Since Butler and Texas St. have already had their big announcements and tomorrow being the big announcements for all the CUSA and MWC invites, I wonder what the holdup is for the CAA schools of ODU, GMU, and VCU??

The only thing I can think of, in addition to the likelihood that simply the financials haven't been worked out to everyone's liking, is that these 3 schools want to stay together. Could ODU be pushing the CUSA into a 14/16 model, or could the A10 be trying to work out something with the MAC so ODU can get the UMASS deal? At this point adding VCU, ODU, and GMU as a trio will give either the A10 or CUSA 16 schools so I wonder if these three are working together in order to stay together.

Didn't GMU say they're not coming and VCU wants to wait a little until they collect more Tourney units

If A10 went to equal distribution they'd get more interest. It is hard to pay the bills when it is feast or famine.

ODU is stupid if they don't accept the C-USA invitation. If they decline it there was ultimately no point in them even establishing football.

(05-03-2012 01:38 PM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote:  Didn't GMU say they're not coming and VCU wants to wait a little until they collect more Tourney units

some random website said GMU was not coming...nothing super official though. A 16 team CUSA with an eastern division of GMU, VCU, ODU, ECU, Marshall, FIU, and UAB would be a huge turn around for the CUSA in terms of geography. It would make UAB and FIU the outposts instead of Marshall and ECU. CUSA would remain geographically friendly as it has always been.

(05-03-2012 01:41 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  ODU is stupid if they don't accept the C-USA invitation. If they decline it there was ultimately no point in them even establishing football.

Pretty much.

Someone posted an article on the CUSA page that ODU has only had a few days to consider the financial implications of a move to CAA. They were contacted at the Final Four about a possible move (along w/ Delaware and JMU) but told CUSA that they were not able to move by 2013. However they evidently reconsidered in light of GMU/VCU likely moving to the A-10, and now are rushing to figure out the financials, etc... of a move. They say that CUSA will wait for them.

(05-03-2012 01:41 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  ODU is stupid if they don't accept the C-USA invitation. If they decline it there was ultimately no point in them even establishing football.

Yet many ODU fans I know are happy in FCS - they want to compete for a title.

(05-03-2012 02:03 PM)wvucrazed Wrote:  Someone posted an article on the CUSA page that ODU has only had a few days to consider the financial implications of a move to CAA. They were contacted at the Final Four about a possible move (along w/ Delaware and JMU) but told CUSA that they were not able to move by 2013. However they evidently reconsidered in light of GMU/VCU likely moving to the A-10, and now are rushing to figure out the financials, etc... of a move. They say that CUSA will wait for them.

Considering Charlotte isn't going to be ready for FBS football till 2015 at the earliest we can wait if we need to for a while. I think they are coming, that they are going to realize there isn't going to be a better FBS football opportunity.

(05-03-2012 02:03 PM)wvucrazed Wrote:  Someone posted an article on the CUSA page that ODU has only had a few days to consider the financial implications of a move to CAA. They were contacted at the Final Four about a possible move (along w/ Delaware and JMU) but told CUSA that they were not able to move by 2013. However they evidently reconsidered in light of GMU/VCU likely moving to the A-10, and now are rushing to figure out the financials, etc... of a move. They say that CUSA will wait for them.

I see no reason why CUSA couldn't play with 12 teams for a couple of years to allow ODU and UNCC time to get things together. ODU needs to make the jump.

I think ODU will make the jump; it's just a matter of getting the financial information together to make a presentation to their Board, get approval, etc... All those things take some time.

(05-03-2012 02:07 PM)wvucrazed Wrote:  I think ODU will make the jump; it's just a matter of getting the financial information together to make a presentation to their Board, get approval, etc... All those things take some time.

From what I have been told they have only been under consideration by the league for less than 2 weeks, because before then they weren't planning on moving up yet.

(05-03-2012 01:41 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  ODU is stupid if they don't accept the C-USA invitation. If they decline it there was ultimately no point in them even establishing football.

Would they be stupid if say, a couple of weeks from now the B12 takes two teams from the BE and then the BE takes ECU? I am one to think that ECU will be in the BE this next round of BE expansion if it got raided again.

(05-03-2012 02:31 PM)jmufan Wrote:  

(05-03-2012 01:41 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  ODU is stupid if they don't accept the C-USA invitation. If they decline it there was ultimately no point in them even establishing football.

Would they be stupid if say, a couple of weeks from now the B12 takes two teams from the BE and then the BE takes ECU? I am one to think that ECU will be in the BE this next round of BE expansion if it got raided again.

How likely is that? No one knows for sure. ODU has an opportunity to go FBS right now. Who knows when that opportunity will present itself again? A bird in the hand and all that.

(05-03-2012 02:31 PM)jmufan Wrote:  

(05-03-2012 01:41 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  ODU is stupid if they don't accept the C-USA invitation. If they decline it there was ultimately no point in them even establishing football.

Would they be stupid if say, a couple of weeks from now the B12 takes two teams from the BE and then the BE takes ECU? I am one to think that ECU will be in the BE this next round of BE expansion if it got raided again.

You'll be quite wrong to think that.

It's something to think about. If Louisville leaves for the B12. w/o Cincinnati. Who is #18 for all sports? They could go Bball school and 2 fb only(14/18). They could go all sports school w/ fb and 1 fb only(14/18), could stay as is(12/17). Could just add 1 bball(12/18)

If they go all sports w/ fb who is it. What market/fb/bball team would they want?

I think they would go bball school and 2 fb only.
2 fb only- UNLV and Fresno
bball only- I think they would seriously consider Saint Louis. would be a new market and also would kind of be a connecting type of team.

(05-03-2012 02:31 PM)jmufan Wrote:  

(05-03-2012 01:41 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  ODU is stupid if they don't accept the C-USA invitation. If they decline it there was ultimately no point in them even establishing football.

Would they be stupid if say, a couple of weeks from now the B12 takes two teams from the BE and then the BE takes ECU? I am one to think that ECU will be in the BE this next round of BE expansion if it got raided again.

1. I don't think the Big East would ever look our way.

2. We are building a very nice regional niche for ourselves. ODU has tons of potential. Charlotte does too, although I've historically championed JMU over them.

3. CUSA just set itself up very nicely with two relatively geographically compact divisions. We've got tons of potential in Florida, Charlotte, Miami and Tidewater; as well as our rivals in USM and Marshall.

4. We've reduced our travel costs and reloaded our conference with some good markets. (picked up two good basketball programs also)

5. When ODU and UNCC build their fanbases, it will help ECU tremendously in garnering more media attention for CUSA against ACC competition. For years, we've been going it alone in that respect.

6. Our fans can finally travel to some nearby conference games!

7. Counting last years' attendance, (not including UNCC) our average attendance will have decreased approximately 8% (if attendance and fanbases still mean anything)

With that said......

8. Even without losing anyone from the nBe, they've suffered a 21% decline in average conference attendance with their additions (compared to our 8%).

9. If they lost 2 (presumably Louisville and Cincinnati) those numbers would be even worse!

10. The basketball onlies would crap a brick if they lost Louisville and Cincinnati; both very good basketball programs. You think they'd replace them with ECU????

11. We would be joining a conference in which our closest rival would be UCF; while traveling to San Diego in some years and Boise in some. Memphis is 15 hours from us. Rutgers, UConn...way north. The geography would be horrible compared to what we're building now.

12. The Big East's future lies west. That's where they'll go.

So I don't see it ever happening. ODU needs to jump now. I hope there's room for JMU in the future. I love 25,000 fans per game in the FCS.

(05-03-2012 01:41 PM)Hokie4Skins Wrote:  ODU is stupid if they don't accept the C-USA invitation. If they decline it there was ultimately no point in them even establishing football.

This!