UAB's Conference USA membership could be decided this weekend

UAB's Conference USA membership could be decided this weekend; the key factors, repercussions

When Dr. Camden Wood Selig was working to get Old Dominion a bid into Conference USA, there wasn't a more ardent supporter of the cause than UAB.UAB athletic director Brian Mackin went to bat for the Norfolk, Va. school and helped it get admitted into the conference in 2012.

Now, Selig must decide whether he wants to return the favor when Conference USA athletic directors and presidents meet in Boca Raton this weekend to decide whether UAB will stay in the conference.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2...embership.html

Its an unfortunate situation. I don't think an exception should be made tho.

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Originally Posted by Blue Dawg

Its an unfortunate situation. I don't think an exception should be made tho.

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From my article on LaTechReport.com:

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The UAB situation is an absolute shame. Not only will their football program be shut down due to the actions of a group of cronies in the University of Alabama Board of Trustees and one coward who happens to be the UAB President, but UAB as a whole and Conference USA will suffer due to the harm done to UAB’s athletic program.

I believe Conference USA has to kick UAB out of the conference. The conference has no choice. They can’t afford to wait a year or longer for UAB to get its house in order, if it happens at all.

I’m a fan of UAB. I hope UAB football comes back from the dead. I hope UAB can become a member of Conference USA again in the very near future.

Any wishes and hopes for UAB football’s resurrection does not erase the fact that there are much bigger concerns regarding that university right now. Even if UAB football became a modern-day Lazarus in the next few weeks or months, the fundamental situation with that school does not change. Ray Watts will still be UAB’s President. Paul Bryant, Jr. will still have UAB athletics in his sights at the UA BOT.

If UAB wishes to be in Conference USA, I think three things have to happen. First, the football program must be reinstated. Second, Ray Watts must be fired as the president and replaced with someone who gives a damn about UAB football and UAB athletics. Finally, either the UA Board of Trustees must be restructured to have much greater representation by UAB or UAB must secede from that board and create its own board to oversee its own affairs without unfair influence by a group of Crimson Tide homers.

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http://latechreport.com/2015/01/24/l...tning-round-1/

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Originally Posted by TechAlum05

From my article on LaTechReport.com:



http://latechreport.com/2015/01/24/l...tning-round-1/

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Good article. Always appreciate your analysis.

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Originally Posted by TechAlum05

From my article on LaTechReport.com:



http://latechreport.com/2015/01/24/l...tning-round-1/

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I agree on the good article. It is all a shame, but it is their problem to fix. I don't know if they can overcome it.

If they are gonna take a vote I think probably half would like them to stay and half would like to see them go. But ultimately it will come down to money. Do they add any value without football?

Why is there a vote? UAB doesn't field a football team, they are no longer eligible to play in the CUSA; the only question is how fast are they out and what fines can be assessed.

It sets a bad precedent to allow football to be dropped with no consequences. But UAB should be given until the Spring meetings to decide whether football is coming back.

If not, 2015-2016 should be UAB's last year in the conference. And there should be a financial penalty (something like $100K times the other 13 members) deducted from UAB's revenue share for each year it plays in C-USA without football starting with 2015-2016.

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Originally Posted by olddog75

Why is there a vote? UAB doesn't field a football team, they are no longer eligible to play in the CUSA; the only question is how fast are they out and what fines can be assessed.

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Well I think some schools may have compassion and side with them since they are a charter member, helped ODU get in, or themselves may be secretly considering dropping football. How hard would it be to amend the bylaw?

If they're not going to have a football team, you have to cut them loose. The only hesitation I would have is that the issue isn't dead in Alabama. Watts or the trustees miscalculated of how this would go over (or just pulled the trigger on the wrong year). The president got a no-confidence vote and there is a lot of movement to get a team back up by 2016. A rebooted UAB is better than most or all other options. So it might be worthwhile to put them on probation, give them a year or so to reboot the program, and keep them in the meantime while they do. Could work.

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Originally Posted by parialex

If they're not going to have a football team, you have to cut them loose. The only hesitation I would have is that the issue isn't dead in Alabama. Watts or the trustees miscalculated of how this would go over (or just pulled the trigger on the wrong year). The president got a no-confidence vote and there is a lot of movement to get a team back up by 2016. A rebooted UAB is better than most or all other options. So it might be worthwhile to put them on probation, give them a year or so to reboot the program, and keep them in the meantime while they do. Could work.

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If we do that, we have to fine them - or figure out a way to not allow any conference football revenue flowing their direction.

I am sure there is a formula in place that they used for Charlotte and ODU.

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Originally Posted by parialex

. A rebooted UAB is better than most or all other options. So it might be worthwhile to put them on probation, give them a year or so to reboot the program, and keep them in the meantime while they do. Could work.

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Well, a rebooted UAB football team is probably not going to be anything to write home about (that were pretty bad for most of their history before all the momentum they had going forward from a 6-6 year was lost). But as a whole, you'd like to find an excuse to keep them around. Restarting football might be enough for that.

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Originally Posted by champion110

If we do that, we have to fine them - or figure out a way to not allow any conference football revenue flowing their direction.

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Originally Posted by parialex

I am sure there is a formula in place that they used for Charlotte and ODU.

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I think this is easy. You just don't pay out the football revenue. Just like UALR or UTA in the Sunbelt or the last two years of ODU and UNC-Charlotte.

My 2 cents, keep UAB around for 2015-16 with 1 year probation. If they have not decided what to do with football by June 1, 2015, then their C-USA membership should be terminated, effective June 30, 2016.

I still like the idea of bringing Army on for FB only and keeping UAB for other sports.

I think it’s easy too, they are gone at the end of thisschool year, unless, and only unless, CUSA is better off with them. This isn't kindergarten;the league has rules that need to be adhered to.