I thought the same thing you did. Also, the "expand to develop rivalries" angle is laughable. JMU would only be a rival for ODU, and Georgia State wouldn't be anybody's rival.
The first thing C-USA would need to accomplish before expanding is to get the CFB Playoff to remove the cap that limits the $1MM/team distribution to 12 teams max. With conference championship deregulation, C-USA might be able to accomplish that with the help of the Big Ten, Big 12, and maybe others.
The next thing C-USA would need to do is find out how much the TV partners would be willing to increase their payouts with the additions of Georgia State, JMU, or others.
If anybody's curious about the ACC Network... http://www.myajc.com/news/sports/col...g-delay/npBsW/
And speaking of JMU... new $88 million basketball arena in the works... http://jmuconvo.com/
That whole article was written like a message board fan post. "The conference should do this and that big step because it will help my team." I've read a million of these through our time in the WAC and even in the last year in CUSA (with all the UAB uncertainty). Heck, we do it around here all the time. All my thoughts about realignment filter through my Tech viewpoint. But it's odd reading it that way from an actual journalist.
To really make a logical case, he'd have to do what you said, give some real numbers for the whole conference - savings on travel vs. tv deal changes. Instead it's just generalities about ODU's travel being expensive. And while it makes sense that they'd save money if they traded a game with the western division for JMU and GSU, that doesn't prove that we'd all be better off (not to mention the philosophical issues I have with "conferences" where teams never actually play one another).
Wichita State's President tweeted out this pic a couple days ago...
Koch brothers must want the pigskin back
''Don't be a bad dagh..."
Well they have to take it back from George Soros and his current democrat puppets in power if we are to survive as a free republic.
Otherwise it will be "off with their (our) heads" when they finally let all of their muslim buddies past our borders.
Belch to determine fate of NMSU and Idaho.
http://www.abqjournal.com/725771/spo...-sun-belt.html
Yikes. If I'm Idaho or NMSU, I really sweating that vote.
I just listened to a podcast this week where a journalist mentioned in passing that off the record the other SB schools will tell you that they aren't crazy about those additions (which makes sense - they were somewhat helpful as CUSA was raiding schools, but now the Belt has stabilized).
Sounds like NMSU is at least being realistic about their chances.
Idaho's plea to remain in the Belch...
http://www.idahostatesman.com/sports...e%20Sun%20Belt