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(09-30-2021 01:18 PM)ghostofclt! Wrote:   Rumors are swirling. This will be the last dominoes before the AAC likely expands next week. Three teams are AAC bound: AFA, CSU and UAB. The fourth team will end up being...Charlotte. Yes, Charlotte. According to one of our more reliable sources (Matt Brown), they are getting more play than UTSA, Rice, UNT, or FAU.

West: Air Force, CSU, Tulsa, Navy, SMU, Memphis

East: UAB, Charlotte, ECU, USF, Temple, Tulane

The Mountain West is up next. They decide it's time to get into Texas, and it makes more sense to grab four for travel: Rice, UTEP, UTSA, and North Texas. West: SDSU, Boise State, SJSU, Fresno State, UNLV, Nevada, Hawaii Mountain: USU, Wyoming, UNM, Rice, UTEP, UTSA, North Texas

The MAC looks around and stays put.

The Sun Belt then adds 2: Southern Miss and Marshall

West: Louisiana, USM, Texas State, UL Monroe, Ark St, USA

East: Marshall, CCU, App St, Georgia St, Troy, Georgia So

This leaves C-USA with 6 schools. Their options include adding NMSU, Liberty, UMass, and digging into FCS. They choose to add Liberty, NMSU, and JMU, and UMass as a football-only.

North: UMass, JMU, ODU, Liberty, WKU South: LaTech, NMSU, MTSU, FAU, FIU

Ouch, this is bad.

At that point I would just advocate for ODU to go independent. Beg to get into the A10.

Also, don't know why we would take UMass football as a warm body without their basketball. And I don't know why we'd add NMSU if UTEP isn't in the equation. Although weirdly enough if NMSU and UMass basketball join, that isn't that bad of a basketball conference.

(09-30-2021 01:53 PM)goliath74 Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:18 PM)ghostofclt! Wrote:   Rumors are swirling. This will be the last dominoes before the AAC likely expands next week. Three teams are AAC bound: AFA, CSU and UAB. The fourth team will end up being...Charlotte. Yes, Charlotte. According to one of our more reliable sources (Matt Brown), they are getting more play than UTSA, Rice, UNT, or FAU.

West: Air Force, CSU, Tulsa, Navy, SMU, Memphis

East: UAB, Charlotte, ECU, USF, Temple, Tulane

The Mountain West is up next. They decide it's time to get into Texas, and it makes more sense to grab four for travel: Rice, UTEP, UTSA, and North Texas. West: SDSU, Boise State, SJSU, Fresno State, UNLV, Nevada, Hawaii Mountain: USU, Wyoming, UNM, Rice, UTEP, UTSA, North Texas

The MAC looks around and stays put.

The Sun Belt then adds 2: Southern Miss and Marshall

West: Louisiana, USM, Texas State, UL Monroe, Ark St, USA

East: Marshall, CCU, App St, Georgia St, Troy, Georgia So

This leaves C-USA with 6 schools. Their options include adding NMSU, Liberty, UMass, and digging into FCS. They choose to add Liberty, NMSU, and JMU, and UMass as a football-only.

North: UMass, JMU, ODU, Liberty, WKU South: LaTech, NMSU, MTSU, FAU, FIU

Ouch, this is bad.

We will see. Yes, that would suck, especially for the west. Though as an ODU fan playing JMU and LU is actually better than Charlotte and UAB. If we could somehow keep Marshall it wouldnt be the worst thing. Id be surprised to see Charlotte go to the AAC over Marshall and USM. Id be shocked to see MU go to the Belt too. At least not without 2 of ODU, Charlotte and WKU with them.

(09-30-2021 01:59 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  At that point I would just advocate for ODU to go independent. Beg to get into the A10.

We should do that anyway, but playing JMU and LU is actually better for us than playing Charlotte and UAB. I hope we dont lose Marshall the most.

(09-30-2021 02:01 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:53 PM)goliath74 Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:18 PM)ghostofclt! Wrote:   Rumors are swirling. This will be the last dominoes before the AAC likely expands next week. Three teams are AAC bound: AFA, CSU and UAB. The fourth team will end up being...Charlotte. Yes, Charlotte. According to one of our more reliable sources (Matt Brown), they are getting more play than UTSA, Rice, UNT, or FAU.

West: Air Force, CSU, Tulsa, Navy, SMU, Memphis

East: UAB, Charlotte, ECU, USF, Temple, Tulane

The Mountain West is up next. They decide it's time to get into Texas, and it makes more sense to grab four for travel: Rice, UTEP, UTSA, and North Texas. West: SDSU, Boise State, SJSU, Fresno State, UNLV, Nevada, Hawaii Mountain: USU, Wyoming, UNM, Rice, UTEP, UTSA, North Texas

The MAC looks around and stays put.

The Sun Belt then adds 2: Southern Miss and Marshall

West: Louisiana, USM, Texas State, UL Monroe, Ark St, USA

East: Marshall, CCU, App St, Georgia St, Troy, Georgia So

This leaves C-USA with 6 schools. Their options include adding NMSU, Liberty, UMass, and digging into FCS. They choose to add Liberty, NMSU, and JMU, and UMass as a football-only.

North: UMass, JMU, ODU, Liberty, WKU South: LaTech, NMSU, MTSU, FAU, FIU

Ouch, this is bad.

We will see. Yes, that would suck, especially for the west. Though as an ODU fan playing JMU and LU is actually better than Charlotte and UAB. If we could somehow keep Marshall it wouldnt be the worst thing. Id be surprised to see Charlotte go to the AAC over Marshall and USM. Id be shocked to see MU go to the Belt too. At least not without 2 of ODU, Charlotte and WKU with them.

As far as I'm concerned, if all those things came to pass, I'd advocate for a single division 8-team league. JMU, ODU, WKU, MTSU, FAU, FIU, LaTech, maybe Liberty.

(09-30-2021 02:03 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:59 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  At that point I would just advocate for ODU to go independent. Beg to get into the A10.

We should do that anyway, but playing JMU and LU is actually better for us than playing Charlotte and UAB. I hope we dont lose Marshall the most.

I doubt Liberty would be interested in that CUSA. if that’s the best JMU can do, I don’t know if they bite either.

Honestly, I think I’d take indie/SoCon over that.

(09-30-2021 02:03 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:59 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  At that point I would just advocate for ODU to go independent. Beg to get into the A10.

We should do that anyway, but playing JMU and LU is actually better for us than playing Charlotte and UAB. I hope we dont lose Marshall the most.

I know this has been discussed to death but I would rather have basically any team other than Liberty to share a conference with. JMU would be fine but I would hope we wouldn't have to resort to adding liberty

(09-30-2021 02:04 PM)goliath74 Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:01 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:53 PM)goliath74 Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:18 PM)ghostofclt! Wrote:   Rumors are swirling. This will be the last dominoes before the AAC likely expands next week. Three teams are AAC bound: AFA, CSU and UAB. The fourth team will end up being...Charlotte. Yes, Charlotte. According to one of our more reliable sources (Matt Brown), they are getting more play than UTSA, Rice, UNT, or FAU.

West: Air Force, CSU, Tulsa, Navy, SMU, Memphis

East: UAB, Charlotte, ECU, USF, Temple, Tulane

The Mountain West is up next. They decide it's time to get into Texas, and it makes more sense to grab four for travel: Rice, UTEP, UTSA, and North Texas. West: SDSU, Boise State, SJSU, Fresno State, UNLV, Nevada, Hawaii Mountain: USU, Wyoming, UNM, Rice, UTEP, UTSA, North Texas

The MAC looks around and stays put.

The Sun Belt then adds 2: Southern Miss and Marshall

West: Louisiana, USM, Texas State, UL Monroe, Ark St, USA

East: Marshall, CCU, App St, Georgia St, Troy, Georgia So

This leaves C-USA with 6 schools. Their options include adding NMSU, Liberty, UMass, and digging into FCS. They choose to add Liberty, NMSU, and JMU, and UMass as a football-only.

North: UMass, JMU, ODU, Liberty, WKU South: LaTech, NMSU, MTSU, FAU, FIU

Ouch, this is bad.

We will see. Yes, that would suck, especially for the west. Though as an ODU fan playing JMU and LU is actually better than Charlotte and UAB. If we could somehow keep Marshall it wouldnt be the worst thing. Id be surprised to see Charlotte go to the AAC over Marshall and USM. Id be shocked to see MU go to the Belt too. At least not without 2 of ODU, Charlotte and WKU with them.

As far as I'm concerned, if all those things came to pass, I'd advocate for a single division 8-team league. JMU, ODU, WKU, MTSU, FAU, FIU, LaTech, maybe Liberty.

Actually had the same thought too. La Tech would hate it, but otherwise, its not much worse that what we have, and travel is better. Do a true round robin for basketball and add two more OOC games to the football slate. Which could be AAC or SB teams. Of if your team has no FCS games, you could add one back in. Or take another payday game. Its not as bad as it seems at first glance as long as we dont add western teams.

(09-30-2021 02:06 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:03 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:59 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  At that point I would just advocate for ODU to go independent. Beg to get into the A10.

We should do that anyway, but playing JMU and LU is actually better for us than playing Charlotte and UAB. I hope we dont lose Marshall the most.

I doubt Liberty would be interested in that CUSA. if that’s the best JMU can do, I don’t know if they bite either.

Honestly, I think I’d take indie/SoCon over that.

The SOCON???? How is playing VMI and ETSU better than the above? Why not just dump our sports in the ASun or the Patriot League at that point?

(09-30-2021 02:09 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:06 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:03 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:59 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  At that point I would just advocate for ODU to go independent. Beg to get into the A10.

We should do that anyway, but playing JMU and LU is actually better for us than playing Charlotte and UAB. I hope we dont lose Marshall the most.

I doubt Liberty would be interested in that CUSA. if that’s the best JMU can do, I don’t know if they bite either.

Honestly, I think I’d take indie/SoCon over that.

The SOCON???? How is playing VMI and ETSU better than the above? Why not just dump our sports in the ASun or the Patriot League at that point?

Its not, but playing UNCG and Furman might be. Id just as soon stay with WKU and MTSU at that point though

(09-30-2021 02:09 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:06 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:03 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:59 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  At that point I would just advocate for ODU to go independent. Beg to get into the A10.

We should do that anyway, but playing JMU and LU is actually better for us than playing Charlotte and UAB. I hope we dont lose Marshall the most.

I doubt Liberty would be interested in that CUSA. if that’s the best JMU can do, I don’t know if they bite either.

Honestly, I think I’d take indie/SoCon over that.

The SOCON???? How is playing VMI and ETSU better than the above? Why not just dump our sports in the ASun or the Patriot League at that point?

I think you can make a case that the SoCon is basketball-committed enough that they’d be more likely to become a 2-bid league than a rump CUSA. Especially if they added another respectable program to go with. Belmont woulda been perfect, but that didn’t happen.

(09-30-2021 02:13 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:09 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:06 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:03 PM)monarx Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:59 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  At that point I would just advocate for ODU to go independent. Beg to get into the A10.

We should do that anyway, but playing JMU and LU is actually better for us than playing Charlotte and UAB. I hope we dont lose Marshall the most.

I doubt Liberty would be interested in that CUSA. if that’s the best JMU can do, I don’t know if they bite either.

Honestly, I think I’d take indie/SoCon over that.

The SOCON???? How is playing VMI and ETSU better than the above? Why not just dump our sports in the ASun or the Patriot League at that point?

I think you can make a case that the SoCon is basketball-committed enough that they’d be more likely to become a 2-bid league than a rump CUSA. Especially if they added another respectable program to go with. Belmont woulda been perfect, but that didn’t happen.

No, I don't really think you can. We've complained about the bottom of C-USA basketball for so long why in the world would we jump into a league that's 75% anchor? ODU/JMU/WKU/MTSU/LTU make for a much better core of basketball schools, with much less of the dead weight.

(09-30-2021 02:17 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:13 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:09 PM)Blue_Trombone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:06 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 02:03 PM)monarx Wrote:  We should do that anyway, but playing JMU and LU is actually better for us than playing Charlotte and UAB. I hope we dont lose Marshall the most.

I doubt Liberty would be interested in that CUSA. if that’s the best JMU can do, I don’t know if they bite either.

Honestly, I think I’d take indie/SoCon over that.

The SOCON???? How is playing VMI and ETSU better than the above? Why not just dump our sports in the ASun or the Patriot League at that point?

I think you can make a case that the SoCon is basketball-committed enough that they’d be more likely to become a 2-bid league than a rump CUSA. Especially if they added another respectable program to go with. Belmont woulda been perfect, but that didn’t happen.

No, I don't really think you can. We've complained about the bottom of C-USA basketball for so long why in the world would we jump into a league that's 75% anchor? ODU/JMU/WKU/MTSU/LTU make for a much better core of basketball schools, with much less of the dead weight.

My argument is that this CUSA, as predicted earlier:

North: UMass, JMU, ODU, Liberty, WKU
South: LaTech, NMSU, MTSU, FAU, FIU

Minus Liberty, which wouldn’t give up independence for that, and JMU, which might not consider it worth the investment, gives you this:

UMass (FB only) ODU, WKU, LaTech, NMSU, MTSU, FAU, FIU (team or teams TBD)

And that’s also not factoring in other schools looking for something better or at least less awful.

I wouldn’t take the SoCon over the current CUSA, but over whatever this is? I think so.

I don't see CUSA taking UMASS in football under any circumstances. Liberty with the current schedule I don't think joins either. It makes me question his sources if he's throwing that out.

(09-30-2021 01:27 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  Let me explain what is going to happen when UNCC adds 15k in seating....

most of the seat licensing will be gone because there will not be a need for it. You can disagree with that but you are fooling yourself. Most fans dont want to spend money when they dont have to and that's especially true with rising cost on everything.

Fans will spend that money if they want and value a seat...currently 15k should make tickets hard to get. Should but that hasn't been the case. But fans did not know that when UNCC sold seat licensing. If UNCC adds 15k in seating to a stadium they never sellout at 15k...

the need to buy seat licensing is gone other than a select few seating. That is a source of income that is removed from UNCC. As a fan you can and probably will disagree with that. If you are a businesses owner or should I say a successful businesses owner, you will understand my point.

Just because you add seats doesnt mean asses are going to fill those seats. As of 9/30/2021 UNCC has not shown it can fill 75% of the current 15k other than every now and then. No one in this day and time should be adding seating till you have constantly shown you are over 80% capacity.

I'm not trying to be an ******* here to UNCC and would say the same for Western on adding a full upper deck

I think you are misunderstanding what the FSLs were for, and where that is today. When we announced that football was starting we sold $5,000,000 in FSLs in about 48 hours. This funded operating costs to get us off the ground because we didn't play a game for almost two years. Coaches and staff were hired, recruiting began and the stadium was designed and built. The immediate infusion of cash was just a part of what paid the bills, but a key part. Today you can still buy FSLs if you want to lock in your seats, but you do not have to. The two seats next to me just became available and they were purchased, because the new owners want to keep them.

Attendance is a funny thing. Charlotte has only played 7 seasons before now if you toss out 2020 and the Covid factor, and only one has been a winning season. This is pretty normal for a start up, and I think as we improve so will attendance. In those 7 seasons, 24% of our games have had more than capacity attendance. We are not setting any attendance records with our stadium, but we certainly are not playing before mostly empty seats. Like so many things about our program, the upside is huge. With more that 30k students and 150k alums within a couple of hours of campus we just need to give them a reason to be there. There is a lot of football to play yet, but we are off to a 3-1 start with a win over a P5 (and beating Duke in this area means a lot more than if you beat them), first place in CUSA East and tied for first in the conference. I don't see us winning the conference or anything silly like that, but we could not have started much more strongly. The professionals in this business look at things differently than we do as fans. They understand the process and where Charlotte is in it, and will decide what is next for us based on that.

The one thing we should never do is add a school just for the sake of adding a school. We should under no circumstance add UMass football only. If UMass wants to bring their other programs - fine. But football only it's like bringing a high school team along.

(09-30-2021 01:18 PM)ghostofclt! Wrote:   Rumors are swirling. This will be the last dominoes before the AAC likely expands next week. Three teams are AAC bound: AFA, CSU and UAB. The fourth team will end up being...Charlotte. Yes, Charlotte. According to one of our more reliable sources (Matt Brown), they are getting more play than UTSA, Rice, UNT, or FAU.

West: Air Force, CSU, Tulsa, Navy, SMU, Memphis

East: UAB, Charlotte, ECU, USF, Temple, Tulane

The Mountain West is up next. They decide it's time to get into Texas, and it makes more sense to grab four for travel: Rice, UTEP, UTSA, and North Texas. West: SDSU, Boise State, SJSU, Fresno State, UNLV, Nevada, Hawaii Mountain: USU, Wyoming, UNM, Rice, UTEP, UTSA, North Texas

The MAC looks around and stays put.

The Sun Belt then adds 2: Southern Miss and Marshall

West: Louisiana, USM, Texas State, UL Monroe, Ark St, USA

East: Marshall, CCU, App St, Georgia St, Troy, Georgia So

This leaves C-USA with 6 schools. Their options include adding NMSU, Liberty, UMass, and digging into FCS. They choose to add Liberty, NMSU, and JMU, and UMass as a football-only.

North: UMass, JMU, ODU, Liberty, WKU South: LaTech, NMSU, MTSU, FAU, FIU

Holy crap! I have never seen you say so much in a single posting or begin a post without "clt says"!

I don't think New Nexico State is added unless UTEP is left in the league. UMass won't get consideration unless the conference falls below 8 full members, and they will have to bring it all. Not just football.

Another interesting thought. Although I think money could be an issue, ESPN and the Mid-American Conference could make one last play for Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee. Afterall, MTSU came inches of joining the MAC around 18 years ago when Utah State sunk the WAC-Sun Belt merger, and Karl Benson tried to kill off the Sun Belt by making another attempt at adding North Texas and Louisiana-Lafayette.

And then in 2012, the MAC came calling again and nearly got the Hilltoppers and Blue Raiders until Britton Banowsky pulled the trigger first with MTSU and then Western Kentucky some 6 months or so later to join Conference USA. Could they jump? Only if the AAC, MWC, and Sun Belt go balls to the walls and add 14 teams each. Then the MAC may follow suit.

(09-30-2021 02:44 PM)All4One Wrote:  

(09-30-2021 01:18 PM)ghostofclt! Wrote:   Rumors are swirling. This will be the last dominoes before the AAC likely expands next week. Three teams are AAC bound: AFA, CSU and UAB. The fourth team will end up being...Charlotte. Yes, Charlotte. According to one of our more reliable sources (Matt Brown), they are getting more play than UTSA, Rice, UNT, or FAU.

West: Air Force, CSU, Tulsa, Navy, SMU, Memphis

East: UAB, Charlotte, ECU, USF, Temple, Tulane

The Mountain West is up next. They decide it's time to get into Texas, and it makes more sense to grab four for travel: Rice, UTEP, UTSA, and North Texas. West: SDSU, Boise State, SJSU, Fresno State, UNLV, Nevada, Hawaii Mountain: USU, Wyoming, UNM, Rice, UTEP, UTSA, North Texas

The MAC looks around and stays put.

The Sun Belt then adds 2: Southern Miss and Marshall

West: Louisiana, USM, Texas State, UL Monroe, Ark St, USA

East: Marshall, CCU, App St, Georgia St, Troy, Georgia So

This leaves C-USA with 6 schools. Their options include adding NMSU, Liberty, UMass, and digging into FCS. They choose to add Liberty, NMSU, and JMU, and UMass as a football-only.

North: UMass, JMU, ODU, Liberty, WKU South: LaTech, NMSU, MTSU, FAU, FIU

Holy crap! I have never seen you say so much in a single posting or begin a post without "clt says"!

I don't think New Nexico State is added unless UTEP is left in the league. UMass won't get consideration unless the conference falls below 8 full members, and they will have to bring it all. Not just football.

Another interesting thought. Although I think money could be an issue, ESPN and the Mid-American Conference could make one last play for Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee. Afterall, MTSU came inches of joining the MAC around 18 years ago when Utah State sunk the WAC-Sun Belt merger, and Karl Benson tried to kill off the Sun Belt by making another attempt at adding North Texas and Louisiana-Lafayette.

And then in 2012, the MAC came calling again and nearly got the Hilltoppers and Blue Raiders until Britton Banowsky pulled the trigger first with MTSU and then Western Kentucky some 6 months or so later to join Conference USA. Could they jump? Only if the AAC, MWC, and Sun Belt go balls to the walls and add 14 teams each. Then the MAC may follow suit.

I never have either.