The Southland apparently lost 4 teams to the WAC last year. Recently, 2 more Southland teams, Incarnate Word and McNeese State, indicated they were going to the WAC. Many experts suggested that this may be the end of the Southland as a division one league. However, last week a deal was reportedly arranged to keep McNeese in the Southland;

They've been convinced to stay (for now) in the Southland... with the following alleged bribes, er, stipulations:

* Starting in 2023, McNeese will host the men's and women's basketball tournaments as well as baseball and softball. For the next four years. With the right of first refusal on those tournaments indefinitely. In other words, Lake Charles is now the permanent host of those tournaments as long as McNeese is in the league.

* No exit fee if they leave for an FBS opportunity in the future.

Sounds like the league was really desperate to keep McNeese. The Southland's priority will still be looking for football ads. However, they do have UNO and Corpus Christi as nonfootball schools. I would assume we are talking them, the Ohio Valley, and the Atlantic Sun. Lake Charles is slightly closer to LR, than New Orleans, so I pretty used to making that 7 hour drive. It is certainly closer than Pensacola.

(11-20-2021 01:00 AM)mjs Wrote:  The Southland apparently lost 4 teams to the WAC last year. Recently, 2 more Southland teams, Incarnate Word and McNeese State, indicated they were going to the WAC. Many experts suggested that this may be the end of the Southland as a division one league. However, last week a deal was reportedly arranged to keep McNeese in the Southland;

They've been convinced to stay (for now) in the Southland... with the following alleged bribes, er, stipulations:

* Starting in 2023, McNeese will host the men's and women's basketball tournaments as well as baseball and softball. For the next four years. With the right of first refusal on those tournaments indefinitely. In other words, Lake Charles is now the permanent host of those tournaments as long as McNeese is in the league.

* No exit fee if they leave for an FBS opportunity in the future.

Sounds like the league was really desperate to keep McNeese. The Southland's priority will still be looking for football ads. However, they do have UNO and Corpus Christi as nonfootball schools. I would assume we are talking them, the Ohio Valley, and the Atlantic Sun. Lake Charles is slightly closer to LR, than New Orleans, so I pretty used to making that 7 hour drive. It is certainly closer than Pensacola.

Do you really want to be in a league that has given the home court advantage for the basketball tournament, and therefore the edge on the auto bid, more or less permanently to one team? For starters, I don’t believe any league would do that. And if they did, look for Corpus Christi and others to start looking for a new home!

I would not go to a conference that made that kind of deal.

I was flabbergasted by the sweet heart deal SLC made McNeese and the scuttle I’ve heard is this has PO’d the other Louisiana schools (notably SLU and Nicholls)

(11-20-2021 11:36 AM)RamblinRedWolf Wrote:  I was flabbergasted by the sweet heart deal SLC made McNeese and the scuttle I’ve heard is this has PO’d the other Louisiana schools (notably SLU and Nicholls)

If this sweetheart deal is indeed true, it will give a bigtime shove to the other programs to give the Southland the finger and move! Not to mention causing any program considering joining the Southland to slam on the breaks! How in the world could that kind of deal have sufficient support from the other schools to get enough votes to pass?

The report I saw said it passed 8-0. I guess we'll have to wait to see what offers we actually get. We obviously have to be in a conference.

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The Southland would’ve been put out the pasture if McNeese joined Incarnate Word in leaving the league. They would have been under the needed Div I schools in quite a few sports including football and softball which would have been a problem for the SLC’s standing in the NCAA

Apparently they are trying to reel back in SFA and Lamar plus Tarleton while looking at Chicago St, Angelo St and Central Oklahoma. Sounds like bringing in some OVC schools is on table too if that league falls apart from a FB standpoint