Fire up the rumor mill: Missouri St to CUSA???
- Thread starter ewglenn
- Start date
I've seen that, but also that it's a play. Yormark "holding" at 14 to move quickly but if 3 want in (latest is OU, Wash, AZ) then in they are. 16 works better for both football and basketball scheduling.
Say 14 to force AZ hand then see if OU/UW still want in before taking Utah/ASU.
It honestly was a genius move by Yormark and ESPN to write the pro-rata for any P5 adds. (FOX agreed after the fact). They knew the PAC was the only conference P5 schools could come from. Due to the clause ESPN could essentially get the PAC schools without signing a deal with the PAC. Get them lumped in with ET/CT schools. The east doesn't care about Stanford/Cal and won't stay up late to watch. They would though for WVU/Arizona or TCU/Oregon. It's all a calculated genius move.
This right here sums it up. No matter who else leaves, AAC, SBC, or maybe CUSA are the PAC's only options. The MWC buyout is now $34m. It could be negotiated down but still is going to be at least $20m. At least. Not all schools have that and the PAC isn't in a position to help.
What is the impact to MT? There has to be a trickle down effect as conferences try to reload. I‘m hoping there is a scenario that allows MT to move somewhere better than CUSA, which is by fr the worst conference in sports.
Just looking at other AAC schools, we fit that “mold” but a spot or two has to open up first. I’m thinking maybe Pac12 tries to raid AAC which might open a few slots. Memphis has to be getting the eye of either the Big12 or Pac12.
Someone give me hope we can move on from CUSA. What’s the scenario?
Just looking at other AAC schools, we fit that “mold” but a spot or two has to open up first. I’m thinking maybe Pac12 tries to raid AAC which might open a few slots. Memphis has to be getting the eye of either the Big12 or Pac12.
Someone give me hope we can move on from CUSA. What’s the scenario?
Only option I can think of is if SMU leaves and we take them to 14. I wouldn’t mind it and hopefully they would protect Memphis and UAB if we did get the invite.
It’s worth mentioning the PAC has 4 AAU schools and Arizona, Utah and Washington are not.
It’s conceivable Arizona, Utah and Washington to the B12 and the 4 AAU schools join the B10.
Washington St and Oregon St get folded into the MWC.
It’s conceivable Arizona, Utah and Washington to the B12 and the 4 AAU schools join the B10.
Washington St and Oregon St get folded into the MWC.
Ideally whoever leaves the AAC is replaced by ODU or Texas St or Ga State, so we can go back to the Sun Belt.
I would rather be back in the Sun Belt. Every school in the AAC is looking for an exit. The Sun Belt has employed such a viable strategy that three schools sought to leave C-USA to "go down" to it even before six left for the AAC. But it really tells us they weren't going down. They were going to a more viable league.
I wouldn't mind being in a conference with Memphis, but it won't hurt my feelings if we don't. Quite frankly, they have the worst, most miserable, most insufferable fans of anyone I've ever been around. And I don't think we belong in a league with Navy, Tulane, Tulsa, Rice, etc. (if they are still around). The Sun Belt has a lot of good going for it since they got rid of Benson and hired and good leader.
I would rather be back in the Sun Belt. Every school in the AAC is looking for an exit. The Sun Belt has employed such a viable strategy that three schools sought to leave C-USA to "go down" to it even before six left for the AAC. But it really tells us they weren't going down. They were going to a more viable league.
I wouldn't mind being in a conference with Memphis, but it won't hurt my feelings if we don't. Quite frankly, they have the worst, most miserable, most insufferable fans of anyone I've ever been around. And I don't think we belong in a league with Navy, Tulane, Tulsa, Rice, etc. (if they are still around). The Sun Belt has a lot of good going for it since they got rid of Benson and hired and good leader.
where is liberty going? they had no home until CUSA became desperate. Liberty will be in CUSA forever. Only way if AAC east schools decide to split and start an east coast conference with some CUSA and Sun Belt schools
Man this is wild. I dont see how PAC schools move the to MW instead of the other way around.
It does give me hope that we somehow win here. In my mind the list of preferred conferences:
AAC
MW
SBC
Stay in CUSA
MAC
It does give me hope that we somehow win here. In my mind the list of preferred conferences:
AAC
MW
SBC
Stay in CUSA
MAC
3 positives I like about the Sunbelt from fan perspective. It's a better football conference overall than CUSA, better geographically for rivalry development & probably a weaker basketball conference in comparison to CUSA.
A better football conference exposes our weaker recruiting efforts. 6-6 to 7-5 years become 4-8 or 5-7 years. Which promotes better opportunity for regime change. Geographically better for fan interest, & I think MT basketball can compete & win on a regular basis in the Su
I agree with your rankings. I would strongly consider MAC above CUSA, but I’m glad we stayed and took the money. MAC isn’t terrible, but had we gone we would have been stuck there for eternity. If we are stuck in CUSA forever, than maybe the MAC would have been a better choice.
I’m thinking MT and WKU have some sort of unofficial agreement to stick together, perhaps leveraging that for a potential shot to move elsewhere someday. Alone, neither are very attractive, but maybe together they look appealing. Who knows.
I don't think we will compete well in CUSA. Not because CUSA programs are all that great, the difference is that they're actually trying to win. We're not. We fit in better with teams in the MAC, where they are much less ambitious and pretty much just stay in their lane, play their Tuesday night MAC-tion, and go to middling bowl games and are pretty much just happy to exist. Just like us. I still think the MAC was and is a better home. I honestly believe we would have been the kings of that conference. Who knows - a couple of big years in the MAC, we start creeping towards the top 25......
If I had a choice and we had an athletics department that actually wanted to compete, would be the Belt. I feel like we would fit in well there with similar programs, we geographically fit well, we have some history there.
Even if there's an opening, I don't think we get picked though. There's bad blood there (can't blame 'em, we abandoned ship - even if every single other SBC program left behind wouldn't have done the same thing), and frankly, we're about to get passed again by other programs with better leadership and drive to win.
It wouldn't shock me at all if the SBC has an opening and they call up WKU, Liberty, or even FIU (to get back into Florida).
If I had a choice and we had an athletics department that actually wanted to compete, would be the Belt. I feel like we would fit in well there with similar programs, we geographically fit well, we have some history there.
Even if there's an opening, I don't think we get picked though. There's bad blood there (can't blame 'em, we abandoned ship - even if every single other SBC program left behind wouldn't have done the same thing), and frankly, we're about to get passed again by other programs with better leadership and drive to win.
It wouldn't shock me at all if the SBC has an opening and they call up WKU, Liberty, or even FIU (to get back into Florida).
FWIW this is why I argued so vehemently not to go to the MAC and that was before the GOR issue came up. It’s not even been but a year and stuff is already flying in ways that’s going turn things upside down. How boneheaded would we have been to still be a month of away sitting in year zero of 20 in the MAC?
Putting aside the questions / frustrations re: MT leadership (McPhee), if SBC adds anyone, it's going to be FIU or Liberty. FIU gets them back into S FL & Liberty creates a geographic rivalry with JMU / ODU (in addition to being a solid program).
I'm not sold that Liberty will eventually get into AAC. Not for lack of trying. And not for lack of success. I get the feeling (right or wrong) that college presidents don't like Liberty (either for their super-conservative religious stance or disrupting the industry or both). Pure speculation on my part.
*Disclaimer : I say this as a pretty conservative religious person*
PAC will be the only major conference at less than 14 teams, if they add San Diego State, they will be to 12. So they are most likely to add 2 more schools. Retooling with MWC makes the most sense geographically, but it’s been mentioned the exit fees are super high. Several schools have already applied to the PAC, including USF, SMU, Tulane, Memphis and several others.
Sooooooo - what if PAC takes SMU and Memphis, which to me are the best programs available in terms of market, leaving 2 spots for WKU and MT to the AAC ! They would have the Nashville market, which we all know has grown rapidly and needs a solid team since Vandy will get buried in the new SEC.
This is our shot To get out of CUSA. Fingers crossed.
Sooooooo - what if PAC takes SMU and Memphis, which to me are the best programs available in terms of market, leaving 2 spots for WKU and MT to the AAC ! They would have the Nashville market, which we all know has grown rapidly and needs a solid team since Vandy will get buried in the new SEC.
This is our shot To get out of CUSA. Fingers crossed.
with the Pac it all depends who is left. The MWC has. 28 million exit Fee now. If the AAU schools are left Tulane, SMU, Rice, USF will get a look and maybe Tulsa.
That only works if we think we could get one of those spots. It's not going to happen.
All this coming chaos is going to open opportunities, but is MT even going to be considered in it's present state? It's going to be the better part of those 20 years until we can get built back up to where we need to be.
We're stuck with Stock for likely at least a decade, so nothing is going to happen until he leaves, and then if we still have M&M, we'll get another schlub who's primary coaching qualification will be that he drove through Columbia, South Carolina at some point and we'll still be in the same place.
So, 10+ years at least to be rid of M&M and Stock, and then another few years to rebuild the fan base....all the while we'd have had a much better shot at winning on the field.
It would have been better to be the biggest fish in a smaller pond than essentially chum for sharks.
Apparently AZ is a done deal and will be announced this week. Some are saying as well that FSU is ready to pursue legal action against the ACC. So it wouldn't surprise me if Yormark waits on UConn to see if anything ACC happens. Apparently there is only the 14th spot guaranteed by ESPN/FOX. More than that will have to be negotiated individually.
But it's like this. ESPN is bleeding money and FOX doesn't have the air time over multiple networks line E does. All this consolidation just let's the networks have the schools the want without schilling out bucketloads.
As for it trickling down, it will. Will it affect us, who knows. I will say the fact dirt is moving on the SAPC now is a HUGE plus. I personally don't want us in the AAC. I would prefer the SBC. I mean they put the logo on their new map directly over us and WKU. I am glad I was wrong on wanting the move to the MAC.
I was under the impression that the autonomy would save the PAC. But from what I've read, that essentially gave them a seat at the table for power discussions and a NY6 bowl slot. All that can easily be taken away if the other autonomy conferences choose. So even if the PAC survives this round, what will happen when the new CFP starts in '26? I'm really beginning to wonder if the PAC will survive at all.
But it's like this. ESPN is bleeding money and FOX doesn't have the air time over multiple networks line E does. All this consolidation just let's the networks have the schools the want without schilling out bucketloads.
As for it trickling down, it will. Will it affect us, who knows. I will say the fact dirt is moving on the SAPC now is a HUGE plus. I personally don't want us in the AAC. I would prefer the SBC. I mean they put the logo on their new map directly over us and WKU. I am glad I was wrong on wanting the move to the MAC.
I was under the impression that the autonomy would save the PAC. But from what I've read, that essentially gave them a seat at the table for power discussions and a NY6 bowl slot. All that can easily be taken away if the other autonomy conferences choose. So even if the PAC survives this round, what will happen when the new CFP starts in '26? I'm really beginning to wonder if the PAC will survive at all.
Let's be real here. MT will not be going anywhere, unless something extremely dramatic happens. What are the options, real options, at this point? They're pretty much non-existent. You have to be very creative to come up with futures in which MT has a shot at moving anywhere now.
Blue goggles throwing quarters in a wishing well, my dream scenario...us in SBC with WKU and WVU in SEC with VaT. Fully aware one of those has a 1% chance, the other about 5%. Guess which is which.
To
*B12
UA, UW, UO
*PAC
SMU, Tulane, Memphis, USF
*AAC
ULL, GaS
*SBC
MT, WKU
That being said, our 5% chance is null if no SBC schools are pulled. Their buyout is only $3m or so, AAC around $15m for '25 start. No way any MWC schools leave with $34m to negotiate from.
You proffer an exceptional question predicated on the illusion of this university having anything that resembles leadership.
But in spite of that void in viable leadership, I believe the answer is probably yes because a) the institution is bigger than the people who currently occupy it particularly the three amigos (whose time is coming due relatively speaking soon) and b) this is just the beginning. The upheaval that commenced with USC and UCLA’s move to the BIG is going to take several years to filter. There are massive changes coming to the landscape of college sports. There is a reckoning between TV, NIL, and the CFB Playoff among others that’s reshaping collegiate athletics driving these conference affiliation decisions. To be honest, to what degree we are relevant through any of this is a valid concern but one thing I’m convinced of beyond any shadow of a doubt is that throwing away our future for the MAC wasn’t the right decision. And I’m glad we didn’t make it. We may still end up screwed but at least we didn’t do it to ourselves. And do so all the while think what a great move we had made.
Good points. The three stooges are all in their mid 60's (I think????) so perhaps in the next 3-5 years one or all of them retire. It showed a little bit of "leadership" by not jumping to the MAC, when they saw CUSA becoming the sinking ship. I think that was more motivated to get the exit fee money, which was wise, more than strategically thinking about the next realigment, but hey it worked out.
I think the article about a strong year in fund raising shows the true potential of MT. If we can get one of the three stooges out, maybe we can move towards realizing the potential someday. I prefer AAC over the SuckBelt, but anything is better than CUSA at this point. Looking at the teams in AAC, it's more similar to what our market is in my opinion. Schools growing around a major city close by (Tulsa, DFW, Tampa, etc.), which I think is a better setup long-term in terms of TV deals, potential NIL, etc.
Utah, and both Arizona schools likely head to big 12 in that scenario.
Pac12 dies and MWC absorbs left overs.
ACC might try to fill 2 spots (USF? Tulane? SMU?).
That would leave AAC needing 2. Dicey prospects. Liberty would be an obvious choice. No idea on the second one
Pac12 dies and MWC absorbs left overs.
ACC might try to fill 2 spots (USF? Tulane? SMU?).
That would leave AAC needing 2. Dicey prospects. Liberty would be an obvious choice. No idea on the second one
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The only chance we had to go to another conference was the MAC. Now we are in the new OVC.
Liberty seems to have the money to attract conferences, but the problem is on a bigger scale, nobody has an interest in the program.
MAC was a bad choice at the time, however if we are relegated to the CUSA for life, the MAC starts to look better. I think the fact we have some ground moving, outside to a major growing city and a good size alumni base "might" give us a few attractive traits. Of course our leadership is terrible, but in the next 5 years, they could all realistically be riding off into the sunset (or moving to China).
If we want to move to another conference, we have to hope for as many conference reshuffles as possible right now, which might open a door for us.
MAC was a bad choice at the time, however if we are relegated to the CUSA for life, the MAC starts to look better. I think the fact we have some ground moving, outside to a major growing city and a good size alumni base "might" give us a few attractive traits. Of course our leadership is terrible, but in the next 5 years, they could all realistically be riding off into the sunset (or moving to China).
If we want to move to another conference, we have to hope for as many conference reshuffles as possible right now, which might open a door for us.
There of course will be shuffling still but once this settles, nothing else will happen till the ACC implodes. And I'm sure FSU etc will legally go after the GOR, but it won't be quick.
What is going good for everyone in this, including us, is the autonomy status of the PAC, which is given by the NCAA. I had read differently as I mentioned above, but apparently it is part of the conference by-laws as an NCAA member. And until conferences split off from the NCAA, it will remain. So that means even some MWC may find that $30m to leave for a chance at autonomy status and $15-20m a year in TV $. The PAC is going to have to have a central/eastern presence to get any sort of TV deal. That means USF, Memphis, SMU, Tulane. So the AAC could get seriously raided if MWC can't come up with an exit agreement, which will affect the SBC and CUSA.
What is going good for everyone in this, including us, is the autonomy status of the PAC, which is given by the NCAA. I had read differently as I mentioned above, but apparently it is part of the conference by-laws as an NCAA member. And until conferences split off from the NCAA, it will remain. So that means even some MWC may find that $30m to leave for a chance at autonomy status and $15-20m a year in TV $. The PAC is going to have to have a central/eastern presence to get any sort of TV deal. That means USF, Memphis, SMU, Tulane. So the AAC could get seriously raided if MWC can't come up with an exit agreement, which will affect the SBC and CUSA.
So lets say that USF, Memphis, SMU and Tulane all get called to the PAC12.
That leaves the AAC as:
UAB
Charlotte
ECU
FAU
Navy
N. Texas
Rice
Temple
UTSA
Tulsa
Wichita State (Bball)
Still better than CUSA as it exists. 2-4 spots open. If its four spots, I would have to think we get in, especially with Memphis out. Call it WKU. Liberty and LaTech (to get back into LA) if four open up.
The PAC will gun for SDSU, Boise St, SJSU and Fresno first. Then they will go for UM and maybe Tulane after that.
Thing is can those schools afford the MWC buyout? Granted it "might" be negotiated down (after the SDSU fiasco I wouldn't take less than the full $34m).
Other question is will the school presidents want AAU members.
G5 AAU schools
*AAC
Rice, Tulane, USF
*MAC
Buffalo
UM doesn't get into the PAC, it will be Tulane, SMU, USF and maybe Rice since they are AAU members
They can negotiate to pay the fee over a multi year period of time. If there is PAC12 interest with a new media contract, they will help facilitate the payments as well. If the PAC12 wants them, there will be many ways to skin the cat.
I’d bet money ECU would be SBC bound if that happens
That is a school CUSA should push hard for. IMO
But, SBC makes a lot of sense for them also.
Thoughts on any of these? I think we need to go after some established schools as well. Some that are starting to see the writing on the wall in their current conferences.
I don't think we should go after any FCS schools until this dust settles. But out of those, I'd push for UCA (EDIT.......Mizz St...not UCA....dont know why I had UCA in my head for that bear). I'd love to have an AR school so that all our states border the next. Tarleton has $ as well. I don't think Richmond or Delaware are ready and I don't want to be in the same conference as Chatt (or AP for that matter).
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