Geoff

UTSA-Navy might be how you convince Navy to switch to the East by giving them at lease one guaranteed trip to Texas every two years with trips to Houston and DFW sprinkled in.

How are people still stuck on the shift in the Sun Belt-CUSA dynamic?

I wondered if this would happen. It looks like ODU might be trying to reshape CUSA to make it what they want rather than leaving.

https://www.wavy.com/news/national/odu-trying-to-salvage-conference-usa-bring-in-members-of-regional-benefit-after-report-that-6-teams-are-leaving/

21 hours ago, CrimsonBull9584 said:

 

I'm curious why Georgia State is not on that list.

Georgia State is pretty content in the Fun Belt. Especially with CUSA dying or being greatly diminshed.

20 hours ago, Red Wolf said:

 

Especially when they already have the DFW market in SMU. Maybe it's to prepare in case SMU leaves, or perhaps the talk that the AAC was going to just gobble up all of Texas to keep the Mountain West away was true. This does feel very much like when C-USA focused too much on markets. Rice and UNT seem like duds, though I think UTSA is good pickup. At least they were smart enough to go with FAU over FIU and also not go with both.

 

Assuming this happens, C-USA is left with

• Florida International
• Louisiana Tech
• Marshall
• Middle Tennessee
• Old Dominion
• Southern Miss
• UTEP
• Western Kentucky

I feel like UTEP is pretty much screwed here because nobody really wants them due to geography and general lack of on-field success. Everybody else at least has a shot at getting into the Sun Belt. Louisiana Tech might be a hard sell.

It's likely at least partially a preemptive move in case someone leave but it also is a petty move. Sure, the MWC can take UTEP but they can't have the remaining valuable TV markets in Texas.

If Rice ever gives half a about athletics, they can be decent. UNT has a commitment to athletics with fairly new facilities and Seth Littrell is the highest paid CUSA coach right now so they put money where it matters. 

ODU has wanted out of CUSA for a while and there's definitely a split there (ex. them sitting out while the rest of the league played in 2020). I wonder if they'd feel more at home in the Sun Belt or if they will just go it as an independent. 

Marshall and Southern Miss are pretty much locks to jump to the Sun Belt and that would just push the Sun Belt miles ahead of CUSA in football. I think they Sun Belt could be content just sitting at 12. WKU, MTSU, and FIU might be SOL if the Sun Belt/the schools want to be petty. 

Assuming the Sun Belt only goes to 12 and UTEP goes to the Mountain West, we could see LTU, MTSU, ODU, and WKU scramble to add Liberty, try to poach a MAC school or two, UConn/UMass, convince some FCS schools to move up, or combo of all four.

On 10/5/2021 at 2:40 PM, MJWalker45 said:

At least they'll get a new one next year for the Olympics. 

You know damn well Nike will give us something at the very least equally bad if not worse. Olympic jerseys have gone downhill every time for the last few games. 2010 is the best we've looked in decades at the Olympics and it's not even close. Stick to those and call it a day.

I want a Kendall Coyne jersey with the C and I'm just hoping this next set isn't trash.

Yeah, duh. But you said you think they're gonna stay for now ... after they announced they're staying for now.

11 hours ago, heavybass said:

I'm gonna say Boise State stays for now but they are waiting for the Big 12 to extend an invitation before they jump.

So you're going to predict what has already happened will happen? You can't predict that Boise State will stay when they've already stayed.

2 hours ago, Burmy said:

And it appears Air Force and Colorado State are staying in the Mountain West after all:
 

 

God I love realignment. I've missed the crazy crap like this.

So where does the AAC go now?

This kills the Army to AAC talk (which was just online chatter and not gonna happen). UAB seemed a lock so I think they're still in it. 

I know the Sun Belt is being aggressive and supposedly one of the schools they're looking at could be holding out for the AAC. Could that be JMU?

2 hours ago, Seadragon76 said:

FBS might not even be the goal for the Argos. FCS is a very good level and the school might use that as an advantage.

It is a possibility or was at one point but I think they eventually settle on staying FCS. 

The plans for the on-campus stadium in a 30-year masterplan of facilities upgrades had, if I remember correctly, six stages with the stadium eventually getting to a little over 30k. It doesn't have to go through all six but it would if they ever plan to go FBS or attendance dictates. I think going to FBS is more likely than attendance forcing their hand. 

There would also be a new arena on-campus. The school still uses the UWF Field House for basketball and volleyball. That seats a little over 1k so it wouldn't be the smallest D1 basketball venue but the arena would allow the school to move commencements to campus.

I haven't talked to my bud who I worked in the SID's office with but he still on the SID staff so I might have to hit him up soon.

1 hour ago, Seadragon76 said:

 

Those Gulf South schools are prime Atlantic Sun (oh, ahem.. ASUN) fodder. Those three would give the conference 10 football playing schools and 16 overall, which is dangerous for any conference. They may end up losing Liberty in the whole musical chairs going on here, but it might be something to look at.

 

As for the others you mentioned..

 

Grand Valley State - Horizon League

Lincoln Memorial - Ohio Valley (They need bodies in that league, stat)

Lindenwood (MO) - Summit League

Queens University - Big South

Central Oklahoma - Southland (I've heard rumors linking them and West Texas A&M to the Southland)

ASUN is what I was thinking as well but I guess it depends if the league actually plans on moving up to FBS eventually. UWF still hasn't started their on-campus stadium (they set up temporary bleachers for a game this year and had over 5k people but the keyword was temporary) and the Blue Wahoos stadium doesn't hold nearly enough for FBS ball even if that's 10 years down the road.

That's literally what I just said. 

14 hours ago, Magic Dynasty said:

A couple of follow ups from Norlander:

So does SDSU think they can go Big XII too? I know travel would be a concern, in either the Mountain West without Boise or in a nationwide AAC, but you run into the same thing with a nationwide Big XII. If you, and others, are concerned about Thompson's leadership, you should probably GTFO when given the chance.

Speaking of Thompson, he was decently respected nationally and around the league just a few years ago. What happened?  I'm wondering if these other schools are worried he's being too slow on expansion.

Not sure but one data point is UWF 42-36 over McNeese State back on the 4th.

And forgot to mention that in today's newsletter, Matt talked about other D2 schools looking to make the jump including three that interest me: the big boys of the Gulf South - Valdosta State, West Georgia, and West Florida. 

Others he listed as interested in moving up: Grand Valley State (how have they not already?), Lincoln Memorial, Lindenwood (not surprised, they're gonna announced D1 hockey ... someday), Queens University, and Central Oklahoma. 

Belmont to the MVC is official.

Then again since since Matt Brown broke it on Friday, heavybass likely thinks it "probably looks dumb."

I wish West Florida would make the jump up to FCS but I know the majority of the facilities, outside of the pool, football facility, and playing games at the Blue Wahoos' stadium, need MASSIVE upgrades or renovations and they did when I was there a decade ago. 

11 hours ago, heavybass said:

Probably looks dumb so i don't believe it.

Did you just quote yourself? 

Also, I don't think Matt Brown cares if you believe it or not. He's fairly tied in on a lot of topics on the administration side of college athletics and was the one who broke the Austin Peay to the ASUN news last week.

23 hours ago, Red Wolf said:

 

Sounds like they just shouldn't schedule those sports against Hawaii then since they're a football-only member.

Good point, that slipped my mind.

Listening to this week's Going For Two and Matt said it sounds as though Colorado State and Air Force is all but finalized. Seems as though there are two main considerations: geography and the future of the MWC. It's a helluva lot easier and cheaper to fly your softball, track, etc. teams to places like Dallas, Philly, Tampa, New Orleans, etc. than to Honolulu. 

The TV money might end up being about the same but what about in a few years when Boise ends up in the Big XII. Depending on who the Big XII ends up taking, the AAC without Memphis looks better than the Mountain West without Boise State.

The Mountain West bent over backwards to keep Boise State out of the Big East. They offered them a sweetheart TV deal similar to what OU and Texas have in the Big XII. When the MWC was renegotiating new TV deals, they wanted to end the special deal that Boise State got. The per-team increase didn't offset loss of the sweetheart deal.  Additionally, the athletic department (this may have changed since the AD change) felt like the league didn't promote the Broncos the way other leagues promote their moneymakers.

I believe Harsin, and possibly some of their other sports, had scheduling complaints as well.

They were and likely still are to some extent but they have a new AD and new coach. Harsin was very vocal in advocating for leaving the Mountain West. From what I've seen, Avalos hasn't been vocal either way.

The Megabowl will be a combination indoor football/indoor soccer hybrid played simultaneously in Lakeland and Topeka between the Florida Tropics and the Topeka Tropics.

The remaining AAC schools have a higher SP+ average than the MW. Both leagues' averages would take a hit if Memphis and Boise left but I don't think the MW would fall as far is SDSU stayed. At this time, on-filed the AAC is still better than the MW overall. However, as we've seen with the CUSA-Sun Belt dynamic, a lot can change in 10 years.

When the league was bringing in Georgia Southern and App State,  a lot of people were saying the league might as well just go FCS. Fast forward to 2020 and they finish the year with two top 25 teams.

4 hours ago, sc49erfan15 said:

Austin Peay to the ASUN, if anyone's counting.

 

https://www.theallstate.org/report-austin-peay-plans-move-to-asun-conference/

 

Peay spent 59 years in the OVC.

So that sticks with the narrative that the ASUN wants to add schools already playing FCS football and put's the league at 6 teams playing ASUN football (take the hint, Liberty).

8 hours ago, CrimsonBull9584 said:

 

I guess I'm confused on this point. It's like KFC. They don't want you to call it Kentucky Fried Chicken because the connection to "unhealthy food", but we all know what the reality is. (Side note, people I've met from Asian call it Kentucky Fried Chicken and I have to explain to them that we call it KFC for shot). Why would anyone get upset by calling the university by its actual name? And, I thought, that UCF didn't want to be called C. Florida and that University of Central Florida or Central Florida was acceptable use in the style guide. 

It's all about branding. Yes, the name of the university is what it is but as far as branding the athletics, they wants to kinda get away from the negative connotations of being considered a directional.

8 hours ago, CrimsonBull9584 said:

How can you have the word "Christian" in your name and be "non-religious"?

It's been discussed a couple times before in this very thread but TCU was founded by what's kinda like a protestant version of the Jesuits. They love and value their religion but not at the expense of education. Now the school is affiliated with the Disciples of Christ but the DOC don't have any say in how the school is run.