Could the AAC survive or split east west. I know ECU always wanted a more regional foot print. With Delaware looking to jump, they could put a nice East Conference together : ECU, UM, Temple, Uconn, Navy, Delaware uncc, FAU, UAB, UMass and maybe MT,WKU,and FIU or some of the east coast Belt teams
Kennesaw State to CUSA 2024?
- Thread starter ewglenn
- Start date
Maybe I’m optimistic, but maybe MT is thinking they are fine to hang tight for now. Use the exit fees to build facilities and gear up to try and get another look from AAC in a few years when conferences reshuffle again.
ahhh, who am I kidding?
ahhh, who am I kidding?
As unweildly as CUSA is, I don't think it's built to last. Especially with the dollars drying up. There's no reason for a conference that's not making SEC/B10 money to stretch from Virginia to Miami to New Mexico. That's not going to work long term.
I don't know where it or we end up, but I don't think we're in this conference for the long haul.
Whoever joins this Sh*tshow will win a conference football championship before Stockstill does.
I think it all needs to go back to being regional, but instead everyone is chasing that dollar. How long before athletic departments making $100 million+ a year on TV are no longer considered “non-profits” and tax deductible to boosters?
What happened to "leaner is better" mantra uttered even recently by Massaro?
This embarrassment has "#GirlBoss" written all over it.
With the recent slight improvement at least in basketball for CUSA, I was ok with staying CUSA for the short term to see how more waves played out. Now, the MAC would be a step up in my opinion.
What a freaking joke of leadership MT Athletics has with the 3Ms.
This embarrassment has "#GirlBoss" written all over it.
With the recent slight improvement at least in basketball for CUSA, I was ok with staying CUSA for the short term to see how more waves played out. Now, the MAC would be a step up in my opinion.
What a freaking joke of leadership MT Athletics has with the 3Ms.
All excellent points. To me the key point of survivability in the new cusa is where will the money come from to send teams all over the US? $200k per school is not affordable for a university our size. To survive the "long haul" as you put it the only alternative is to increase student fees by a sizable allotment. To survive the "new cusa" you need a huge enrollment with major student funds. Oddly enough this includes our newest member, but not us. Kennesaw has an undergrad population of 35,000, Liberty over 50,000, & FIU a similar number. CUSA in its new format is not designed to survive the cost factor for schools like MT, WKU, or La Tech with an enrollment of only 12,000. Student population is already on the decrease nationally, the increased cost for our students to pay for this conference will ultimately kill the possibility of enrollment growth.
Agreed. Looking at FB since it is the most expensive to travel for. With only 10 teams we have to play all but one every year unless they move to a round robin 3 game OoC schedule.
That's trips of
1300 miles to NMSU
1300 to UTEP
762 to SHU
579 to LaT
Not to mention
477 to Liberty
878 to FIU
In the MAC
NIU to Buffalo 596 miles but set up in divisions
In the SBC
TxS to ODU is 1500, but again, divisions.
The only way to make it feasible is add more teams and do division/pod scheduling.
without knowing the inner workings of the prospective programs, it’s hard to say. We’re really at the point where CUSA is watered down so much, a lot of schools are going to start to think if it’s worth it.
None of the incoming programs appear to becoming in on a high note from what I can find based on FCS records. SHSU did have some success.
I would have tried to make a real determination as to who is the next App State or JMU. Programs with foundations to build upon.
if you’re looking for actual suggestions, I know EKU was good back in the day, and they’d piss off WKU, so that’s something. Missouri State is a quality program. Maybe one of the Dakota whatever’s that’s always beating good teams wants to join. Someone said Delaware. I would have tried really hard to make UConn work. If you’re willing to add a team in New Mexico, then any geographical arguments against any team east of the Rockies is out the window.
The Sunbelt thrived because it brought up actual, solid football programs - its commish didn’t just take anyone who showed up at the front door with a helmet just so he could keep his job.
On the field, Liberty is a solid athletic program. They've invested in facilities. They've invested in their programs. And it's paid off. Kudos to them for making it work. We can debate the "rigor" of an online program (a futile argument, IMO, with the rising popularity of online education by top schools across the nation). But Liberty has invested, MT has not.
On the field, JSU and SMSU are good programs. JSU has beaten P5 programs & Sam Houston State has a legit FB program.
I'm honestly not sure what KSU brings (except for the Atl market) & a successful, but young FB program.
And like you, I'm curious about SFA (travel partner for LaTech? / SMSU), Mizzou State, & EKU and what they could bring to CUSA more than I am excited about adding KSU.
And then there's the "pod" scheduling possibility by adding a Delaware, UMass, and UConn (along with Liberty) creates an Atlantic pod. KSU, JSU, WKU, and MT create a central pod. SHSU, LaTech, UTEP, and NMSU create a western pod. But where do you stick FIU
To stay in CUSA the only successful format would be in a divisional pod format wherein there is a southern region for schools such as us, wku, & Kennesaw. If this doesn't happen in next 2-3 years I can see MT's enrollment fee increases expanding consistently to cover exorbitant affiliation costs. I remember when MT was the state's largest undergrad school with 26,000 students. We're now down to 20k, & there is a perceptible fear of that dwindling to 17,000 or less due to failed administrative decision making. Since they have refused to fix their failures, thusly they will put the onus on the students resulting in a significant drop in student population. Unless we move to a new conference in near future, you're right in the only hope is a more watered down conference. I can't see the MAC, CUSA, or Sun Belt combining into a super G5. Somewhere there would be commissioners & underlings fighting to maintain their high paying gigs. They may not give a rats ass about improving their universities or conferences, but they sure care about their own paychecks
Kennesaw brings nothing but Cobb County, they have padded their wins with D2 and NAIA teams, this year's team is back to reality and they are getting hammered. I don't know where KSU will gwt funding, since a stipulation is no higher student fees. The pods could work if you went to 16. Go with Mizzou St Jackson St( probably the hottest brand), southern Illinois (2 hours from Nashville has stadium and facilities already), now look at Delaware and add Uconn and UMass football only. Big picture CUSA can be a player in all sports with basketball, baseball, women's hoops, softball getting multiple bids, and all you need is 1 team to dominate for football to get in the playoffs like Boise did the wac. Not a bad line up. KSU will have to get good real quick
There’s good ideas here. If CUSA was really forward thinking, they’d go big with regional pods.
it would help cut down on the costs, and the networks can ignore a small anonymous conference with no name teams scattered about the continent, but it would be harder to ignore a large 20 team conference with distinct regional pods. There’s finite TV/streaming slots, if you control enough of the inventory the networks are going to have to deal with you.
But that would require some real innovative ambition. That’s not something our doofus leadership either at the program or conference level has.
I was so pro MAC. After this announcement, I still am. I don't care if no one agrees. The MAC would have been stable with the ESPN contract too. We won't ever be in the AAC unless Memphis goes to the B12. Who knows how long that will take.
I agree. The MAC is a much more established and respectable group of teams than what CUSA is slapping together. it’s not the best but seems much more aligned with what MT is.
I’m in your camp, too, JT. Was pro-MAC from the get go. Still am. CUSA is garbage.
I still think we belong in the 'Belt no matter what others say, but MAC is absolutely above the future CUSA. We will see what the new TV deal brings, but I don't see it bringing much more honestly. Maybe better exposure..ie more ESPN+ and not Stadium & Facebook, but $ the same.
We belong in the belt but we will never be invited back there again. Plain and simple. the MAC was a real invite.
Never thought I would call a fellow G5 league a snob, but that's what has happened to the Belt. They sniffed some success with a few teams making top 25 headlines. I see the snobbery with the AAC, but not the Belt. They realize our administration & coaching staff bring a big fat zero to a football dominant conference. Right now I would take the MAC or the Belt. But one doesn't want us, & the other our administration made it clear we don't want their membership affiliation. Our commish decided to dip her foot in the swimming hole with KSU. Might as well jump in completely & go for regional pods by inviting best candidates from schools listed above & also include best bets from OVC & Southern conference as well. Yes we would be watering down the league compared to the past, but aren't we doing that now anyway?
Jesus, we dn't belong in D-1... I'm not convinced we'd be dominant in OVC.
The MAC would be a colossaly stupid move just to say we aren't in CUSA even without signing a lengthy GOR. Add in the GOR and I cannot understand how anyone could believe that was an appealing move in the slightest.
As to future CUSA movement the conference has never gone more than eight years with the same group.
As to future CUSA movement the conference has never gone more than eight years with the same group.
It's simply a gamble between two options.
1. If you don't think we can maneuver ourselves into the Sunbelt/AAC, then the MAC is a better home than CUSA. Better TV deal, more stable, more respected and historic conference, better more compact and less costly travel, easier to win, competitors with similar ambitions and similar resources and budgets.
2. If you think we can improve our programs to the point where the next round of conference shuffling (probably around 24-25 when OU/Tx move and the ripples move out) will result in MT positioning ourselves to get a slot in the Belt/AAC, then you stick here and do everything you can to make that happen (facilities, investments, etc).
With no confidence whatsoever in our leadership that they can do the things they need to do to make option 2 work, then option 1, IMHO, was a better choice.
Because there's a very real scenario that when the next conference shuffle happens, suppose the Belt plucks WKU and Liberty, and we're stuck wondering how we ended up in a conference with Prairie View and Murray State streaming on Al-Jazeera Sports.
Exactly. This isn't about what we want. This is about what makes sense based on who wanted us. The Belt doesn't want or need us back. The AAC has Memphis and as long as they are there, we are here. Do we hold out for 5+ years or more until that changes? I guess. The MAC wanted to move on us now and with WKU, it more than made sense. No one would move in on the MAC and that commish isn't stupid enough to invite Kennesaw st to move up when they don't have the means or following to make us more prestigious. Missou st was a better option. Even then, it's a desperate move.
It's all a moot point. We are stuck with what we have and they aren't visionary enough to do anything different.
My bro asked a question that I thought was interesting. Has Judy reached out to a school like Mi Ohio or Northern Illinois and said...hey, how about coming to CUSA? Maybe impossible but that would be a move that would make it interesting.
Not that I am aware (not saying it didn't happen), I think the MAC schools covet stability & MACtion on ESPN / ESPN2 / ESPN+
Can she do that? Don't the schools have to initiate? I think I read something about that with the B1G moves. Of course there are always back channels.
She's too busy calling Houston Baptist and Little Sisters of the Poor.
Does Columbia State have a football team yet? I'm sure they are on Judy' short list of castoffs that can be added.
Best course of action (which is silly because our leadership is so terrible) is to use the exit fee money to position ourselves in a better spot 2-3 years down the road. Memphis will probably get plucked to the Big-12, freeing up at least one spot for MT in the AAC if the stars align. That again is assuming we do things NOW to change our image. Based on our track record that seems crazy.
I do think the Big 12 could potentially be the winners with the next round of shuffling. They could poach some PAC-12 schools, or go after a Memphis. Either way there seems to be some spots opening in the AAC for sure when the dominos fall. So this is the last chance to get things in order right now.
Best course of action (which is silly because our leadership is so terrible) is to use the exit fee money to position ourselves in a better spot 2-3 years down the road. Memphis will probably get plucked to the Big-12, freeing up at least one spot for MT in the AAC if the stars align. That again is assuming we do things NOW to change our image. Based on our track record that seems crazy.
I do think the Big 12 could potentially be the winners with the next round of shuffling. They could poach some PAC-12 schools, or go after a Memphis. Either way there seems to be some spots opening in the AAC for sure when the dominos fall. So this is the last chance to get things in order right now.
Memphis not going anywhere, the Big 12 will take AZ, AZ St, Colorado and Utah and be done. The pac 12 will be the loser in all of this.
That was the initial thought but reports are now that the P12 will stick together. So who knows. Won't know much till new TV deals are signed which both P12 and B12 are negotiating now.
When 2 of your latest conference additions were previously ASUN members, we have to admit one thing. You can love it or hate it, but the Houston Baptist's Incarnate Word's, or OVC schools out there are precisely where our commish is going. It's not dissatisfied Missouri Valley, MAC, or long established mid-tier fbs schools. Will she stop at 10 schools? Maybe for this year, but ultimately she'll shoot for 2 divisions of 12 - 14 schools.
Their name is Tarleton State, and they will be more well known and pass MTSU by in less than 10 years. They supposedly have a visionary president and AD + some respectable financial backing and being in the heart of Texas doesn't hurt....
Shouldn't take them long at all before they field teams better than what we've got. Bookmark this post.
Last edited:
If that is the goal, they need to think outside the box with regards to scheduling and TV. I've said before somewhere here that 16 schools with 4x4 pods is ideal.
N / S / E / W
7 scheduled conference games
3 in pod and against another pod, different each year like NFL.
Final conference game is a "mini playoff" with leaders of N vs S and E vs W rotating depending on who opposite pod is.
Winners play championship game. Maybe make last game and champ part of a 3day weekend in one place or something.
Or scheduling OoC games as a conference. Something different.
Need to not just bring schools in for numbers just to do it. Be unique to differentiate ourselves. Nothing Judy has done so far has shown a vision for things like that though.
Your Tarleton post got my attention. Just read they are a part of Texas A & M university program. This means they should have all the money they want for athletics enhancements & upgrades.
It’s all about the dominos. Some conference will raid the AAC. Big 12 or PAC 12 will strike first and then the AAC will get poached to either fill spots initially or to backfill for outgoing programs. Memphis basketball and being major city will be appealing, which could create an open Spot in the AAC. Maybe we could get in then or we backfill for another conference that loses a team.
Problem is why would they think about MT at this point? That’s why it’s critical we make investments NOW!
