CUSA Regionalization concept would realign teams in AAC, Conference USA, Sun Belt

[The Historian]

CUSA did NOT get raided because they were the stronger conference, they got raided because the schools they took were in bigger markets. Regardless of what you think you know about UL’s finances, we are about to give Cajun Field a major$75,000,000 renovation, remain in an expanded and stronger SunBelt and Tech is……………..???

Come to think of it, I guess you're right Dave. It was just about markets, not about CUSA vs. The Belt. It was the larger market schools that got in - UNT, UTSA, FAU, Rice, Georgia State, UAB....oh, wait a minute......

[thewyldman]

Guice needs to be relieved of his duties come Monday morning.

What? lol Have you not seen all of the massive improvements to campus and increases in our research rankings? Guice is doing a great job as our presidents. Tech got screwed because Ruston isn't a big market and the Sun Belt as several institutions that don't want us. There's more to running a university than sports.

[PawDawg]

What does sashes have to do with being woke?

Not sure if you are serious, but sashes are usually reserved for female members. It is no longer cool to identify by gender.

[Amos Moses]

What? lol Have you not seen all of the massive improvements to campus and increases in our research rankings? Guice is doing a great job as our presidents. Tech got screwed because Ruston isn't a big market and the Sun Belt as several institutions that don't want us. There's more to running a university than sports.

Thanks for your imput, Dr. Guice.

[PawDawg]

and the Sun Belt as several institutions that don't want us.

Right, but they want James Madison. Tell us who the "several" are who don't want us, or are you just talking out of your butt?

[HogDawg]

What? lol Have you not seen all of the massive improvements to campus and increases in our research rankings? .

Nope.

[HogDawg]

There's more to running a university than sports.

Apparently the people in Ruston think so.

[chew4219]

Right, but they want James Madison. Tell us who the "several" are who don't want us, or are you just talking out of your butt?

The eastern programs in the SBC wanted balance. USM had been in talks with the SBC for the past two years. Their move was imminent, that was a timing issue.

Texas State, ULM, Louisiana we’re all YES votes.

Appalachian St, Coastal, GaSo, GaSt and Troy were emphatic NO votes. For two different reasons. Troy wants to be in a western division and the other eastern programs wanted to tighten the eastern footprint.

The AAC going 100% in on market strategy is 100% the reason many better programs and all but 1 SBC program was give any real consideration. Nothing Dr Savioe at UL or Dr Guice at LaTech could do to change that.

In fact several media market research firms advised for more successful programs, market penetration, over unsuccessful large market programs.

Marshall and App State for example are two programs that don’t meet the “market” criteria but have larger market penetration than Charlotte. Even in the Charlotte DMA, ECU as well.

Back to the SBC and LaTech, had their been a working relationship between SBC member institutions and LaTech over the last 20 years then LaTech would have 100% been issued a formal invite. But for reasons that have been stated several times on this site and other sites, LaTech’s admin, boosters and fans have wanted separation from former long time rivals. It worked for sure from the fall of the Big West until CUSA in 2015.

It was a very big risk, an admirable one at that. At the time I was extremely pisses as a USL/UL student athlete that we didn’t follow as a travel partner with LaTech. It hurt us for 15 years.

Fast forward to where we stand today and the G5 landscape has changed and LaTech is on the outside, right now. There will be another shift in 5-8 years. The real question isn’t why did this happen. Everyone knows why, LaTech treated every G5 regional program like crap. The real hard to answer and honest question is, What will LaTech’s administration, boosters and fans do to make sure this doesn’t happen in 5-8 years.

[Amos Moses]

The eastern programs in the SBC wanted balance. USM had been in talks with the SBC for the past two years. Their move was imminent, that was a timing issue.

Texas State, ULM, Louisiana we’re all YES votes.

Appalachian St, Coastal, GaSo, GaSt and Troy were emphatic NO votes. For two different reasons. Troy wants to be in a western division and the other eastern programs wanted to tighten the eastern footprint.

The AAC going 100% in on market strategy is 100% the reason many better programs and all but 1 SBC program was give any real consideration. Nothing Dr Savioe at UL or Dr Guice at LaTech could do to change that.

In fact several media market research firms advised for more successful programs, market penetration, over unsuccessful large market programs.

Marshall and App State for example are two programs that don’t meet the “market” criteria but have larger market penetration than Charlotte. Even in the Charlotte DMA, ECU as well.

Back to the SBC and LaTech, had their been a working relationship between SBC member institutions and LaTech over the last 20 years then LaTech would have 100% been issued a formal invite. But for reasons that have been stated several times on this site and other sites, LaTech’s admin, boosters and fans have wanted separation from former long time rivals. It worked for sure from the fall of the Big West until CUSA in 2015.

It was a very big risk, an admirable one at that. At the time I was extremely pisses as a USL/UL student athlete that we didn’t follow as a travel partner with LaTech. It hurt us for 15 years.

Fast forward to where we stand today and the G5 landscape has changed and LaTech is on the outside, right now. There will be another shift in 5-8 years. The real question isn’t why did this happen. Everyone knows why, LaTech treated every G5 regional program like crap. The real hard to answer and honest question is, What will LaTech’s administration, boosters and fans do to make sure this doesn’t happen in 5-8 years.

Total bull hockey. The reason that Tech is ambivalent at best and downright disdainful to your school especially is the way usl has handled itself about the name game and other schemes to usurp the title of "flagship" for the UL System of universities. USL's leadership, in the past and apparently presently, have been downright repulsive/spiteful towards Tech and the rest of the UL schools. It is fun to have playful banter among rivals, but the cajuns go way beyond that. No, we are not South Arkansas Tech, and we aren't hillbillies running stills in the woods. When I was at Tech in the mid to late '60's, the Tech/usl rivalry was terrific.

Whenever the Sunbelt decided to add football as a sponsored sport, Tech, decided to accept the WAC invitation instead of the Sunbelt. That upset your school, but it didn't destroy the Sunbelt since it never sponsored football to that point anyway. You never got over that. Your school apparently spread hate and disdain among the other SBC members that Tech was a traitor. Not the case at all.

[ChuckK3]

The eastern programs in the SBC wanted balance. USM had been in talks with the SBC for the past two years. Their move was imminent, that was a timing issue.

Texas State, ULM, Louisiana we’re all YES votes.

Appalachian St, Coastal, GaSo, GaSt and Troy were emphatic NO votes. For two different reasons. Troy wants to be in a western division and the other eastern programs wanted to tighten the eastern footprint.

The AAC going 100% in on market strategy is 100% the reason many better programs and all but 1 SBC program was give any real consideration. Nothing Dr Savioe at UL or Dr Guice at LaTech could do to change that.

In fact several media market research firms advised for more successful programs, market penetration, over unsuccessful large market programs.

Marshall and App State for example are two programs that don’t meet the “market” criteria but have larger market penetration than Charlotte. Even in the Charlotte DMA, ECU as well.

Back to the SBC and LaTech, had their been a working relationship between SBC member institutions and LaTech over the last 20 years then LaTech would have 100% been issued a formal invite. But for reasons that have been stated several times on this site and other sites, LaTech’s admin, boosters and fans have wanted separation from former long time rivals. It worked for sure from the fall of the Big West until CUSA in 2015.

It was a very big risk, an admirable one at that. At the time I was extremely pisses as a USL/UL student athlete that we didn’t follow as a travel partner with LaTech. It hurt us for 15 years.

Fast forward to where we stand today and the G5 landscape has changed and LaTech is on the outside, right now. There will be another shift in 5-8 years. The real question isn’t why did this happen. Everyone knows why, LaTech treated every G5 regional program like crap. The real hard to answer and honest question is, What will LaTech’s administration, boosters and fans do to make sure this doesn’t happen in 5-8 years.

Good recap. I do want to correct you on one point...fans don't and shouldn't impact any decisions on whether to invite or not. EVERY school has "those" fans. I've read the posts on RaginPagin. Many of your fans wouldn't whiz on ULM if they were on fire. Several call them "Hoax" and everything else. If I were a bitter person, I'd be HIGHLY upset with some of the comments I've read there and elsewhere about Louisiana Tech...or "laturd" as we're commonly know on RP. And YES, we have ours too.

I think the difference in this situation is that Tech is obviously not smart enough to keep private conversations private. If a big donor says, "You know, I just think Tech is ......whatever over ULL and ULM" -- doesn't mean you have to stand up in front of Twitter and be video'd repeating it. JUST. SHUT. UP. ALREADY.

I agree, SOME of this rests with Tech. SOME of this is spite. SOME of this is simply that we had no plan...NONE. And some of it was a simple draw of the cards.

[Russdawg]

The eastern programs in the SBC wanted balance. USM had been in talks with the SBC for the past two years. Their move was imminent, that was a timing issue.

Texas State, ULM, Louisiana we’re all YES votes.

Appalachian St, Coastal, GaSo, GaSt and Troy were emphatic NO votes. For two different reasons. Troy wants to be in a western division and the other eastern programs wanted to tighten the eastern footprint.

The AAC going 100% in on market strategy is 100% the reason many better programs and all but 1 SBC program was give any real consideration. Nothing Dr Savioe at UL or Dr Guice at LaTech could do to change that.

In fact several media market research firms advised for more successful programs, market penetration, over unsuccessful large market programs.

Marshall and App State for example are two programs that don’t meet the “market” criteria but have larger market penetration than Charlotte. Even in the Charlotte DMA, ECU as well.

LaTech’s admin, boosters and fans have wanted separation from former long time rivals. It worked

It was a very big risk, an admirable one at that.

Darn right it worked. For 20+ years we've had AWESOME rivalries and bowl wins that would NEVER have happened in the SBC, which I don't remember as being a football conference when we made plans to move on.

Great wins, wild games, rivalries with Fresno, Hawaii, Boise. Pregame fights, knocking off unbeaten ranked Fresno, taking down Hawaii. Superb bowl wins such as Navy, Illinois, Miami, Hawaii on the Island, destroying SMU in Frisco...

Yeah baby, it was worth it!!! Lots to fix for the future. But IT WAS WORTH IT ALL!!!

[ChuckK3]

Darn right it worked. For 20+ years we've had AWESOME rivalries and bowl wins that would NEVER have happened in the SBC, which I don't remember as being a football conference when we made plans to move on.

Except we got comfortable, allowed inexperienced people who had NO BUSINESS speaking publicly on behalf of the University to do so, and had no plan B.

[chew4219]

Good recap. I do want to correct you on one point...fans don't and shouldn't impact any decisions on whether to invite or not. EVERY school has "those" fans. I've read the posts on RaginPagin. Many of your fans wouldn't whiz on ULM if they were on fire. Several call them "Hoax" and everything else. If I were a bitter person, I'd be HIGHLY upset with some of the comments I've read there and elsewhere about Louisiana Tech...or "laturd" as we're commonly know on RP. And YES, we have ours too.

I think the difference in this situation is that Tech is obviously not smart enough to keep private conversations private. If a big donor says, "You know, I just think Tech is ......whatever over ULL and ULM" -- doesn't mean you have to stand up in front of Twitter and be video'd repeating it. JUST. SHUT. UP. ALREADY.

I agree, SOME of this rests with Tech. SOME of this is spite. SOME of this is simply that we had no plan...NONE. And some of it was a simple draw of the cards.

You are correct, fans drive rivalries. Which the disdain between the fan bases is essential.

Nothing else I stated was inflammatory nor off base.

[ChuckK3]

You are correct, fans drive rivalries. Which the disdain between the fan bases is essential.

Nothing else I stated was inflammatory nor off base.

I believe you, and I didn't take it that way. Just wanted to be sure your good recap wasn't shaded by saying our fans caused it. They didn't.

[HogDawg]

The eastern programs in the SBC wanted balance. USM had been in talks with the SBC for the past two years. Their move was imminent, that was a timing issue.

Texas State, ULM, Louisiana we’re all YES votes.

Appalachian St, Coastal, GaSo, GaSt and Troy were emphatic NO votes. For two different reasons. Troy wants to be in a western division and the other eastern programs wanted to tighten the eastern footprint.

The AAC going 100% in on market strategy is 100% the reason many better programs and all but 1 SBC program was give any real consideration. Nothing Dr Savioe at UL or Dr Guice at LaTech could do to change that.

In fact several media market research firms advised for more successful programs, market penetration, over unsuccessful large market programs.

Marshall and App State for example are two programs that don’t meet the “market” criteria but have larger market penetration than Charlotte. Even in the Charlotte DMA, ECU as well.

Back to the SBC and LaTech, had their been a working relationship between SBC member institutions and LaTech over the last 20 years then LaTech would have 100% been issued a formal invite. But for reasons that have been stated several times on this site and other sites, LaTech’s admin, boosters and fans have wanted separation from former long time rivals. It worked for sure from the fall of the Big West until CUSA in 2015.

It was a very big risk, an admirable one at that. At the time I was extremely pisses as a USL/UL student athlete that we didn’t follow as a travel partner with LaTech. It hurt us for 15 years.

Fast forward to where we stand today and the G5 landscape has changed and LaTech is on the outside, right now. There will be another shift in 5-8 years. The real question isn’t why did this happen. Everyone knows why, LaTech treated every G5 regional program like crap. The real hard to answer and honest question is, What will LaTech’s administration, boosters and fans do to make sure this doesn’t happen in 5-8 years.

Let's be clear about one thing: LA TECH has never had a problem with other G5 schools, and has never "treated every G5 regional program like crap". That's a lie. We only hate ULALA. We don't like ULM either, because they are a pretender to FBS college athletics, but that's really different. I hate ULL, because your school has no moral compass, continuously lies about LA Tech to others (especially G5's) and has always cheated and cut corners in order to gain an edge. Over the years ULALA (formerly USL) has been reprimanded or received punishment several times from the NCAA for many violations in various athletics. Not so, for LA Tech. Yes, LA Tech is morally superior to THAT, but that arrow is only aimed at ULALA, not other G5's. IT's not even aimed at ULM. Hell, even ULM looks like a choir boy up next to you ULALA thugs. The fact that ULALA has succeeded in getting other Sunbelt (G5) schools to believe their repeated lies, only serves to validate everything I'm saying. IMO, LA Tech should keep its' distance form ULALA, whenever possible, and that includes on the athletic courts & fields.

I'm such a believer in this, that I would jump at the chance for LA Tech to leave the UoL system and join the LSU system, if it were ever possible.

I learned a long time ago, it's just better to keep your distance from liars and cheats, and frankly those who have no moral compass. Those descriptions all fit ULALA, and they always have. And that will never change.