(12-27-2020 09:39 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  I think adding UAB would be a huge boon for the conference. Gives GaSt a really really similar rival. Troy and USA would be selling out stadiums. Conference BBall would jump in RPI, etc.

It pains me to say, but UAb deserves to be in AAC, if only for their basketball. The rivalry they had created with Memphis back in the old CUSA days were fun to watch. Add in Louisville and Cincy, it was a really good basketball conference. The local commercials for UAb basketball nowadays in Birmingham are just sad. Replaced those previous schools with F_U, UNT, just doesn’t have the same, sell out the arena, sound to it. You would think if AAC were to add anyone, it would be UAb, not Boise St. That would leave USM left from the original CUSA still drowning in those waters. Easy pickings for us to bring them along with us.

(12-27-2020 09:39 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  I think adding UAB would be a huge boon for the conference. Gives GaSt a really really similar rival. Troy and USA would be selling out stadiums. Conference BBall would jump in RPI, etc.

I agree. I'd be happy to see UAB join. But UAB doesn't seem to have interest. They were a founding C-USA member, and even though the bulk of early members are now in the AAC, being a founding member seems to matter to them more than, say, USM. Also, they're a big research focused school that probably cares a lot about sharing a league with elite AAU school Rice. They also seem to care, right or wrong, about sharing a league with big city schools. Maybe it's just for the airports. I don't know. The SB only has Ga. State. C-USA has UTSA, N. Texas (Dallas-ish), Rice (Houston), UAB of course, FIU/FAU, Charlotte, MTSU (Nashville-ish), and ODU (Norfolk). Keep in mind that UAB was part of the group that invited all those marketz schools on the first place.

(12-27-2020 09:39 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  I think adding UAB would be a huge boon for the conference. Gives GaSt a really really similar rival. Troy and USA would be selling out stadiums. Conference BBall would jump in RPI, etc.

I rarely play the "who would I poach" game, but I'll note that UAB is the only school that comes up in semi-reasonable discussions that I'm always sure I'd like to share a conference with. All the others kind of depend on the day I have the thought and what feels most important for conference alignment at the time.

(12-27-2020 09:36 AM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 08:54 AM)panama Wrote:  WV? No

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Because it stretches geography out too much? I don't think that is at all unreasonable. One of the SB's strengths over C-USA is tighter geography.

Please don't say it's because they aren't in a big market or that they don't have a strong football pedigree.

I don't think the ex-SB members bring that much value (well, MTSU and EKU in basketball do a little). USM would be a great get. UAB would, too, but I don't think they'd ever have interest.

Yes. Because it stretches geography by 228 miles in the wrong direction and because it's 445 miles from Atlanta. If you're gking to add from CUSA, add within the footprint.

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(12-27-2020 03:48 PM)panama Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 09:36 AM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 08:54 AM)panama Wrote:  WV? No

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Because it stretches geography out too much? I don't think that is at all unreasonable. One of the SB's strengths over C-USA is tighter geography.

Please don't say it's because they aren't in a big market or that they don't have a strong football pedigree.

I don't think the ex-SB members bring that much value (well, MTSU and EKU in basketball do a little). USM would be a great get. UAB would, too, but I don't think they'd ever have interest.

Yes. Because it stretches geography by 228 miles in the wrong direction and because it's 445 miles from Atlanta. If you're gking to add from CUSA, add within the footprint.

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I didn’t know proximity to the MARTA was a factor in expansion.

CUSA is a mess. Its because of the schools in the conference. Bring them here and you have a mess too. Let 'em rot!!!

Problem with CUSA, they are geographically to big. They will split into two conferences eventually. When they do, they will bring some FCS schools up that want to move, which will only add to the schools that want a piece of the pie.

So if you’re scoring at home(or if you’re alone) that gives us the new WAC football conference with possibilities of moving up and an eventual split of CUSA that could add 6 to 8 more FBS schools. Could get much messier before it gets better.

I sort of like the 10 football team Sun Belt. There really are only 3 CUSA teams— Marshall UAB and USM—that would generate any interest. But unless we lose schools I say stick with a10 school football setup

(12-27-2020 08:25 PM)GaSoEagle Wrote:  I sort of like the 10 football team Sun Belt. There really are only 3 CUSA teams— Marshall UAB and USM—that would generate any interest. But unless we lose schools I say stick with a10 school football setup

Yes I agree. Unless there is a wholesale reshuffling of conferences nothing worth adding from coosa at this point. The 10 membership has worked greatly to our advantage.

(12-27-2020 04:03 PM)AppinVA Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 03:48 PM)panama Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 09:36 AM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 08:54 AM)panama Wrote:  WV? No

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Because it stretches geography out too much? I don't think that is at all unreasonable. One of the SB's strengths over C-USA is tighter geography.

Please don't say it's because they aren't in a big market or that they don't have a strong football pedigree.

I don't think the ex-SB members bring that much value (well, MTSU and EKU in basketball do a little). USM would be a great get. UAB would, too, but I don't think they'd ever have interest.

Yes. Because it stretches geography by 228 miles in the wrong direction and because it's 445 miles from Atlanta. If you're gking to add from CUSA, add within the footprint.

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I didn’t know proximity to the MARTA was a factor in expansion.

I don't know goat lovers were trying to get a date via expansion.

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(12-27-2020 10:00 PM)panama Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 04:03 PM)AppinVA Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 03:48 PM)panama Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 09:36 AM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 08:54 AM)panama Wrote:  WV? No

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk

Because it stretches geography out too much? I don't think that is at all unreasonable. One of the SB's strengths over C-USA is tighter geography.

Please don't say it's because they aren't in a big market or that they don't have a strong football pedigree.

I don't think the ex-SB members bring that much value (well, MTSU and EKU in basketball do a little). USM would be a great get. UAB would, too, but I don't think they'd ever have interest.

Yes. Because it stretches geography by 228 miles in the wrong direction and because it's 445 miles from Atlanta. If you're gking to add from CUSA, add within the footprint.

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I didn’t know proximity to the MARTA was a factor in expansion.

I don't know goat lovers were trying to get a date via expansion.

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Well, now you do.

(12-27-2020 08:25 PM)GaSoEagle Wrote:  I sort of like the 10 football team Sun Belt. There really are only 3 CUSA teams— Marshall UAB and USM—that would generate any interest. But unless we lose schools I say stick with a10 school football setup

I’d put Rice on that list.

Here’s a radical idea.

Scrap the divisions play a 9 game schedule and make the the title game go like this.

One outright regular season champion.
Regular season champ hosts vs Highest rated remaining team in CFP, if not CFP rated then highest in AP, if not AP rated then Coaches and if not rated in coaches then highest rated in a composite of computer polls with no regard given to where the team finished in the conference standings.

Two team tie.
Winner of regular season meeting hosts the loser.

Three or more teams.
Highest rated per above procedures hosts second highest rated tied team.

A nine game slate while unbalanced means everyone plays everyone else and for most schools that means 1 money game, buying an FCS and a home/home with another FBS

I don’t think the Sun Belt would be willing to do a 9-game schedule. Eliminating 10 combined OOC games eliminates opportunities to notch wins against other conferences or eliminates an additional money game for those that play more than one. I also think it’d take planning since some teams have 4 OOC games scheduled out for several years. South has 4 OOC games scheduled 2021-2026 (only 3 so far in 2023).

(12-27-2020 07:54 PM)OsageJ Wrote:  CUSA is a mess. Its because of the schools in the conference. Bring them here and you have a mess too. Let 'em rot!!!

This...all of this!

CUSA passed on every program currently in the SBC. No need to give any of them a seat in the life raft. 10 teams is the perfect size for our conference considering the CFP payout.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a few CUSA programs that would make interesting adds from a personal/fan perspective but I find it hard to believe any teams mentioned would increase the tv money or reduce travel expenses to the point it offsets the reduction in CFP money with more mouths to feed. Also of note, doubt any addition is going to give an extra bid to the Dance so there seems to be zero financial incentive to add. The SBC has managed to pass CUSA without increasing membership.

As Osage so eloquently put it, “Let’em rot!”

(12-28-2020 09:58 AM)moonshine Wrote:  

(12-27-2020 07:54 PM)OsageJ Wrote:  CUSA is a mess. Its because of the schools in the conference. Bring them here and you have a mess too. Let 'em rot!!!

This...all of this!

CUSA passed on every program currently in the SBC. No need to give any of them a seat in the life raft. 10 teams is the perfect size for our conference considering the CFP payout.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a few CUSA programs that would make interesting adds from a personal/fan perspective but I find it hard to believe any teams mentioned would increase the tv money or reduce travel expenses to the point it offsets the reduction in CFP money with more mouths to feed. Also of note, doubt any addition is going to give an extra bid to the Dance so there seems to be zero financial incentive to add. The SBC has managed to pass CUSA without increasing membership.

As Osage so eloquently put it, “Let’em rot!”

At the very least, a 10 team payout makes the math alot easier.

You guys are completely right that 10 teams is the right size for G5 due to the payout. And with that, CUSA could break into two 10 team conferences without adding to the current FBS total.

CUSA East

UAb
Marshall
ODU
FAU
FIU
UNCC
WKU
MTSU
Army
Liberty


CUSA west

LaTech
UNT
UTSA
UTEP
Rice
TxSt(just because it makes sense for them)
NMSU

This means USM moves on over to the SBC. If Boise St leaves the MW, maybe New Mexico decides to go with NMSU to the new CUSA west conference. That would put MW at 10 as well. So the new CUSA needs 2 teams added to get to 10. That isn’t that far fetched. Everyone’s footprint gets smaller, more rivals are added to each. So let’s make this happen.

I’m the smartest person in the world, I don’t know what y’all would do without me to solve all your problems!!!

Army would never come back to CUSA

Wouldn’t technically be CUSA, it would be a new east coast conference.

Army in a conference was a disaster. They neither want nor need a conference.

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I posted this on another board, but if another conference were to be added and the G5 divided, it could create some interesting stuff that would truly regionalize and put a good product on the field/court that would be attractive to both fans and networks:

Conference A
————————

ODU
Liberty
JMU
Marshall
Western Kentucky
Middle Tennessee
Appalachian State
Charlotte
Coastal Carolina

*4 teams are or had been ranked during the season. Pretty tight footprint.


Conference B
—————————
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
UAB
USA
Troy
USM
FAU
FIU
stAte

* Great basketball conference with very solid football: FAU, UAB, stAte, and Troy


Conference C
—————————
LaTech
Louisiana
ULM
Rice
North Texas
TXST
UTSA
UTEP
NMSU

*The geographical SWC 2.0

Well, it’s a nice thought.