...

Western Kentucky
Middle Tennessee State
Old Dominion
Ohio

If you take football, you might as well take good/up-and-coming basketball programs. WKU up-ended the Sun Belt in-conference in both sports this past season. MTSU did the Belt a solid in basketball with a great record. Old Dominion is on-and-off being in the tournament, but great for SOS. Ohio looks like a future regular appearance in the NCAAs, and they are partnering with Ohio State in research for the university.

Why not these guys?

ODU will probably added in the future w/ Charlotte but they aren't currently ready to move to FBS football. I doubt Ohio would leave the MAC. IA that Middle Tennesse should've been added over UTSA, but I think the private schools have a problem with their academics. I don't know what to say about Western Kentucky

4 programs in highly populated areas. Middle Tennessee is too close to Knoxville and Nashville so they are not getting any love from fans. You could miss Western Kentucky if you did not know where to look, Ohio will not leave the MAC- That is a lateral move to C-USA, and North Texas shares the Dallas market with TCU (SOME FANS), and SMU (NO FANS).
Old Dominion isn't ready....maybe in a few years.
FIU is on their way up and regardless of what people say, LA Tech earned the right to get n a bigger conference because they have played and beat good SEC schools and they have decent football history. The fans down there will support the Dogs when they are playing teams in their timezone and I guarantee you LA Tech will keep upgrading their facilities to attract more fans. I went there 2 years ago and they did a lot since the last time I was there with no budget.

Dude likes Texas and Florida. LaTek is close enough to those two.

Should have taken FAU with FIU. Part of Banowsky's problem was being too fixated on Texas.

Presidential votes

If Memphis was still in the conference, La Tech wouldn't have had its support, but WKU may have. Memphis was anti-MTSU and anti-La Tech.

La Tech: Support from Rice, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP, USM
UTSA: Support from Rice, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP, USM
North Texas: Support from everyone
FIU: Support from likely everyone

MTSU: Support from UAB, ECU, Marshall
ODU: Support from ECU, UAB

(04-30-2012 06:07 PM)NoDak Wrote:  Presidential votes

If Memphis was still in the conference, La Tech wouldn't have had its support, but WKU may have. Memphis was anti-MTSU and anti-La Tech.

La Tech: Support from Rice, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP, USM
UTSA: Support from Rice, Tulane, Tulsa, UTEP, USM
North Texas: Support from everyone
FIU: Support from likely everyone

MTSU: Support from UAB, ECU, Marshall
ODU: Support from ECU, UAB

You know what it is that Memphis hated about Tech? A lot of Tech fans can't seem to understand where the hate comes from


ECU also supported adding LaTech and usually Marshall votes the same way that ECU does

No Memphis is/was antI Ark st which is the best team on the outside right now. Within next few months will announce 30 mill $ in renovation to stadium along with indoor practice facility

Staying in TX and FL is a no brained for recruiting.

LTU is a decent up and comer.

(04-30-2012 06:04 PM)War Torn Ruston Wrote:  North Texas shares the Dallas market with TCU (SOME FANS), and SMU (NO FANS).
.

I am sorry to say, North Texas, TCU and SMU don't share the Dallas market.

Based on the number of each school's local fans, in my estimation the Dallas football market is shared in descending order by:

The Cowboys
University of Texas
Texas A&M
OU
Texas Tech
Oklahoma State
Arkansas
SMU and TCU
North Texas

Naturally most of TCU fans are in Fort Worth.

Again this is my estimation

FIU could turn into the next UCF or USF. UNT has a beautiful new stadium, and is perfectly located in a market that CUSA just lost. They are complete no-brainers. Both have huge upside.

Ohio U would be foolish to leave the MAC. The MAC has carved a niche for itself that it will probably always occupy and they have been the most stable of the non-BCS/AQ leagues. And far more stable than their AQ neighbor the Big East. And why would CUSA want them anyway? Nothing against Ohio U but they and their fellow MAC members are at about their capacity. The balance of power may shift within the conference and once in a while a Top 15/20 team may sneak out of there with an exceptional season, but they are pretty much at their ceiling.

ODU has great potential, but are still in their FB infancy. So is UTSA, but they were driven for immediate FBS from Day 1; ODU has a much better situation in the CAA and they have to take into account what their neighbors and rivals are going to do (JMU especially). If they move up I suspect it will be at the same time; but they may end up too late if all the slots are filled.

MTSU just seems too small-time, IMHO. Maybe it's the name (though why is "Middle" more small-time than "Central"?). Maybe it's the fact that they have continuously underachieved on the FB field since moving up and joining the SBC. I think mostly for them it's a perception thing. I'd have taken Charlotte over La Tech but I'm guessing that since there are 3 being added solely for potential (UNT, UTSA, FIU), then it probably make sense to bring in a school that is a bit more established at having some FB success and getting to the occasional bowl game. La Tech isn't really going to do anything to improve the league, but at least they are a safe pick.

IMHO, Memphis fans seem to view the Delta from Cape Giradeau down to Vicksburg as its own. Memphis is the economic capitol of the region and doesn't want interlopers. BCS schools obviously can infringe on that territory, but no way was Memphis going to facilitate Ark St and La Tech recruiting by allowing them to be peers conference-wise.

I would have taken Texas State over Louisiana Tech, if I was CUSA, in order to freeze the Sun Belt out of football in the state of Texas. They already have teams in remote regions of Louisiana so that state wouldn't matter as much.

(04-30-2012 06:11 PM)techdawg88 Wrote:  ECU also supported adding LaTech

Source?

(04-30-2012 05:59 PM)techdawg88 Wrote:  ODU will probably added in the future w/ Charlotte but they aren't currently ready to move to FBS football. I doubt Ohio would leave the MAC. IA that Middle Tennesse should've been added over UTSA, but I think the private schools have a problem with their academics. I don't know what to say about Western Kentucky

Here's something...

Athletic budgets

WKU - $23-25M
LT - $15-17M

....and you've been playing D1 football for how long? Shows up in your facilities...

(04-30-2012 06:07 PM)jaredf29 Wrote:  Should have taken FAU with FIU. Part of Banowsky's problem was being too fixated on Texas.

+1


As for FAU and FIU, I would have have taken both or neither.

North Texas, I get it. Good-sized school in a huge market, and they take athletics seriously. Semi-decent track record of success.

Louisiana Tech is acceptable, but I am still surprised that Middle Tennessee wasn't rated higher.

Still waiting for someone to explain UTSA.

(04-30-2012 08:27 PM)CrushMI Wrote:  

(04-30-2012 05:59 PM)techdawg88 Wrote:  ODU will probably added in the future w/ Charlotte but they aren't currently ready to move to FBS football. I doubt Ohio would leave the MAC. IA that Middle Tennesse should've been added over UTSA, but I think the private schools have a problem with their academics. I don't know what to say about Western Kentucky

Here's something...

Athletic budgets

WKU - $23-25M
LT - $15-17M

....and you've been playing D1 football for how long? Shows up in your facilities...

I didn't realize Tech was in a competition with WKU

(04-30-2012 05:56 PM)TampaKnight Wrote:  ...

Western Kentucky
Middle Tennessee State
Old Dominion
Ohio

If you take football, you might as well take good/up-and-coming basketball programs. WKU up-ended the Sun Belt in-conference in both sports this past season. MTSU did the Belt a solid in basketball with a great record. Old Dominion is on-and-off being in the tournament, but great for SOS. Ohio looks like a future regular appearance in the NCAAs, and they are partnering with Ohio State in research for the university.

Why not these guys?

I would take them all over LTU. But you can't really question FIU or UNT given the nature of conference expansion/survival.

(04-30-2012 06:39 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  LTU is a decent up and comer.

An up-and-comer? Not how I'd describe LTU at all.

(04-30-2012 09:06 PM)JustAnotherName Wrote:  

(04-30-2012 06:39 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  LTU is a decent up and comer.

An up-and-comer? Not how I'd describe LTU at all.

The fixation with Texas seems to have killed us.

If I was in the administration at MT, I'd be on the phones helping make this Eastern based conference happen:

MT
WKU
USA
Troy
FAU
USM
Marshall
ECU
UAB
ODU
UNCC
Ohio

You get great football, great basketball, and easy travel. Easily the best non-AQ football conference in a few years.

Pie in the sky - I know.