Sun Belt Not Rulling Out To Expand To 20 Teams

Quote:Gill was asked whether or not the Sun Belt had plans to expand. Gill's immediate response was that there was no active plan, but it wasn't something that the conference had ruled out and even expressed the possibility of the Sun Belt growing to as many as 20 teams.

"I wouldn't take anything off the table," Gill said. "We are not looking at a number. We are looking at value. I think if somebody asked me last year what is the right number I would have said 12. However, when you have the opportunity to add the four quality schools that we do, then 14 becomes the right number. I think the same with 16 or 20.

I think ESPN is behind their growth to be 14 or more.

WKU
MTSU
FIU
La. Tech
Chattanooga
Sam Houston State

Could be the next targets.

Nah, think bigger...

Abilene Christian
Tarleton State

Sam Houston State is one of the biggest Texas team that won a championship recently in FCS like JMU. You would be stockpiling former FCS champions. Delaware could be another one to look at adding as well. I wonder if they would jump as well?

Wrote a few months ago that the Belt was sniffing around Missouri State. Last I looked into this (a few weeks ago), I was told there was a small number of FCS schools the Sun Belt could be interested in IF they a) reduced travel and operational expenses, b) improved basketball NET ratings and c) wouldn't nuke the league' ability to pursue strong seeds in other postseason tournaments...but that the league is in a holding pattern to see what happens, if anything, re: USC/UCLA spillover to other league realignment. No real pressure to do anything quickly.

(07-27-2022 02:44 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Sam Houston State is one of the biggest Texas team that won a championship recently in FCS like JMU. You would be stockpiling former FCS champions. Delaware could be another one to look at adding as well. I wonder if they would jump as well?

Please explain how they are one of the biggest Texas teams lol

(07-27-2022 03:04 PM)MattBrownEP Wrote:  Wrote a few months ago that the Belt was sniffing around Missouri State. Last I looked into this (a few weeks ago), I was told there was a small number of FCS schools the Sun Belt could be interested in IF they a) reduced travel and operational expenses, b) improved basketball NET ratings and c) wouldn't nuke the league' ability to pursue strong seeds in other postseason tournaments...but that the league is in a holding pattern to see what happens, if anything, re: USC/UCLA spillover to other league realignment. No real pressure to do anything quickly.

a) seems doable if you just really never want the east and west to play each other (which seems to be the goal for some schools)

b) should be easy on a relative scale but maybe a little harder on an absolute one

c) could probably go either way, but they're so solid in baseball/softball that you'd have to be pretty bad to really tank things for them I'd think

(07-27-2022 03:21 PM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  

(07-27-2022 02:44 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Sam Houston State is one of the biggest Texas team that won a championship recently in FCS like JMU. You would be stockpiling former FCS champions. Delaware could be another one to look at adding as well. I wonder if they would jump as well?

Please explain how they are one of the biggest Texas teams lol

They certainly have one of the longer names I guess. A lot longer than Baylor.

...cue the ECU defection to the SBC in 3, 2,...

...with that, it DOES make sense in a logistical/philosophical way...

I figure the SBC, AAC, and MAC will ultimately (i.e., within a decade or so) end up pretty close in terms of $$$ deals from ESPN - and the AAC could make another big push into MWC territory...

(07-27-2022 02:31 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Sun Belt Not Rulling Out To Expand To 20 Teams

Quote:Gill was asked whether or not the Sun Belt had plans to expand. Gill's immediate response was that there was no active plan, but it wasn't something that the conference had ruled out and even expressed the possibility of the Sun Belt growing to as many as 20 teams.

"I wouldn't take anything off the table," Gill said. "We are not looking at a number. We are looking at value. I think if somebody asked me last year what is the right number I would have said 12. However, when you have the opportunity to add the four quality schools that we do, then 14 becomes the right number. I think the same with 16 or 20.

I think ESPN is behind their growth to be 14 or more.

WKU
MTSU
FIU
La. Tech
Chattanooga
Sam Houston State

Could be the next targets.

The SBC wish list is most likely AAC teams that may sour on their situation if the money dries up in that league come next negotiation.

Think ECU, UAB, USF, Memphis, maybe Temple, stuff like that.

I think Memphis, UAB and Temple might be ACC bound or in the case of Memphis? Big 12

(07-27-2022 02:40 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  Nah, think bigger...

Abilene Christian
Tarleton State

What's the world record for fastest transition from D-II to I-AA to G-5 to P-5.

TAMU-Tarleton appears to be on its way

If we start to see the CFP moving toward a 16-team playoff with no auto bids, I think that will give the Sun Belt, AAC and MAC sufficient incentive to put CUSA out of its misery. Everyone will want to position their conference champion to have a shot at one of those playoff spots and that would be more feasible with a G4 (and only eight FBS conferences in total) than with a G5 (and ten).

(07-27-2022 04:47 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  If we start to see the CFP moving toward a 16-team playoff with no auto bids, I think that will give the Sun Belt, AAC and MAC sufficient incentive to put CUSA out of its misery. Everyone will want to position their conference champion to have a shot at one of those playoff spots and that would be more feasible with a G4 (and only eight FBS conferences in total) than with a G5 (and ten).

The reports are saying a 16 team playoffs for the champs of all 10 conferences and 6 at large bids.

(07-27-2022 04:52 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(07-27-2022 04:47 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  If we start to see the CFP moving toward a 16-team playoff with no auto bids, I think that will give the Sun Belt, AAC and MAC sufficient incentive to put CUSA out of its misery. Everyone will want to position their conference champion to have a shot at one of those playoff spots and that would be more feasible with a G4 (and only eight FBS conferences in total) than with a G5 (and ten).

The reports are saying a 16 team playoffs for the champs of all 10 conferences and 6 at large bids.

Uhhh, with all due respect Mr. St that will not happen.

We're not gonna have the 4th- or 5th-place finisher in 24-team SEC or B1G miss the playoffs with a 10-2 or 9-3 record while Western Kentucky collects an automatic berth by winning C-USA.

Likelier scenario, IMO, if the playoff starts with 16 teams: A play-in game (or even two play-in games) between the lowest rated champions of the lower-tier conferences like C-USA, the MAC, etc.

Essentially, a version of what we see on the first Tuesday/Wednesday of March Madness except for the football play-in game would be the week before the playoffs begin

(07-27-2022 04:52 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(07-27-2022 04:47 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  If we start to see the CFP moving toward a 16-team playoff with no auto bids, I think that will give the Sun Belt, AAC and MAC sufficient incentive to put CUSA out of its misery. Everyone will want to position their conference champion to have a shot at one of those playoff spots and that would be more feasible with a G4 (and only eight FBS conferences in total) than with a G5 (and ten).

The reports are saying a 16 team playoffs for the champs of all 10 conferences and 6 at large bids.

I'm 100% sure all the G5 conferences would want that, and I'm 99% sure they won't get it.

(07-27-2022 05:01 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  

(07-27-2022 04:52 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(07-27-2022 04:47 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  If we start to see the CFP moving toward a 16-team playoff with no auto bids, I think that will give the Sun Belt, AAC and MAC sufficient incentive to put CUSA out of its misery. Everyone will want to position their conference champion to have a shot at one of those playoff spots and that would be more feasible with a G4 (and only eight FBS conferences in total) than with a G5 (and ten).

The reports are saying a 16 team playoffs for the champs of all 10 conferences and 6 at large bids.

Uhhh, with all due respect Mr. St that will not happen.

We're not gonna have the 4th- or 5th-place finisher in 24-team SEC or B1G miss the playoffs with a 10-2 or 9-3 record while Western Kentucky collects an automatic berth by winning C-USA.

Likelier scenario, IMO, if the playoff starts with 16 teams: A play-in game (or even two play-in games) between the lowest rated champions of the lower-tier conferences like C-USA, the MAC, etc.

Lets say a?

Boise State 12-0
UTSA 11-1
Liberty 12-0
App State 11-1
Northern Illinois 12-0

Which schools will be left out?

Matt Brown and Freshtop seem generally on target. The rest of this thread is a steaming pile of nonsense.

(07-27-2022 05:05 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(07-27-2022 05:01 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  

(07-27-2022 04:52 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(07-27-2022 04:47 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  If we start to see the CFP moving toward a 16-team playoff with no auto bids, I think that will give the Sun Belt, AAC and MAC sufficient incentive to put CUSA out of its misery. Everyone will want to position their conference champion to have a shot at one of those playoff spots and that would be more feasible with a G4 (and only eight FBS conferences in total) than with a G5 (and ten).

The reports are saying a 16 team playoffs for the champs of all 10 conferences and 6 at large bids.

Uhhh, with all due respect Mr. St that will not happen.

We're not gonna have the 4th- or 5th-place finisher in 24-team SEC or B1G miss the playoffs with a 10-2 or 9-3 record while Western Kentucky collects an automatic berth by winning C-USA.

Likelier scenario, IMO, if the playoff starts with 16 teams: A play-in game (or even two play-in games) between the lowest rated champions of the lower-tier conferences like C-USA, the MAC, etc.

Lets say a?

Boise State 12-0
UTSA 11-1
Liberty 12-0
App State 11-1
Northern Illinois 12-0

Which schools will be left out?

Maybe one automatic bid for G-5 leagues, but all of those champions are not automatically getting one of the 16 spots.

Regardless, it won't stay at 16 for long.

More TV money to be made with a 24-team field and that also will let the SEC, B1G and "Conference No. 3" have more of their schools participate.

ESPN wants WKU. I know that.

SBC wants complete athletic depts.

1+1=2

(07-27-2022 02:31 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Sun Belt Not Rulling Out To Expand To 20 Teams

Quote:Gill was asked whether or not the Sun Belt had plans to expand. Gill's immediate response was that there was no active plan, but it wasn't something that the conference had ruled out and even expressed the possibility of the Sun Belt growing to as many as 20 teams.

"I wouldn't take anything off the table," Gill said. "We are not looking at a number. We are looking at value. I think if somebody asked me last year what is the right number I would have said 12. However, when you have the opportunity to add the four quality schools that we do, then 14 becomes the right number. I think the same with 16 or 20.

I think ESPN is behind their growth to be 14 or more.

WKU
MTSU
FIU
La. Tech
Chattanooga
Sam Houston State

Could be the next targets.

WKU to the east and Tech to the west. After that it's a tough sell.