Could the ASUN look to add only football members and then bring two non football members to reach an 8 team FBS conference?

Full Members:
Liberty
EKU
UNA
Jacksonville State
UCA
KSU

Non-Football
FGCU
UNF or Lipscomb

Football-Only:
UMASS
UCONN

Army would be a home run add but I highly doubt we could get them. It would give the non football schools a place to park FBS if they wanted and should provide a decent looking conference.

I dont know... FBS seems a stretch although we dont know what's going on behind the scenes of the NCAA or the ASUN.


But I have heard there are current FCS schools that have approached or have been approached about football only membership... have no idea who that is.

I didn't think Liberty would want in a conference, at least one that would be perceived at the bottom. But it would quickly become a pretty good conference in FBS imo.

If it were me, I would like
Liberty (I would want full, but I would take ND/ACC deal)
UCA
UNA
UT Chattanooga
JSU
EKU
KSU
Wish North Florida and FGCU would Start football but they cant read a study apparently.
Try to pick off Southern Miss
Then get Army as an affiliate for football.

And if that was to happen, and the WAC does FBS as well, I would work together (ASUN and WAC) on a bowl game like ASUN #1 vs WAC #1 in the Great Divide Bowl...

How would everyone feel picking up UL-Monroe from the Sun Belt if they chose to drop down to FCS? I think they would now fit geographically but I hate how shoestring they operate.

As for ASUN being FBS, if we could get an equal piece of the CFP payout and become a G6, I think there is opportunity to poach some C-USA members, though I don't know who. They are unhappiest and would increase their payout with us as the CFP gives $1 million per school in each G5 conference up to $10 million so it creates an incentive to top out at 10 members.

(01-26-2021 07:31 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  How would everyone feel picking up UL-Monroe from the Sun Belt if they chose to drop down to FCS? I think they would now fit geographically but I hate how shoestring they operate.

As for ASUN being FBS, if we could get an equal piece of the CFP payout and become a G6, I think there is opportunity to poach some C-USA members, though I don't know who. They are unhappiest and would increase their payout with us as the CFP gives $1 million per school in each G5 conference up to $10 million so it creates an incentive to top out at 10 members.

I honestly think if the ASUN ever gets to be FBS it will be due to the CUSA East breakaways.

(01-26-2021 07:31 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  How would everyone feel picking up UL-Monroe from the Sun Belt if they chose to drop down to FCS? I think they would now fit geographically but I hate how shoestring they operate.

As for ASUN being FBS, if we could get an equal piece of the CFP payout and become a G6, I think there is opportunity to poach some C-USA members, though I don't know who. They are unhappiest and would increase their payout with us as the CFP gives $1 million per school in each G5 conference up to $10 million so it creates an incentive to top out at 10 members.

If its FCS, UL Monroe would be better off with the Southland Louisiana schools. If they have budget problems now, it wouldn't be too different in the ASUN because of travel. The Southland would be better for them. Now, if they still wanted FBS, and by some chance the ASUN did go FBS as a whole, they could join the Southland for non football and be an associate in the ASUN for football....

(01-26-2021 11:55 AM)lion1983 Wrote:  

(01-26-2021 07:31 AM)GE and MTS Wrote:  How would everyone feel picking up UL-Monroe from the Sun Belt if they chose to drop down to FCS? I think they would now fit geographically but I hate how shoestring they operate.

If its FCS, UL Monroe would be better off with the Southland Louisiana schools. If they have budget problems now, it wouldn't be too different in the ASUN because of travel. The Southland would be better for them. Now, if they still wanted FBS, and by some chance the ASUN did go FBS as a whole, they could join the Southland for non football and be an associate in the ASUN for football....

If it were entirely up to me, I'd avoid the Louisiana schools altogether and try to focus the expansion footprint within 300-400 miles of Chattanooga.

This would entail pulling in 2-3 SoCon schools and maybe at least one more OVC school (Peay?), but the end result would be great.

If FBS is the goal, we'd need schools willing to make that kind of commitment, and ULM doesn't seem to fit the bill. (Nor would any of the remaining Southland schools.)

That said, I hate the idea of adding northeastern schools 700-1000 miles away just to pad the numbers for an FBS move. JMU is pretty much the only school outside my arbitrary 400-mile limit which would excite me, and they're not really that far outside the desired footprint.

To be FBS, 8 of your fb schools have to be full members.

How bout 6 east coast and 6 west.
Divisional play with minimal cross over and a championship game. It would require scheduling a few extra ooc games.

(02-04-2021 05:12 PM)cleburneslim Wrote:  How bout 6 east coast and 6 west.
Divisional play with minimal cross over and a championship game. It would require scheduling a few extra ooc games.

Interesting, I hadn’t really given that much thought but it might work.

(02-04-2021 05:12 PM)cleburneslim Wrote:  How bout 6 east coast and 6 west.
Divisional play with minimal cross over and a championship game. It would require scheduling a few extra ooc games.

That's interesting, but ultimately wouldn't you still have to have 8 of the teams in the same regular conference as full members? This idea could work if football were an island, but you'd need at least two of those West Coast teams to be full members of the ASUN, and I'm just not sure that works.

They could all join the wac or the asun or the conference to be formed UAC it would be imperative that you have a min or 12 schools 6 and 6 east west split. 16 would be better. The more schools the less crossover travel for other sports.

Also Texas schools are a distance but it's not Utah or california