Burmy

Moving to a more legitimate league, the Arizona Rattlers (IFL) have announced their move to Glendale and the Desert Diamond Arena for 2024. Apparently it had been a struggle to get good dates from downtown (with the Suns and Mercury), and the Rattlers already set some attendance records in playoff games they had in Glendale, so they figured it was a good move to make this their full-time home and attract some more Cardinals fans their way.

We'll never forget you, Greg.

SELF-EDIT: Wrong thread...also post now obsolete.

I don't claim to be a legal expert, but here's how I see the case turning out: Judge: The plaintiff should know that color schemes are in the public domain. Can you demonstrate a case of the defendant using NFL trademarked images, such as the oil derrick logo? NFL: No, but- Judge: And by bringing up a case against Houston's college team and no others, you are acknowledging that said color scheme's heritage belongs to Houston, right? NFL: Well, Your Hon- Judge: CASE DISMISSED.

Aaand now the NCAA has injected the NIT with a lethal dose of poison...say goodbye to the automatic auto-bid for teams who win mid-major conference titles but lose the tournament, thereby sacrificing the teams who take the most opportunity in the NIT in favor of those who couldn't care less about being there. We know they're doing this to suck up to the Power 5 teams (and Gonzaga), begging them to please not leave to form their own association...at this point, I say it's time to let 'em leave.

Pending an agreement on the start date, Army is officially set to join the American as a football-only member in (hopefully) 2024. The condition was that the Army-Navy game remain at the end of the season, after the conference title game (and thus be counted as a nonconference game)...apparently Army is the only member to have drummed up significant interest in the process to replace SMU (though I thought and still think Buffalo & Northern Illinois would be perfect expansion choices for the conference, as it establishes a presence in the Buffalo & Chicago markets)

1. Monmouth, Robert Morris and Bryant asked to stay associate football members...the NEC said no. All three would then head to the Big South (Monmouth's now in the CAA and Bryant football is about to join 'em). 2. My eyes are on them, Assumption and American International.

Merrimack and Sacred Heart are joining the MAAC next season. Staying close to the conference's roots by adding two more Catholic colleges...and the little town of Fairfield, Connecticut's big rivalry is now a conference battle. Only questions are, where do they go for football and who is the NEC gonna pick up to make up for losing them?

I too think this rule against JMU (and Jax State) is bull...but at this rate, there will most likely not be enough commonly bowl-eligible teams once again, so whichever bowl lands 'em is gonna get an uptick in popularity this year. And next year, when the "transition period" is over and JMU's in a NY6 game, we'll forget all about this.

I think Gasparilla's gonna move to the new USF Stadium when it gets built.

Good ne I was hoping for Tampa and Ybor City to work out...but any port in a storm, I suppose. With this, expect the expansion application process to begin any day...we all know about Nashville, hearing rumblings about Salt Lake as a dark-horse, hoping Portland can get its act together, don't know who'd spearhead a Charlotte group (though it would be nice to have the bigs in the Carolinas), wondering what plan Montreal will hatch next and whether Mexico (CDMX or Monterrey) or Virginia will try to come up with anything. The Most Unwanted Song said it best: "Saddle up, boys; the desert is a-callin'. Yahoo, yahoo, yahoo."

Saw a discussion on another board that hints that a lot of D2's larger schools are not happy where they're at, with several D2 schools closing entirely and the smaller schools being the ones to jump up...specifically among the Gulf South's current membership, that post speculated that Valdosta State and West Florida might join West Georgia in the ASUN, with Mississippi College and Delta State looking to the Southland and perhaps the rest of non-football UAH's teams joining their hockey team in D1.

Presenting the newest school to join Division I for next season. The West Georgia Wolves (est. 1906, known as the West Georgia Braves until 2006)

The University of West Georgia is the newest school to join the Division I ranks...starting next year, the Wolves will play in the ASUN and begin the transition process to DI.

And both clobbered their MWC opponents...whenever they join, expect one of them to end up with the Group of Five's playoff seed for at least the first couple years of the expanded playoff.

Am I the only one who still wonders when the AHL started to allow independent teams again?

With a 17-14 win over UTEP, Jacksonville State has won their first game as an FBS team, their first intradivisional FBS game, and their first CUSA conference game. Move over Ohio State...the Gamecocks now have the highest all-time FBS winning percentage of any team.

I honestly think my Chicken Caesars suggestion has the best chance...natural city tie-in, MiLB goofy (Adjective) (Thing)s name, continues Georgia's recent theme of teams named after food.

Because I know who's probably behind this rebrand, I submitted the name which sounds like something they'd actually pick; so my nomination was the Rome Chicken Caesars. Not only does it continue the (Adjective) (Thing)s trend in names, but it ties into the city name as well as to Georgia's recent history of naming teams after foodstuffs. (And you KNOW that Brandiose is gonna make some major bank with it)

Noticed that the Niagara Purple Eagles have started to use their "retro" logo again on their website and social media: No word on whether or not it's their primary logo again, a "joint primary" with their current one or a placeholder for a new logo...but I think we can all agree that their most recent primary would not be missed. (Just using it for the audio...I think that elephant creature is adorable)

I notice the trend is for colleges to shift away from having two seperate nicknames for men's and women's teams. But still, I bet that if Louisiana Tech were to decide to make all their teams the "Bulldogs," there would be a MASSIVE outcry.

So still much ado about nothing...I imagine Oregon & Washington are starting to get tired of the waiting game and are ready to go to whoever will admit them right now.

The FPHL's new team in Wytheville, Virginia announced their identity today...say hello to the Blue Ridge Bobcats:

Really interesting concepts all around! Now I'm curious to see how you'd interpret "What if the Athletics had remained in Philadelphia?"

To be fair, the Golden Knights (as did the Stars and Lightning before them) are proving that hockey can work in such a climate, and the Sun Devils are proving that hockey can work in the Valley of the Sun. It's just that the Coyotes have been staffed by nitwits ever since they first moved over there.