Best Karl Benson article EVER - and totally misleading!

[Dawg06]

Well, that and the fact that it isn't really of any great advantage for the Sunbelt to invite Idaho or New Mexico.

Would you invite them to join the SB if you were in charge?

I would have invited New Mexico State instead of Texas-Arlington.

[inudesu]

I would have invited New Mexico State instead of Texas-Arlington.

Despite my good feelings towards my employer, I think this is probably six one way half-a-dozen the other.

It's big market/better location/balance for UALR vs. has a football team/better b-ball rep.

My football bias would lean towards NMSU, but then they'd have to add somebody else for football, too.

[Dawg06]

Despite my good feelings towards my employer, I think this is probably six one way half-a-dozen the other.

It's big market/better location/balance for UALR vs. has a football team/better b-ball rep.

My football bias would lean towards NMSU, but then they'd have to add somebody else for football, too.

The Belt wouldn't have to add another football team. The Big Ten had 11 football teams for years, and it worked just fine.

NM State actually has value. They were the only prospective team that could earn conference MBB unit$.

What good does UT-Arlington's market do ya if they don't have a football team? None. UT-Arlington will never play a regular season game on an ESPN network.

Major conferences don't have full members without football teams. The Belch took a step backwards with the addition of UT-Arlington.

If UALR becomes the only non-football member, the Belt could start to put some pressure on them to either add football or to join the Southland similar to how C-USA treated their non-football members like Charlotte about 8 years ago.

[inudesu]

The Belt wouldn't have to add another football team. The Big Ten had 11 football teams for years, and it worked just fine.

Did it?

Besides, New Mexico State isn't Penn State. I can't see why the Sunbelt would want to go to 11 without going to 12. If you're going to have more mouths to feed you might as well try and get a championship game to make some money back (and split into divisions to save on travel).

NM State actually has value. They were the only prospective team that could earn conference MBB unit$.

This is a decent point. But it's not necessarily a slam-dunk (as it were). When was their last at-large bid? Is SB rpi going to help them earn many more? (But yes, they do have that potential).

What good does UT-Arlington's market do ya if they don't have a football team? None. UT-Arlington will never play a regular season game on an ESPN network.

That argument makes sense, but didn't stop the WAC from adding them (or Denver, or Seattle, or Boise State). How many games is NMSU going to play on ESPN in the 'Belt? Potentially, they could step in and be pretty good and get some bracket-buster type appearances. But they could also fall off, and essentially become just another team.

Major conferences don't have full members without football teams. The Belch took a step backwards with the addition of UT-Arlington.

They took a step sideways. I think 2 non-football teams is actually better than 1 (if you're going to have any).

If UALR becomes the only non-football member, the Belt could start to put some pressure on them to either add football or to join the Southland similar to how C-USA treated their non-football members like Charlotte about 8 years ago.

If your reasoning is based on some long-term plan to drive current members away, then naturally that would change your strategy somewhat.

I would probably have leaned towards the school with the football program (as I said). But let's not act like it was some clear-cut no-brainer call.

Flip a coin.

[parialex]

The Belt wouldn't have to add another football team. The Big Ten had 11 football teams for years, and it worked just fine.

NM State actually has value. They were the only prospective team that could earn conference MBB unit$.

What good does UT-Arlington's market do ya if they don't have a football team? None. UT-Arlington will never play a regular season game on an ESPN network.

Major conferences don't have full members without football teams. The Belch took a step backwards with the addition of UT-Arlington.

If UALR becomes the only non-football member, the Belt could start to put some pressure on them to either add football or to join the Southland similar to how C-USA treated their non-football members like Charlotte about 8 years ago.

You forgot (or discounted) that NMSU has AggieVision. That should be attractive to the Sun Belt. They got a lot of play on ESPN3 and GamePlan, despite being NMSU. Having games ready for TV has its advantages, without the investment that is required for everyone else.

I disagree with the part about non-FB members. I think C*USA was wrong to chase off Charlotte and St. Louis and should have gone 12/14. Other than "the big conferences don't do it", I don't see much of a reason not to. The WAC might be better off if they'd invited Denver earlier, and I think the MWC should consider inviting them now as Hawaii's stand-in.

I also disagree about 11. I think it's ideally 9, 10 or 12. Unless the right school comes along, and I don't think NMSU justifies 11. If they do, then Idaho FBO justifies 12, in my view.