Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Tech is not one to speak, but the MAC is a bad move for WKU and an even worse move for MTSU.
Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois.
These schools add almost no value to your athletics and really affects recruiting south of the Mason-Dixon Line.
At this point in the game it is about regional rivalries for G5 schools. Nobody is showing up to watch you play the Toledo Zips.
Yet until the G5 figure this out we will have weird outlier travel partners like NMSU/UTEP.
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Champ967
Well, maybe ...
But I like it and I'm sticking with it.
……But the present gives a much different and trending view…..bowl game blow out by a mid Sunbelt team last year….A losing record in the worst conference in the country as rated for 3 years……add in the other negatives (enrollment decline, endowment, location, budget, attendance) and you get your answer! Now juxtapose that with USM and getting a Mississippi school!
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bill Brasky
What really bugs me about this is what Wood's comments that make it seem like we're just making phone calls and seeing what happens. If you're Louisiana Tech and you're the strongest member of the remaining 3, aren't you running point on keeping this thing together. At the end of the day, MAC is really weak in football. You're going to let WKU and MTSU get poached because they think you're looking to jump off the ship as soon as a lifeboat miraculously shows up?
I'm actually feeling a bit better about all this today. At this point we can only control what we can control and Guice/Wood should be focused on keeping WKU and MTSU in the fold.
I'd also be asking CUSA to move the conference basketball tournament to Bossier/Shreveport (for the next 2 years) and this year's baseball tournament to Ruston. There is a significant correlation between where these tournaments are held and who wins them. Why should North Texas or Southern Miss get any favors from CUSA?
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
boxerdog
I'd also be asking CUSA to move the conference basketball tournament to Bossier/Shreveport (for the next 2 years) and this year's baseball tournament to Ruston. There is a significant correlation between where these tournaments are held and who wins them. Why should North Texas or Southern Miss get any favors from CUSA?
Yes to both of these!
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
boxerdog
I'd also be asking CUSA to move the conference basketball tournament to Bossier/Shreveport (for the next 2 years) and this year's baseball tournament to Ruston. There is a significant correlation between where these tournaments are held and who wins them. Why should North Texas or Southern Miss get any favors from CUSA?
Happened to us when we left the 'Belt. Should have happened to UAB when they were out discovering themselves.
I think not being able to host conference events once you've announced a departure is fairly standard. Probably not an option for "neutral" sites we've contracted with that happen to be close to one school or another (but anything on-campus ought to be moved to Ruston, El Paso, or Miami). I doubt this will happen, and honestly we probably come out ahead that way (like USM is worse for us than Ruston of course, but a lot better than Miami).
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
exflash
……But the present gives a much different and trending view…..bowl game blow out by a mid Sunbelt team last year….A losing record in the worst conference in the country as rated for 3 years……add in the other negatives (enrollment decline, endowment, location, budget, attendance) and you get your answer! Now juxtapose that with USM and getting a Mississippi school!
And yet you are still here posting.... The line "I can't quit you" comes to mind. :laugh:
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
boxerdog
I'd also be asking CUSA to move the conference basketball tournament to Bossier/Shreveport (for the next 2 years) and this year's baseball tournament to Ruston. There is a significant correlation between where these tournaments are held and who wins them. Why should North Texas or Southern Miss get any favors from CUSA?
Totally agree...... Any school that has stated it is leaving should NEVER be able to host any tournament. Tech, FIU, and UTEP should be deciding everything now.
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
champion110
Totally agree...... Any school that has stated it is leaving should NEVER be able to host any tournament. Tech, FIU, and UTEP should be deciding everything now.
I saw the Colonial that JMU is leaving is not letting them compete in the basketball championship game - or something like that if they decide to leave. I can't remember the details, but clearly they are being punished in some form or fashion. CUSA should certainly being calling all the shots in favor of the remaining schools.
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Suppose to become official today: WKU and MTSU to The MAC. I don't blame them and we all knew this was coming, but, now that it is official, wow! Kind of a gut punch. This will probably seal Mizzou State not wanting to join CUSA. Talk was they were only interested if WKU and MTSU stayed, giving them reasonable travel to a couple of conference opponents. Mark them off the list. There is talk that Liberty is reconsidering as well.
NMSU is a no-brainer invite for all sports as a travel partner for UTEP. They are, technically, FBS and do have a good basketball program. Jax State and Sam Houston State are both decent invitees, about as good there is in the geographic footprint (ahem...) in the FCS ranks.
I certainly agree that the Three Amigos should call all the shots for the remainder of the CUSA experiment, thru July, 2023. But, given how pathetic Guice, and his staff of empty suits, is, he'll just grab his ankles: thank you sir (ma'am since it'll be Judy applying the punishment) may I have another! I bet cUAB will be more influential than Tech now thru 2023. They will get what they want.
In the world of athletics, Tech has really dumped a big load of chit. Not that anyone who can do something about it will care enough to. It is possible football will end up Indy and our other sports in a deteriorating Southland Conference. Heck, the SLC is on life-support too.
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
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Originally Posted by
FriscoDog
Do you really think Woods and Guice are actively talking with WKU and MTSU to keep them around?
In person? No!
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Cal&Ken
I saw the Colonial that JMU is leaving is not letting them compete in the basketball championship game - or something like that if they decide to leave. I can't remember the details, but clearly they are being punished in some form or fashion. CUSA should certainly being calling all the shots in favor of the remaining schools.
But here's an important difference ...
JMU is only one vote in their current conference. The departing CUSA schools, on the other hand, still control a supermajority of the conference, right up until the minute they leave. They're not going to vote to ban themselves from playing in (or hosting!) any conference championship events.
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Champ967
But here's an important difference ...
JMU is only one vote in their current conference. The departing CUSA schools, on the other hand, still control a supermajority of the conference, right up until the minute they leave. They're not going to vote to ban themselves from playing in (or hosting!) any conference championship events.
I think JMU did vote to create their rule (and to enforce it against a couple of schools). I gather some of the concern here is about when the rule kicks in. I feel like that may have been part of the issue with the Techsters hosting the SB tournament back in 2001, too.
If the schools leaving CUSA already put a rule like this in place, it should stand (but yeah, if not - not much chance they'd agree to it now).
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Ross Dellenger
@RossDellenger
C-USA’s expansion is complete, sources tell @SINow. Liberty, New Mexico State, Jacksonville State & Sam Houston have joined the league.
They are expected to start competition in 2023.
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
Ross Dellenger
@RossDellenger
The last realignment dominoes now rest with the MAC.
The MAC is not expected to make a decision today on Middle Tennessee & Western Kentucky, sources say.
Re: Serious Conference Realignment Discussion
The 2 tweets cited above dont quite add up.
If Western & Middle go, then CUSA has to make at least one more move to get back to 8.