(01-17-2021 04:37 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  The OVC is really falling. We have heard rumors now of 5 of it's members looking at possible moves. When I look around for possible schools for the ASUN 6 it's mostly OVC schools:

// likely in ASUN
1. Jacksonville State (OVC) --name already dropped as one of the ASUN schools
2. Eastern Kentucky (OVC) --name already dropped as one of the ASUN schools

// Possibly inclined to change conferences
3. Murray State (OVC) -- were MVC focused, but door closed, ASUN better hoops, already added fee to upgrade athletic funding for move
4. Norfolk State (MEAC) -- BOT revealed they have been exploring options including Big South, which ASUN schools
5. SEMO (OVC) -- have been unhappy in the past, talked with WAC years ago, but geography doesn't make sense (well UCA)

// other possible public schools
6. Tennessee State (OVC) -- turned down SWAC, have different vision; could that be FBS path aspirations? (I think not likely this school)
Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay State (all OVC) -- no sign of wanderlust in this group
Delaware State (MEAC) -- not aspirational looking around rather survival boat, BOT revealed they tried NEC, poor fit for ASUN
Chattanooga (SoCon) -- It would shock me if anyone left the SoCon for the ASUN, as they told the SBC no.
ETSU (SoCon) -- no sign of wanderlust.

That's all I see off the top of my head. None of the remaining SLC schools, as the public schools in Louisiana financial situation is what likely drove the split in the first place. Also Dr. Teague (UCA AD) said the SLC is down to 8, meaning no others involved.

We should have a pool on naming the 3 unnamed schools

North Carolina A&T have aspirations for FBS. They could fit there on the east coast. Someone said for an HBCU school to go to FBS? It should be a group effort. Add Tennessee State and Florida A&M and you get three schools that already play in an FBS size stadiums.

(01-17-2021 07:20 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(01-17-2021 04:37 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  The OVC is really falling. We have heard rumors now of 5 of it's members looking at possible moves. When I look around for possible schools for the ASUN 6 it's mostly OVC schools:

// likely in ASUN
1. Jacksonville State (OVC) --name already dropped as one of the ASUN schools
2. Eastern Kentucky (OVC) --name already dropped as one of the ASUN schools

// Possibly inclined to change conferences
3. Murray State (OVC) -- were MVC focused, but door closed, ASUN better hoops, already added fee to upgrade athletic funding for move
4. Norfolk State (MEAC) -- BOT revealed they have been exploring options including Big South, which ASUN schools
5. SEMO (OVC) -- have been unhappy in the past, talked with WAC years ago, but geography doesn't make sense (well UCA)

// other possible public schools
6. Tennessee State (OVC) -- turned down SWAC, have different vision; could that be FBS path aspirations? (I think not likely this school)
Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee Tech, Austin Peay State (all OVC) -- no sign of wanderlust in this group
Delaware State (MEAC) -- not aspirational looking around rather survival boat, BOT revealed they tried NEC, poor fit for ASUN
Chattanooga (SoCon) -- It would shock me if anyone left the SoCon for the ASUN, as they told the SBC no.
ETSU (SoCon) -- no sign of wanderlust.

That's all I see off the top of my head. None of the remaining SLC schools, as the public schools in Louisiana financial situation is what likely drove the split in the first place. Also Dr. Teague (UCA AD) said the SLC is down to 8, meaning no others involved.

We should have a pool on naming the 3 unnamed schools

North Carolina A&T have aspirations for FBS. They could fit there on the east coast. Someone said for an HBCU school to go to FBS? It should be a group effort. Add Tennessee State and Florida A&M and you get three schools that already play in an FBS size stadiums.

FAMU just joined SWAC alongside Bethune Cookman like 7 months ago. I highly doubt any SWAC school leaves for they have no incentive to. If the MEAC collapses, which its close to doing, the SWAC championship is like HBCU Natty and until then, they have the Celebration Bowl they care more about. Atlantic Sun will need to keep stretching to find members or convince other schools to add football, which I doubt happens. They could also pick up some Big South schools or have a DII school transition up if there is one close by with enough resources. No way they become FBS for the next 2-3 years, maybe in 10-12 years, even if then. Liberty will probably find a new home by that point though I bet.

Keep hearing Chattanooga or North Florida as a 6th football possibility. Current ASUN member UNF already has non-scholly football. Am skeptical of a Mocs move. SEMO also mentioned.

Chattanooga would roughly be the center of the conference's membership - Kennesaw is basically right down I-75, Lipscomb is right up I-24, North Alabama (Florence) is to the west, Bellarmine (Louisville) is 4.5 hours to the north, and Liberty (Lynchburg) is 6.5 hours to the northeast. Even North Florida and Jacksonville aren't much further than Liberty. Stetson and FGCU are farther, but a team will hit those on the same trip anyway. UCA would be comparable to Stetson; SEMO would be farther away than Bellarmine, but closer than Liberty.

This would probably be the long range plan:
North Division
SEMO/UCA
Bellarmine/EKU
Lipscomb/Chattanooga
Liberty

South Division
Stetson/FGCU
North Florida/Jacksonville
North Alabama/Jacksonville State
Kennesaw State

This conference could work well with quads if it added another school in Georgia, and one in western North Carolina or southwestern Virginia.

Going to 15 with Valdosta State could also yield a 3 x 5 setup that still allows for 18 conference games in basketball:

North - UCA, SEMO, Bellarmine, EKU, Liberty
Central - UNA, Jacksonville State, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Chattanooga
South - Valdosta State, UNF, Jacksonville, Stetson, FGCU

I will make a solid bet UTC will not be moving out of the SoCon.

NCA&T has the opportunity to be THE HBCU FBS team if they play their cards right and follow the Liberty track and declare themselves FBS. It would hurt App recruiting but I still want them in FBS.

I think NC A&T could become the premier HBCU, especially if they moved to FBS. As an independent, without the funding that Liberty gets from being a Private school, then it seems like being in FBS Indy might not be their best move. They would need either to go ASUN and come up with them or hope the Belt or CUSA comes calling. They should also increase their budget by at least 10 million if they want to come up. On a USA Today study they had like a 15 mil budget. Only slightly higher than ULM at the time of that article. Probably shouldn’t make the move.

I was looking at a map of the five identified ASUN (or future UAC conference lol), and it's actually not a bad geographic group,

I also mapped a few schools whose names have been rumored (SEMO, UTC) and threw in ASUN Basketball schools. Bellarmine and Lipscomb are right in the middle of the football group, Nashville more or less the center - it's an area smaller than Texas. The four Florida Basketball schools are off in a corner, and Liberty a bit to the East. It kind of surprised me visually that the football group is basically overlaps the OVC footprint.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1...sp=sharing

Who knows what will happen, honestly. THE CFP contract doesn't even expire until the end of the 2025-2026 season. Which means the ASUN needs to figure it out by then.

(01-17-2021 09:11 PM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  I will make a solid bet UTC will not be moving out of the SoCon.

Yeah. And even if they did, it wouldn’t be for ASUN. I would guess Sun Belt would want a second look at them.

ETSU? What for? They’ve hardly been gone to just go back. And, why not OVC, which was supposedly a spot for both them and UTC?

(01-18-2021 04:08 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  I was looking at a map of the five identified ASUN (or future UAC conference lol), and it's actually not a bad geographic group,

I also mapped a few schools whose names have been rumored (SEMO, UTC) and threw in ASUN Basketball schools. Bellarmine and Lipscomb are right in the middle of the football group, Nashville more or less the center - it's an area smaller than Texas. The four Florida Basketball schools are off in a corner, and Liberty a bit to the East. It kind of surprised me visually that the football group is basically overlaps the OVC footprint.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1...sp=sharing

Appreciate the map.

Heard there may be a scheduling agreement with the SOCON. Any chance of adding them to your map?

(01-18-2021 04:56 PM)SMUfan Wrote:  

(01-18-2021 04:08 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  I was looking at a map of the five identified ASUN (or future UAC conference lol), and it's actually not a bad geographic group,

I also mapped a few schools whose names have been rumored (SEMO, UTC) and threw in ASUN Basketball schools. Bellarmine and Lipscomb are right in the middle of the football group, Nashville more or less the center - it's an area smaller than Texas. The four Florida Basketball schools are off in a corner, and Liberty a bit to the East. It kind of surprised me visually that the football group is basically overlaps the OVC footprint.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1...sp=sharing

Appreciate the map.

Heard there may be a scheduling agreement with the SOCON. Any chance of adding them to your map?

That map isn't good news for the OVC. The desirable OVC schools are right in the ASUN's wheelhouse.

It needs to be the SoCon public three. It’d be a good conference. Hardly your granny’s ASUN. You’re pulling a bunch of strong schools together. All football are similar publics, centrally located, in a tight group..... minus UCA.

ASUN
*Kennesaw St.
*North Alabama
*EKU
*Jax St.
*C. Arkansas
*ETSU
*Chattanooga
*W. Carolina
Liberty
Lipscomb
Bellarmine
FGCU
North Florida
Jax
Stetson

And the eventual final team should be University of West Florida.

(01-18-2021 04:17 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  Who knows what will happen, honestly. THE CFP contract doesn't even expire until the end of the 2025-2026 season. Which means the ASUN needs to figure it out by then.

They are positioning themselves to become a fall back FBS conference for programs that get left out of the CUSA/SBC shuffle.

ASun and the WAC in FBS would create a low major tier in FBS football much like there is a tier like that in NCAA basketball. More stratification in performance outside the P5.

(01-19-2021 02:39 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(01-18-2021 04:17 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  Who knows what will happen, honestly. THE CFP contract doesn't even expire until the end of the 2025-2026 season. Which means the ASUN needs to figure it out by then.

They are positioning themselves to become a fall back FBS conference for programs that get left out of the CUSA/SBC shuffle.

ASun and the WAC in FBS would create a low major tier in FBS football much like there is a tier like that in NCAA basketball. More stratification in performance outside the P5.

Basically what the Sun Belt used to be. I’m just not sure if there will be a merger between USA/Belt.

(01-19-2021 02:39 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(01-18-2021 04:17 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  Who knows what will happen, honestly. THE CFP contract doesn't even expire until the end of the 2025-2026 season. Which means the ASUN needs to figure it out by then.

They are positioning themselves to become a fall back FBS conference for programs that get left out of the CUSA/SBC shuffle.

ASun and the WAC in FBS would create a low major tier in FBS football much like there is a tier like that in NCAA basketball. More stratification in performance outside the P5.

The WAC has a "possible" entry into the FBS as a conference (being a former FBS conference), the ASUN does not, and Liberty's threat of "religious persecution" will not get the ASUN a waiver like it did Liberty..

Heck, the SoCon was a former 1A conference, it has a better chance of moving up as a conference than does the ASUN.

(01-18-2021 11:03 PM)army56mike Wrote:  It needs to be the SoCon public three. It’d be a good conference. Hardly your granny’s ASUN. You’re pulling a bunch of strong schools together. All football are similar publics, centrally located, in a tight group..... minus UCA.

ASUN
*Kennesaw St.
*North Alabama
*EKU
*Jax St.
*C. Arkansas
*ETSU
*Chattanooga
*W. Carolina
Liberty
Lipscomb
Bellarmine
FGCU
North Florida
Jax
Stetson

And the eventual final team should be University of West Florida.

Gotta admit, this is better than the current ASUN, OVC or SoCon.

(01-19-2021 03:43 PM)The Cats Wrote:  

(01-19-2021 02:39 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(01-18-2021 04:17 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  Who knows what will happen, honestly. THE CFP contract doesn't even expire until the end of the 2025-2026 season. Which means the ASUN needs to figure it out by then.

They are positioning themselves to become a fall back FBS conference for programs that get left out of the CUSA/SBC shuffle.

ASun and the WAC in FBS would create a low major tier in FBS football much like there is a tier like that in NCAA basketball. More stratification in performance outside the P5.

The WAC has a "possible" entry into the FBS as a conference (being a former FBS conference), the ASUN does not, and Liberty's threat of "religious persecution" will not get the ASUN a waiver like it did Liberty..

Heck, the SoCon was a former 1A conference, it has a better chance of moving up as a conference than does the ASUN.

Maybe the ASUN can buy the SoCon and trade schools with them?

ASUN:
Bellarmine*
Jacksonville
Stetson
Lipscomb**
Mercer
Furman
Samford
Wofford
The Citadel
VMI
Campbell
High Point***
FGCU
Augusta ****
Columbus State ****
UNC-Greensboro

Bellarmine could be a target for the Horizon.
Lipscomb could be a target for OVC if the Horizon grabs Belmont.
High Point moves over from The Big South with their upgrading of facilities.
Campbell seems to be working their way to be better facilities.
Augusta and Columbus State can bridge the northern schools with the Florida schools. North Georgia could go here.

SoCon FBS:
Kennesaw State
North Florida*
Liberty
UNA
UCA
ETSU
W. Carolina
Chattanooga
NC A&T
W. Florida to block the Southland to grab them.
SE Missouri State
Tennessee State

Football only:
JMU
Delaware
Stony Brook
Youngstown State

SoCon can make scheduling alliances with Army, UConn and UMASS to fill the schedules.

(01-18-2021 11:03 PM)army56mike Wrote:  It needs to be the SoCon public three. It’d be a good conference. Hardly your granny’s ASUN. You’re pulling a bunch of strong schools together. All football are similar publics, centrally located, in a tight group..... minus UCA.

ASUN
*Kennesaw St.
*North Alabama
*EKU
*Jax St.
*C. Arkansas
*ETSU
*Chattanooga
*W. Carolina
Liberty
Lipscomb
Bellarmine
FGCU
North Florida
Jax
Stetson

And the eventual final team should be University of West Florida.

Would be a group of the best FCS football schools in the Southeast. Wofford and Furman would be the only ones left out.

(01-19-2021 11:39 AM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  

(01-19-2021 02:39 AM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(01-18-2021 04:17 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  Who knows what will happen, honestly. THE CFP contract doesn't even expire until the end of the 2025-2026 season. Which means the ASUN needs to figure it out by then.

They are positioning themselves to become a fall back FBS conference for programs that get left out of the CUSA/SBC shuffle.

ASun and the WAC in FBS would create a low major tier in FBS football much like there is a tier like that in NCAA basketball. More stratification in performance outside the P5.

Basically what the Sun Belt used to be. I’m just not sure if there will be a merger between USA/Belt.

Would think the SBC would be happy to have a new conference take the banner of the transitional conference. Dropping the bottom label will be extremely hard unless someone new comes alone to pass it to.

If the potential OVC raid goes poorly, they might be desperate enough to need Chicago State lol.