CBS Sports: CUSA Mulling 16 team model

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoot...-16-team-model

"C-USA is considering expansion to 16 teams in football, commissioner Britton Banowsky said Monday."

"Banowsky said it's too early to speculate about potential new members, while adding he's not sure how flexible his membership will be after rampant change in recent months.

Arkansas State or Louisiana-Lafayette from the Sun Belt, which has lost several teams to C-USA, could be attractive options.
A 16-team league would give C-USA more mouths to feed but could reduce travel costs if teams played primarily within eight-team, geographically friendly divisions."


What do you think? I could see this turning into a conference split down the road if we don't lose more teams. My first choice would be Texas State if they are going to add someone, but really, staying put at this point seems more prudent.

No team in the Belch now for 2014-2015 is going to be anywhere other than the Belch as far down the road as we can see if ULM doesn't slide back to FCS.

Absolutely no reason to make any moves unless and until they are needed.

The money pie really isn't big enough to be splitting 14 ways, much less 16.

This is just talk. The only reason I could see us doing that would be to put a nail in the Belches coffin, and I don't think that would do it either. stAte offers nothing and ULLaffy is gonna crash and burn once it's revealled some of the crap they are pulling down there. Those just arent good choices for us.

The only way we do this is if there is word that The American (I still hate that name) has indicated that it is going to pull 2 more from CUSA. If it is Southern Miss and us, I have no problem with the move by CUSA. It would kill ulm for good too. HOWEVER, as long as we are in CUSA, I would rather it not invite any more of the teams from the belt.

For revenue reasons I don't like it. Why add more mouths to feed unless they are bringing a lot of $$$$$ with them??? Makes no sense. It's not like CUSA is gonna add Boise St. They will be adding schools that don't add a dime of revenue.

The only benefit I see here would be trying to kill the Sunbelt. As fun as it would be to watch Mr. Peanut start the spin machine, I agree with KSDawg that this wouldn't kill them. Regional travel partners makes sense, but the conference is already pretty regional for everyone except Marshall and UTEP. So, maybe you add NM State and someone on the east coast to be partners with those guys, but then that adds travel for the rest of us in the South and Southeast. Unless they bring their own money to the pie, then why split the pie more ways? Doesn't make sense.

Unless any additions can bring in a net $200K-300K increase to each school, they aren't worth it. I can't see any addition that could do that right now because the Belch won't be gone even if C-USA added four more teams from that group.

Conferences will be getting more or less football money based simply on position in the outsiders group, not more or less based on how much better or worse a conference is than others.

It would not surprise me if this is being driven by Fox. They one thing Fox needs over the next five to 10 years is live content for FS1 and FS2. The have an impressive lineup but will still be far behind ESPN in live programming.

The more we've learned about the Big East basketball schools' agreement with Fox, it's obvious Fox is willing to make monetary guarantees on the condition their promises aren't shopped to other networks to create a bidding war.

I've never been able to confirm it, and nothing has ever been published about it, but I suspect Banowsky has a handshake agreement with Fox that might be more lucrative than many suspect when the next TV deal is put into place.

The rumor in 2011 was that Fox was behind the Mountain West-CUSA alliance/merger. If it had come to fruition, Fox was promising $4.0 to $4.5 million per year for every school involved. Those rumors have much more validity now that we're able to see what Fox's plans are for multiple sports networks. They knew 18 months ago just how much live content they were needing to capture.

Given the fact Fox may be behind a push for additional live content, going to 16 schools would make sense. It would also reduce travel costs. I don't think CUSA's next deal with Fox will ever approach what was being offered to the Alliance schools, but I think it will be much more than the exposure deal the Sun Belt will have through 2017 when its ESPN deal ends - if the Belt is around that long.

Speaking of which. So would a CUSA expansion kill off the Sun Belt? I actually think it probably would.

Odds are, The American will need to replace four to six schools it will lose in the expansion game over the next 15 months - if not sooner. For many reasons, I tend to believe the number will be six.

That means CUSA will be looking for eight new members. That group includes ASU, UL-Lafayette, Texas State, NMSU, USA, Georgia State, JMU, and App State. Even if CUSA is looking for six new members, I still think the Belt folds. App State and JMU would not be in that mix, and I think App. State and Georgia Southern would back out of the Belt at that point and just not move up to the FBS. It would also scare off schools like Liberty and Jacksonville State. That would be the end.

And that would actually have another benefit for the schools in The American. The ESPN Plus programming that went to the WAC and Sun Belt over the past five years would almost certainly end up with The American, given its ESPN deal.

The CBS sports story today seems to change the outlook on all this.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Tech77

The CBS sports story today seems to change the outlook on all this.

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Tech77,

I'm not certain. Banowsky would have known about the $12 million per conference cap when he spoke to CBS Sports about a 16-team league less than a week ago. If the 16-team league is about tv dollars, it would be nothing for Fox to make up the difference.

I doubt it will be anytime soon for ULL...

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20130409/SPORTS0201/304090005/CUSA-eyesexpansionto-16-teams

Quote:

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Farmer said there’s been no on-site visit to UL by Conference USA officials.

Such a visit typically is a prerequisite for a program to be invited to join a new conference, and usually is requested by the conference.


There also are no current plans for such a visit, Farmer said.


Nor are there active talks, according to Farmer, between UL and C-USA officials regarding possible Cajun membership.

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Boom goes the dynamite! When does Fox come out with their new networks? I think that we will do well there.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KSDAWG

Boom goes the dynamite! When does Fox come out with their new networks? I think that we will do well there.

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August 17, 2013

Next question. Will it be available on basic cable and if so will it be limped in the 300-400 channel range or in the plump spot next to Espn. Im all for a viable alternative to the Mothership. I hate those suckers, but nbcsport is unbearable to watch and CBSSports has good football coverage but nothing else at all!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KSDAWG

Next question. Will it be available on basic cable and if so will it be limped in the 300-400 channel range or in the plump spot next to Espn. Im all for a viable alternative to the Mothership. I hate those suckers, but nbcsport is unbearable to watch and CBSSports has good football coverage but nothing else at all!

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If you have Speed and/or Fuel TV, you'll have FS1 and/or FS2.
Speed will change to FS1 on August 17, 2013.
Fuel TV will change to FS2 on August 17, 2013.

Here are the distribution numbers from January:

Network	Households (Jan 2013)
EPSN	98,569,000
ESPN2	98,534,000
FS1 (Speed)	81,080,000
NBCSN	77,888,000
ESPNU	74,071,000
CBSSN	(estimated) 42,000,000
FS2 (Fuel)	37,649,000

We should see the FS1 and FS2 distrubution numbers increase significantly after the change this August.