(03-01-2013 05:56 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(03-01-2013 05:54 PM)Louis Kitton Wrote:  

(03-01-2013 04:54 PM)JMU2004 Wrote:  

(03-01-2013 04:44 PM)Dukes09 Wrote:  

(03-01-2013 04:37 PM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  If the Sun Belt is at 8 for FB now, why would they add 3 to go to 11? It would seem to me they would want 4 and if WKU leaves then replace them as well to be at 12.

the current sbc is at 8 fb members. when wku leaves, they're at 7. 3 new schools (asu, gaso and nmsu) would make it 10. A fourth school would make it an uneven 11. It's add 3 or add 5 and I don't believe adding 5 has even been discussed.

UD/JMU? Maybe just waiting for WKU to make it official?

James Madison might bite on the SBC because Georgia State and Appalachian State play there but I doubt Delaware with its academic profile would consider it.

I'm hearing a lot more about Delaware to the MAC over the last 6 months. They could join as the 13th all sport member to balance out divisions with UMass.

With what's going on with the A10 right now, it probably isn't out of the realm of possibility for UMass to just go all sports in the MAC. Add Delaware to the mix and you've got a solid east division.

It would be hoped that the MAC could get UMass all sports to go with Delaware and work out something where the MAC basketball schedule is reduced to 14 games so UMass & Delaware would have more flexibility in scheduling local competition.

The MAC currently is a 9 unit NCAA conference (with Ohio responsible for 5 of those units). Building the league to the occasional 2 bid/sweet 16 level could double that to 18 units (3 units a year). Akron may pick up a couple more units this year for the MAC if they make a sweet 16.

The Atlantic Sun has more to worry about than the CAA.

For example:

Tulsa joins C-Aresco
Creighton, Xavier, Butler, Dayton, Richmond join Big East
WKU joins CUSA
SBC adds JMU, App State, Ga Southern
A-10 adds GMU, Northeastern, Siena, Cleveland State
CAA adds Monmouth, Stony Brook, Albany, Davidson
America East adds NJIT
SoCon adds ETSU, Mercer, Kennesaw State, (all go scholarship FCS)
Horizon adds IPFW, Belmont, SIUE
Summit adds Eastern Illinois
OVC adds Lipscomb, NKU

The Atlantic Sun would be down to the four Florida schools and USC-Upstate

(03-01-2013 01:48 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  A10 is in worse shape than the CAA.

Do people not know how incredibly bad the CAA is right now? There are currently 12(!) A10 teams with a higher RPI than anybody in the CAA. Even if the only teams left in the A10 were the 3 bottom dwellers Rhode Island, Duquense and Fordham, they would STILL have a higher average RPI than the CAA.

(03-02-2013 04:38 AM)LastMinuteman Wrote:  

(03-01-2013 01:48 PM)darkdragon99 Wrote:  A10 is in worse shape than the CAA.

Do people not know how incredibly bad the CAA is right now? There are currently 12(!) A10 teams with a higher RPI than anybody in the CAA. Even if the only teams left in the A10 were the 3 bottom dwellers Rhode Island, Duquense and Fordham, they would STILL have a higher average RPI than the CAA.

Some interesting information from our old friends Temple posted by a Temple fan:

I had a very candid discussion today with one of the Temple Board of Trustees who has been a long standing member of the Athletics Committee.


3. The continued additions of schools not close to Temple is only increasing a strain on Olympic Sports budgets. This will result in teams being eliminated or scholarships cut. They do not know what will happen here yet, but they know cuts will be coming. Because of the lowered revenue from the TV package and the increased expenses, Temple will most likely limit support of Big East expansion to northeastern teams going forward.
5. If football does not become profitable and if being in the Old Big East results in too much of a loss, Temple will consider removing our Olympic Sports from the old Big East. If the situation becomes bad enough, the football attendance contracts strongly, and no other option is viable to make the athletic program more profitable, the board will not hesitate to renew discussion to cut the football team as we discussed in the early 2000s.
6. Temple Admin is deeply hurt by many of our former Big East members. We were kicked out, spent a great deal of money to reinvent the football team, and as we were added back to the Big East to help them with scheduling issues and paid higher exit rates to leave quickly, we were suddenly abandoned by the schools we wanted to eagerly join and who lobbied us to rejoin the Big East.
The main impression I walked away with is that if Temple is left out of conference realignment then it may no longer make sense for us to play football unless a true northeastern league appears.

http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=621503

If this is credible, this could effect the MAC and UMass in a couple ways.

Temple isn't happy with the new league they left the A-10/MAC combo for. Sounds like it wouldn't take much at this point to grab Temple back into the A-10/MAC combo.

If Temple can't make it in the no-name Aresco league, how can UMass?

If Temple and the Texas no-name Aresco league teams bail along with Cincy and UConn to ACC and the league implodes, then UMass should lobby for Temple, Memphis, Marshall/Delaware all-sports to the MAC

I would think that UMass admin and Temple admin are in similar situations and discussing the same things right now. If the no-name Aresco league has too much influence from the Texas and Florida schools and more teams like Tulsa get added, then Temple might bail. Also in that situation I can't see how UMass could make it in that league if Temple can't. Of course Temple could have some amazing pull (they are out numbered) and make a push to add UMass and a few more NE schools (who would they be that have FBS football and decent basketball up there), but if the did, surely the Texas and Southwest schools would bail to the MWC. Its a tug of war between the NE, SW, and Florida. Interesting.

I wonder if Buffalo or UMass could sneak ahead of Tulsa into C-Aresco. Big East could go to 15/16 alignment as well:

N - Temple, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Buffalo, Cincinnati
E - UCF, USF, ECU, Georgia State, James Madison
S - Houston, SMU, Memphis, Tulane, Tulsa

Navy would be in for football, and ECU and JMU would join them in the North Division. The remaining East division schools join the South division for football. If Connecticut and Cincinnati leave, Delaware, Albany, Stony Brook, Marshall, and Ohio would be among the replacement candidates.

(03-01-2013 08:06 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  The Atlantic Sun has more to worry about than the CAA.

For example:

Tulsa joins C-Aresco
Creighton, Xavier, Butler, Dayton, Richmond join Big East
WKU joins CUSA
SBC adds JMU, App State, Ga Southern
A-10 adds GMU, Northeastern, Siena, Cleveland State
CAA adds Monmouth, Stony Brook, Albany, Davidson
America East adds NJIT
SoCon adds ETSU, Mercer, Kennesaw State, (all go scholarship FCS)
Horizon adds IPFW, Belmont, SIUE
Summit adds Eastern Illinois
OVC adds Lipscomb, NKU
The Atlantic Sun would be down to the four Florida schools and USC-Upstate

And where does SLU go?

But would the BE old be for that though? It would make the most sense to build a pod type system that consist of regional teams. JMU could go either NE or East. But would they be willing to do it.

(03-02-2013 09:39 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  I wonder if Buffalo or UMass could sneak ahead of Tulsa into C-Aresco. Big East could go to 15/16 alignment as well:

N - Temple, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Buffalo, Cincinnati
E - UCF, USF, ECU, Georgia State, James Madison
S - Houston, SMU, Memphis, Tulane, Tulsa

Navy would be in for football, and ECU and JMU would join them in the North Division. The remaining East division schools join the South division for football. If Connecticut and Cincinnati leave, Delaware, Albany, Stony Brook, Marshall, and Ohio would be among the replacement candidates.

i like the way you think. smart man here. now if only the presidents were this smart. you can leave ga state in the sbc though, replace them with odu or app state.

I thought about Old Dominion, but Georgia State makes a nice bridge to Florida and has a larger stadium that's ready to go now. Atlanta is also within a day's drive for a good portion of the conference.

ODU could get in ahead of JMU simply because ODU has already announced they are going FBS. JMU would backfill in C-USA.

(03-02-2013 09:39 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  I wonder if Buffalo or UMass could sneak ahead of Tulsa into C-Aresco. Big East could go to 15/16 alignment as well:

N - Temple, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Buffalo, Cincinnati
E - UCF, USF, ECU, Georgia State, James Madison
S - Houston, SMU, Memphis, Tulane, Tulsa

Navy would be in for football, and ECU and JMU would join them in the North Division. The remaining East division schools join the South division for football. If Connecticut and Cincinnati leave, Delaware, Albany, Stony Brook, Marshall, and Ohio would be among the replacement candidates.

Albany and Stony Brook are not viable FBS candidates.

It starts tomorrow.

(03-01-2013 04:32 PM)Dukes09 Wrote:  

(03-01-2013 02:33 PM)AppfanInCAAland Wrote:  JMU will be joining App State and Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt within three weeks - the question is will Delaware finally pull the trigger on FBS.

a cajun fan on the sbc board claims that nmsu will be the 3rd team. fwiw. i don't know if that means they would rather have nmsu (biggest reason being that they're already fbs), or that jmu just decided no thanks, we'll pass.

if we truly do pass on the sbc, we had a chance to align with odu and ud, and we said no. then we had a chance to align with app state and ga southern, and we said no.... despite past comments from our administration about liking to "ally with similar schools". It makes no sense.

I think JMU would only have to say "we'll say yes" to get a Sun Belt invite. That is assuming Appalachian State is already in. I get the impression that JMU is pining for a home (the CAA of two years ago) which no longer exists or waiting for an invite that is unlikely to ever come (the MAC or CUSA).

Delaware and Towson are very unlikely to ever get an invite to the Belt because they'd just leave once successful. They have big markets others covet-JMU doesn't and that works in your favor with the Belt.

I dont understand what the CAA plans on doing to expand for all sports because raiding the America East would damage CAA football unless all AE members were asked. If Stony Brook and Albany leave Vermont and NH behind in a very depleted AE, I'd imagine they'd take their football elsewhere. I think the CAA is looking at raiding the Southern (if they can) or the Big South for replacements.

(03-02-2013 11:19 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  I thought about Old Dominion, but Georgia State makes a nice bridge to Florida and has a larger stadium that's ready to go now. Atlanta is also within a day's drive for a good portion of the conference.

ODU could get in ahead of JMU simply because ODU has already announced they are going FBS. JMU would backfill in C-USA.

Hello?

Schools like Southern Miss and Marshall are much more attractive at this time.

Is Georgia State a "South Florida" (school developing fans) or a "UAB" (a school that struggles with support)?

Schools like Georgia State, Charlotte, and Old Dominion will be viewed in a few years after they have had some time to develop.

The CAA might be able to get by yet with a North/South divisional structure to reduce travel costs.

CAA North: Northeastern, Hofstra, Drexel, Delaware, Towson, JMU
CAA South: W&M, UNC-Wilmington, CofC, UNC-Greensboro, Furman, Davidson

This alignment could work alright.

If you want a textbook example of what sitting around and doing nothing during 3 years of conference realignment does for you, just look no further than JMU's admin.
They're slowly killing off any progress they've made over the last decade. The sbc is JMU's only option due to small market and they're still turning their nose up at those schools. They think it's beneath them.

FCS football might be the only thing that can save the CAA - add Albany and Stony Brook and the conference has ten teams from New York to South Carolina even if Northeaster leaves. The CAA will eventually be to the northeast what the Big Sky is to the west - the only option for scholarship FCS football.

(03-25-2013 02:47 AM)chargeradio Wrote:  FCS football might be the only thing that can save the CAA - add Albany and Stony Brook and the conference has ten teams from New York to South Carolina even if Northeaster leaves. The CAA will eventually be to the northeast what the Big Sky is to the west - the only option for scholarship FCS football.

It sounds like Albany and Stony Brook want to stay in the America East because of travel costs though....

I sure hope that JMU is added to the SBC for the 2015 season.

GSU, App, NMSU for 2014

JMU and Missouri St for 2015

I'm sure it won't happen though :(

(03-25-2013 07:50 AM)GaSouthern Wrote:  I sure hope that JMU is added to the SBC for the 2015 season.

GSU, App, NMSU for 2014

JMU and Missouri St for 2015

I'm sure it won't happen though :(

I'm not the biggest fan of Missouri State for selfish reasons because they're not regional to the eastern schools. However, if getting our asses up and moving involves adding MO State too, then so be it. I'd prefer Jacksonville State over them, but it's better than adding Liberty. My biggest gripe with MO State is the fact that they seriously lack fan support to justify a move to FBS. I believe they're just a 8.7k avg attendance team last year. There are 47 FCS programs ahead of them in that category. Not too competitive on the field either.

(03-25-2013 07:58 AM)Dukes09 Wrote:  

(03-25-2013 07:50 AM)GaSouthern Wrote:  I sure hope that JMU is added to the SBC for the 2015 season.

GSU, App, NMSU for 2014

JMU and Missouri St for 2015

I'm sure it won't happen though :(

I'm not the biggest fan of Missouri State for selfish reasons because they're not regional to the eastern schools. However, if getting our asses up and moving involves adding MO State too, then so be it. I'd prefer Jacksonville State over them, but it's better than adding Liberty. My biggest gripe with MO State is the fact that they seriously lack fan support to justify a move to FBS. I believe they're just a 8.7k avg attendance team last year. There are 47 FCS programs ahead of them in that category. Not too competitive on the field either.

Valid points, but outside of JMU the SBC does not have very many / good options.


SHSU & Lamar will be blocked by the western schools

Jax St will be blocked by Troy and USA

Liberty has political baggage

Chattanooga is in a world of trouble and not in a position to go FBS in the next 5+ years