I'll be one of the guys you're laughing at that wants a split bad.

epasnoopy Wrote:

Fresno St. Alum Wrote:Is Temple really gonna leave the A-10 for the MAC in 2010?

They really have no choice. In 2010, Temple's football-only contract agreement with the MAC will be up. At that time, Temple will be asked to join for all sports or leave completely. Maybe Temple would be picked up by Sun Belt for football otherwise they would have to drop down to 1-AA or gut it out as an independent for a few years and hope that they don't completely suck again and the Big East might let them in again. All Temple fans talk about on their message board is getting back into the Big East. Not that it isn't a nice goal to want to achieve but the possibility that it happens seems very slim.

It might be difficult for Temple to drop down to 1AA since there is no 1AA but I see your point.
Some people down here really see UTSA as a real sleeper. If, and its a big if, they do as well as many think they will CUSA will NOT pass them up even if it means going to 14 or 16. That may well be why South Alabama is getting a look now. La Tech might be a player in the CUSA in the future IF they do all the things neccessary to make themselves attractive. They are a 'good fit' for CUSA , no doubt about that.

I'm not sure Temple could even drop to the Football Championship Subdivision by 2010-does the moratorium work both ways? Even if their attendance drops to below 15,000 for both 2008 and 2009, I'm not sure they'd actually be demoted by 2010.

chargeradio Wrote:I'm not sure Temple could even drop to the Football Championship Subdivision by 2010-does the moratorium work both ways? Even if their attendance drops to below 15,000 for both 2008 and 2009, I'm not sure they'd actually be demoted by 2010.

The 15,000 attendance thing went out when 1A and 1AA were merged.
The rules for 1A are the same across the board except for scholarships, which were left on the table to be worked out later.
I followed the NCAA meeting closely and the motives of that merger were not fully understood. The next thing that will happen will be allowing teams that are in the championship divisions to play in bowl games. Some bowls might rather have a 9-3 Montana as opposed to a 6-6 Middle Tennessee.

Interesting stuff there Topcoog.

Makes you wonder if the NCAA became leaderless with the hiring of Miles Brand.