Division 1 College Conference Realignment

[Red Wolf]

20 minutes ago, CrimsonBull9584 said:

 

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

 

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.

[heavybass]

I think its possibly that SMU and maybe Memphis might leave AAC for Big 12 just in case

[Dilbert]

13 hours ago, CrimsonBull9584 said:

 

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

Honestly I think Georgia State would be good for the American but CUSA will probably try to take them from the Sun Belt in the realignment food chain.

[Dilbert]

13 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.

Even before this announcement Marshall and Southern Miss I know were eyeing the Sun Belt

[TBGKon]

1 hour ago, Dilbert said:

Even before this announcement Marshall and Southern Miss I know were eyeing the Sun Belt

If/when this would happen, I see a possible merger of CUSA and Sun Belt unless CUSA grabs independents (Umass, Uconn) or FCS squads like JMU.

[PrimalCookie]

18 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.

The talk on Marshall boards that my dad's on is that Marshall and Southern Miss to the Sun Belt is basically a done deal (the smoke has been there for a few months, and IIRC the SBC commish was spotted in Huntington about a month ago) and that the conference doesn't want to go past 12 after that - meaning the remaining 6 in C-USA are pretty much screwed (but especially UTEP, who I'm expecting to go the New Mexico State route of indy in football and WAC in everything else).

 

C-USA will have to cobble together some semblance of a conference from this. Liberty is probably a top contender, as is James Madison. Adding Connecticut and Massachusetts as football only members (since neither would leave their regular homes for this Frankenstein league) would do pretty much nothing but pad numbers considering how terrible both are, but it might be necessary in the short term. After that, who knows, because I'm not sure who might be in the position to move up from FCS.

 

An aspect of the AAC expansion that I haven't seen many people talking about is Wichita State. I can't imagine they're very happy with these additions from a basketball standpoint - the most recent tournament appearances from each team (aside from North Texas, who went dancing this year for the first time since 2010) are 2015 (UAB), 2011 (UTSA), 2005 (Charlotte), 2002 (FAU), and 1970 (Rice). They're probably wishing they never left the Missouri Valley right now.

[Geoff]

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.

[Dilbert]

Old Dominion would probably be best in the Sun Belt. Meanwhile I could see WKU fit in the MAC with the MAC adding an FCS school. UConn and UMass are basically stuck as independents because outside of the independents and ACC those schools have nowhere to go. UMass wouldnt even have a chance in the ACC, but UConn might when it comes to basketball.

[Geoff]

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/

[leopard88]

16 hours ago, Geoff said:

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/

 

This is reasonable question/point . . . 

 

Quote

ODU Athletic Director Wood Selig has been a major proponent of the regionalization idea, telling the Daily News Record in Harrisonburg: “You have to ask yourself why do three Group of 5 conferences have three almost identical footprints. You don’t see that among the Power 5.”

 

Nearly all of the departing Conference USA members are on the edges of an already expansive conference that stretches from Virginia to Florida to Texas. It’s footprint basically covers the same area of the southern U.S. as the Sun Belt Conference and the American.

 

[Burmy]

Hearing now that Southern Miss and Marshall to the Sun Belt is all but official...so ODU's ambitious plan is looking like the C-USA's last hope.

The fact that they interviewed a Harrisonburg newspaper tells me Just who they got in Mind for this Undertaking (notice the caps).

[PrimalCookie]

 

[heavybass]

So Sun Belt is now 12 football members minus ODU and James Madison but CUSA wants James Madison too as well as Liberty... no one wants UConn or UMass

[PrimalCookie]

14 minutes ago, heavybass said:

So Sun Belt is now 12 football members minus ODU and James Madison but CUSA wants James Madison too as well as Liberty... no one wants UConn or UMass

Both are way outside of pretty much anyone's geographic footprint and are possibly the 2 worst programs in college football at the moment. Plus, neither would leave their regular conference (Big East for UConn and Atlantic 10 for UMass) in non-football sports because it would be a massive step down. So, it's not that surprising that no one wants them.

[heavybass]

If the C-USA pulls this off... although i have a feeling it might be too late.

[heavybass]

 

[heavybass]

The Canadian team mentioned here DOES have a good uniform set.

[Dilbert]

I thought I heard somewhere that the Sun Belt was looking to dump its non football members Little Rock and UT Arlington.

[heavybass]

If the Sun Belt does expand... those two are gone.

[Red Wolf]

1 minute ago, Dilbert said:

I thought I heard somewhere that the Sun Belt was looking to dump its non football members Little Rock and UT Arlington.

 

Correct.

 

The Southern Miss + Marshall to the Sun Belt rumor has been around pretty much since this all started and I would support the addition of both. I'd also be on board for Old Dominion and James Madison.

 

C-USA would be in a bad way with only five schools in this situation. They could definitely get New Mexico State as a full member in a pinch, but UMass and UConn aren't joining as anything other than football only. Would Liberty still want it a Conference USA that's such a disaster?

 

Regarding the eastern G5 plan that Old Dominion is putting forth, I do wonder if James Madison would be interested. They balked at the Sun Belt in the last realignment, thinking they were better off waiting for a C-USA invite, but the landscape has totally flipped in that regard. And again, is Liberty desperate enough to be in a conference to make that happen? And what about UTEP? The Mountain West isn't taking them and neither is the Sun Belt.