(02-18-2012 12:38 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote:  Rumors on ESPN suggesting it as a possibility to remain more regional.

The new Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson, formerly serving in the same role with the WAC, has options. The first may be to follow in the footsteps of the Conference USA and the the Mountain West Conference.

"There has been banter about the possibility that the Sun Belt and WAC could merge, especially with Benson's deep history with one league and future role with the other," Adam Sparks of the Daily Journal News wrote.

"The Sun Belt could make a play to snag Conference USA schools in the southeast such as UAB, Southern Miss, East Carolina and others."

Louisiana Tech would be in play as well.

ESPN

The person that wrote this crap is the editor for the MTSU BlueRaiders.com website, ESPN is just running with what some MTSU fan/writer thinks or wishes could happen.

I got this from a little research on Google:

Adam Sparks

Editor of BlueRaiders.com and MTSU beat writer The Daily News Journal and dnj.com. Adam is a 2002 graduate of MTSU and has been covering Blue Raider athletics since 2004. Contact Adam: sparks@dnj.com or twitter.com/AdamSparks

It's all just Sun Belt media propaganda, thats all and ESPN is taking it as if it could be a real possibility.

(02-18-2012 02:42 PM)RUNVSFD MINER Wrote:  Just a bad thread, citing a bad source, with a bad idea, creating a bad reaction, and is going to have a bad ending.

Did I just create a run-on sentence? My bad.

Read again, by substituting "bad", with "f^%$ed up"

I know for a fact that UTEP fans wouldn't mind my idea. UTEP and Tulsa joining the MWC would be very fitting and also regionally sound (besides Hawaii).

(02-18-2012 02:50 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 02:42 PM)RUNVSFD MINER Wrote:  Just a bad thread, citing a bad source, with a bad idea, creating a bad reaction, and is going to have a bad ending.

Did I just create a run-on sentence? My bad.

Read again, by substituting "bad", with "f^%$ed up"

I know for a fact that UTEP fans wouldn't mind my idea. UTEP and Tulsa joining the MWC would be very fitting and also regionally sound (besides Hawaii).

UTEP likes the Alliance idea, because we are smack in the middle of it.

The issue I have is that the source, the writer, and the topic, are just talking out of their a$$. No merit whatsoever.

(02-18-2012 02:47 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 02:39 PM)ccs178 Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 01:36 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote:  The additions of USM, ECU and some others from CUSA could make the SunBelt decent. It'll also allow the schools to actually drive to away games and create more regional rivalries. If the CUSA east and Tulane joined...it could be a pretty good conference. MWC can consume UTEP and Tulsa and remain a decent conference, too.

Actually...CUSA should just keep the East and Tulane and expand with the SunBelt teams they want and let UTEP and Tulsa go to the MWC. Grab WKU, FIU, FAU, La Tech, Troy, South Alabama and MTSU...along with USM, ECU, Tulane, Marshall and UAB would be regional and fairly decent. Plus...it gives not one but two Florida teams to hate.

The travel expenses in the proposed CUSA/MWC alliance will be brutal for all-sports. Think about it.

I understand why the ECU and Marshall fans hate UCF fans now. I used to believe ECU and Marshall fans were just mostly thin-skinned jerks (save for a few buddies I know) and UCF fans were relatively neutral. I was wrong and for that I apologize to the Pirates and Thundering Herd fans.

Why the hate? I'm a UCF fan, but also follow WKU. My folks, sister and bro-in-law all went to WKU. They're up and coming. I know UCF is going to the Big East, but no reason to hate. ECU, Marshall and USM would've made the same decision. Especially looking at the CUSA/MWC merger for all-sports. I'm not a big fan of the spread out geography of conferences, either...including the Big East. But it's one thing to have to travel like that for football only....another for all sports.

I'm a big college football fan and think regional rivalries are what makes college football great. I think a regional CUSA combined with some SunBelt teams can be pretty special, if given the chance. USM fans could play Troy, UAB, La Tech and Tulane in the same year and attend all of their home and away conference games.

Why the hate? Because, just about every ****-stirring, back-handed complimenting, holier-than-thou and poorly attempted to be disguised as an "honest discussion" thread on here has been started by UCF fans. It is the sort of thing I expected to see from Memphis or Houston fans.

Your regional travel concerns make you look dense because it is common knowledge that the alliance is going to be split into regional divisions. So, travel will either be no worse or actually be much better. Either you knew this and ignore it to stir crap or you didn't know this and are as dense as you look.

As for UCF going the Big East, I couldn't care less. I'm not bitter or jealous. The only thing we'll miss out on is the opportunity to attend a USM game and Disney World in the same weekend. I hate to lose our rivalry with Memphis because it has been our longest rivalry and a lot of fun to watch but not enough to be bitter about it. What about Houston? Nah, we've only been conference rivals, not real rivals. So, no real loss there. And SMU? I feel the same way about them as I do about UCF. Except the part about Disney World, of course.

Would Southern Miss have accepted an invite to the Big East? I don't doubt it, but I personally never considered us to be a good fit with the that conference and especially the new far flung, watered down version.

It's kind of amazing what silly thing folks will say on a message board, isn't it?

(02-18-2012 03:14 PM)oldtiger Wrote:  It's kind of amazing what silly thing folks will say on a message board, isn't it?

Absolutely, oldtiger...

(02-18-2012 03:07 PM)ccs178 Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 02:47 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 02:39 PM)ccs178 Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 01:36 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote:  The additions of USM, ECU and some others from CUSA could make the SunBelt decent. It'll also allow the schools to actually drive to away games and create more regional rivalries. If the CUSA east and Tulane joined...it could be a pretty good conference. MWC can consume UTEP and Tulsa and remain a decent conference, too.

Actually...CUSA should just keep the East and Tulane and expand with the SunBelt teams they want and let UTEP and Tulsa go to the MWC. Grab WKU, FIU, FAU, La Tech, Troy, South Alabama and MTSU...along with USM, ECU, Tulane, Marshall and UAB would be regional and fairly decent. Plus...it gives not one but two Florida teams to hate.

The travel expenses in the proposed CUSA/MWC alliance will be brutal for all-sports. Think about it.

I understand why the ECU and Marshall fans hate UCF fans now. I used to believe ECU and Marshall fans were just mostly thin-skinned jerks (save for a few buddies I know) and UCF fans were relatively neutral. I was wrong and for that I apologize to the Pirates and Thundering Herd fans.

Why the hate? I'm a UCF fan, but also follow WKU. My folks, sister and bro-in-law all went to WKU. They're up and coming. I know UCF is going to the Big East, but no reason to hate. ECU, Marshall and USM would've made the same decision. Especially looking at the CUSA/MWC merger for all-sports. I'm not a big fan of the spread out geography of conferences, either...including the Big East. But it's one thing to have to travel like that for football only....another for all sports.

I'm a big college football fan and think regional rivalries are what makes college football great. I think a regional CUSA combined with some SunBelt teams can be pretty special, if given the chance. USM fans could play Troy, UAB, La Tech and Tulane in the same year and attend all of their home and away conference games.

Why the hate? Because, just about every ****-stirring, back-handed complimenting, holier-than-thou and poorly attempted to be disguised as an "honest discussion" thread on here has been started by UCF fans. It is the sort of thing I expected to see from Memphis or Houston fans.

Hell, ccs.. i wouldn't expect that from memphis or Houston fans... only people that barely register above an amoeba would even suggest something this idiotic as being a good thing

Wouldn't matter if USM went to the Sunbelt.. UCF still couldn't beat us.

Now a UCF fan knows for a fact UTEP fans want the Miners in the MWC. A UCF fan knows what is best for CUSA. I know you should "F" off Goldenfuc.

(02-18-2012 02:47 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote:  I'm a big college football fan and think regional rivalries are what makes college football great. I think a regional CUSA combined with some SunBelt teams can be pretty special, if given the chance. USM fans could play Troy, UAB, La Tech and Tulane in the same year and attend all of their home and away conference games.

I don't know how I blew this. I thought it was that UCF fan lecturing us on regionality. Sorry, Buc. You can have your opinion just like anyone else.
Anyway, if we were to do your plan, I'd suggest C-USA east and TU taking a few sunbelt teams and maybe La Tech instead of joining en masse.
But as for the Alliance, we're trying to gain some ground, and we're going to do things differently and try to stay ahead of the trends, and get ourselves a good TV deal. And we're going to challenge the Big East. This is the best way to do it. And if it works, when teams leave, they will do so for one of the real power leagues, and we will congratulate them when they score that gig.

Apparently it's a given, UCF will be the undefeated C-USA champs because they are Big East bound and no current C-USA "left-behind" has a hope of beating them. Just read their Rivals board and be educated.

What an absurd rumor. I mean the CUSA-MWC "could make a play to snag" Texas as well... doesn't mean they'd bite.

Only way I could ever see USM, ECU, UAB, etc. going to the Sun Belt is if there were major financial incentives tied in (which they wouldn't agree to) like getting double or triple the payout of other SBC schools as well as first rights to scheduling and TV games, etc. Even with that, I can't see any CUSA team making a move to the SBC.

I really miss when Harvard and Yale decided the national championship and then when Army and Navy were full of Heisman trophy contenders and recent NC's. Yeah those were the good old days.

(02-18-2012 07:33 PM)Blazer85 Wrote:  What an absurd rumor. I mean the CUSA-MWC "could make a play to snag" Texas as well... doesn't mean they'd bite.

Only way I could ever see USM, ECU, UAB, etc. going to the Sun Belt is if there were major financial incentives tied in (which they wouldn't agree to) like getting double or triple the payout of other SBC schools as well as first rights to scheduling and TV games, etc. Even with that, I can't see any CUSA team making a move to the SBC.

They would then only get like 3-4 Hundred K. The SunBelt conferece deal with ESPN is like 890K per year that the schools split. I doubt anyone in CUSA would even pick the phone up if Karl Benson calls.

(02-18-2012 01:22 PM)EdisonDoyle Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 12:54 PM)Raleighwood Pirate Wrote:  That is ridiculous. Terry Holland master minded this alliance.

No he did not. He was trying to get into the Big East. (not that others would have turned it down; but they didn't have their resources focused there). This was "master-minded" by some Presidents who have been fighting for a decade for reasonable access from the BCS, who are trying to get the jump on the "super conference"
Holland has wanted regionality, which he may get through the Alliance.

He has been behind this. He has been lobbying Banowsky at least since 2006-2007 on this idea. Our own Chancellor credited him in a radio interview here in Raleigh with him being the mastermind behind this.

(02-18-2012 01:36 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote:  The additions of USM, ECU and some others from CUSA could make the SunBelt decent. It'll also allow the schools to actually drive to away games and create more regional rivalries. If the CUSA east and Tulane joined...it could be a pretty good conference. MWC can consume UTEP and Tulsa and remain a decent conference, too.

Actually...CUSA should just keep the East and Tulane and expand with the SunBelt teams they want and let UTEP and Tulsa go to the MWC. Grab WKU, FIU, FAU, La Tech, Troy, South Alabama and MTSU...along with USM, ECU, Tulane, Marshall and UAB would be regional and fairly decent. Plus...it gives not one but two Florida teams to hate.

The travel expenses in the proposed CUSA/MWC alliance will be brutal for all-sports. Think about it.

Goldebuc - would you want UCF to go to the Sun Belt if you all were still in CUSA and had no Big East invite? I would guess probably not, so you now know where ECU, USM and the others in CUSA stand. Why take a step down?

(02-18-2012 02:01 PM)EdisonDoyle Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 01:36 PM)AtlantaEagle Wrote:  Although all the C-USA schools are strong links in this, I'd guess USM, ECU & to a slightly lesser extent, Marshall, are the lynchpins in this alliance.
As they go, the alliance goes.

Not really, because they don't have the TV markets. Now they're essential, because they bring the best product (at least USM does); but so are cities with more potential viewers to please TV execs.
If you put ECU and USM in the sunbelt, they'd still get a crappy TV deal.
If you put the others in the sunbelt, they'd still bring a crappy deal because they don't have the product (now).
We need each other.

Oh, we do have the TV markets. We are second most watched college football program in North Carolina. We are only behind UNC

(02-18-2012 02:39 PM)ccs178 Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 01:36 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote:  The additions of USM, ECU and some others from CUSA could make the SunBelt decent. It'll also allow the schools to actually drive to away games and create more regional rivalries. If the CUSA east and Tulane joined...it could be a pretty good conference. MWC can consume UTEP and Tulsa and remain a decent conference, too.

Actually...CUSA should just keep the East and Tulane and expand with the SunBelt teams they want and let UTEP and Tulsa go to the MWC. Grab WKU, FIU, FAU, La Tech, Troy, South Alabama and MTSU...along with USM, ECU, Tulane, Marshall and UAB would be regional and fairly decent. Plus...it gives not one but two Florida teams to hate.

The travel expenses in the proposed CUSA/MWC alliance will be brutal for all-sports. Think about it.

I understand why the ECU and Marshall fans hate UCF fans now. I used to believe ECU and Marshall fans were just mostly thin-skinned jerks (save for a few buddies I know) and UCF fans were relatively neutral. I was wrong and for that I apologize to the Pirates and Thundering Herd fans.

Apology accepted.


As I stated before, I would rather play a bunch of up and coming FCS schools than join the SunBelt.

(02-18-2012 10:33 PM)GrayBeard Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 02:39 PM)ccs178 Wrote:  

(02-18-2012 01:36 PM)Goldenbuc Wrote:  The additions of USM, ECU and some others from CUSA could make the SunBelt decent. It'll also allow the schools to actually drive to away games and create more regional rivalries. If the CUSA east and Tulane joined...it could be a pretty good conference. MWC can consume UTEP and Tulsa and remain a decent conference, too.

Actually...CUSA should just keep the East and Tulane and expand with the SunBelt teams they want and let UTEP and Tulsa go to the MWC. Grab WKU, FIU, FAU, La Tech, Troy, South Alabama and MTSU...along with USM, ECU, Tulane, Marshall and UAB would be regional and fairly decent. Plus...it gives not one but two Florida teams to hate.

The travel expenses in the proposed CUSA/MWC alliance will be brutal for all-sports. Think about it.

I understand why the ECU and Marshall fans hate UCF fans now. I used to believe ECU and Marshall fans were just mostly thin-skinned jerks (save for a few buddies I know) and UCF fans were relatively neutral. I was wrong and for that I apologize to the Pirates and Thundering Herd fans.

Apology accepted.


As I stated before, I would rather play a bunch of up and coming FCS schools than join the SunBelt.

That was a poorly thought out post by goldenbuc, even if it was smack bait.