The WAC years were the best football years since my student days, so I don't have a problem with the 25 years of wondering in the wilds.Originally Posted by dawg80
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The WAC years were the best football years since my student days, so I don't have a problem with the 25 years of wondering in the wilds.
Stir the pot.
Sure I was. But, we had that opportunity and BLEW IT, a long time ago. That horse is not only out of the barn, but now the barn has been burned down.
Surely you recognize that?
LA Tech needs to resurrect almost our entire athletic department. Hey....don't blame me, I didn't do it. But joining the Sunbelt should be a nice kick in the pants to get things rolling again.
I recognize a lot.
Try this image on for size....
Tech is an old, divorced dude now seeking solace with exes from his college days. As for this dude's life, "It is better to have loved and lost rather than to never have loved at all."
Tech sought better things for its athletics, joined the WAC when it was very attractive with the then Eastern WAC which included Rice, SMU, and Tulsa. It was a good move, the right move at the time. Unfortunately, the EWAC left us, divorced us! Then the rest of the WAC, with the likes of Boazy, Fresno, Nevada, also divorced us. We joined CUSA, then a major divorce occurred, we lost 9 "girlfriends" including UNT and USM.
So now...the old Tech dude is limping back into the arms of old "girlfriends" he left 30 years ago. Pretty pathetic, actually. But, the old divorced Tech dude still had a choice, but rejected a new "girlfriend," CUSA now, in favor of his older ones.
Now, all of that said above, here's a more positive spin. The first step to solving a problem is admitting there is one. Maybe Tech's return to the Belch is that admission and this can be (with an emphasis on CAN) an opportunity to right the ship.
I only have one question:
Would Dr. Jarrell be in attendance at yesterday's presser . . . if he were still alive?
Louisiana Tech University
Flagship of the University of Louisiana System
Good article by Malcolm. He nails it.
https://lincolnparishjournal.com/202...with-sun-belt/
Essentially what most of us have been saying. Malcolm must read this board and the CUSA Forum for his material. The only difference, slight though it may be, is the "joy" expressed rejoining our old 1970's Southland Conference foes. It is reality, true, but one doesn't have to rejoice in it.
I'd imagine the SBC will look different in a few years. We need to make sure we have allies during our time in this conference.
That's the only true benefit of this move. I think the SBC is destined to split east-west and the SBC West will then have to pick up some schools to remain or perhaps form a new viable conference. Schools like Sam Houston State and maybe WKU and MTSU, MO State too would all be strong candidates to fill out a "regional" league.
Sun Belt West American "West" CUSA "West" Tech Tulsa NMSU Ark St UTSA Sam Houston UL-L Rice Missouri St ULM Tulane WKU S Alabama Memphis MTSU USM UAB Troy UNT Sun Belt East American "East" CUSA "East" App St Temple Jax St Coastal USF Delaware Ga. Southern FAU FIU Ga. St Charlotte Liberty JMU ECU Kennesaw St Marshall ODU Army, Navy are FB only Wichita St (non-FB)
I think the AAC will have some departures eventually. Right now the exit fee is $10 million with a 27-month notice. SMU paid $25 million to leave early. I want to be aligned with Texas schools.
The AAC will likely keep backfilling with schools from major media markets to maintain that old Metro Conference vibe. Not sure who their next targets might be.
In the WAC we were the eastern-most school, now in the SBC we will be the western-most school, albeit only slightly. Not exactly stranded on an island though. So, that's good. Ya see, I'm trying to put the best possible spin on this move
I am keying off of the last stmt "...I'm trying to put the best possible spin on this move". I am truthfully trying to understand why some are either so against this move to SBC, see it as a step back, etc. Granted, our football team stinks and will continue to do so until we can the coach. I could go off on that as well as a few other coaches that I hope are gone sooner rather than later. With that said, based on the previous comments from many on this board, our attendance at the FB games has been less than stellar, as well as the excitement around the games, etc. Being very simplistic, with adding ULM, ULL, USM, etc back into our mix, I can easily see a much better attendance, likely more buildup and excitement around the games, renewed rivalries, etc. Basically, I see this as breathing life back into a dying patient, or at least a vehicle to where we begin to have a pulse again. I think this would translate not only in FB but also into basketball, etc. I would submit that with the state of our team, we may not like the results from FB in the short term, but at least people would care again about the result, etc. So trying to understand the other side of the argument, what am I missing? It seems that all I have seen on this board forever is people dogging CUSA and our involvement (which I agreed with), so why aren't people more excited about this? Appreciate to hear other viewpoints and dialog.In the WAC we were the eastern-most school, now in the SBC we will be the western-most school, albeit only slightly. Not exactly stranded on an island though. So, that's good. Ya see, I'm trying to put the best possible spin on this move
I am in total agreement with your logic.
The landscape of college athletics has changed with the whole NIL thing, and being in a more regional conference is the way to go.
I will miss being in a conference with WKU, though.
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