(10-23-2021 12:25 PM)GeForce2 Wrote:  

(10-23-2021 12:04 PM)2009panther Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 08:30 PM)XYZ Wrote:  For the rare FIU fan on this board if any are still around, do you think this option should be seriously considered by the unveristy’s leadership?

The program has had only four winning seasons in it’s twenty years of existence and has not shown any willingness to invest in athletics. Since the university prefers to spend it’s money investing in research and academics over athletics, why not save more money for that instead of taking trips out to teams out in New Mexico, Texas, etc.. for all sports?

FIU athletics already has enough trouble drawing fans. Keeping football in CUSA to play some of the schools being mentioned as callups from FCS is guaranteed to keep the stands empty and won’t do anything to make the university more attractive to potential students than having no football team. It would be better to save money by not having to worry about football expenses and move the Olympic sports to the ASUN where there are currently four other schools in Florida to compete against.

If FIU insists on keeping football and continuing in FBS then being independent may be the only way that makes sense to avoid the huge travel costs for all sports staying in a conference based in Texas and stretching to New Mexico for all sports.

This is dumb. That’s not happening. FIU might not be dumping all its focus and money in sports at the moment but the school has big ambitions. We have a top 5 enrollment in the country. There are plans in place to improve the stadium. We just improved the basketball arena. And even while sports may not be the focus now we still had a top 3 budget in what was CUSA. The money was there to move to the AAC to if we would’ve received an invite. We’ll be in the reimagined CUSA or an independent until we hopefully get an invite to the AAC after USF moves on.

Exactly. FIU admin just needs to divert some energy into sports. We'll be alright.

FIU has so far focused their investments elsewhere and are moving up the academic rankings at a fast rate which is commendable. I can understand if they believe this will lead to a better outcome for the university than investing in athletics. There are other large public universities that have chosen not to focus on athletics or football and have built strong brands as a university such UC Irvine and UC San Diego. If that is what FIU prefers to do I understand that.

If FIU’s goal one day is to be in a major conference then they really need to step it up. The reason FAU and the other programs got in to the AAC over FIU is that they have demonstrated commitment to athletics. FIU has not. Minor cosmetic improvements to the arena or stadium is not going to get them in. As for the athletics budget, where is that money going? To pay the AD and other admin staff and coaches to sit around and get nothing done? Where is the outrage from the fans and donors?

Now if FIU chooses to continue to neglect athletics why keep expenses high to go play football and other sports at programs like Tarleton St. or McNeese St. I don’t see what good will come out of that.

(10-23-2021 03:11 PM)XYZ Wrote:  

(10-23-2021 12:25 PM)GeForce2 Wrote:  

(10-23-2021 12:04 PM)2009panther Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 08:30 PM)XYZ Wrote:  For the rare FIU fan on this board if any are still around, do you think this option should be seriously considered by the unveristy’s leadership?

The program has had only four winning seasons in it’s twenty years of existence and has not shown any willingness to invest in athletics. Since the university prefers to spend it’s money investing in research and academics over athletics, why not save more money for that instead of taking trips out to teams out in New Mexico, Texas, etc.. for all sports?

FIU athletics already has enough trouble drawing fans. Keeping football in CUSA to play some of the schools being mentioned as callups from FCS is guaranteed to keep the stands empty and won’t do anything to make the university more attractive to potential students than having no football team. It would be better to save money by not having to worry about football expenses and move the Olympic sports to the ASUN where there are currently four other schools in Florida to compete against.

If FIU insists on keeping football and continuing in FBS then being independent may be the only way that makes sense to avoid the huge travel costs for all sports staying in a conference based in Texas and stretching to New Mexico for all sports.

This is dumb. That’s not happening. FIU might not be dumping all its focus and money in sports at the moment but the school has big ambitions. We have a top 5 enrollment in the country. There are plans in place to improve the stadium. We just improved the basketball arena. And even while sports may not be the focus now we still had a top 3 budget in what was CUSA. The money was there to move to the AAC to if we would’ve received an invite. We’ll be in the reimagined CUSA or an independent until we hopefully get an invite to the AAC after USF moves on.

Exactly. FIU admin just needs to divert some energy into sports. We'll be alright.

FIU has so far focused their investments elsewhere and are moving up the academic rankings at a fast rate which is commendable. I can understand if they believe this will lead to a better outcome for the university than investing in athletics. There are other large public universities that have chosen not to focus on athletics or football and have built strong brands as a university such UC Irvine and UC San Diego. If that is what FIU prefers to do I understand that.

If FIU’s goal one day is to be in a major conference then they really need to step it up. The reason FAU and the other programs got in to the AAC over FIU is that they have demonstrated commitment to athletics. FIU has not. Minor cosmetic improvements to the arena or stadium is not going to get them in. As for the athletics budget, where is that money going? To pay the AD and other admin staff and coaches to sit around and get nothing done? Where is the outrage from the fans and donors?

Now if FIU chooses to continue to neglect athletics why keep expenses high to go play football and other sports at programs like Tarleton St. or McNeese St. I don’t see what good will come out of that.

I do not think they're neglecting athletics, they, surely, do spend the money. I just do not see the results.

Secondly, are there teams with lower academics in the SEC? No, ultimately, teams go up the athletic ladder AND the academic ladder at the same time.

(10-22-2021 08:30 PM)XYZ Wrote:  For the rare FIU fan on this board if any are still around, do you think this option should be seriously considered by the unveristy’s leadership?

The program has had only four winning seasons in it’s twenty years of existence and has not shown any willingness to invest in athletics. Since the university prefers to spend it’s money investing in research and academics over athletics, why not save more money for that instead of taking trips out to teams out in New Mexico, Texas, etc.. for all sports?

FIU athletics already has enough trouble drawing fans. Keeping football in CUSA to play some of the schools being mentioned as callups from FCS is guaranteed to keep the stands empty and won’t do anything to make the university more attractive to potential students than having no football team. It would be better to save money by not having to worry about football expenses and move the Olympic sports to the ASUN where there are currently four other schools in Florida to compete against.

If FIU insists on keeping football and continuing in FBS then being independent may be the only way that makes sense to avoid the huge travel costs for all sports staying in a conference based in Texas and stretching to New Mexico for all sports.

Yes, the administration has effectively killed FIU’s program at the FBS level. Based on available resources, FIU’s best bet is to streamline athletics, devote resources to men’s and women’s basketball and baseball; upgrade those facilities and make a push for the A10.

As is everyone that isn’t in a P5 conference is really just playing for a participation trophy in FBS football. The resources deck is so stacked against them it is ridiculous.

I agree. If you're not an autonomous conference you're simply swimming against the currents and eventually will be swept up. When those schools are getting between 35 mil to 60 mil it makes 7 mil per school look like chump change.

And when you're relying on the P5 to keep you relevant, well eventually that's gonna be a bad recipe for success.

(10-23-2021 04:20 PM)HiddenDragon Wrote:  I agree. If you're not an autonomous conference you're simply swimming against the currents and eventually will be swept up. When those schools are getting between 35 mil to 60 mil it makes 7 mil per school look like chump change.

And when you're relying on the P5 to keep you relevant, well eventually that's gonna be a bad recipe for success.

Look at the ratings, you better believe the Big 12 and AAC contracts are going to be renegotiated. I am sure there is language regarding material changes in conference composition. The Big 12 will effectively become a Go6, the P5 will become a P4; and the AAC, MWC, and SBC will be on fairly equal footing with fairly equal payouts.

From a football perspective I would rather be in FAU’s shoes than FIU’s shoes. If FIU had an ounce of creativity they would look at this as an opportunity to maximize our available resources, ride the Heat’s coattails, and become Miami’s basketball school.

(10-23-2021 01:03 PM)MUther Wrote:  Too little, too late. They should have been making that commitment while they had a conference there for them. Now that they realize, in hindsight, the error of their ways, they can dump everything into athletics and make a push to go somewhere again. That right there should pi$$ off every member of CUSA, except Charlotte who does the exact same thing.

So true, MUther.

When you really stop and consider the teams that AAC selected, I can honestly say that each of them brings at least something relevant to the table, except one. Unless UNCC is ready/willing/able to seriously step up its game in the AAC, it will be deadweight in that league for a long, long time.

(10-23-2021 04:47 PM)Cardiff Wrote:  

So true, MUther.

When you really stop and consider the teams that AAC selected, I can honestly say that each of them brings at least something relevant to the table, except one. Unless UNCC is ready/willing/able to seriously step up its game in the AAC, it will be deadweight in that league for a long, long time.

Both the AAC and the SBC with 14 teams will have multiple dead weight programs. That's a given. Heck, both the current AAC and SBC have three elite or heads above the rest programs and the rest are average or dead weight. I'm wondering who the dead weight will be in both conferences in three years? I have some ideas but I don't want to start a gripe session. Just let it play out.

(10-23-2021 04:51 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(10-23-2021 04:47 PM)Cardiff Wrote:  

So true, MUther.

When you really stop and consider the teams that AAC selected, I can honestly say that each of them brings at least something relevant to the table, except one. Unless UNCC is ready/willing/able to seriously step up its game in the AAC, it will be deadweight in that league for a long, long time.

Both the AAC and the SBC with 14 teams will have multiple dead weight programs. That's a given. Heck, both the current AAC and SBC have three elite or heads above the rest programs and the rest are average or dead weight. I'm wondering who the dead weight will be in both conferences in three years? I have some ideas but I don't want to start a gripe session. Just let it play out.

Any league will have deadweight at any given moment in time, sure. But Charlotte is really setting itself to be the AAC equivalent of Vanderbilt. That would’ve happened to them here (C-USA), but there were so many other doormat programs competing for last place, they got lost in the shuffle and settled into a groove of mediocrity. Starting 2023, it won’t be like that anymore.