Quote:-“A lot of people are nervous,” said one Division I athletics director. “If you want to make a move, you’re at the crossroads. You have to do it now.”

-Among the four, (Boise, SDSU, CSU and AF) Air Force is viewed as the most eager to make the jump as it would put them in the same conference as Navy and give their recruiting efforts a stronger presence in the East. Colorado State is not necessarily tied to Air Force, but as in-state rivals, it would make sense for them to move in tandem.

-If the AAC can’t pull off its Western gambit, or only lures Air Force, the focus would likely turn to UAB and Charlotte from Conference USA as well as perhaps Army, which plays as an independent and has rejected multiple overtures to join a league in football.

- An AAC raid would force even more downstream movement likely (MWC) focused on UT-San Antonio, North Texas and Rice, all of which are currently in Conference USA.

-If Conference USA loses members, any replacements would most likely come from independents such as Liberty and New Mexico State or perhaps James Madison, a traditional FCS power that has expressed interest in moving up to the FBS.

https://sports.yahoo.com/top-bottom-conf...49648.html

Of more interest to me is the paragraph after bolded.

But I also think this whole exercise is an effort in futility, as we are all just leaping from one leaky lifeboat to one we hope is less leaky. I think the NIL will make most of the lower leagues and lower members of the P5 irrelevant within 5 years.

UAB is going to go. I think utsa and us are higher up than Charlotte though

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It would be a dream come true if the AAC took Charlotte and then the MWC took the Texas schools.

UAB I'm indifferent about.

Please make this happen. Just don't take FAU/WKU/ODU away from us and I'm cool.

(09-29-2021 09:33 AM)Ragu Wrote:  UAB is going to go. I think utsa and us are higher up than Charlotte though

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But the airports!!!!

AAC is a tennis conference. UNCC is a lock.

(09-29-2021 09:39 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  AAC is a tennis conference. UNCC is a lock.

The AAC is also the top and will remain the most heavily funded Gang of 5 conference overall regardless of movements. Why? Because ESPN said so. They could go for Charlotte, or they could wait for two more Mountain West schools to jump. With Boise likely out of the way in 2025 picking off San Diego State gets easier.

(09-29-2021 09:32 AM)OptimisticOwl Wrote:  Of more interest to me is the paragraph after bolded.

But I also think this whole exercise is an effort in futility, as we are all just leaping from one leaky lifeboat to one we hope is less leaky. I think the NIL will make most of the lower leagues and lower members of the P5 irrelevant within 5 years.

If the MWC only loses AFA and CSU, it would definitely be smart of their part to lure UTSA, UNT, and Rice. I also wouldn't count out Texas St and of course UTEP. But I just keeping thinking Thompson is getting desperate to do something and it would not surprise me if he does something completely unexpected.

(09-29-2021 09:35 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  It would be a dream come true if the AAC took Charlotte and then the MWC took the Texas schools.

UAB I'm indifferent about.

Please make this happen. Just don't take FAU/WKU/ODU away from us and I'm cool.

According to Chiefsfan, GeauxCajuns, ArkStFan, and BirdofParadise apparently Marshall is a lock for the Sun Belt with Southern Miss sooooo should Marshall even care what happens to Conference USA?

(09-29-2021 09:55 AM)All4One Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 09:35 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  It would be a dream come true if the AAC took Charlotte and then the MWC took the Texas schools.

UAB I'm indifferent about.

Please make this happen. Just don't take FAU/WKU/ODU away from us and I'm cool.

According to Chiefsfan, GeauxCajuns, ArkStFan, and BirdofParadise apparently Marshall is a lock for the Sun Belt with Southern Miss sooooo should Marshall even care what happens to Conference USA?

actually none of them said that. Quite the opposite, actually. They all said Marshall was a target of the SBC though.

Everyone has been very consistent that Marshall is not a lock and any additions will be based on what the AAC does.

(09-29-2021 09:55 AM)All4One Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 09:35 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  It would be a dream come true if the AAC took Charlotte and then the MWC took the Texas schools.

UAB I'm indifferent about.

Please make this happen. Just don't take FAU/WKU/ODU away from us and I'm cool.

According to Chiefsfan, GeauxCajuns, ArkStFan, and BirdofParadise apparently Marshall is a lock for the Sun Belt with Southern Miss sooooo should Marshall even care what happens to Conference USA?

I'm still holding out hope that CUSA minus the Texas schools can stick together and form our eastern based G5.

Change the name of CUSA and re-brand it, get rid of Judy, move the HQs back East along with the basketball tournament, and then some regional G5s.

If App St, Coastal, Ga So, Ga St want to continue playing ULM/Texas St etc then more power to them, we can add JMU/Liberty.

The CUSA media deal only has one more year on the contract so our new conference could get a fresh start in terms of media deal and would keep our auto bids and such.

(09-29-2021 10:02 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 09:55 AM)All4One Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 09:35 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  It would be a dream come true if the AAC took Charlotte and then the MWC took the Texas schools.

UAB I'm indifferent about.

Please make this happen. Just don't take FAU/WKU/ODU away from us and I'm cool.

According to Chiefsfan, GeauxCajuns, ArkStFan, and BirdofParadise apparently Marshall is a lock for the Sun Belt with Southern Miss sooooo should Marshall even care what happens to Conference USA?

I'm still holding out hope that CUSA minus the Texas schools can stick together and form our eastern based G5.

Change the name of CUSA and re-brand it, get rid of Judy, move the HQs back East along with the basketball tournament, and then some regional G5s.

If App St, Coastal, Ga So, Ga St want to continue playing ULM/Texas St etc then more power to them, we can add JMU/Liberty.

The CUSA media deal only has one more year on the contract so our new conference could get a fresh start in terms of media deal and would keep our auto bids and such.

Agreed.

(09-29-2021 10:02 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 09:55 AM)All4One Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 09:35 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  It would be a dream come true if the AAC took Charlotte and then the MWC took the Texas schools.

UAB I'm indifferent about.

Please make this happen. Just don't take FAU/WKU/ODU away from us and I'm cool.

According to Chiefsfan, GeauxCajuns, ArkStFan, and BirdofParadise apparently Marshall is a lock for the Sun Belt with Southern Miss sooooo should Marshall even care what happens to Conference USA?

I'm still holding out hope that CUSA minus the Texas schools can stick together and form our eastern based G5.

Change the name of CUSA and re-brand it, get rid of Judy, move the HQs back East along with the basketball tournament, and then some regional G5s.

If App St, Coastal, Ga So, Ga St want to continue playing ULM/Texas St etc then more power to them, we can add JMU/Liberty.

The CUSA media deal only has one more year on the contract so our new conference could get a fresh start in terms of media deal and would keep our auto bids and such.

It would be the best scenario.

AAC takes CSU, AFA, UAB and Rice/UTSA
MWC comes in and backfills with UTSA/RICE and North Texas.

The conference is down to:
UTEP (I would hope that they are taken by the MWC in place of another but I see them wanting to get into the Texas triangle more unfortunately)

Tech
USM
MTSU
WKU
Marshall
ODU
Charlotte
FIU
FAU


In this setup CUSA could easily get new leadership in that time and move the conference tournament and headquarters eastwards.

Then, and this would take some engineering, they could work with a network about a better TV deal by talking about and bringing in the best members from the belt. If they truly wanted to be devious, they could try and work out a deal to get up to 4 to get to 14 and really weaken the belt and make ESPN pay for a weakened product.

Wishful thinking, but hey it's a college sports message board.

(09-29-2021 09:35 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  It would be a dream come true if the AAC took Charlotte and then the MWC took the Texas schools.

UAB I'm indifferent about.

Please make this happen. Just don't take FAU/WKU/ODU away from us and I'm cool.

If Charlotte leaves then I’m on the Sun Belt train. Only reason I wanna stay in this conference. Screw the other schools

(09-29-2021 09:35 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  It would be a dream come true if the AAC took Charlotte and then the MWC took the Texas schools.

UAB I'm indifferent about.

Please make this happen. Just don't take FAU/WKU/ODU away from us and I'm cool.

If we could off load Rice, UTEP and Charlotte in one realignment that would be ideal for CUSA. I think if that were to happen along with UAB then we’d have a lot of stuff to work with. I think going to 12 would be ideal. Brands are more important than startups. I’d say add Liberty and JMU and call it a day. Obviously if I were the commissioner I’d give App a call before Liberty or JMU but I doubt they’d budge.

(09-29-2021 10:54 AM)MarshallHerdFanz Wrote:  

(09-29-2021 09:35 AM)herdfan129 Wrote:  It would be a dream come true if the AAC took Charlotte and then the MWC took the Texas schools.

UAB I'm indifferent about.

Please make this happen. Just don't take FAU/WKU/ODU away from us and I'm cool.

If Charlotte leaves then I’m on the Sun Belt train. Only reason I wanna stay in this conference. Screw the other schools

clt says that was nice, thank you pal.

Charlotte is going nowhere right now IMO. The only CUSA schools at the moment that have a chance of the AAC are UAB, Marshall and maybe USM. Perhaps a 2% or less chance for UNCC, ODU or FAU. Thats if the MWC only lose 1 or 2. Im coming around to the idea that CUSA's best bet is for the MWC to take all of our Texas schools in response. They'd like it, we'd like it. CUSA can absorb losing UAB and Texas, but it cant absorb losing UAB, Marshall, LT and others too.

FAU, FIU, LT, USM, MTSU, WKU, ODU, Charlotte, Marshall would be left. IF we all actually rise to our potential, that could be a pretty good hoops league. Add JMU and/or Liberty and call it a day. If App and a GSU want in, all the better.

Very much looking forward to the “App football is dead” posts and tweets a la 2013.

I'd selfishly like to see UAB and Charlotte stick together. Long time conference mates, both large urban universities, and both have had to deal with oppressive state systems. These two programs have a lot in common. Charlotte's Business AD got his start at UAB and was there when they started their football program.

I will be taking a peek at that first game at Protective Stadium too. Final audition for the AAC?