(01-23-2023 10:36 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  The Sun Belt will not take UTC at this point. UTC does not have baseball and the SBC is going to be a multi-bid league in the sport.

That ship has sailed.

Baseball doesn’t make enough $$$

(01-23-2023 11:17 AM)Erictelevision Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 10:36 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  The Sun Belt will not take UTC at this point. UTC does not have baseball and the SBC is going to be a multi-bid league in the sport.

That ship has sailed.

Baseball doesn’t make enough $$$

You think FBS Chattanooga would?

The Sun Belt is in a comfortable position. They don't need UTC, so they can afford to be picky, and UTC's lack of baseball is a point against them.

If Memphis were playing footsie with the Sun Belt, then maybe if they didn't have baseball, that could be overlooked for a program with Final Fours that plays football in a big stadium in front of solid crowds. (UM does have baseball, of course)

Not saying "Memphis to the Sun Belt", just wanted to pick a Tennessee school without going all the way up the chain to Knoxville.

(01-23-2023 02:56 AM)andybible1995 Wrote:  

(01-22-2023 10:46 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(01-22-2023 05:37 PM)JMURocks Wrote:  

(01-22-2023 05:11 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Chattanooga back then was not ready as they were hiring new peop;e at the time, and they can't make any decission to go up, plus they did not have the money either. Now, they are ready to move up, and they said so.They are not hiring anybody right now.

That's a shame. SBC is no longer interested. Maybe CUSA will take them if they lose someone in the next shuffle.

SBC feels more stable than any other conference outside the MAC, and can afford to be very picky with additions now.

I think UTC actually would have been a great fit for the SBC. And it would have further added to the tight regional fit of the SBC.

I think Chattanooga and Missouri State will be the 15th and 16th members should Delaware pass over the Sunbelt for the MAC.

SBC is not interested in Delaware, and Delaware is not interested in SBC. I do think they would fit better in the MAC, geographically and culturally.

SBC has no need or strong desire to go to 16. 14 provides a great setup for our divisions, everyone has great rivalries and good fanbase support.

The only way the SBC will add members is if it's a homerun add that elevates the conference further.

(01-23-2023 11:58 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  everyone has great rivalries and good fanbase support.

Everyone?

(01-22-2023 02:11 PM)andybible1995 Wrote:  Will the Sunbelt take them and EKU as the 15th and 16th members? I doubt MTSU is going to allow another school close to Nashville to be in the same conference as them, but I could be wrong. They may have a better relationship with each other than WKU has with EKU.

No reason to take them. SBC is at 14, no way they add two more schools that will only leach off our media deal. SBC only adds if 4 schools leave dropping us below 12 or we go to 16 ONLY if the schools increase our media deal.

(01-23-2023 12:00 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 11:58 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  everyone has great rivalries and good fanbase support.

Everyone?

Pretty much, yeah.

(01-23-2023 12:15 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:00 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 11:58 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  everyone has great rivalries and good fanbase support.

Everyone?

Pretty much, yeah.

Good for y'all then.

14 schools with great fanbase support and great rivalries. And Marshall doesn't ever have to go to Texas like they did every other week in their old conference? Sounds like a dream.

Bragg: definitely not. My point was: football drives the bus.

U.S. Census Bureau estimates note the Clarksville MSA ranks among the nation's 15 fastest-growing of small metro areas.

Clarksville is seeing robust growth due to many factors, and Austin Peay State U. is benefiting from the growth. Adding APSU seemingly would be worth consideration by C-USA. But I'm not sure how WKU and MTSU would feel about it.

(01-23-2023 12:27 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:15 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:00 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 11:58 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  everyone has great rivalries and good fanbase support.

Everyone?

Pretty much, yeah.

Good for y'all then.

14 schools with great fanbase support and great rivalries. And Marshall doesn't ever have to go to Texas like they did every other week in their old conference? Sounds like a dream.

In the Sun Belt, Marshall football only travels to Texas for 1 game every 7 years.

It's great.

(01-23-2023 12:54 PM)Yosef181 Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:27 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:15 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:00 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 11:58 AM)JMURocks Wrote:  everyone has great rivalries and good fanbase support.

Everyone?

Pretty much, yeah.

Good for y'all then.

14 schools with great fanbase support and great rivalries. And Marshall doesn't ever have to go to Texas like they did every other week in their old conference? Sounds like a dream.

Marshall football only has to travel to Texas for 1 game every 7 years.

Think they'll be ok with that?

(01-23-2023 01:10 AM)JSUCleburneslim Wrote:  Id love to have them in CUSA, honestly I think the sbc would like them also.

Like them how?

Like them as an emergency replacement because there was conference realignment higher up the FBS ranks with knock on effects that hit the SBC ...

... or like them well enough to play the current SBC members less often and water down the SBC contract distribution per school?

I don't follow the SBC closely, but I don't see how that Chattanooga is appealing enough to justify playing the current SBC members less often and to justify watering down the current SBC contract and CFP revenue distribution.

(01-23-2023 12:55 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:54 PM)Yosef181 Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:27 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:15 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:00 PM)inutech Wrote:  Everyone?

Pretty much, yeah.

Good for y'all then.

14 schools with great fanbase support and great rivalries. And Marshall doesn't ever have to go to Texas like they did every other week in their old conference? Sounds like a dream.

Marshall football only has to travel to Texas for 1 game every 7 years.

Think they'll be ok with that?

Definitely. They wouldn't have joined if they weren't okay with that.

Regardless of whether Chattanooga moves up to FBS or stays in FCS, one thing is clear: Few universities with FCS football offer as nice a campus and as strong a proximity to a vibrant downtown as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Relatively speaking, a quality school and fantastic city — each benefiting from the other.

Visit Chattanooga if you haven't.

(01-23-2023 12:58 PM)Yosef181 Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:55 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:54 PM)Yosef181 Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:27 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 12:15 PM)GreenBison Wrote:  Pretty much, yeah.

Good for y'all then.

14 schools with great fanbase support and great rivalries. And Marshall doesn't ever have to go to Texas like they did every other week in their old conference? Sounds like a dream.

Marshall football only has to travel to Texas for 1 game every 7 years.

Think they'll be ok with that?

Definitely. They wouldn't have joined if they weren't okay with that.

I don't know. . .an away game across the Mississippi? They don't like that.

But the great rivalries and great fanbase support of Texas State might lessen the blow.

Plus one in 7 years is a lot better than 4 times every year like they used to have to do. ALL those trips west were really tough on the Thundering Herd. Big swing to just one every seven years.

(01-23-2023 10:37 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 10:36 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  The Sun Belt will not take UTC at this point. UTC does not have baseball and the SBC is going to be a multi-bid league in the sport.

That ship has sailed.

Also, when UTC was contacted by the SBC they were drawing 14-16k in football. Now they drag in 6-8k

Because they lost their two biggest rivals in football in Georgia Southern and Appalachian State. I could see Chattanooga be very competitive and regain the fans in football to 16,000 if they do get an invite to SBC.

If the fans showing up to the games were a concern? Than Coastal Carolina would not have been invited who got less than 6000 for fans in the seats.

(01-23-2023 01:24 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 10:37 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  

(01-23-2023 10:36 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  The Sun Belt will not take UTC at this point. UTC does not have baseball and the SBC is going to be a multi-bid league in the sport.

That ship has sailed.

Also, when UTC was contacted by the SBC they were drawing 14-16k in football. Now they drag in 6-8k

Because they lost their two biggest rivals in football in Georgia Southern and Appalachian State. I could see Chattanooga be very competitive and regain the fans in football to 16,000 if they do get an invite to SBC.

Even if they could, that would still put them towards the bottom of the league in attendance. App St draws over double that.

No point in trying to reconstruct the SoCon. We've got bigger goals now.

(01-23-2023 01:25 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  If the fans showing up to the games were a concern? Than Coastal Carolina would not have been invited who got less than 6000 for fans in the seats.

At that time, Coastal was added because JMU was not ready to move and SBC needed teams. In today's SBC, a school with that profile would not be a candidate. Coastal has since grown their attendance to 17k, and the majority of SBC schools draw more.

(01-23-2023 01:25 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  If the fans showing up to the games were a concern? Than Coastal Carolina would not have been invited who got less than 6000 for fans in the seats.

Once again, mid-2010s Sun Belt is not at all the same thing as 2023 Sun Belt. We went from considering Eastern Kentucky in 2015 to telling Western Kentucky "No" in 2021. A lot has changed. The Sun Belt isn't possible for Chatty. It was at one point, but not anymore.

I know you like far-fetched fantasy realignment, but I don't think this one is going to work out for you.