If CUSA survives and adds....

[blueraiderJT]

The problem is desperation moves simply to stay afloat another year or two, vs making actual well-thought out moves that could benefit and grow the conference long term.

You can convince yourself that UCONN is some sleeping giant, but i'm telling you now, that program won't exist in 10 years. I travel to CT frequently for business, and UCONN football is on the verge of dropping the sport.

NMSU is one of the least competitive programs in all FBS. They bring no benefit to anyone outside of UTEP. We need to get rid of UTEP, not clone them. And now we're going to have to send our non-revenue sports out there multiple times a year. There's no real reason or benefit, other then they exist and we're desperate, to add them.

We're budget programs. And now your asking programs to travel additional thousands of miles outside of its footprint. How are these teams going to save money in order to re-invest and grow programs? Are UCONN and NMSU going to bring busloads of fans to Murfreesboro? You might not like J-Ville St, but they'd sell some away tix.

These moves, made ostensibly to rebuild or firm up the conference, will do nothing but cause trouble further down the line. This was the time to take a patient step back, consolidate the conference, find and vet those FCS diamonds in the rough, and find programs that are a good fit so we can rebuild the conference.

Instead, we called anyone that had helmets lying about, and said "PLEASE JOIN SO WE DON'T LOSE OUR JOBS"!!!!

I didn't say they were a sleeping giant. Just said it makes sense to do what they done. There are only 4 team shifts left. Everyone is full up. What other shift will there be now? UM and SMU, then Big12 will have their limit. Then AAC replaces 2 not 6. I'm not saying it's great, I'm saying we do what we have to do. What's your other plan? Call Judy and run that thing up the flag pole.

If we dropped back to FCS, I'm all the way out. At least we still play FBS teams this way. Our conference has been jacked from the start. You're telling me that UNT, ODU, RICE, USM, Charlotte, or UTSA until this year did anything for us at all in terms of prestige? LOL. Who watched those games? Who even cared? Who lined up at JRF to watch that? In 2013 when Banowski pushed for UTSA ODU and Charlotte after ECU and Tulane left, I knew we were dead men walking even in 2014.

Don't see how we are worse off and we get to share a bit more money too. Liberty alone is a juggernaut and a good get. BTW, what did the Belt ever do for us when we were in it? We were treated like dog sh!t for 12 years. Had 8 wins twice and had to sit out the bowl season due to not enough bowl games for us to play in. We were on the bottom there too. It's not like we got respect back then and everyone except Troy and maybe Ark st was garbage, Hell even WKU didn't do anything until 11-12. We've been out of the frying pan and into the fire since we came up. It's been uphill all the way. It will never not be the case for us.

 

[ewglenn]

I didn't say they were a sleeping giant. Just said it makes sense to do what they done. There are only 4 team shifts left. Everyone is full up. What other shift will there be now? UM and SMU, then Big12 will have their limit. Then AAC replaces 2 not 6. I'm not saying it's great, I'm saying we do what we have to do. What's your other plan? Call Judy and run that thing up the flag pole.

If we dropped back to FCS, I'm all the way out. At least we still play FBS teams this way. Our conference has been jacked from the start. You're telling me that UNT, ODU, RICE, USM, Charlotte, or UTSA until this year did anything for us at all in terms of prestige? LOL. Who watched those games? Who even cared? Who lined up at JRF to watch that? In 2013 when Banowski pushed for UTSA ODU and Charlotte after ECU and Tulane left, I knew we were dead men walking even in 2014.

Don't see how we are worse off and we get to share a bit less money too. Liberty alone is a juggernaut and a good get. BTW, what did the Belt ever do for us when we were in it? We were treated like dog sh!t for 12 years. Had 8 wins twice and had to sit out the bowl season due to not enough bowl games for us to play in. We were on the bottom there too. It's not like we got respect back then and everyone except Troy and maybe Ark st was garbage, Hell even WKU did do anything until 11-12. We've been out of the frying pan and into the fire since we came up. It's been uphill all the way. It will never not be the case for us.

People are talking about the teams CUSA is wanting to take and scoffing at their accomplishments. Remember when CUSA took brand new programs in UTSA, ODU, and Charlotte? It’s absolutely mind boggling how forgetful people are.

 

[blueraiderJT]

People are talking about the teams CUSA is wanting to take and scoffing at their accomplishments. Remember when CUSA took brand new programs in UTSA, ODU, and Charlotte? It’s absolutely mind boggling how forgetful people are.

Especially when App st. and the Ga. schools were there for the taking at that time. App St. was SHSU basically. They had National titles and major success as a FCS. They were the best FCS at the time when they joined. That's why SHSU would be a great get if we can swing it. It's damned if you do and damned if you don't.

 

[crposton]

My sleeping giant comment about NMSU was a joke. Just to clarify. I don't think we have any "sleeping giants", but I do think there are some FCS schools that could be just as good or better than the teams we are losing.

 

[ewglenn]

Marshall just announced they are going to the SBC.

 

[RaiderDoug]

I didn't say they were a sleeping giant. Just said it makes sense to do what they done. There are only 4 team shifts left. Everyone is full up. What other shift will there be now? UM and SMU, then Big12 will have their limit. Then AAC replaces 2 not 6. I'm not saying it's great, I'm saying we do what we have to do. What's your other plan? Call Judy and run that thing up the flag pole.

If we dropped back to FCS, I'm all the way out. At least we still play FBS teams this way. Our conference has been jacked from the start. You're telling me that UNT, ODU, RICE, USM, Charlotte, or UTSA until this year did anything for us at all in terms of prestige? LOL. Who watched those games? Who even cared? Who lined up at JRF to watch that? In 2013 when Banowski pushed for UTSA ODU and Charlotte after ECU and Tulane left, I knew we were dead men walking even in 2014.

Don't see how we are worse off and we get to share a bit more money too. Liberty alone is a juggernaut and a good get. BTW, what did the Belt ever dos when we were in it? We were treated like dog sh!t for 12 years. Had 8 wins twice and had to sit out the bowl season due to not enough bowl games for us to play in. We were on the bottom there too. It's not like we got respect back then and everyone except Troy and maybe Ark st was garbage, Hell even WKU didn't do anything until 11-12. We've been out of the frying pan and into the fire since we came up. It's been uphill all the way. It will never not be the case for us.

The right plan would be to not rush into UCONN, NMSU, and Liberty. CUSA was dealt a shite hand of cards, and are making it worse this way.

You're not wrong when you say that Charlotte or ODU are not great losses. But here's the thing, we shaved off the deadwood, and instead of stepping back and adding actual programs with some potential - we're adding bigger and more deadwood.

You can't be like "Well, what did ODU and Charlotte ever do for us" and then turn around and be like "Heck Yes New Mexico State! It's a new day!!!!". There's a reason those teams are available - it's because their dead on their feet.

Not all FCS teams that want to move up are Appy State in disguise. But that doesn't mean we can find the next Appy State.

You want to add Liberty - I could buy it. They have $$$'s, sorta kinda fit in geographically, actually invest in their program and have some fans, so, ok.

But you can't tell me that we would be better off adding NMSU and UConn than slowing it down a few months, vetting some real FCS teams with potential (Missouri State? SHSU? Kennesaw, EKU?) and picking some teams that might have a chance to stabilize and grow and get the conference back on its feet.

CUSA's weakness was because we had too many teams just like the ones we're re-filling with. We have a chance to fix and rebuild, and their making the same mistake again.

 

[mtfblue]

with all this going on, has that team in northern Louisiana had anything to say, since they tanked all the deals back 3 years ago?

 

[sWiley]

I just read a CBS article that said SHSU is the #1 target of the FCS schools and a real possibility. That’s a little reassuring.

I like the idea of only adding a few schools and staying lean. Only thing that is a huge problem is the league footprint. Going to be the opposite of regional rivalries. Leagues going to extend from Las Cruces NM to Miami FL and up into Connecticut. Yikes

 

[dukewayne]

All this desperate searching for conference members is exactly what I refer to when I mention how the 3Ms have set us back 20 years.

This is the origin of the SBC to a 1-A conference over 20 years ago. Grabbing for any swinging d#*k that could field a football team. Remember Idaho, NMSU & FxU?

Yeah, there are some negative things to be said about what C-USA is losing, but there were a lot of positives as well. With those teams that moved up to C-USA, they now have years of development and newer or better facilities.

20 years later, the SBC went from bottom feeder desperate for scraps now to consolidating power and geography. Now they are getting Marshall which would have been a dream 20 years ago.

Yea, C-USA may throw together some amalgamation of rabble to keep the conference alive even if in name only. Make no mistake though, the current leadership has led MTSU (and C-USA) right back to the beginning of the SunBelt. Unless MTSU and C-USA gets new leadership, conditions are not likely to improve all that much.

I still scratch my head wondering what the heck WKU did to deserve this purgatory?

BTW, cash bailouts for failed leadership usually tend to lead to more of the same failed leadership. No consequences, nothing learned.