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@PeteThamel:
The industry is bracing for a ripple of realignment, sources tell me/@BonaguraESPN.
*Texas State is the heavy favorite to join the Pac-12
*Louisiana Tech is the favorite to replace Texas State in Sun Belt.
*What's next for Memphis?
*What's CUSA ripple?
Many positives...
Getting out of DEI Judy's TV deal with mid-week games
MUCH better home schedule in all sports
MUCH easier travel to away games in football and baseball (also for the MBB guys)
We have made it known that we will not be participating heavily in the NIL fiasco so we are what we are. Hopefully when and if things ever settle down, we will be in a better place. I'm still not sure we have the leadership needed to be a better brand than we are right now. Most of that, IMO, is on former leadership who were content with the SOS. They got us more "stuff", but lost almost 50% of a fan base while doing it.
SBC does play Tuesday/Thursday games but it's definitely not the WHOLE month of October for ALL schools.
Probably a good move. We are not going up so we might as well cut our losses with CUSA.
Well, we know that's not true.Quote:
We will always do what is in the best interest of Louisiana Tech and Louisiana Tech Athletics.
Ivey's comments were a lot more CYA, makes me think there's at least one tooth to it
We are going to have to replace some non-conference games.
Here are some schools that haven't announced a full 2026 non-conference schedule according to FBSchedules
Pac 12 will probably need to schedule a 5th non-conference if they only have 8 FB playing schools.
UTEP (2 Away, 1 home)
WKU (3 away)
Bowling Green (maybe we can move our 2022 game - but they probably want a home game)
Toledo (2 Away, 1 home)
FIU (2 Away, 1 home)
Jax St (1 Away, 1 home)
MO State (2 Away, 1 home)
NMSU (1 home, 1 away)
Kent State (1 away)
NIU (2 away, 1 home)
Ohio (2 away)
Army (1 A, 1 H, 1 N)
ECU (1 A, 2 H)
FAU (2 A, 1 H)
Rice (2 H, 1 A)
UAB (2 H, 1 A)
USF (2 H, 1A)
UTSA (1 H, 2 A)
Quote:
FUTURE LOUISIANA TECH NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
2026
- 09/12 vs. Northwestern State ($400,000)
- 09/19 at Southern Miss
- 09/26 vs UL-Lafayette
- @ TBD $$$
2027
- 09/11 vs Nicholls State ($350,000)
- 09/18 at Kansas
- 09/25 vs South Alabama
- @ NC State
2028
- 09/02 2 at Texas
- 09/09 - at North Texas
- 09/16 vs Kansas
- 09/23 - at San Diego State
2029
- 09/08 at UL-Lafayette
- 09/15 vs Southern Miss
- 09/22 vs San Diego State
- @ TBD $$$
2030
- vs FCS
- 09/14 @ Troy
- @ TBD $$$
- 09/21 ULM
2031
- 09/13 at ULM
- 09/20 at USM
2032
- 09/18 vs USM
- 09/25 vs. Troy
2033
- 09/17 at USM
- 09/24 vs San Diego State
2034
- 09/23 at San Diego State
2035
- 9/22 vs. Bowling Green
We'd have to change a TON of OOC games.
I wouldn't have wanted this in, say, 2018. Or in 2006. Maybe around 2010 or so. But the situation changed. It's probably the best move. Hopefully we'll give the full 2 years notice. Pros are covered above - Cons would be basketball strength and more interactions with some of those fanbases online.
We ain't got no $5.5 million to spend...sorry.Quote:
Originally Posted by sportdawg
The parking lot people will come up with whatever is needed
I feel like we are now chasing the bottom. Yes, CUSA is hurting - this could have been avoided by teams like Southern Miss and Tech sticking together. CUSA is a shell of a conference now but it is very difficult to be happy about a return to the belt. While other schools are chasing bigger conferences, it seems like we just gave up.
We gave up a long time ago, and a move would at least inject some short-term interestQuote:
Originally Posted by champion110
Southern Miss wanted us to make the move when they did -Quote:
Originally Posted by champion110
The talks began WAY before they actually moved - McClelland made his infamous comments during that time
I have always felt we should be tied at the hip with USL and So Miss
I agree for several common sense reasons.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwayne From Minden
It's definitely the best move to do right now if Tech has the chance to get an invite.
When did Texas State move up to Division I FBS? They were known as Southwest Texas State, I seem to recall and were an FCS school. Around 2008 or so they moved up. Most famous alums are LBJ and George Strait.
Okay, just did a quick search: their biggest football rivalry was Nicholls State...and now they have blown past us headed for the PAC-12. Yeah, it's not the same PAC-12 but is better in name and prestige than either CUSA or the Belt.
Mediocrity R US! :icon_roll:
TXST has 41,000 students. A $400 million endowment, and an $800 million annual budget; $175 million spent on research. A 500-acre main campus...oh, and the estimated population with 75 miles of campus: 5,000,000.Quote:
Originally Posted by dawg80
This ^^^^^^^^Quote:
Originally Posted by Dwayne From Minden
Now if we could get NLU to drop to the Southland, we would be perfect!
no tennis against ulm. They dropped that program today. I wonder what that saves them. The scholarships are being shifted to other sports.
The Lincoln Parish Journal reported today that Coach Lane Burroughs hired former ULM head coach Mike Federico as Coach for Player Development.
It would be but after all these decades, ULM has managed to survive. Barring interference from others ULM is here to stay, much to the dismay of many including current SBC fans.Quote:
Originally Posted by DawgFaninHous
Totally agree..... When we first moved up to what was called 1a at the time and tied Maryland in the Indy Bowl, my hopes were VERY high for our future. The WAC (when it was a big step up) was in our sights, then (when CUSA formed), I thought we would head there. After that, I was hoping we would invest and, eventually, try for a P5. I had much loftier goals for Tech and the belt was in our rear view mirror. Going Independent was a great step to build upon and, then, join a good conference and keep moving up. The reality was that the good names left when we got to the WAC and the same happened when we moved to CUSA. With a few exceptions, all those teams kept moving in the right direction and we just stagnated and now find ourselves falling to the belt. Many see it as a good thing with regional rivalries, but the truth is the name of the conference and the name of the teams associated with it will always be a step down. We will go back to being thought of as a half step above FCS with in-state rivals that are viewed as little league on the national stage.Quote:
Originally Posted by dawg80
My goal was obviously much loftier than the leaders at Tech. I saw us eventually being a Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech. We will now end up lumped with the Louisiana directional teams - even if they took the direction out of their name. Most people will lump us in with FCS teams like Nichols and McNeese - even if we are a small step ahead being FBS. TCU did it right and it looks like Texas State will be on the same path, even if the Pac 12 isn't what it used to be.
NIL has all but killed NCAA athletics, so investing heavily to get in a better conference is foolish. There’s no way we can come close to competing with the few resources that we have. If we manage to get in the Belt, it would be better than where we currently find ourselves, so that’s an easy decision to make. Maybe it would spark a little interest and excitement in the fan base, or what’s left of it.
Well, you can look at it this way: the "powers that be" are killing college athletics as we have known it, so! being left behind is no big deal.
Person A: Tech has missed the train.
Person B: True, but the train isn't heading anywhere anyway.
Some of these numbers we could have sniffed with proper management at any time in the last 50 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by CARTEK
Others we were never going to touch.
A wise strategy would have been to use what we had in an effective way to go as high as we possibly could.
We failed and now those doors are forever closed.
The student body size clearly has nothing to do with it. There are smaller schools that Tech (and some around the same size) that are in P4 conferences. It is about budget, endowment, and whatever population base you count for tv viewership. Of course, people in whatever population is counted have to watch Tech sports (mainly football). You could have a 5 million person population and none of them watch your team - instead they watch another. A good example of this was UTSA, but they are overcoming that.
I logged in after lunch to check in with the ole BBB on this topic - then it hit me, I don’t really care anymore - put us in a conference home somewhere from the SEC to the Southland…..and be done with it.
The conference realignment, NIL, transfer portal has all but crushed my GAS for college athletics.
It has boiled down to about 32 teams that will break away from the NCAA and jet from game to game on an unlimited budget to while the rest of us bus back and forth and cut Olympic sports.
If we are asked to be in the SBC, we better try to be the best value add they have ever seen and commit to that conference.
All I am concerned about at this point is a team that is good (wherever it is) and fun to watch.Quote:
Originally Posted by faninmonroe
For a decade we have been neither good nor fun to watch in any sport, so the GAS meter is below 0.
Baseball has been a 7 but could have been a 9.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Dawg
Football has been a sub 5 going back to Holtz' last 3 years.
MBB has been a 6 just because, but they ALWAYS choke due to poor coaching.
None of the other sports matter.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SicemDawgz
Just consolidate all the non-power conferences schools. At this point it doesn't matter. ESPN and the big boys have ruined college football. Retaining good players at the non-power level is going to be hard to impossible.
So, Texas States athletics fee is $264 for a 12-hour semester. 41,000 students, not all take 12 hours, but some take more there are a few that may be exempts from certain fees... that averages about 10 million a semester, correct? What's our athletic budget?
Thank God! This is good news.Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunDave1
I agree totally.Quote:
Originally Posted by dawg80
What makes it good rather than neutral?
Three teams in the same conference and in the same state with two being only about 30 miles apart makes no sense. If La Tech can get ULM to drop out of the league, then I'm all in.Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Dawg
You must watch all the LaLaff games on ESPN+ and don’t enjoy traveling only 3 hours to away games.Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunDave1
BTW, good luck watching a baseball game on ESPN+ if your softball team is playing at the same time.
Why does it matter if there would be three schools from the same state, that's great for the state of Louisiana. The MAC has like 6 schools from the state of Ohio.Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunDave1
I don't care about what's great for Louisiana but three teams in one state is nothing that should matter. The ACC does it and the MAC does it with two states. It shouldn't matter. If anything, it helps with travel partners.Quote:
Originally Posted by qng001
Pretty sure Hartwell's endorsement means about as much as if they called Tommy McClelland for his input.
This is going to boil down to East vs West. East wants another team. Not sure it really is a Tech thing, just less travel for the east teams.
FWIW, we don't help the TV market at all while almost any team east of the Mississippi would help. Not that market size really matters at this point, but this excuse is bound to come up at some point.
Western is in the middle of nowhere, but nearer several major markets.
That doesn't make sense - you've got 7 in the East (all on the coast) & 6 in the West. How does an 8/6 split make sense. It doesn't expand your footprint, if anything it reduces basketball costs.
East Division App St Boone, North Carolina Coastal Carolina Conway, South Carolina Georgia Southern Statesboro, Georgia Georgia State Atlanta, Georgia JMU Harrisonburg, Virginia Marshall Huntington, West Virginia ODU Norfolk, Virginia West Division Arkansas State Jonesboro, Arkansas UL-L Lafayette, Louisiana ULM Monroe, Louisiana South Alabama Mobile, Alabama USM Hattiesburg, Mississippi Troy Troy, Alabama
The east is already pretty tight proximity-wise.
https://sunbeltsports.org/common/con..._1920x1080.jpg
They want more and they have the votes.
This is another reason Tech should not be voted into the league. The official name of our University is indeed The University of Louisiana - Lafayette. However, athletically, we have branded ourselves a Louisiana. But your university and and many of it's fans continue to refer to Louisiana athletically utilizing the term ULL or Lafayette, references that our administration has asked not be utilized. Therefore, Tech either wants to be a good partner and fit in the league or not. Until Tech can accept UL's athletic branding as "Louisiana", as has all the other schools in the conference (including ULM), ESPN, ABC, CBS and all other networks, as well as the NCAA, then Tech is openly demonstrating that they are not willing to enter the league and be good conference partners and work together for the good of the conference. If LA Tech can't or is not willing to agree to this simple matter, how can the Conference ever think they will cooperate and work together with the entire conference on matters that are much more important than this. Let's face it, Tech shit on the SBC once already and ended up is exactly where it is today. CUSA is Tech's home and most likely will be for the foreseeable future. Continue to enjoy the separation you wanted!Quote:
Originally Posted by sportdawg
We need to stay in CUSA, period.
But, speaking of the Belt... Geaux Coastal, beat the tiggers!
No other school in the state accepts the false branding. Look at any schedule and you will see Ragin’ Cajuns or some version of Louisiana-Lafayette. See yourself outQuote:
Originally Posted by CajunDave1
This is true.Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunDave1
Please show me where the university says it's branding is UL.Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunDave1
Why are you using something that by law is not allowed and against the wishes of everyone else in the state? Why aren't you willing to be a good partner in this state after everyone has requested that you not do this.
Why does the University of Louisiana at Lafayette appear to be so determined to suppress their relationship with Lafayette? Is the university ashamed to be located in Lafayette? How does being identified as Louisiana add anything to the stature of the university? When asked where did you graduate, and the response is Louisiana, the response is incomplete according to the names assigned to the state-supported universities by the governing board of the University System of Louisiana.Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunDave1
You can attempt to chastise us for refusing to accept your counterfeit name, but we are not the party that is marching out of step. It is the University Of Louisiana AT LAFAYETtE which does not represent the entire state of Louisiana.
I agree, I don't get why they are distancing their "Lafayette" branding. It's unique and embraces the south Louisiana culture.
I think University of Lafayette would be a better name. Lafayette Cajuns.
Example, Boise State brand is way stronger than University of Idaho or Idaho State. They leaned into the city's name.
Then ULM can go back to Northeast Louisiana University (NLU). That would be strongly embraced by their alumns.