As of now, 7 out of 10 conferences have made their moves or non-moves.

The Sun Belt is up next. They will win the battle over C-USA and add Marshall, Southern Miss, Old Dominion, and James Madison.

West: Texas State, Arkansas State, Louisiana, UL-Monroe, Troy, Southern Miss, South Alabama

East: Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Marshall, Old Dominion, James Madison

The MAC is up next. It selects UMass and Western Kentucky.

West: Northern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Toledo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State

East: UMass, Buffalo, Akron, Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Kent State, Ohio

This leaves C-USA. They are left with MTSU, FIU, UTEP, and LaTech.
With those four plus NMSU and Liberty, they only need two more schools to keep the conference alive. They decide to add 4 all-sports schools and UT-Arlington and Little Rock for Olympic sports. The four selected are Missouri State, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston State, and Stephen F. Austin.


West: NMSU, UTEP, SHSU, SFA, Missouri State

East: LaTech, Liberty, FIU, MTSU, Jacksonville State

Southern Miss to the Sun Belt.

Competing negotiations going on surrounding ODU, Marshall, JMU, WKU. How they resolves determines the next moves in FBS. In the end the power of ESPN as a partner will prove irresistible to Marshall, ODU and JMU who will join the Sun Belt and CUSA will die.

Murray State to the MVC. Could take awhile as they work out football (my WAG they will be playing in the Big South, football conference alongside Robert Morris, Monmouth and Big South schools Hampton, NC A&T, Campbell, Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern).

(10-21-2021 04:29 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  As of now, 7 out of 10 conferences have made their moves or non-moves.

The Sun Belt is up next. They will win the battle over C-USA and add Marshall, Southern Miss, Old Dominion, and James Madison.

West: Texas State, Arkansas State, Louisiana, UL-Monroe, Troy, Southern Miss, South Alabama

East: Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Marshall, Old Dominion, James Madison

The MAC is up next. It selects UMass and Western Kentucky.

West: Northern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Toledo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State

East: UMass, Buffalo, Akron, Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Kent State, Ohio

This leaves C-USA. They are left with MTSU, FIU, UTEP, and LaTech.
With those four plus NMSU and Liberty, they only need two more schools to keep the conference alive. They decide to add 4 all-sports schools and UT-Arlington and Little Rock for Olympic sports. The four selected are Missouri State, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston State, and Stephen F. Austin.


West: NMSU, UTEP, SHSU, SFA, Missouri State

East: LaTech, Liberty, FIU, MTSU, Jacksonville State

UMass already turned the MAC down for all-sports membership. MAC would have no reason to add UMass for football only.

(10-21-2021 04:29 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  As of now, 7 out of 10 conferences have made their moves or non-moves.

The Sun Belt is up next. They will win the battle over C-USA and add Marshall, Southern Miss, Old Dominion, and James Madison.

West: Texas State, Arkansas State, Louisiana, UL-Monroe, Troy, Southern Miss, South Alabama

East: Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Marshall, Old Dominion, James Madison

The MAC is up next. It selects UMass and Western Kentucky.

West: Northern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Toledo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State

East: UMass, Buffalo, Akron, Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Kent State, Ohio

This leaves C-USA. They are left with MTSU, FIU, UTEP, and LaTech.
With those four plus NMSU and Liberty, they only need two more schools to keep the conference alive. They decide to add 4 all-sports schools and UT-Arlington and Little Rock for Olympic sports. The four selected are Missouri State, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston State, and Stephen F. Austin.


West: NMSU, UTEP, SHSU, SFA, Missouri State

East: LaTech, Liberty, FIU, MTSU, Jacksonville State

The last things the State of Texas needs is 13th and 14th FBS teams.

(10-21-2021 04:47 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(10-21-2021 04:29 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  As of now, 7 out of 10 conferences have made their moves or non-moves.

The Sun Belt is up next. They will win the battle over C-USA and add Marshall, Southern Miss, Old Dominion, and James Madison.

West: Texas State, Arkansas State, Louisiana, UL-Monroe, Troy, Southern Miss, South Alabama

East: Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Marshall, Old Dominion, James Madison

The MAC is up next. It selects UMass and Western Kentucky.

West: Northern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Toledo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State

East: UMass, Buffalo, Akron, Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Kent State, Ohio

This leaves C-USA. They are left with MTSU, FIU, UTEP, and LaTech.
With those four plus NMSU and Liberty, they only need two more schools to keep the conference alive. They decide to add 4 all-sports schools and UT-Arlington and Little Rock for Olympic sports. The four selected are Missouri State, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston State, and Stephen F. Austin.


West: NMSU, UTEP, SHSU, SFA, Missouri State

East: LaTech, Liberty, FIU, MTSU, Jacksonville State

The last things the State of Texas needs is 13th and 14th FBS teams.

I agree but the geographic center of the conference will be Texas.

...Middle Tennessee in place of UMass... with that, only 3 C-USA remain - UTEP, LATech, and FIU... UTEP and perhaps LaTech strike a deal with the MWC, who could get them most likely on the cheap... and FIU, who knows - maybe the A-SUN as a 'provisionary' until the A-SUN makes the move up to FBS status?

of course that would dissolve C-USA, mercifully... no more internet dial-up football gamecasts for ANYone...

I am just glad to be done with AAC dominos.

This is my post on the MAC board, after CUSA failed the 8 remaining teams with an east coast division and Marshall and others are set to leave. Hence with CUSA HQ in Texas with a conference that is unstable and leadership questionable for what is in the best interest of their members.

Whatever happens, happens. You know feel the MAC does not need to expand, but for argument purposes feel WKU and UMass would stretch the MAC in two different directions, without being extreme. Both have a history of good bb. UMass has a lot of good teams, football and bb are down. We are not satisfied with the situation and working on improving them. By a wide margin prefer the MAC, but our football team needs a home. If CUSA is in that bad of shape, I'm not happy but will be acceptant to a FB only there. But that would be short sighted and will leave to problems down the road. Feel the UMass admin must suck it up, take the heat for leaving the A10 and let UMass have one main conference home for almost all of our sports.

Of course if CUSA leadership finds a pair and leads and keep the 8 intact, that would be a different story. Not holding my breath.

With WKU, we might join all sports thanks to their BBall. We're kind of in **** or get off the pot mode for joining a conference with all the moving parts right now.

(10-21-2021 04:29 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  The MAC is up next. It selects UMass and Western Kentucky.

Why would the MAC take UMass over MTSU?

(10-21-2021 05:46 PM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(10-21-2021 04:29 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  The MAC is up next. It selects UMass and Western Kentucky.

Why would the MAC take UMass over MTSU?

State flagship.

(10-21-2021 05:48 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(10-21-2021 05:46 PM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(10-21-2021 04:29 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  The MAC is up next. It selects UMass and Western Kentucky.

Why would the MAC take UMass over MTSU?

State flagship.

The MAC will not add UMass unless they leave the Atlantic 10, and even then it's not guaranteed.

(10-21-2021 05:48 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  

(10-21-2021 05:46 PM)Bull_In_Exile Wrote:  

(10-21-2021 04:29 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  The MAC is up next. It selects UMass and Western Kentucky.

Why would the MAC take UMass over MTSU?

State flagship.

Meh... Other than academic institution it adds nothing, infact it substantially detracts

Dominos, chess, or Risk?

(10-21-2021 04:47 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(10-21-2021 04:29 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  As of now, 7 out of 10 conferences have made their moves or non-moves.

The Sun Belt is up next. They will win the battle over C-USA and add Marshall, Southern Miss, Old Dominion, and James Madison.

West: Texas State, Arkansas State, Louisiana, UL-Monroe, Troy, Southern Miss, South Alabama

East: Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina, Appalachian State, Marshall, Old Dominion, James Madison

The MAC is up next. It selects UMass and Western Kentucky.

West: Northern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Toledo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, Ball State

East: UMass, Buffalo, Akron, Bowling Green, Miami (OH), Kent State, Ohio

This leaves C-USA. They are left with MTSU, FIU, UTEP, and LaTech.
With those four plus NMSU and Liberty, they only need two more schools to keep the conference alive. They decide to add 4 all-sports schools and UT-Arlington and Little Rock for Olympic sports. The four selected are Missouri State, Jacksonville State, Sam Houston State, and Stephen F. Austin.


West: NMSU, UTEP, SHSU, SFA, Missouri State

East: LaTech, Liberty, FIU, MTSU, Jacksonville State

The last things the State of Texas needs is 13th and 14th FBS teams.

But the last thing CUSA needed was to lose 6 schools to one conference. Conferences don't die willingly so there are likely to be some fcs move ups. Easy to say no more fcs schools to fbs when you have a secure home for your athletics.

I can see a stable up-and-coming Sun Belt being a more appealing destination for Marshall, ODU and JMU than CUSA, so I buy the Sun Belt adding those three plus USM.

However I'm not sold on MAC expansion. I see little evidence that the MAC is taking a serious look at adding WKU and MTSU beyond a handful of reporters and bloggers quoting each other. And I don't see any compelling financial benefit to the MAC of further stretching its conference footprint. Like the MWC, I expect the MAC to stand pat.

That would leave CUSA with UTEP, LaTech, WKU, MTSU and FIU. A conference rebuild would have to start with existing FBS schools, which means adding NMSU and Liberty. At that point you need at least one FCS move-up to preserve your FBS status so you grab the defending FCS national champion Sam Houston State. Finally you want one or two more football programs for scheduling so you bring aboard UMass and/or UConn as football-only members.

The next priority is to add four non-football schools to create geographically logical divisions that reduce Olympic sports travel costs. Ideally they should have good-sized arenas and be at least decent in basketball. On the west side UTA is available and you can probably pry Oral Roberts from its outlier position in the Summit League. That gives you a nice workable western division of NMSU, UTEP, Oral Roberts, UTA, Sam Houston State and LaTech. On the east side you've got WKU and MTSU in close proximity but you need travel partners for Liberty and FIU so you target UNC-Greensboro and Florida Gulf Coast.

And that's where it ends, except perhaps for the WAC backfilling for Sam Houston State with West Texas A&M.

(10-21-2021 09:37 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  I can see a stable up-and-coming Sun Belt being a more appealing destination for Marshall, ODU and JMU than CUSA, so I buy the Sun Belt adding those three plus USM.

However I'm not sold on MAC expansion. I see little evidence that the MAC is taking a serious look at adding WKU and MTSU beyond a handful of reporters and bloggers quoting each other. And I don't see any compelling financial benefit to the MAC of further stretching its conference footprint. Like the MWC, I expect the MAC to stand pat.

That would leave CUSA with UTEP, LaTech, WKU, MTSU and FIU. A conference rebuild would have to start with existing FBS schools, which means adding NMSU and Liberty. At that point you need at least one FCS move-up to preserve your FBS status so you grab the defending FCS national champion Sam Houston State. Finally you want one or two more football programs for scheduling so you bring aboard UMass and/or UConn as football-only members.

The next priority is to add four non-football schools to create geographically logical divisions that reduce Olympic sports travel costs. Ideally they should have good-sized arenas and be at least decent in basketball. On the west side UTA is available and you can probably pry Oral Roberts from its outlier position in the Summit League. That gives you a nice workable western division of NMSU, UTEP, Oral Roberts, UTA, Sam Houston State and LaTech. On the east side you've got WKU and MTSU in close proximity but you need travel partners for Liberty and FIU so you target UNC-Greensboro and Florida Gulf Coast.

And that's where it ends, except perhaps for the WAC backfilling for Sam Houston State with West Texas A&M.

Does SHSU wanna move up. I thought they would but a few "in the know" say they don't, on here. Missouri St. would fill that spot in the west. UTA/UALR would work too. JSU, EKU seem to be the most ready to move up. That would give you 10/12 w/ Liberty, NMSU. If a couple Texas schools want to move up later that would give them a nice 12/14
W)UTEP, NMSU, La Tech, Mo. St., JSU
E)WKU, MTSU, FIU, Liberty, EKU
no division for bball w/ UTA, UALR. Would CUSA feel it's necessary to add non fb schools?
If SHSU, ACU wanted to move up later throw them in the west and JSU in the east. If it's Delaware and SHSU then JSU stays west.

A C-USA with NMSU, UTEP, Missouri State or Delaware (FCS team), MTSU, WKU, LA Tech, Liberty, FIU makes a lot of sense. I would also add UT-Arlington and UA-Little Rock for other sports/travel.

(10-21-2021 04:41 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Southern Miss to the Sun Belt.

Competing negotiations going on surrounding ODU, Marshall, JMU, WKU. How they resolves determines the next moves in FBS. In the end the power of ESPN as a partner will prove irresistible to Marshall, ODU and JMU who will join the Sun Belt and CUSA will die.

Murray State to the MVC. Could take awhile as they work out football (my WAG they will be playing in the Big South, football conference alongside Robert Morris, Monmouth and Big South schools Hampton, NC A&T, Campbell, Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern).

I am led to believe that in regards to Sun Belt vs. CUSA war’s over and announcement coming next week.

(10-22-2021 02:42 AM)AuzGrams Wrote:  A C-USA with NMSU, UTEP, Missouri State or Delaware (FCS team), MTSU, WKU, LA Tech, Liberty, FIU makes a lot of sense. I would also add UT-Arlington and UA-Little Rock for other sports/travel.

I think UALR is the low-hanging fruit you invite if you can’t get Oral Roberts. Both are within driving distance of UTA and LaTech, but Oral Roberts is a bit more attractive IMHO because it has more athletic revenue, a larger arena and higher basketball attendance, and is coming off an impressive NCAA tournament run. UALR does have the advantage of being drivable to not only UTA and LaTech but also WKU and MTSU.

As for the needed FCS move up, I picked Sam Houston State since they appear to have FBS ambitions and just won an FCS title. However Missouri State and Delaware look better-positioned financially to compete at the FBS level and I could see any of the three getting and taking CUSA’s call.