rams80

The HFboards Phoenix megathread chain (dating back to the initial bankruptcy/Balsillie purchase attempt) looks to be up to thread 140, just from the Roman numerals.

18 hours ago, mcj882000 said:

No, they just had one pro team for 6 seasons almost a half-century ago, that folded basically the moment Gordie Howe wasn't playing for them anymore.

Other way around.  They were one of the most successful WHA teams, but the owner eventually gave up because the NHL was just not going to let the Aeros in under any circumstances.

Which raises the question as to why he would even welcome an NHL team?

Is it harder to get conventions and concerts thanks to COVID and its long term fallout, so he needs something to soak up arena dates?

Yes and yet no because they have a couple good sugar daddies in the Illinois legislature.

Pioneer League, but similar rules.

Real reason USD hacks it is that they are a private school which can do private school things.

17 hours ago, LakeShow24 said:

I'm putting my Rams into this as well.

My expectation was wild card berth and see how the chips fall from there.

Not hugely disappointed; this is what happens when you have no depth.

Because they don't NEED to or want to?

The old GNAC schools were incredibly islanded to the point where assembling a schedule was a major challege.

2 hours ago, GDAWG said:

Well.....this is a weird one

 

Three football teams to join LSC as affiliate members - Lone Star Conference

 

 

Those 3 teams are all that was left of GNAC football after Azusa Pacific dropped it back in December and Concordia Portland was killed by the Missouri Synod.  The general dearth of D II football teams in the Western US (there are NO Cali teams left at that level) makes for some weird outcomes at this level.  Apparently there was a pre-existing scheduling alliance, and the RMAC is comparatively full.

13 hours ago, Burmy said:

1. Nice move for both sides.  The surging Ramblers program takes another step up, and the A-10 gets more geographic stability on its western front (which means Saint Louis might not be so desperate to get out).

2. I had a feeling that was coming...La Salle's been dropping non-revenue programs left and right lately (which perhaps could be restored with a move to D2 or D3).  An Explorers' relegation would also be good news for Drexel, as it would be their opening to not only be the A-10's next target, but also to finally join the "Philly Big 5."

3. And now speculation runs wild over which A-10 team the Big East would try to pursue...though I often joke about trading DePaul for Loyola, I have a feeling they'll want to expand their geographic footprint, so I'm guessing they'll pursue somebody like VCU or George Mason.

St. Louis was never, ever going to leave the A-10 because they are very happy associating with it and the Catholic/Jesuit schools in its membership (and it helps their institutional enrollment priorities.)

NHL did 5 from 1991-1993 and 4 from 1998-2000 as well with notably mixed outcomes.

I mean, Liberty's baggage transcends "being a parochial university," so I wouldn't read too much into that (and GTFO with that strict moral code BS), while BYU basically limited its potential homes to two conferences, one of which had  shot them down in the past over the "no Sunday games rule" given how that would cramp their Olympic sports scheduling/travel.

BYU was basically fine with trying to be Mormon Notre Dame otherwise, so they could pick their spot.

On 11/12/2021 at 11:28 AM, Seadragon76 said:

I wouldn't be shocked if the Southland takes all the football playing schools from the Lone Star Conference.

 

For note, the Lone Star is at 18 schools right now (17 with Commerce making the jump next year). Taking the football schools would allow the conference to focus more on the non-football schools (10 of them) and be more versed in that department.

 

The only schools I might think could be an issue here are the New Mexico schools - Eastern and Western New Mexico.

Eastern New Mexico is close enough to West Texas A&M and UTPB that they should be OK.  Western New Mexico is way too small and isolated to make the jump.

3 hours ago, Geoff said:

WKU and MTSU actually gives CUSA nine teams, not seven. They would have been at seven had MTSU not killed the move to the MAC. The MAC was only taking the package deal, not separate pieces. 

 

WKU, MTSU, UTEP, LTU, and FIU plus the newbies equals nine.

 

I'm still not sure why CUSA didn't add more. EKU has been wanting to get to the FBS for years now so I'd imagine it's a slowplay on the conference's part. SEMO seemed to pull themselves out of the running.

 

I know CUSA actually stands to potentially get better candidates if they wait a little bit but there's growing consensus that the new NCAA constitution will make the reclassification process more difficult. If I have short-term goals of being FBS, I'm jumping now if I can.

Eastern didn't get the nod because of the cardinal rule of G5 realignment: your rival or potential rival doesn't get bumped up if you can help it....Western Kentucky would have been a firm veto.

Pretty sure "NFL player" is the wrong line of work for that sentiment to be viable.

3 hours ago, Kramerica Industries said:

I'm afraid to make some comment here because I just know the next step in all of this is that the TB12 Method also uses some pseudoscientific "vaccine-in-effect" concept and Brady's gonna get outed in the worst way eventually.

 

Dear Santa, I've been very g.....well I haven't committed any major felonies recently.

45 minutes ago, Red Wolf said:

 

Another mouth to feed that doesn't bring anything to the table. Same reason New Mexico State isn't there.

NMSU also has the added "New Mexico has a firm veto on their membership" factor.

2 hours ago, LMU said:

Of course, this is with the presumption that there's not more hemorrhaging by, for instance, UTEP somehow getting a MWC life preserver thrown to them.

UTEP was the only WAC charter school still in the league to not get an invite to join the Mountain West in the initial breakaway, and hasn't gotten an invite since despite showing interest in the past.  I'm not going to say "never" but I would be stunned at this point.

1 hour ago, heavybass said:

Henry Ruggs's career has been cut short

Leonard Little disagrees.

6 hours ago, Red Comet said:

Yeah, I’ve seen more times a team played like the Washington Whatever Team rather than an all-star lineup when loading up on veterans. The Rams should probably contend for a Super Bowl this year but after this year?

If they win it doesn't matter that the mid-to-late 2020s are gonna look a lot like the Linehan/Spagnuolo Triumph of Death years.

Anyway for use in a few years I invite everyone to consider the story of the scorpion and the frog.

Also the OVC is presently lying on the ground gutted and gasping.

....and that's why Memphis found an equally good conference home as Louisville and Cincinnati.

Setting aside UTEP's general athletic ineptitude and isolation in the last decade, why should UTSA help them out as "rivals"?

You don't seem to understand how rivalries work at the G5 level; unless you need them as a travel partner (which LOL San Antonio and El Paso ain't) your goal is to keep your rival down below you.

I suspect NMSU and Liberty's decisions on this front are independent of what the other does, so NMSU might still be interested.

C-USA is probably fittin to gut nu-WAC football down the road, which eliminates options for NMSU but  man not like this.   Liberty's a snake with a scorpion's tail.