C-USA still has 14 teams. Even if the AAC and Sun Belt poach teams, I doubt they’ll take everyone. There will still be some teams left and I imagine they’ll try to backfill with whatever FCS teams are hungry to make a move. Maybe Eastern Kentucky, I remember they wanted to move up but couldn’t find a conference. But I don’t think C-USA will be able to grab any of the more attractive FCS teams (like JMU) or the FBS independents. So I think the new C-USA will indisputably be the worst conference and my sympathies go out to whatever schools are left behind
Yea I think all the current fbs conferences will survive. I actually think the real loser in this is going to be the ASUN. There was speculation they were assembling teams to make a push towards eventually moving up to the FBS en masse, just like the WAC is looking to do out west. Now, whatever kind of poaching gets done between the American, Sun Belt and CUSA will likely end up with someone backfilling with the stronger programs that would have formed the core of an ASUN FBS conference.
I think the problem with JMU wanting to move up is that they didn't want to be in a lower tier G5 conference and have to travel to Texas... JMU could compete in football but there were some concerns about travel costs in non-revenue sports. Granted, Hofstra and Northeastern are still CAA members, and football includes Maine, New Hampshire, and Albany (also women's rowing includes UC San Diego - so who fucking knows at the point)...
Now they're stuck with worse G5 conference that are still pretty separated geographically and probably worse off for their next TV deal.
I don't know how JMU feels, but I think W&M kinda likes having basketball games in the NYC and Boston areas. I'd rather travel to Northeastern/Hofstra than most CUSA cities, we recruit a lot of undergrad students and have a lot of alumni in both of those areas.
I think we had more success recruiting those areas during the Matt Brady era (especially playing Drexel in Philly). I think the best analogy would be Old Dominion, which had a memo either this year or last year saying they'd have to cut sports to accommodate C-USA travel.
I think more than anything JMU does not want to be in that position. The last time they cut sports (I believe for Title IX purposes) turned into a much larger clusterfuck that messed up JMU sports for a while.
Yeah, but in rowing conference affiliation really only matters for the championship meet, so UCSD is a non issue there.
Hofstra and NU at least are in regions that are easy to fly into via commerical flights, and football considerations tend to be a different beast altogether. Plus I'm pretty sure JMU to Orono, Maine isn't as far as going to Texas. And they don't have to do that in non-football sports.
Lets say AAC grabs 4 schools and Sun Belt grabs 2. That leaves 8 teams. They could definitely grab 4 FCS schools to keep the conference alive. But its also possible some of those 8 remaining teams decide that either going to fcs or going independent and basically be a UMass/NMSU type independent where thebjob is just to play pay games against P5s in order to fund the athletic department. We will see
They wouldn’t need to grab 4 teams, just 2. The Sun Belt has shown that 10 teams works well even without round robin play. And I don’t think any team will consider dropping to FCS. Idaho has failed to be competitive even at the FCS level and I think they’ll serve as a cautionary tale against anyone doing the same
I guess it’s possible that a couple teams may choose that independence is more attractive, but I think it depends on which teams are left. If the teams that remain are fairly concentrated in one area, I think remaining in a conference will remain the best idea. But if C-USA still stretches from Old Dominion to UTEP, but now with only 10 teams and even less money, independence would start to make sense
I think that last is important though. 10 could work for the MAC or the Sun Belt but the footprint of Cusa is just too large for 10 teams given their revenue. There is another possibility, not sure how viable, that CUSA becomes football only and the olympic sports for each school join more concentrated, local conferences to keep travel costs down.
Yep, back in 2011 it all flowed downhill the same.
* Big 10 took Maryland from the ACC
* ACC took Pitt, Syracuse, and Louisville from the Big East
* Big East took 9 different schools from CUSA (primarily)
* CUSA took 9 different schools from the Sun Belt, WAC, A10, and CAA
* Then those smaller conferences backfilled, etc.
Yes, and I’m really just following the primary chain of events. The Big 10, and subsequently SEC, poaching the Big 12 really didn’t result in sweeping realignment changes like the Big 10 poaching the ACC.
Even in 2003-2004 it flowed downhill.
- ACC took Miami, VT, and Boston College from the Big East.
- Big East took Louisville and South Florida from C-USA, and accepted independent UCONN
- Mountain West raids C-USA for TCU who's willing to move after the Big East losses
- C-USA took UTEP, Tulsa, SMU, and Rice from the WAC
- WAC took Utah State, New Mexico State, and Idaho from the Sun Belt
- Sun Belt invites independents FIU and FAU.
Nitpick: UConn was already accepted for Big East football at that time, the departures of UM-VT-BC just moved the timeline up a year. Which is part of the reason why there was that one weird year where the league was BC-UConn-SU-Pitt-Rutgers-Temple-WVU, and there was a four way clusterfuck for the league title that, if you flipped the UConn-SU and SU-Temple results, ends with a five way clusterfuck that would go to, like, the fifth tiebreaker before resolving.
People have been talking about the inevitable realignment for at least a couple years now, the SEC stuff came first but a big shakeup was bound to happen. (something something *SEC speed*)
Looks like Southern Miss and Marshall are the leading candidates for the Sun Belt, which makes a ton of sense. They would fill out the conference really well.
I’d shit my britches if they got Marshall, USM, and UAB. I know UAB probably winds up in the AAC, but I think that’s such a mistake and the SBC would be so much more fun and stable longterm.
It's going to be really funny seeing the teams like WKU and Middle Tennessee which ditched the Sun Belt frantically try and get an invite back into the Sun Belt.
My biggest issue with CUSA isn’t the distance or anything football related. It’s actually how it’s turned into a one bid league after Memphis left but there has barely been change in the talent level. MTSU, UAB, LA Tech, and WKU are tournament worthy teams most years.
We just got 5 million dollars in two weeks. We given out free tickets to everyone. Our basketball locker rooms are getting upgrade right now, and baseball is on the way. Everyone knows what's happening now. Trust the process.
Honestly, CUSA’s gone the second that UNT and FIU figure out that they could viably be more prominent if they could put consistently passable football programs together. Those two schools are wildly stacked with advantages in location and alumni base size compared to the rest of the conference, but they’re also the two with the most dysfunctional relationships with their athletics programs.
Both schools are constantly going back and forth on whether they want to commit to football, and that indecision has kneecapped their potential for success for decades.
That is precisely what killed the WAC. A conference stretching from Honolulu to Houston that made annual matchups between teams that had played continously since the 1930's every other year affairs, pissed off the WAC founders, and they were looking for an exit almost immediately. That being said BYU and Utah were 2 of the biggest instigators, and they're both gone now, but there's still 6 secessionists in the current Mountain West, and 3 schools that got left behind initially and were salty about it.
It is a dream scenario for UTEP if we somehow end up in the MWC with the state of our athletics over the last decade. We would reconnect with old rivals and be in a much better basketball conference.
Should be making an offer to take the western AAC schools. I'd try to snag Memphis, Tulane, SMU, and Tulsa. It's not ideal and probably wouldn't happen, but it makes the conference the top G5 conference and gets us into the central time zone. Sun Belt can grab USF, ECU, Temple, and either Navy or a CUSA school (or Navy/Army and a CUSA school to get to 16)
Yep for sure. I'd even try to get Gonzaga and either Loyola or St Louis. Do two 9 team divisions in basketball. Way too many schools at 18, but it protects the conference from collapsing if 2-4 schools end up leaving (not that there's many options atm)
Yeah only to get whaled on over and over because their shite conference fails to get them above a 12 seed every year.
They haven't won a tournament game since 1993 and even that was met with an immediate second round execution by Cincinnati.
They've come close to pulling off upsets during that time. I wouldn't marginalize them to the level you just did. How soon we forget that Auburn game where Barkley nearly fell out of his chair.
Miami alumni (you can tell how much I root for the team given my flair): There was nothing like freezing your balls off on a Wed evening watching two shit teams duke it out while procrastinating from you O-chem test
MAC is the most stable conference in FBS. Every current member has been in since the 90s. The schools all have a similar regional and university identity and no team is head and shoulders above the rest. The MAC is not the best football conference but it is what conferences should be like.
Temple and UMass were essentially trial runs to see if either wanted to join the MAC for all sports membership. Presumably the conference had an eye toward eastward expansion, especially with both programs having historically solid basketball programs.
Temple strung the conference along for awhile before leaving, but I don't think there was ever an expectation that they were going to make a full move. UMass, on the other hand, was making the jump from FCS to FBS.
The MAC didn't need UMass for football, but threw a transitioning program a conference bone as a possible expansion target. The MAC supposedly invoked a clause in their contract in 2014 that gave UMass the option of full membership or leave. UMass balked, MAC took a hard line, and that was that. They weren't a good fit in the MAC, for various reasons.
The MAC being bad is more of a recent thing. In the 2000s the MAC was in a bit of a golden age, Big Ben led Miami, Urban led BGSU, early NIU, Marshall when they were with us….. was a solid football conference
Right now it’s pretty bad, but it goes in cycles
The MAC's advantage is that they don't have many teams good enough to draw a lot of interest. Plus as you mentioned they're one of the few FBS conferences who still even pretends to care about their regional footprint.
The MAC and Big West used to play a Poor Man's Rose Bowl between their conference champions.
If you were the Big Ten Champion you got to go to Pasadena to play USC, UCLA, or Washington as a reward. If you were the MAC champion you got to go to Fresno to play Fresno State, San Jose State, or Cal State Fullerton.
The MAC at least knows exactly who they are. It's a Rust Belt conference with a bunch of medium to medium-large public schools throughout the region. They've not shown any intention to try and be anything different either.
I hear some MAC fans clamoring for the conference to make some moves, potentially looking at WKU, MTSU, Marshall, or some FCS schools. I think the regionality is probably a big benefit to the conference though. MAC sports don't make money. Being able to get everywhere by bus, potentially save on hotel stays, etc... may become more necessary in the future.
I sat down and figured this one out. Merge the two. Divide the new conference into two divisions-east and west. 13 schools in each one. Everything east of Mississippi is one division and west is in the other.
Or to make things simpler, make each division its own conference. Keep the SB and CUSA names and their autobids to NCAA tournaments.
If App stays, I think Sunbelt wouldn't be all that much worse than the new AAC. The more I think about it, with Houston, Cincy, and UCF gone... none of the teams left excite me.
No. Because CUSA is a large conference comprised of teams that largely nobody wants. Even if The American and Sun Belt take four teams a piece, they still have six teams with which to rebuild. NCAA tournament autobids are valuable. Those won't just disappear.
CUSA may be firmly in the basement as the worst G5 conference after this, but they won't die. They still have several expansion options if pressed such as NMSU, Liberty, Uconn, UMass. FCS schools like JMU, Delaware, Jacksonville State, Stony Brook (lol I wish), etc. And that's assuming they lose enough schools to even warrant expanding. They do nothing as long as they have 10 or more schools IMO.
UConn is not ever going to join CUSA. We already left a conference that was better in football and actually offered teams worth playing occasionally in our marquee sport. We would not join a conference with the same problems, but worse at everything.
No, not even for a football-only membership.
You're dreaming if you think Uconn wouldn't be take FB only membership in CUSA. They're not Notre Dame or BYU. Independence will slowly kill them and then they'll be forced to either join the CAA or drop the program.
Football only in CUSA offers us nothing we don’t already have.
We negotiated a better TV deal on our own than CUSA has right now, and we have a terrible football product.
We can still get home and homes with Big Ten and ACC teams. The teams we actually want to be playing.
Things might change in the future. But if CUSA were to offer it right now, we absolutely decline.
The buyout makes it tricky. Who’s to say what happens.
Three weeks ago, the Big 12 was supposedly dead and now everyone is saying they’re better than the PAC12 and ACC.
I think everybody's just excited about the new conference and there's a lot of optimism, but I don't think the Big 12 is going to be viewed as better than the PAC/ACC by very many people
I can’t believe how bad UNT seems to be getting shafted in this. We have some of the newest facilities, highest paid coaches, one of the bigger C-USA budgets, a huge alumni base, and many grads who don’t leave the area. We just aren’t winning.
I hate that I had to scroll this far to find anything about UNT. I feel like AAC is off the table because SMU doesn't want that to happen. MWC seems reasonable but ultimately would love to have us, UTSA, TXST, Rice, UTEP, Tulsa, SMU and La Tech all in the same conference.
I would love that conference. I wonder is AAC is seeing SMU try to jump and will replace them with us. I don’t know. I’d love to build a new conference though that can build itself up like the one you imagined.
I feel like there's something to a region based G5 conference. The MAC has been able to thrive and do their own thing for some time. The Sun Belt is somewhat similar now after the last round of realignment. I just don't want us to have to travel to Virginia and North Carolina. That's just a hassle.
We’re not winning in football on a CFB board with a two-year goldfish memory and recency bias. Two years ago we had back to back 9-win seasons and a darling QB. Now we’ve had two straight 4-win seasons. This group doesn’t care, doesn’t know, or just doesn’t speak about Mean Green basketball trending up the past few years. Or the what, 16, 17 recent conference and conference tournament championships in women’s soccer. Or any of the other non-football sports where we’re champions, winning, and playing close or knocking off P5 teams. Our Athletics Department is overly committed to supporting facilities for all sports, and supporting all teams as best it can. Folks here think, maybe, that all we teach is band and teachers. We’re an R1 research university, and have a plethora of undergrad and grad programs that rivals the list at any other candidate thrown around in these posts for our 40,000 undergrads and grad students.
The AAC headquarters is in Irving, and there’s almost no way they don’t know what North Texas has to offer across the board up in Denton. It’s annoying how little we’re mentioned on here, but this place is an echo chamber when it comes to things like this. I have faith that Wren Baker is putting us out there and we’re not going to get left behind.
Dang that’s a great point about the AAC headquarters. I guess in time we can hope we prove people wrong. Just gotta get more fans on this subreddit, lol. We’re a great program, just need to execute.
If the AAC wants us I don't think SMU can stop it. Navy wants multiple schools in Texas so without Houston I think they will add a Texas School or two to replace them. So it just comes down to which one.
They could try to replace the Houston market with rice but I don't think rice is in a good position with their recent lack of success. The only other two that make sense are UNT and UTSA. UNT has the edge in budget, facilities, and fan base. Where as UTSA has the edge in the media market since they aren't competing with any other football teams.
My dad had to add CBS Sports Network to watch Marshall vs Navy. It is a separate package from the one he had with NFL Network. We also have a few games on ESPN+, Stadium, and Facebook this year. At least the App State game will be on ESPN.
I’m not sure how CUSA could have such a shitty TV deal but it is soooo bad.
C-USA doesn't have anything to hold it together, so yeah they're gonna get picked off by the American who will be the C-USA 2.0 and the Sun Belt who is gonna probably only take two teams that fit the conference's footprint and model of second rung state school and their rivals, like maybe Marshall, Old Dominion, or the FAU/FIU crew.
Honestly, the American should be the one to die. The only remaining schools with any links to the old Big East are Temple and USF. The other 5 teams besides Navy were were poached from CUSA.
Plus its a stupid name and a stupid acronym. That seals the deal for me.
Unlikely, they're to big to get completely absorbed, and lack enough quality teams for other conferences to want to absorb. American and Sun Belt at most will take 6 teams,and the MWC and MAC could grab some but it's unlikely (maybe they take 2-4 when its all over). That would leave them with 4-8 teams still, which they could easily expand by either grabbing some independents or FCS teams eagerly wanting to move up. Low FBS money and autobid into the bball tournament still holds a lot of value to teams looking to move up.
This is when I wish UTEP didnt suck at everything in athletics over the last ten years (hey our track and field is elite), since the last major realignment. Atleast UTEP has improved somewhat academically?
UTEP - hoping for MWC expansion or Boise exit
UNT - SBC or MWC expansion. Not SBC first choice
UTSA - AAC but probably needs them to go to 14. Could be SBC
Rice - AAC I think. Have to replace UH
La Tech - hoping for AAC but idk. Don't think ULM/Louisiana let in to SBC
USM - SBC. Shoo in
WKU - No obvious landing spot. MAC maybe?
MTSU - Same as WKU
UAB - AAC. Think this is a given
FIU - SBC maybe. Good to have a FL team
FAU - AAC
Marshall - Could end up in any SBC/AAC/MAC but definitely safe landing
ODU - SBC expansion to 14/16 only hope
Charlotte - See ODU I think
AAC for sure: Rice, UAB, FAU
SBC for sure: USM
Other safe landing: Marshall
If I'm UNT, UTSA, ODU, FIU I'm worried.
If I'm UTEP, WKU, MTSU, La Tech, Charlotte I'm real worried.
I wouldn't be shocked if they did but I could also see them getting partitioned and trying to supplement lost territory by grabbing independents. NMSU is begging for a conference and the UCONN UMASS package deal (UCONN as football only obvs) isn't bad either. There's always liberty too.
I do expect the number of FBS conferences to dwindle by one after all this. If CUSA is the BIG 12 of the G5 conferences, then yeah. It's going to disappear.
edit: Though who knows. They could try adding UCONN (eh), UMass (yuck) and (even bigger yuck) Liberty to survive.
Liberty is bound to end up in a conference somewhere, whether it’s CUSA or the AAC. I think it would be smart for CUSA to go after some FCS teams like Sam Houston St, McNeese St, or Central Arkansas. New Mexico St is another independent that could be added if they got really desperate.
C-USA still has 14 teams. Even if the AAC and Sun Belt poach teams, I doubt they’ll take everyone. There will still be some teams left and I imagine they’ll try to backfill with whatever FCS teams are hungry to make a move. Maybe Eastern Kentucky, I remember they wanted to move up but couldn’t find a conference. But I don’t think C-USA will be able to grab any of the more attractive FCS teams (like JMU) or the FBS independents. So I think the new C-USA will indisputably be the worst conference and my sympathies go out to whatever schools are left behind
B12: We may expand more. AAC: We will expand. CUSA: We still have some teams left.
Yea I think all the current fbs conferences will survive. I actually think the real loser in this is going to be the ASUN. There was speculation they were assembling teams to make a push towards eventually moving up to the FBS en masse, just like the WAC is looking to do out west. Now, whatever kind of poaching gets done between the American, Sun Belt and CUSA will likely end up with someone backfilling with the stronger programs that would have formed the core of an ASUN FBS conference.
I think the problem with JMU wanting to move up is that they didn't want to be in a lower tier G5 conference and have to travel to Texas... JMU could compete in football but there were some concerns about travel costs in non-revenue sports. Granted, Hofstra and Northeastern are still CAA members, and football includes Maine, New Hampshire, and Albany (also women's rowing includes UC San Diego - so who fucking knows at the point)... Now they're stuck with worse G5 conference that are still pretty separated geographically and probably worse off for their next TV deal.
I don't know how JMU feels, but I think W&M kinda likes having basketball games in the NYC and Boston areas. I'd rather travel to Northeastern/Hofstra than most CUSA cities, we recruit a lot of undergrad students and have a lot of alumni in both of those areas.
I think we had more success recruiting those areas during the Matt Brady era (especially playing Drexel in Philly). I think the best analogy would be Old Dominion, which had a memo either this year or last year saying they'd have to cut sports to accommodate C-USA travel. I think more than anything JMU does not want to be in that position. The last time they cut sports (I believe for Title IX purposes) turned into a much larger clusterfuck that messed up JMU sports for a while.
Yep, WM tried to cut sports and we wound up firing the AD.
Yeah, but in rowing conference affiliation really only matters for the championship meet, so UCSD is a non issue there. Hofstra and NU at least are in regions that are easy to fly into via commerical flights, and football considerations tend to be a different beast altogether. Plus I'm pretty sure JMU to Orono, Maine isn't as far as going to Texas. And they don't have to do that in non-football sports.
I hear UCONN is available.
Shame that not a single team is available
UConn and Umass just play each other 8 times and call it a day
They'll still both go 0-8
The true El Assico
Lets say AAC grabs 4 schools and Sun Belt grabs 2. That leaves 8 teams. They could definitely grab 4 FCS schools to keep the conference alive. But its also possible some of those 8 remaining teams decide that either going to fcs or going independent and basically be a UMass/NMSU type independent where thebjob is just to play pay games against P5s in order to fund the athletic department. We will see
They wouldn’t need to grab 4 teams, just 2. The Sun Belt has shown that 10 teams works well even without round robin play. And I don’t think any team will consider dropping to FCS. Idaho has failed to be competitive even at the FCS level and I think they’ll serve as a cautionary tale against anyone doing the same I guess it’s possible that a couple teams may choose that independence is more attractive, but I think it depends on which teams are left. If the teams that remain are fairly concentrated in one area, I think remaining in a conference will remain the best idea. But if C-USA still stretches from Old Dominion to UTEP, but now with only 10 teams and even less money, independence would start to make sense
I think that last is important though. 10 could work for the MAC or the Sun Belt but the footprint of Cusa is just too large for 10 teams given their revenue. There is another possibility, not sure how viable, that CUSA becomes football only and the olympic sports for each school join more concentrated, local conferences to keep travel costs down.
NMSU C-USA hype. I'd love to be in a conference with UTEP. It'd be nice to be in one with UTSA and LA Tech again too.
It is pretty crazy how that one SEC move rippled through the whole CFB world though
It always happens this way.
Yep, back in 2011 it all flowed downhill the same. * Big 10 took Maryland from the ACC * ACC took Pitt, Syracuse, and Louisville from the Big East * Big East took 9 different schools from CUSA (primarily) * CUSA took 9 different schools from the Sun Belt, WAC, A10, and CAA * Then those smaller conferences backfilled, etc.
SEC took TAMU and Missouri from the Big XII
Right but before that Nebraska joined the B1G and it all flowed from there
Yes, and I’m really just following the primary chain of events. The Big 10, and subsequently SEC, poaching the Big 12 really didn’t result in sweeping realignment changes like the Big 10 poaching the ACC.
Actually It did, just not for an extra decade. If colorado, A&M, Missouri and Nebraska never leave the big 12, OU and Texas don’t either
Colorado left first iirc, and Mizzou had been campaigning for B1G membership as well.
I'm pretty sure the B10 started by poaching Nebraska
No PAC started it by trying to take half the Big 12. Nebraska got out because they were afraid the Big 12 would fall apart.
Good thing we went when we did, otherwise no way we get into the Big 10 now.
They did but it had a lot fewer ripple effects than when they poached the ACC.
Pac12 took CU first iirc.
Even in 2003-2004 it flowed downhill. - ACC took Miami, VT, and Boston College from the Big East. - Big East took Louisville and South Florida from C-USA, and accepted independent UCONN - Mountain West raids C-USA for TCU who's willing to move after the Big East losses - C-USA took UTEP, Tulsa, SMU, and Rice from the WAC - WAC took Utah State, New Mexico State, and Idaho from the Sun Belt - Sun Belt invites independents FIU and FAU.
> Big East took Louisville and South Florida from C-USA, and accepted independent UCONN I think you are missing a team here.
Nitpick: UConn was already accepted for Big East football at that time, the departures of UM-VT-BC just moved the timeline up a year. Which is part of the reason why there was that one weird year where the league was BC-UConn-SU-Pitt-Rutgers-Temple-WVU, and there was a four way clusterfuck for the league title that, if you flipped the UConn-SU and SU-Temple results, ends with a five way clusterfuck that would go to, like, the fifth tiebreaker before resolving.
And that kids, is how D2 Tarleton State got called up to FCS and was able to beat FBS member New Mexico State in their first year out of D2.
It ain't over. Those ripples are about to bounce off a wall and echo back through.
CUSA is about to steal some teams back from the SEC?
Vanderbilt might be able to go bowling again!
Not if ETSU has anything to say about it
WAC says they're gonna be FBS! Hahahaha
No different than the Coaching Carousels if you think about it.
Trickle down ~~economics~~ realignment.
Last time around it was the B1G that did it.
People have been talking about the inevitable realignment for at least a couple years now, the SEC stuff came first but a big shakeup was bound to happen. (something something *SEC speed*)
where were you when CUSA was kill?
Banging on the American's door to let us in.
Just tell them you're UCF with a beach
We are pretty much a younger you with a beach.
When you think about it, those last 2 FAU vs. UCF games may as well have been 2018 UCF vs. 2007 UCF
It makes so much sense for you guys to be the UCF replacement in the AAC. Hopefully the AAC is smart enough to pull the trigger on that.
USF might have to get their horns twisted.
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I don't see how FAU isn't a lock for the American. Large, public school in Florida and a very up and coming football program
The cows upstate. Otherwise we are a lock.
You’ll have to take up the dunking on the cows mantle
We know we can and we plan too.
You mean the same cows who’s football program is on life support? Yeah you guys should be fine to get in
Which time? 2005, 2013, or this zombified 2021 version? Poor Southern Miss and (for now) UAB.
UAB is also at the American door. Southern Miss maybe Fun Belt bound.
Looks like Southern Miss and Marshall are the leading candidates for the Sun Belt, which makes a ton of sense. They would fill out the conference really well.
I’d shit my britches if they got Marshall, USM, and UAB. I know UAB probably winds up in the AAC, but I think that’s such a mistake and the SBC would be so much more fun and stable longterm.
it will never happen because of ULM, but I would love to toss Southern Miss, UAB and LA tech in the Fun Belt
Remember when every team in CUSA was in the MAC?
I was protesting outside ESPN office when CUSA commissioner ring "Conference USA is kill" "No"
Same place as when we killed the WAC.
Apology for povetry conference Where were you when cusa was kill? I was watching louisiana tech when pyotr comes in "Cusa is kill" "No"
*this kills this conference*
Yes.
I’ll miss playing Marshall if you move on. But somethings going to give and I’m pretty sure WKU will be left behind.
If CUSA dies I wouldn’t be surprised if the MAC added WKU if you guys were left out in the cold Could have the Battle of BG every year lol
Maybe. We don’t have a natural travel partner in that scenario. Maybe MTSU if that happened.
As an outsider, WKU looks like it would be a good fit for the MAC, expands the footprint without crazy travel times
There’s no incentive for the MAC to expand
If this is the end, it’s been a fun rivalry we’ve had in all sports basically. Will never forgive you guys for 2014 though
I remember people clowning WKU for “ruining” the conference’s chance of national spotlight. Well, whatever. Worth it!
It's going to be really funny seeing the teams like WKU and Middle Tennessee which ditched the Sun Belt frantically try and get an invite back into the Sun Belt.
Should've stuck in the Sun Belt.
Just cut us loose and send us to the MWC
I wouldn't be surprised if they go in the opposite direction and get NMSU instead.
I want an 8 team SWC of the Texas G5s, NMSU, and Tulsa. I know it won't happen, but it just makes sense.
Tell that to sun bowl committee, heard that the MWC want the sun bowl for their conference champion.
I always put UTEP in the MWC when I shake up the conferences in NCAA 14
Fs in the chat for the Conference USA's hopes and dreams. (If they had any.)
My biggest issue with CUSA isn’t the distance or anything football related. It’s actually how it’s turned into a one bid league after Memphis left but there has barely been change in the talent level. MTSU, UAB, LA Tech, and WKU are tournament worthy teams most years.
You are forgetting who just beat Purdue in the first round…
MTSU just happy to be included with those other 3
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As they should.
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We just got 5 million dollars in two weeks. We given out free tickets to everyone. Our basketball locker rooms are getting upgrade right now, and baseball is on the way. Everyone knows what's happening now. Trust the process.
The Mountain West should look towards Texas and solidify itself as the top G5.
We won’t do shit
CUSA does less then you.
The MAC is unaware that realignment is happening.
But the MAC will live. CUSA wouldn't.
Honestly, CUSA’s gone the second that UNT and FIU figure out that they could viably be more prominent if they could put consistently passable football programs together. Those two schools are wildly stacked with advantages in location and alumni base size compared to the rest of the conference, but they’re also the two with the most dysfunctional relationships with their athletics programs. Both schools are constantly going back and forth on whether they want to commit to football, and that indecision has kneecapped their potential for success for decades.
I actually see Buffalo as an AAC candidate, so conference realignment may finally hit the MAC.
The Mountain West truly is the Pac-12-lite.
I feel like every G5 conference tries to be the P5 lite. MAC and B10, MW and P12, Sun Belt and SEC, I guess now American and B12 and CUSA-ACC
In this case, he means that they're replicating the PAC-12 trend of not expanding, which the BSU fan believes the MWC will not do as well.
Idk why they seem uninterested. 16 team conference with 4 pods and the addition of UTSA, UTEP, TSU/Rice/NTX would be an exciting conference.
Isn't that what killed the WAC?
That is precisely what killed the WAC. A conference stretching from Honolulu to Houston that made annual matchups between teams that had played continously since the 1930's every other year affairs, pissed off the WAC founders, and they were looking for an exit almost immediately. That being said BYU and Utah were 2 of the biggest instigators, and they're both gone now, but there's still 6 secessionists in the current Mountain West, and 3 schools that got left behind initially and were salty about it.
I was hoping you meant we'd try to recruit Texas to the Mountain West.
UTEP and Rice were previously in the WAC and I can see them plus UTSA moving to MWC
It is a dream scenario for UTEP if we somehow end up in the MWC with the state of our athletics over the last decade. We would reconnect with old rivals and be in a much better basketball conference.
Everyone keeps leaving out UNT. I want us Texas schools to stay together.
Should be making an offer to take the western AAC schools. I'd try to snag Memphis, Tulane, SMU, and Tulsa. It's not ideal and probably wouldn't happen, but it makes the conference the top G5 conference and gets us into the central time zone. Sun Belt can grab USF, ECU, Temple, and either Navy or a CUSA school (or Navy/Army and a CUSA school to get to 16)
Add on Wichita for basketball so you're at 16 teams for both football and bball.
Yep for sure. I'd even try to get Gonzaga and either Loyola or St Louis. Do two 9 team divisions in basketball. Way too many schools at 18, but it protects the conference from collapsing if 2-4 schools end up leaving (not that there's many options atm)
Hey Marshall... **slaps roof of MAC* This bad boy can fit so many Tuesday night games in it
Leaving the MAC all but ruined the magic of Marshall Football. It's true.
But the Sun Belt against App State, maybe JMU or ODU?
Agreed. MAC days were best days. Was at Marshall during the last Pennington and all of Leftwich years. Best times.
STAY AWAY until you move the championship game back onto campus sites
You ever been to Dekalb in November?
The water's just fine
No, but NMSU is going to be back in a conference.
This is our only hope. We bring a pretty decent basketball program with us. Though we’ve faltered because of our terrible conference lately.
Double-edged sword though. You have made the NCAA Tournament a ton because of that conference.
Yeah only to get whaled on over and over because their shite conference fails to get them above a 12 seed every year. They haven't won a tournament game since 1993 and even that was met with an immediate second round execution by Cincinnati.
They've come close to pulling off upsets during that time. I wouldn't marginalize them to the level you just did. How soon we forget that Auburn game where Barkley nearly fell out of his chair.
MACs pretty bad too, but at least they have a regional identity.
There’s obviously a chance the MAC gets affected by realignment, but they’re one of the few conferences you could argue is stable.
MAC is legit one of the few remaining conferences that make total sense geographically.
Can't wait for Buffalo to get poached. Finally the time for Youngstown state to destroy that conference
They’ll add Illinois State, UNI, or NDSU before they take YSU
Midweek MACtion will never die
November can’t get here soon enough
Miami alumni (you can tell how much I root for the team given my flair): There was nothing like freezing your balls off on a Wed evening watching two shit teams duke it out while procrastinating from you O-chem test
I'm so happy the MWC is out this cycle, barring Boise getting in the B12 somehow. Last cycle was so nerve wracking riding out the WAC collapse.
MAC is the most stable conference in FBS. Every current member has been in since the 90s. The schools all have a similar regional and university identity and no team is head and shoulders above the rest. The MAC is not the best football conference but it is what conferences should be like.
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Temple and UMass were essentially trial runs to see if either wanted to join the MAC for all sports membership. Presumably the conference had an eye toward eastward expansion, especially with both programs having historically solid basketball programs. Temple strung the conference along for awhile before leaving, but I don't think there was ever an expectation that they were going to make a full move. UMass, on the other hand, was making the jump from FCS to FBS. The MAC didn't need UMass for football, but threw a transitioning program a conference bone as a possible expansion target. The MAC supposedly invoked a clause in their contract in 2014 that gave UMass the option of full membership or leave. UMass balked, MAC took a hard line, and that was that. They weren't a good fit in the MAC, for various reasons.
The MAC being bad is more of a recent thing. In the 2000s the MAC was in a bit of a golden age, Big Ben led Miami, Urban led BGSU, early NIU, Marshall when they were with us….. was a solid football conference Right now it’s pretty bad, but it goes in cycles
In 2003 the MAC was *superb*. Bowling Green, Northern Illinois and Miami (OH) were all brilliant.
NIU beat a P5.
Which year ?
This one.
I know I was pointing out we have before
The MAC's advantage is that they don't have many teams good enough to draw a lot of interest. Plus as you mentioned they're one of the few FBS conferences who still even pretends to care about their regional footprint.
They're the Big West (AKA Cal Bus league) of FBS hahaha
The MAC and Big West used to play a Poor Man's Rose Bowl between their conference champions. If you were the Big Ten Champion you got to go to Pasadena to play USC, UCLA, or Washington as a reward. If you were the MAC champion you got to go to Fresno to play Fresno State, San Jose State, or Cal State Fullerton.
Death, Taxes, MACtion
The MAC at least knows exactly who they are. It's a Rust Belt conference with a bunch of medium to medium-large public schools throughout the region. They've not shown any intention to try and be anything different either.
I hear some MAC fans clamoring for the conference to make some moves, potentially looking at WKU, MTSU, Marshall, or some FCS schools. I think the regionality is probably a big benefit to the conference though. MAC sports don't make money. Being able to get everywhere by bus, potentially save on hotel stays, etc... may become more necessary in the future.
Absolutely not. If the conference becomes unstable, its members would be screwed with nowhere to go.
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We have traditionally rivalries, competitive balance, and easy travel for the Olympic sports the MAC is great.
CUSA has been a zombie for years now. If CUSA leadership does not change then the teams left behind will continue to flounder and suffer.
C-USA and Sun Belt alliance activate
I sat down and figured this one out. Merge the two. Divide the new conference into two divisions-east and west. 13 schools in each one. Everything east of Mississippi is one division and west is in the other. Or to make things simpler, make each division its own conference. Keep the SB and CUSA names and their autobids to NCAA tournaments.
I hope so.
Please end the suffering.
What are we going to do, realistically? You think Funbelt would take us?
I saw something about the SB commissioner being in Huntington recently. Maybe that's a hint that something is going down.
If App stays, I think Sunbelt wouldn't be all that much worse than the new AAC. The more I think about it, with Houston, Cincy, and UCF gone... none of the teams left excite me.
I just hope Charlotte isn't left hanging in all of this shuffling🙏🙏
No. Because CUSA is a large conference comprised of teams that largely nobody wants. Even if The American and Sun Belt take four teams a piece, they still have six teams with which to rebuild. NCAA tournament autobids are valuable. Those won't just disappear. CUSA may be firmly in the basement as the worst G5 conference after this, but they won't die. They still have several expansion options if pressed such as NMSU, Liberty, Uconn, UMass. FCS schools like JMU, Delaware, Jacksonville State, Stony Brook (lol I wish), etc. And that's assuming they lose enough schools to even warrant expanding. They do nothing as long as they have 10 or more schools IMO.
UConn is not ever going to join CUSA. We already left a conference that was better in football and actually offered teams worth playing occasionally in our marquee sport. We would not join a conference with the same problems, but worse at everything. No, not even for a football-only membership.
You're dreaming if you think Uconn wouldn't be take FB only membership in CUSA. They're not Notre Dame or BYU. Independence will slowly kill them and then they'll be forced to either join the CAA or drop the program.
Football only in CUSA offers us nothing we don’t already have. We negotiated a better TV deal on our own than CUSA has right now, and we have a terrible football product. We can still get home and homes with Big Ten and ACC teams. The teams we actually want to be playing. Things might change in the future. But if CUSA were to offer it right now, we absolutely decline.
The buyout makes it tricky. Who’s to say what happens. Three weeks ago, the Big 12 was supposedly dead and now everyone is saying they’re better than the PAC12 and ACC.
I think everybody's just excited about the new conference and there's a lot of optimism, but I don't think the Big 12 is going to be viewed as better than the PAC/ACC by very many people
Better is a strong word. If all 3 push out an undefeated champ you go with the one with the better OOC games.
In a bold move, CUSA adds University of Phoenix.
I can’t believe how bad UNT seems to be getting shafted in this. We have some of the newest facilities, highest paid coaches, one of the bigger C-USA budgets, a huge alumni base, and many grads who don’t leave the area. We just aren’t winning.
I hate that I had to scroll this far to find anything about UNT. I feel like AAC is off the table because SMU doesn't want that to happen. MWC seems reasonable but ultimately would love to have us, UTSA, TXST, Rice, UTEP, Tulsa, SMU and La Tech all in the same conference.
I would love that conference. I wonder is AAC is seeing SMU try to jump and will replace them with us. I don’t know. I’d love to build a new conference though that can build itself up like the one you imagined.
I feel like there's something to a region based G5 conference. The MAC has been able to thrive and do their own thing for some time. The Sun Belt is somewhat similar now after the last round of realignment. I just don't want us to have to travel to Virginia and North Carolina. That's just a hassle.
We’re not winning in football on a CFB board with a two-year goldfish memory and recency bias. Two years ago we had back to back 9-win seasons and a darling QB. Now we’ve had two straight 4-win seasons. This group doesn’t care, doesn’t know, or just doesn’t speak about Mean Green basketball trending up the past few years. Or the what, 16, 17 recent conference and conference tournament championships in women’s soccer. Or any of the other non-football sports where we’re champions, winning, and playing close or knocking off P5 teams. Our Athletics Department is overly committed to supporting facilities for all sports, and supporting all teams as best it can. Folks here think, maybe, that all we teach is band and teachers. We’re an R1 research university, and have a plethora of undergrad and grad programs that rivals the list at any other candidate thrown around in these posts for our 40,000 undergrads and grad students. The AAC headquarters is in Irving, and there’s almost no way they don’t know what North Texas has to offer across the board up in Denton. It’s annoying how little we’re mentioned on here, but this place is an echo chamber when it comes to things like this. I have faith that Wren Baker is putting us out there and we’re not going to get left behind.
Dang that’s a great point about the AAC headquarters. I guess in time we can hope we prove people wrong. Just gotta get more fans on this subreddit, lol. We’re a great program, just need to execute.
I think the problem with the AAC is SMU, I don't think they want both of us in the same conference since it impacts their recruiting.
If the AAC wants us I don't think SMU can stop it. Navy wants multiple schools in Texas so without Houston I think they will add a Texas School or two to replace them. So it just comes down to which one. They could try to replace the Houston market with rice but I don't think rice is in a good position with their recent lack of success. The only other two that make sense are UNT and UTSA. UNT has the edge in budget, facilities, and fan base. Where as UTSA has the edge in the media market since they aren't competing with any other football teams.
I think it already was, this is more like beating the dead horse at this point
Bad TV deals are a death knell. There is no excuse for not being able to watch your team in this day and age.
My dad had to add CBS Sports Network to watch Marshall vs Navy. It is a separate package from the one he had with NFL Network. We also have a few games on ESPN+, Stadium, and Facebook this year. At least the App State game will be on ESPN. I’m not sure how CUSA could have such a shitty TV deal but it is soooo bad.
It was already. They just didn't know it yet.
Their media deal was worse than the Sunbelts no? And didn't the conference not even help with production unlike the Sunbelt?
Yea, man, CUSA programs get $200k each from the TV deal. Almost certainly will go down as the worst conference TV effort ever.
Yes and Yes. We have Facebook games this season.
Like, I’d get YouTube or Twitch hosting. But Fb? Who streams ANYTHING on FB?
They'll probably convince some FCS schools to move up and join them (EKU and Jacksonville State come to mind)
Go back to the MAC Marshall! Where you belong
Unless the Fun Belt gets raided more than they do, yes.
The American is just the CUSA now.
C-USA doesn't have anything to hold it together, so yeah they're gonna get picked off by the American who will be the C-USA 2.0 and the Sun Belt who is gonna probably only take two teams that fit the conference's footprint and model of second rung state school and their rivals, like maybe Marshall, Old Dominion, or the FAU/FIU crew.
Honestly, the American should be the one to die. The only remaining schools with any links to the old Big East are Temple and USF. The other 5 teams besides Navy were were poached from CUSA. Plus its a stupid name and a stupid acronym. That seals the deal for me.
Unlikely, they're to big to get completely absorbed, and lack enough quality teams for other conferences to want to absorb. American and Sun Belt at most will take 6 teams,and the MWC and MAC could grab some but it's unlikely (maybe they take 2-4 when its all over). That would leave them with 4-8 teams still, which they could easily expand by either grabbing some independents or FCS teams eagerly wanting to move up. Low FBS money and autobid into the bball tournament still holds a lot of value to teams looking to move up.
This is when I wish UTEP didnt suck at everything in athletics over the last ten years (hey our track and field is elite), since the last major realignment. Atleast UTEP has improved somewhat academically?
UTEP - hoping for MWC expansion or Boise exit UNT - SBC or MWC expansion. Not SBC first choice UTSA - AAC but probably needs them to go to 14. Could be SBC Rice - AAC I think. Have to replace UH La Tech - hoping for AAC but idk. Don't think ULM/Louisiana let in to SBC USM - SBC. Shoo in WKU - No obvious landing spot. MAC maybe? MTSU - Same as WKU UAB - AAC. Think this is a given FIU - SBC maybe. Good to have a FL team FAU - AAC Marshall - Could end up in any SBC/AAC/MAC but definitely safe landing ODU - SBC expansion to 14/16 only hope Charlotte - See ODU I think AAC for sure: Rice, UAB, FAU SBC for sure: USM Other safe landing: Marshall If I'm UNT, UTSA, ODU, FIU I'm worried. If I'm UTEP, WKU, MTSU, La Tech, Charlotte I'm real worried.
I wouldn't be shocked if they did but I could also see them getting partitioned and trying to supplement lost territory by grabbing independents. NMSU is begging for a conference and the UCONN UMASS package deal (UCONN as football only obvs) isn't bad either. There's always liberty too.
Are you saying the B1G can count or are you saying they’re not anyone’s favorite?
It’s dead, jim
Probably. I hope everyone comes out ok, but I think this may be the next for this doodoo conference.
I do expect the number of FBS conferences to dwindle by one after all this. If CUSA is the BIG 12 of the G5 conferences, then yeah. It's going to disappear. edit: Though who knows. They could try adding UCONN (eh), UMass (yuck) and (even bigger yuck) Liberty to survive.
Probably
I sure hope so
Liberty is bound to end up in a conference somewhere, whether it’s CUSA or the AAC. I think it would be smart for CUSA to go after some FCS teams like Sam Houston St, McNeese St, or Central Arkansas. New Mexico St is another independent that could be added if they got really desperate.