The mythical East Coast regional league has been talked about ad nauseam. People have correctly pointed out the roadblocks for this happening (getting NCAA auto-bids and a spot in the NY6 Access Bowl). You don't want to join a new league and have no access to championships or major bowls. And getting C-USA and the Sun Belt to split down geographic lines also seems unlikely.

But what if we were able to create regional leagues within the framework of C-USA? What if we added 2 schools to the East (say Liberty & JMU) and 2 to the West (say NMSU & ?)

You create an 18 team C-USA that operates as two separate leagues within their divisions. In football, you play 8 divisional games and no one from the other side until the title game. In Hoops, the top 7 schools from the East and top 7 from the West play in the Conference Tournament.

This idea would get you the "new conference" without actually making a new conference. The West would just be our cousins we only see at family reunions (post season games). Other than that, we operate independently within the divisions in the regular season.

Obviously, the savings from becoming more regional would have to outweigh cutting the revenue pie another 4 ways. Otherwise, it wouldn't happen.

(10-28-2020 09:42 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  The mythical East Coast regional league has been talked about ad nauseam. People have correctly pointed out the roadblocks for this happening (getting NCAA auto-bids and a spot in the NY6 Access Bowl). You don't want to join a new league and have no access to championships or major bowls. And getting C-USA and the Sun Belt to split down geographic lines also seems unlikely.

But what if we were able to create regional leagues within the framework of C-USA? What if we added 2 schools to the East (say Liberty & JMU) and 2 to the West (say NMSU & ?)

You create an 18 team C-USA that operates as two separate leagues within their divisions. In football, you play 8 divisional games and no one from the other side until the title game. In Hoops, the top 7 schools from the East and top 7 from the West play in the Conference Tournament.

This idea would get you the "new conference" without actually making a new conference. The West would just be our cousins we only see at family reunions (post season games). Other than that, we operate independently within the divisions in the regular season.

Obviously, the savings from becoming more regional would have to outweigh cutting the revenue pie another 4 ways. Otherwise, it wouldn't happen.

There was a Houston fan that suggested something like this quite a while ago and it has some merit. I think doing this with just 2 total adds could accomplish your goals.

1. Move UAB to the east and NMSU and Texas State to the west for 16 total. Play conference schedules strictly within your division. In fb that would be 7 conference games. The 5 OOC games gives teams opportunities to schedule more prominent programs to enhance the NY6 chances when a team like Marshall is having a great year.

OR

2. Add NMSU to the west and Liberty to the east.

Also if schools still want to keep rivals with other division schools, schedule them as OOC.

(10-28-2020 09:42 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  Obviously, the savings from becoming more regional would have to outweigh cutting the revenue pie another 4 ways. Otherwise, it wouldn't happen.

You've answered your question here.

The way some of you guys are scared of flying, you'd think this was the B. A. Baracus Conference.

You could save the same amount of money (without further dividing the already small pie) by just making your previously farthest two or three OOC games closer.

(10-28-2020 10:13 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  Also if schools still want to keep rivals with other division schools, schedule them as OOC.

Or. . . if you want to play 2-3 "more local" schools every year, schedule them as OOC.

I think it's great for UTEP to play NMSU and UTSA to play Texas State. And for Marshall or ODU to play whoever it is they're so worked up to play (App State or the Georgia SB schools or ECU I guess).

So - go play them. Seems like you're already playing them in lots of sports already most years. What's stopping you? You can have really great rivals with teams that aren't in your conference.

I once read a post that stated a kitten dies every time a realignment thread or post is started.

This is a good proposal. But it would require both the CUSA and the Sunbelt to disband and to create a new conference. The commissioner from CUSA could be over one, and the commissioner from the Sunbelt over the other. Now the Sunbelt has 10 teams and CUSA has 14 teams. Thats 24 teams. Someone would have to be left out to create an 18 team conference. Then where would the remaining 6 go?

(10-28-2020 10:48 AM)Flat Tire 2 Wrote:  I once read a post that stated a kitten dies every time a realignment thread or post is started.

I read a dog dies every time someone can't stay on topic. I guess college sports message boards are no place for pets.

(10-28-2020 10:54 AM)SMUstang Wrote:  This is a good proposal. But it would require both the CUSA and the Sunbelt to disband and to create a new conference. The commissioner from CUSA could be over one, and the commissioner from the Sunbelt over the other. Now the Sunbelt has 10 teams and CUSA has 14 teams. Thats 24 teams. Someone would have to be left out to create an 18 team conference. Then where would the remaining 6 go?

That isn't this at all. Please re-read. It only involves C-USA.

18 teams splitting a pie that may at best be marginally larger than CUSA's current pie, the Sun Belt may end up with an easier path to bowls, and oh yeah, it'll still be a one-bid league.

On paper I like the conferences-as-de-facto-leagues idea, but in today's environment I just don't see who it benefits.

(10-28-2020 10:56 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(10-28-2020 10:54 AM)SMUstang Wrote:  This is a good proposal. But it would require both the CUSA and the Sunbelt to disband and to create a new conference. The commissioner from CUSA could be over one, and the commissioner from the Sunbelt over the other. Now the Sunbelt has 10 teams and CUSA has 14 teams. Thats 24 teams. Someone would have to be left out to create an 18 team conference. Then where would the remaining 6 go?

That isn't this at all. Please re-read. It only involves C-USA.

Sorry, I saw Texas State mentioned in one proposal and they are Sunbelt. One proposal created a 16 team conference without adding anyone from the Sunbelt. That one might work, depending on the revenue.

(10-28-2020 11:03 AM)SMUstang Wrote:  

(10-28-2020 10:56 AM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(10-28-2020 10:54 AM)SMUstang Wrote:  This is a good proposal. But it would require both the CUSA and the Sunbelt to disband and to create a new conference. The commissioner from CUSA could be over one, and the commissioner from the Sunbelt over the other. Now the Sunbelt has 10 teams and CUSA has 14 teams. Thats 24 teams. Someone would have to be left out to create an 18 team conference. Then where would the remaining 6 go?

That isn't this at all. Please re-read. It only involves C-USA.

Sorry, I saw Texas State mentioned in one proposal and they are Sunbelt.

Yeah, I mentioned them with the thought they might favor the idea of having other Texas schools in their conference. Probably the only SBC school that would see a move to CUSA as a positive step.

Oh, absolutely no.

This needed its own new thread?

(10-28-2020 11:09 AM)rileylives Wrote:  Oh, absolutely no.

This needed its own new thread?

As much as your reply was needed I guess. But here we both are.

Okay, tell me why diluting the pool is a good idea?

The only four schools that would make sense would be App State, one of the Georgia schools, Arkansas State and Louisiana.

And not a single one of them is going to leave the Sun Belt to join this horribly managed conference.

The only thing that makes sense is the creation of a new league, which as you say has been talked about ad nauseam. So I asked, why did we need to start an all new thread?

(10-28-2020 11:20 AM)rileylives Wrote:  Okay, tell me why diluting the pool is a good idea?

The only four schools that would make sense would be App State, one of the Georgia schools, Arkansas State and Louisiana.

And not a single one of them is going to leave the Sun Belt to join this horribly managed conference.

The only thing that makes sense is the creation of a new league, which as you say has been talked about ad nauseam. So I asked, why did we need to start an all new thread?

To your first question. Read the last 2 sentences. If it diluted the pool (I assume you mean less money) it wouldn't happen.

To your last question. This isn't another thread about starting a brand new league. It's a way of a accomplishing the goals of that without the roadblocks of no NCAA auto bids or NY6 access. I prefaced there was a twist.

The problem is, we are just adding more fluff in that scenario.

The solution may be to cut the last two teams added. Western Kentucky and ODU.

If you've been paying attention, Western Kentucky is a keeper.

FIU is definitely a dead weight, and I think UTEP would benefit from leaving if they are able to get into the Mountain West.

ODU brings good basketball on occasion. Their football is definitely down though this year, they've yet to pick up a win...

(10-28-2020 11:35 AM)rileylives Wrote:  The problem is, we are just adding more fluff in that scenario.

That depends on what the goal is. If it's to be closer to the AAC or MWC. Yeah, probably more "fluff."

If it's to find a work around to a new league for the schools who are no longer interested in such a far flung league but can't accomplish a truly new league. This gets you there. You only see the other division in the post season.

It's important to establish goals before saying why something will or won't work. When I started off with talk of the East Coast league I thought it was clear I was talking geography and rivalries built from that. Sorry if it wasn't.

(10-28-2020 11:20 AM)rileylives Wrote:  Okay, tell me why diluting the pool is a good idea?

The only four schools that would make sense would be App State, one of the Georgia schools, Arkansas State and Louisiana.

And not a single one of them is going to leave the Sun Belt to join this horribly managed conference.

The only thing that makes sense is the creation of a new league, which as you say has been talked about ad nauseam. So I asked, why did we need to start an all new thread?

Yep. UNM only helps UTEP. For everyone else in the West it adds another game that's further than most of the East teams.