Marshall, JMU, ODU, and Southern Miss. Still not official, but a lot of sources are saying this will happen. I guess, this means we will be on our way to another conference sooner than later. Us going to a depleted CUSA is interesting to me. It would be a better basketball conference than the Sun Belt, and I think schools like Western Kentucky, MTSU, and LaTech might support us considering our previous rivalries in men's and women's basketball. Not sure I would want to be the only nonfootball team in CUSA, but they might invite someone else like FGCU or UTA.

If the above is true, the remaining members of CUSA are MTSU, WKU, LaTech, FIU, and UTEP. I'm sure UTEP is dying to get in the MWC, but apparently the Mountain West is not interested. I bet CUSA takes New Mexico State as a travel partner for UTEP. NMState, UTEP, MTSU, WKU, and LaTech are some pretty solid basketball programs. If I was AD, I would talk to them, although those teams (plus the likely addition of Liberty) may be biting off more than we can chew. Since beggers can't by choosy, I bet CUSA would consider nonfootball members. I think this conference would be as good, or better, than the MoValley in basketball, and be better geographically as well.

Wherever we go, I'll be excited about this new phase for LR athletics.

Folks on the CUSA board are mentioning LR and UTA as possible nonfootball additions. Folks on the Valley board have zero interest in adding LR.

Of course, fans on message boards don't make these decisions. It is still interesting to see what average fans, in other areas, think about our program.

I remember those classic Sun Belt games v. WKU at Barton Coliseum in the 90s. The Hilltoppers were the class of the Sun Belt back then and we worked very hard just to keep up with them.

(10-22-2021 11:11 AM)mjs Wrote:  Marshall, JMU, ODU, and Southern Miss. Still not official, but a lot of sources are saying this will happen. I guess, this means we will be on our way to another conference sooner than later. Us going to a depleted CUSA is interesting to me. It would be a better basketball conference than the Sun Belt, and I think schools like Western Kentucky, MTSU, and LaTech might support us considering our previous rivalries in men's and women's basketball. Not sure I would want to be the only nonfootball team in CUSA, but they might invite someone else like FGCU or UTA.

We know (we think) the SBC would like to end up with those four teams, but so far as I can tell, only Southern Miss is in the bag. We should know pretty soon though.

As far as CUSA speculation, you raise some interesting ideas. If we were to get an invite and joined a reconfigured CUSA, the idea of adding FGCU to the mix is a great one. I went to their campus and arena for an MTE in November of 2019 and really liked it! So incorporating all your ideas, the CUSA would end up looking like:

Football and other sports: 7 schools

UTEP
New Mexico State
La Tech
MTSU
WKU
Liberty
FIU

Basketball and other sports: 3 schools

FGCU
LR
UTA

And from another idea you posted on another thread, add in UConn and UMass as football only, and you end up with a nine team football and 10 team basketball league.

(10-22-2021 12:41 PM)PTJR Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 11:11 AM)mjs Wrote:  Marshall, JMU, ODU, and Southern Miss. Still not official, but a lot of sources are saying this will happen. I guess, this means we will be on our way to another conference sooner than later. Us going to a depleted CUSA is interesting to me. It would be a better basketball conference than the Sun Belt, and I think schools like Western Kentucky, MTSU, and LaTech might support us considering our previous rivalries in men's and women's basketball. Not sure I would want to be the only nonfootball team in CUSA, but they might invite someone else like FGCU or UTA.

We know (we think) the SBC would like to end up with those four teams, but so far as I can tell, only Southern Miss is in the bag. We should know pretty soon though.

As far as CUSA speculation, you raise some interesting ideas. If we were to get an invite and joined a reconfigured CUSA, the idea of adding FGCU to the mix is a great one. I went to their campus and arena for an MTE in November of 2019 and really liked it! So incorporating all your ideas, the CUSA would end up looking like:

Football and other sports: 7 schools

UTEP
New Mexico State
La Tech
MTSU
WKU
Liberty
FIU

Basketball and other sports: 3 schools

FGCU
LR
UTA

And from another idea you posted on another thread, add in UConn and UMass as football only, and you end up with a nine team football and 10 team basketball league.

I like it, but who knows what the odds would be of this happening. Throw in the caveat that UConn and UMass would have to schedule a few (3?) basketball games a year against CUSA members and it would be even better.

(10-22-2021 02:34 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 12:41 PM)PTJR Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 11:11 AM)mjs Wrote:  Marshall, JMU, ODU, and Southern Miss. Still not official, but a lot of sources are saying this will happen. I guess, this means we will be on our way to another conference sooner than later. Us going to a depleted CUSA is interesting to me. It would be a better basketball conference than the Sun Belt, and I think schools like Western Kentucky, MTSU, and LaTech might support us considering our previous rivalries in men's and women's basketball. Not sure I would want to be the only nonfootball team in CUSA, but they might invite someone else like FGCU or UTA.

We know (we think) the SBC would like to end up with those four teams, but so far as I can tell, only Southern Miss is in the bag. We should know pretty soon though.

As far as CUSA speculation, you raise some interesting ideas. If we were to get an invite and joined a reconfigured CUSA, the idea of adding FGCU to the mix is a great one. I went to their campus and arena for an MTE in November of 2019 and really liked it! So incorporating all your ideas, the CUSA would end up looking like:

Football and other sports: 7 schools

UTEP
New Mexico State
La Tech
MTSU
WKU
Liberty
FIU

Basketball and other sports: 3 schools

FGCU
LR
UTA

And from another idea you posted on another thread, add in UConn and UMass as football only, and you end up with a nine team football and 10 team basketball league.

I like it, but who knows what the odds would be of this happening. Throw in the caveat that UConn and UMass would have to schedule a few (3?) basketball games a year against CUSA members and it would be even better.

Agreed. But let’s be real here. The CUSA would be lucky to pull this off, and we would be fortunate to be in it, as the alternatives are certainly worse if the MVC isn’t in the offing. But, that being said, a few observations:

Believe it or not, Liberty might not go for this. And having dealt with their arrogance in the Big South, that is not necessarily a bad thing. (La Tech’s arrogance, although hopefully humbled somewhat, would be enough!). Liberty, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, thinks it can become a major power as an Independent, ala Norte Dame. Or that some big conference will eventually scoop them up. But 8 teams for football certainly could work although not as ideal as 9 for scheduling.

And UConn and UMass might not agree to a basketball scheduling requirement as you suggest, but, if New Mexico State and BYU (and maybe Liberty) were gone from the ranks of Independents available to schedule in football, who knows!

I do know that no one associated with the CUSA is very happy with their leadership at the moment!

(10-22-2021 04:04 PM)PTJR Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 02:34 PM)mjs Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 12:41 PM)PTJR Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 11:11 AM)mjs Wrote:  Marshall, JMU, ODU, and Southern Miss. Still not official, but a lot of sources are saying this will happen. I guess, this means we will be on our way to another conference sooner than later. Us going to a depleted CUSA is interesting to me. It would be a better basketball conference than the Sun Belt, and I think schools like Western Kentucky, MTSU, and LaTech might support us considering our previous rivalries in men's and women's basketball. Not sure I would want to be the only nonfootball team in CUSA, but they might invite someone else like FGCU or UTA.

We know (we think) the SBC would like to end up with those four teams, but so far as I can tell, only Southern Miss is in the bag. We should know pretty soon though.

As far as CUSA speculation, you raise some interesting ideas. If we were to get an invite and joined a reconfigured CUSA, the idea of adding FGCU to the mix is a great one. I went to their campus and arena for an MTE in November of 2019 and really liked it! So incorporating all your ideas, the CUSA would end up looking like:

Football and other sports: 7 schools

UTEP
New Mexico State
La Tech
MTSU
WKU
Liberty
FIU

Basketball and other sports: 3 schools

FGCU
LR
UTA

And from another idea you posted on another thread, add in UConn and UMass as football only, and you end up with a nine team football and 10 team basketball league.

I like it, but who knows what the odds would be of this happening. Throw in the caveat that UConn and UMass would have to schedule a few (3?) basketball games a year against CUSA members and it would be even better.

Agreed. But let’s be real here. The CUSA would be lucky to pull this off, and we would be fortunate to be in it, as the alternatives are certainly worse if the MVC isn’t in the offing. But, that being said, a few observations:

Believe it or not, Liberty might not go for this. And having dealt with their arrogance in the Big South, that is not necessarily a bad thing. (La Tech’s arrogance, although hopefully humbled somewhat, would be enough!). Liberty, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, thinks it can become a major power as an Independent, ala Norte Dame. Or that some big conference will eventually scoop them up. But 8 teams for football certainly could work although not as ideal as 9 for scheduling.

And UConn and UMass might not agree to a basketball scheduling requirement as you suggest, but, if New Mexico State and BYU (and maybe Liberty) were gone from the ranks of Independents available to schedule in football, who knows!

I do know that no one associated with the CUSA is very happy with their leadership at the moment!

Of course, right now there are all kinds of rumors flying around about what the CUSA might do. It is impossible to know what might actually have substance, and what may not. But a lot of FCS schools being mentioned.

CUSA is close to being a laughing stock. Teams mentioned include McNeese State, Sam Houston State, and Tarleton State. How things have turned from when several Sun Belt schools left for CUSA because they viewed it as a big move up.

I guess I shouldn't bad mouth CUSA too much, since we may need them to provide a life raft for us. Like I noted before, unless MTSU and WKU go the the MAC (unlikely) the remnants of CUSA will still be pretty solid in basketball.

(10-23-2021 08:51 AM)mjs Wrote:  CUSA is close to being a laughing stock. Teams mentioned include McNeese State, Sam Houston State, and Tarleton State. How things have turned from when several Sun Belt schools left for CUSA because they viewed it as a big move up.

I guess I shouldn't bad mouth CUSA too much, since we may need them to provide a life raft for us. Like I noted before, unless MTSU and WKU go the the MAC (unlikely) the remnants of CUSA will still be pretty solid in basketball.

And taking what is said on message boards as valid, or actually based in reality, is a risky business. Like we do, people on message boards dream up all kinds of senarios, and you never know (well sometimes you can tell) if they have an agenda to denigrate CUSA, etc or not. And as you point out, CUSA could end up being a pretty strong basketball conference.

But of course, football is what drives the boat, so it will be interesting to see just how desperate the CUSA will become on the football front. The scenario that you came up with, even with some modifications of throwing in an FCS football school or two moving up, could actually make the CUSA come out ok. But in any event, the CUSA is going to take a football back seat to the SBC. Looks like the guys down in Ruston got on the wrong train, huh!

If CUSA could secure NMSU and Missouri State as full members I really hope for Little Rock to get an invite to that conference. With MTSU, WKU, MoSt, UTEP, NMSU, and LaTech it seems like basketball would be a major focus and LR could potentially grow to even greater heights than the current opportunities offer now.

I really like sharing a conference with LR. I wish your Wrestling would join App in the SoCon, but I understand that Basketball drives the bus there and hope that if you don't stay in a 16 team SBC that whereever you go you dominate and enjoy good basketball.