There's a reason a lot of CUSA teams are ex-Sun Belt. The Sun Belt, fair or not, is considered the bottom-rung conference in FBS. There's no reason for either of them to move and I doubt Marshall even wants to leave CUSA.

(09-23-2019 10:13 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(09-23-2019 10:03 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote:  Because the existing Sun Belt schools would have to split the CFP payout to their conference two more ways.

Bigger tv payout for the Sun Belt with this add. Those schools would provide for a better renogiated ESPN contract for the SB.
2 big names coming to SB
And an even tighter geoprahocal conference
2 big names joining up. These are big names with history joining.
A CCG In New Orleans

Not really....

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

(09-24-2019 07:17 AM)XLance Wrote:  Sounds like Conference USA and the Sunbelt need to merge and then divide by 2.

Not really...

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

If Marshall joins they will have to rename the conference - WV is nowhere near the "sun belt".

(09-24-2019 11:15 AM)Nittany_Bearcat Wrote:  

(09-24-2019 08:52 AM)bullet Wrote:  It would be a big step down in prestige to go to the Sun Belt. Also a step down in athletic budgets. And the Sun Belt has been very up and down. A couple years ago they did no better than FCS schools did against FBS. Nobody is going to make a decision based on a couple of good years.

I also suspect Marshall and USM are also going to want to stay with FAU and FIU for recruiting reasons.

It's not necessarily (1) fair or (2) true as regards on-the-field results. But, yes, the Sun Belt is still considered less prestigious than the C-USA. By a decent margin.

Southern Miss too. They were once conference-mates with multiple schools now in the ACC or American. That would make a move to the Sun Belt even tougher on their "ego."

"Decent Margin" ? By who? CUSA fans? Lol

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

(09-24-2019 11:22 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  Egos kept JMU from the Sun Belt and are now stuck in the CAA possibly long term.

CAA....ewww...

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

(09-24-2019 11:59 AM)Mav Wrote:  There's a reason a lot of CUSA teams are ex-Sun Belt. The Sun Belt, fair or not, is considered the bottom-rung conference in FBS. There's no reason for either of them to move and I doubt Marshall even wants to leave CUSA.

Again...by who...

The average football fan could not correctly place 5 random CUSA/SBC schools in the correct conference.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

ECU isn't exactly setting the world on fire, maybe they need to go to the Sunbelt as well.

Normally you have to be asked first to join. Don't see a value unless ESPN would make it for the Sun Belt to add teams. These would be two great teams to add football wise but I don't think it will make sense finacially.

And what does that do for MBB?

We are not hurting football wise. MBB is where we need belp.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

(09-24-2019 01:38 PM)panama Wrote:  And what does that do for MBB?

We are not hurting football wise. MBB is where we need belp.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

As mturn responded about CUSA BBall earlier; the Sun Belt needs UTA, Little Rock, and App to play like expected. App went from winning conference divisions in the SoCon playing Davidson, CoC, UNCG and Wofford to crapping the bed for the past three coaching hires made by former AD Cobb. Cobb left the program in rubble (good luck GaSt). Now, AD Gillin has done a great job hiring over the last few years. His first BBall hire has been well received by the players.

Also, Commissioner Gill has a decent basketball minded background. He was #2 at the A10 as Executive Associate Commissioner. I'm sure he'll have that sport in mind for the Sun Belt.

(09-24-2019 02:09 PM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  Also, Commissioner Gill has a decent basketball minded background. He was #2 at the A10 as Executive Associate Commissioner. I'm sure he'll have that sport in mind for the Sun Belt.

Interesting that after his arrival the league is ditching the jumble up and scramble up the schedule with pods strategy that CUSA had adopted.

(09-24-2019 12:29 PM)panama Wrote:  

(09-24-2019 11:22 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  Egos kept JMU from the Sun Belt and are now stuck in the CAA possibly long term.

CAA....ewww...

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Yeah, I'd be pretty ambivalent about the CAA if my team was 1-7 its one season there

(09-24-2019 12:16 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  CUSA basketball is much better than Sun Belt basketball. That's biggest reason I wouldn't want to do it. Also would still be associated with teams I want nothing to do with.

I wish CUSA would trade the Texas schools for App St, Ga Southern, Ga State, Troy,.......THAT is a conference that would get me excited.

Not in any meaningful way. You are still a perennial one-bid league and in spite of the ostensibly better attendance in basketball and it hasn't helped your TV contract become more valuable than the Sun Belt's.

IMO with the right picks the Sun Belt's TV contract value could go up the the high 6 figures per school per year and that would offset watering down the CFP money (which we'd get more of anyways because we'd finish ahead of CUSA and the MAC most years).

Give me any two of these teams:
Marshall
USM
La Tech
Maybe WKU
Maybe Middle

And the Sun Belt will put real separation between itself and CUSA and the MAC in football.

If you really wanted to create the best Southern Atlantic / SE conference with tight geography for a lot of fan travel and more ticket sales you need the following conference. This conference would immediatly start some of the best rivalries in G5 and really get back to old school college sports with close conference mates. Imagine the basketball tournament for this conference in Raleigh or Atlanta the crowds would be great.
NORTH
Marshall
James Madison
Liberty
Old Dominion
App State
ECU
Charlotte

SOUTH
Coastal Carolina
Georgia State
Georgia Southern
UAB
Southern Miss
UCF
South Florida

(09-24-2019 02:05 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(09-24-2019 12:16 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  CUSA basketball is much better than Sun Belt basketball. That's biggest reason I wouldn't want to do it. Also would still be associated with teams I want nothing to do with.

I wish CUSA would trade the Texas schools for App St, Ga Southern, Ga State, Troy,.......THAT is a conference that would get me excited.

In all seriousness while CUSA basketball generally is better than the Sunbelt on the whole it has not really mattered much in a while. In fact when was the last time CUSA was actually "good" in basketball? People like to talk like it is but it has been a while since I think someone could really say that was true.

Note not an individual team doing well but the conference on the whole being "good". I am leaving it vague as to what "good" means since I can see different opinions on what constitutes that.

A one bid basketball league is a one bid league. Football drives the bus.

(09-24-2019 08:52 AM)bullet Wrote:  

(09-24-2019 02:05 AM)Sultan of Euphonistan Wrote:  

(09-24-2019 12:16 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  CUSA basketball is much better than Sun Belt basketball. That's biggest reason I wouldn't want to do it. Also would still be associated with teams I want nothing to do with.

I wish CUSA would trade the Texas schools for App St, Ga Southern, Ga State, Troy,.......THAT is a conference that would get me excited.

In all seriousness while CUSA basketball generally is better than the Sunbelt on the whole it has not really mattered much in a while. In fact when was the last time CUSA was actually "good" in basketball? People like to talk like it is but it has been a while since I think someone could really say that was true.

Note not an individual team doing well but the conference on the whole being "good". I am leaving it vague as to what "good" means since I can see different opinions on what constitutes that.

It would be a big step down in prestige to go to the Sun Belt. Also a step down in athletic budgets. And the Sun Belt has been very up and down. A couple years ago they did no better than FCS schools did against FBS. Nobody is going to make a decision based on a couple of good years.

I also suspect Marshall and USM are also going to want to stay with FAU and FIU for recruiting reasons.

Are you on the drugs?

(09-24-2019 11:11 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(09-24-2019 12:16 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  CUSA basketball is much better than Sun Belt basketball. That's biggest reason I wouldn't want to do it. Also would still be associated with teams I want nothing to do with.

I wish CUSA would trade the Texas schools for App St, Ga Southern, Ga State, Troy,.......THAT is a conference that would get me excited.

Define "much better"
The most recent NCAA Tournament check (which I think comes later this year) CUSA will be paid for 10 units earned and the Sun Belt 8, the grand total of the CUSA check will be about $2.8 million and Sun Belt's a touch over $2.2 million.

The value of CUSA hoops membership vs Sun Belt in hoops to Marshall is $14,000 a year.

13 and you might lose the tournament and still have a shot at an at large berth with a good season. 19 there's no way. There are a LOT of bottom feeders when you get that low.

(09-24-2019 11:26 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Because a CUSA with a bunch of FCS move ups, Sun Belt and WAC teams is REALLY PRESTIGIOUS.

If you want amusement. Go look at the schools that moved from Sun Belt to CUSA and their in-conference record their last two years in the Sun Belt vs their in-conference record the first two years in C-USA. Pretty much all of them saw their in-conference record improve when they quit playing Troy, Louisiana and AState.

I was surprised by who the CUSA picked based on football. But then I looked at the athletic budgets. They pretty much went straight down the line and picked the biggest athletic budgets.

Sun Belt is the one with all the FCS moveups and startups. USA, GSU, GSU, CCU, App St. and Texas ST. (also WAC) are very recent moveups and 3 of those are recent startups. Troy hasn't been up that long. Only Ark. St. and ULM go back to the late 80s/early 90s. Only ULL has been in FBS all along.

Its also got a bunch of regional schools non-sports fans have never heard of. CUSA has some of those, but it also has UTEP, Rice, UAB and USM. It also has schools like WKU and UNCC who have had final 4s in basketball (and UTEP won).