|
Post by Whup Em All on Oct 3, 2022 23:16:44 GMT -6
So a very pro-CUSA Twitter account has dropped a rumor -- and let me stress emphatically, that's all it is at this point, a rumor -- that "the outfit looking at taking over #CUSA Tier 1 media rights starting July 2023 wants to see at least 12 members with split divisions with brand power."
Apparently, there are five schools strongly being looked at for a minimum of 3 spots, with a couple others conditionally in the running. This person refused to identify the five leaders, but did drop the names of some of the usual suspects.
Rather than just copy the tweet, since it's not real news anyway, I just want to use the quote above as a jumping off point, since it's an off week, and we need something to talk about.
In 2023, we'll have 9 members. To make the media partner happy, we'll have to add 3-7 schools, bringing CUSA to 12-16 members, with two divisions of 6, 7, or 8 teams.
So the league calls you up and says they've decided to put it all in your hands. It's your decision. The 3 questions you'll need to answer:
1) How many schools do you add?
2) Which specific schools do you add? (I'm asking you to commit to your opinion here. If you'd add 5 teams, name those 5 teams.)
3) Show us what your two divisions look like.
I'll be honest here. The third question is the one that interests me the most.
|
|
|
Post by Cleburneslim on Oct 4, 2022 6:00:50 GMT -6
I’ll give it a think but honestly it will depend on what happens in the very near future. We may yet lose a few more schools. Better still sbc, aac, MWC schools may be leaving or looking to leave.
|
|
|
Post by JSUSoutherner on Oct 4, 2022 6:18:00 GMT -6
Option A:
East: 1.) Jax 2.) WKU 3.) MTSU 4.) Liberty 5.) FIU 6.) Missouri State
West: 1.) Sam Houston State 2.) NMSU 3.) UTEP 4.) Louisiana Tech 5.) Stephen F Austin 6.)
I really don't know who to poach for the last spot. I could see the conference reaching for EKU or Kennesaw and moving Missouri State to the West but I really don't care to have either of them. I know we've reached out to Missouri State before, but I'd ask again now that the CFP has changed and the dominos have moved. I think this is the most likely scenario.
Option B: It's a party.
East: 1.) Jax 2.) Liberty 3.) FIU 4.) WKU 5.) MTSU 6.) Louisiana Tech 7.) Kennesaw 8.) Eastern Kentucky
West: 1.) NDSU 2.) SDSU 3.) Montana 4.) Montana State 5.) UTEP 6.) NMSU 7.) Sam Houston 8.) SFA
Lots of rivalries. Travel sucks. Get over it.
This option is more of a "throw piss to the wind" type scenario.
Wait, that's not how that saying goes...
|
|
|
Post by gemofthehills on Oct 4, 2022 8:23:56 GMT -6
What is the value of the media deal? If the value is higher than the SBC, MAC or some other leagues you would have a good chance to poach a FBS school.
|
|
|
Post by Whup Em All on Oct 4, 2022 9:01:58 GMT -6
What is the value of the media deal? If the value is higher than the SBC, MAC or some other leagues you would have a good chance to poach a FBS school. Assuming the deal was super-lucrative, what FBS school(s) would you poach?
|
|
|
Post by JSUSoutherner on Oct 4, 2022 9:07:56 GMT -6
What is the value of the media deal? If the value is higher than the SBC, MAC or some other leagues you would have a good chance to poach a FBS school. Assuming the deal was super-lucrative, what FBS school(s) would you poach? I don't know that we'd see any numbers high enough to really move the needle that much outside of a couple disgruntled MAC or MW schools that would already like to move. I'd put the chance of poaching a Sunbelt/ American/ or P5 school at damn near zero at this point. There's not really anyone in the MW that really jumps out to me. I would love to pick up a couple of MAC schools just because I live close enough to a lot of the MAC that if we picked them up I could go to games when JSU played away.
|
|
|
Post by Whup Em All on Oct 4, 2022 11:01:57 GMT -6
Assuming the deal was super-lucrative, what FBS school(s) would you poach? I don't know that we'd see any numbers high enough to really move the needle that much outside of a couple disgruntled MAC or MW schools that would already like to move. I'd put the chance of poaching a Sunbelt/ American/ or P5 school at damn near zero at this point. There's not really anyone in the MW that really jumps out to me. I would love to pick up a couple of MAC schools just because I live close enough to a lot of the MAC that if we picked them up I could go to games when JSU played away. Pretty much my feelings, except I don't really care to pick up any MAC schools. (Though I totally understand your point. I'd love to pick up troy state or Alabama State not because of what they'd bring to CUSA, but because it'd put conference games 60-90 minutes away from me.) I absolutely don't see any AAC schools moving over. Sure, they took a big hit in the last round of expansion, but they're still head and shoulders above the other G5 leagues. As for the Belt, I'd like to see troy state move over, not only for the selfish reason above, but because I do think they'd fit in well geographically, competitively, and philosophically. I don't see them being happy long-term in an increasingly Atlantic-centric Sun Belt, especially since they're in the West. But they'll have Southern Miss to keep them company now, along with USA. That said, I'd say chances of them leaving the Sun Belt (at least in the next 10 years) are somewhere between 0% and 0.1%. The good thing is, assuming we can get them on the non-conference schedule, it won't matter for JSU. We'll still be able to renew and continue the rivalry, regardless of where they call home. If a totally bizarre series of dominoes fell, it'd be kind of cool to see both troy state and Ga Southern move over, but again, I don't see it happening. For that to even be on the table, Ga State would have to move on to the AAC, Liberty would have to jump to the Belt to replace them, and the schism between the Virginia/WV/Carolina teams and the rest of the Sun Belt would need to grow to enough of an extent that Ga Southern felt left out in the East. I *seriously* doubt most of that would happen. The Eagles were I-AA blue bloods, right there with App. They'd be solidly in with that crowd, even if the SBC-East split off into its own conference, and I think if such a split did happen, they'd reach over and take troy state, just to maintain numbers and flesh out the southern end of the conference. I'm not interested in any Louisiana, Texas, or Mississippi teams from the Belt. They're the weakest part of that conference. If the SBC-West found itself abandoned, the ONLY team I'd consider would be USA. They'd actually fit in pretty well with a revamped CUSA-West, especially if UTEP & NMSU found a home elsewhere. tl;dr: I don't see anyone in other G5s we could realistically poach without a crapton of dominoes falling first.
|
|
|
Post by JSUSoutherner on Oct 4, 2022 11:31:35 GMT -6
I don't know that we'd see any numbers high enough to really move the needle that much outside of a couple disgruntled MAC or MW schools that would already like to move. I'd put the chance of poaching a Sunbelt/ American/ or P5 school at damn near zero at this point. There's not really anyone in the MW that really jumps out to me. I would love to pick up a couple of MAC schools just because I live close enough to a lot of the MAC that if we picked them up I could go to games when JSU played away. Pretty much my feelings, except I don't really care to pick up any MAC schools. (Though I totally understand your point. I'd love to pick up troy state or Alabama State not because of what they'd bring to CUSA, but because it'd put conference games 60-90 minutes away from me.) I absolutely don't see any AAC schools moving over. Sure, they took a big hit in the last round of expansion, but they're still head and shoulders above the other G5 leagues. As for the Belt, I'd like to see troy state move over, not only for the selfish reason above, but because I do think they'd fit in well geographically, competitively, and philosophically. I don't see them being happy long-term in an increasingly Atlantic-centric Sun Belt, especially since they're in the West. But they'll have Southern Miss to keep them company now, along with USA. That said, I'd say chances of them leaving the Sun Belt (at least in the next 10 years) are somewhere between 0% and 0.1%. The good thing is, assuming we can get them on the non-conference schedule, it won't matter for JSU. We'll still be able to renew and continue the rivalry, regardless of where they call home. If a totally bizarre series of dominoes fell, it'd be kind of cool to see both troy state and Ga Southern move over, but again, I don't see it happening. For that to even be on the table, Ga State would have to move on to the AAC, Liberty would have to jump to the Belt to replace them, and the schism between the Virginia/WV/Carolina teams and the rest of the Sun Belt would need to grow to enough of an extent that Ga Southern felt left out in the East. I *seriously* doubt most of that would happen. The Eagles were I-AA blue bloods, right there with App. They'd be solidly in with that crowd, even if the SBC-East split off into its own conference, and I think if such a split did happen, they'd reach over and take troy state, just to maintain numbers and flesh out the southern end of the conference. I'm not interested in any Louisiana, Texas, or Mississippi teams from the Belt. They're the weakest part of that conference. If the SBC-West found itself abandoned, the ONLY team I'd consider would be USA. They'd actually fit in pretty well with a revamped CUSA-West, especially if UTEP & NMSU found a home elsewhere. tl;dr: I don't see anyone in other G5s we could realistically poach without a crapton of dominoes falling first. When I was writing my post I actually pulled up a map of the MAC. It was surprising to me (I don't know why, admittedly) that I'm within 4 hours of 7 of the MAC schools. And with 5 hours I can reach everyone except Ohio and Buffalo. JSU should have just come to the MAC.
|
|
|
Post by Whup Em All on Oct 4, 2022 12:22:57 GMT -6
Pretty much my feelings, except I don't really care to pick up any MAC schools. (Though I totally understand your point. I'd love to pick up troy state or Alabama State not because of what they'd bring to CUSA, but because it'd put conference games 60-90 minutes away from me.) I absolutely don't see any AAC schools moving over. Sure, they took a big hit in the last round of expansion, but they're still head and shoulders above the other G5 leagues. As for the Belt, I'd like to see troy state move over, not only for the selfish reason above, but because I do think they'd fit in well geographically, competitively, and philosophically. I don't see them being happy long-term in an increasingly Atlantic-centric Sun Belt, especially since they're in the West. But they'll have Southern Miss to keep them company now, along with USA. That said, I'd say chances of them leaving the Sun Belt (at least in the next 10 years) are somewhere between 0% and 0.1%. The good thing is, assuming we can get them on the non-conference schedule, it won't matter for JSU. We'll still be able to renew and continue the rivalry, regardless of where they call home. If a totally bizarre series of dominoes fell, it'd be kind of cool to see both troy state and Ga Southern move over, but again, I don't see it happening. For that to even be on the table, Ga State would have to move on to the AAC, Liberty would have to jump to the Belt to replace them, and the schism between the Virginia/WV/Carolina teams and the rest of the Sun Belt would need to grow to enough of an extent that Ga Southern felt left out in the East. I *seriously* doubt most of that would happen. The Eagles were I-AA blue bloods, right there with App. They'd be solidly in with that crowd, even if the SBC-East split off into its own conference, and I think if such a split did happen, they'd reach over and take troy state, just to maintain numbers and flesh out the southern end of the conference. I'm not interested in any Louisiana, Texas, or Mississippi teams from the Belt. They're the weakest part of that conference. If the SBC-West found itself abandoned, the ONLY team I'd consider would be USA. They'd actually fit in pretty well with a revamped CUSA-West, especially if UTEP & NMSU found a home elsewhere. tl;dr: I don't see anyone in other G5s we could realistically poach without a crapton of dominoes falling first. When I was writing my post I actually pulled up a map of the MAC. It was surprising to me (I don't know why, admittedly) that I'm within 4 hours of 7 of the MAC schools. And with 5 hours I can reach everyone except Ohio and Buffalo. JSU should have just come to the MAC. LOL ... they probably could have if they'd been willing to go with WKU. Also, no.
|
|
|
Post by Whup Em All on Oct 4, 2022 15:28:20 GMT -6
I like two divisions of 6 teams, for 12 teams total. I want JSU, MTSU, and WKU together in the East. That means adding two teams in the West, and one in the East.
I want teams that help CUSA become stronger, whether athletically or by increasing fan engagement (e.g., strong fan bases, historical rivalries, proximity to other CUSA schools, etc.).
The latter is pretty subjective. You can quantify attendance, but that doesn't tell the whole story. For instance, Chatty barely has any fans, despite being 4-1 and ranked No. 11. (Only loss was to Big Ten Illinois.) That said, the Mocs and their pitiful fan base would be great for CUSA fan engagement, since they're located in close proximity to JSU, MTSU, and WKU. And also because everyone hates them.
Athletic strength is fairly objective, though, and I'm approaching this from the standpoint of which teams would be better than the average current CUSA team and who would improve the conference's strength, versus pull us downward.
So here goes:
WEST 1 - Stephen F. Austin - Decent football, Raises CUSA's profile in men's hoops, women's hoops, softball, and volleyball. Great rivalry with Sam. Good proximity to La Tech.
WEST 2 - Missouri State - Good football, Raises CUSA's profile in men's hoops, women's hoops, baseball, and softball.
EAST 1 - Kennesaw State - Generally solid football, Raises CUSA's profile in baseball and volleyball, and comes in right at the average for softball. A cantankerous rivalry with Jax State, if nothing else. Would also be close enough to MTSU (3 hours) to develop a solid rivalry there.
If we go to 14 teams, add EKU in the East and Tarleton in the West. EKU raises the profile in baseball and renews a huge historical rivalry with WKU. Tarleton would be more of a speculative investment. They don't offer much now, but with their money and location, they could be a major player in a few years.
EAST Liberty FIU KSU JSU MTSU WKU +EKU?
WEST UTEP NMSU SHSU SFA Mo State La Tech +Tarleton?
If we go to 16 teams, I'd consider NDSU and SDSU as football only additions. Put them in the West and move La Tech to the East. I hate moving the Bulldogs away from the east Texas teams, but they're the farthest east of all the teams in that division, and it keeps Mo State from having to be in the East. But let me stress, this is my least favorite option, and I'd only do this if the TV money were spectacular.
As for UTC, I actually considered them, but they lost out to both Kennesaw and EKU for the East slots. Their football is solid, but not great. And men's hoops is tremendous. They're decent in softball. And that's it. They're terrible in women's hoops. Terrible in volleyball. And they don't have a baseball team. I know UTEP doesn't have a baseball team either, but that's how we were able to land DBU (a legit Top 25 team). I'd prefer to keep the Patriots in the league if possible, which means any new additions need to sponsor baseball. Sorry, Mocs.
Then there's McNeese in the West. I do love their fan base, and their location would be good for La Tech, Sam, and SFA. But they just can't recapture their mojo in football, and they're just awful in both flavors of hoops. Volleyball is just OK and baseball isn't bad at all. Softball is terrific. But between the Cowboys (struggling for cash in a state struggling to recover) or Tarleton (flush with cash from the TAMU system) one looks like they'd be ready for FBS, and the other looks like they'll struggle to remain competitive in the Southland.
As for Prime University, I just don't see them as a factor. Sure, they're good in football right now (4-0, ranked No. 8), but other than women's hoops, which is actually pretty strong, they suck across the board in everything else.
UConn and UMass would only be willing to come to CUSA for football only, and neither is strong enough to warrant such a stupid move by CUSA. So no to both.
Delaware is a bit outside the footprint, but would bring strong football (5-0, ranked No. 6), solid men's hoops, strong women's hoops, decent baseball, and very strong softball and volleyball. They also do quite well in attendance (currently averaging 17,372 through three home games). Honestly, I'd be open to adding the Blue Hens, except I don't think they're interested in FBS. That alone kept them off my board. Honestly, I think they'd be more suited to the Sun Belt East. Maybe we can trade them for Ga Southern?
|
|
|
Post by Cleburneslim on Oct 4, 2022 17:51:37 GMT -6
I’d add all if possible of UTC EKU KSU SFA Mo st
Likely CUSA loses a few in the next movement so itd be smart to look ahead at who’ll replace those leaving.
|
|
|
Post by Whup Em All on Oct 5, 2022 9:55:14 GMT -6
I’d add all if possible of UTC EKU KSU SFA Mo st Likely CUSA loses a few in the next movement so itd be smart to look ahead at who’ll replace those leaving. If I could handpick the ones who leave, it'd be UTEP/NMSU and FIU. Nothing against any of the programs... despite their recent incompetence on the gridiron, they're actually decent programs overall, and each has its strength. But FIU is a LONG way away, with no travel partner anywhere near them. UTEP and NMSU work great as travel partners (they're only about a half hour apart) but they're WAY outside the footprint, and contribute to the widely held view that "CUSA sucks for travel". UTEP and NMSU would be solid additions to the MWC. FIU could *potentially* be a fit for the AAC. So all three are more or less realistic poaching threats. Take those three out of the equation, and CUSA becomes a true southeast regional conference, which would be awesome. The two teams which scare me the most when it comes to possible exits are WKU and MTSU, only because those two are -- by far -- the closest teams to Jax State. I wouldn't want to lose either, let alone both. The good news is, neither WKU nor MTSU have a lot of friends in the Sun Belt. And while there's some mutual interest between the MAC and WKU, a second team would have to go along with the Toppers, and it's slim pickins' out there. (MTSU is absolutely not interested in the MAC, so they're off the table.) That means the only conference which could realistically poach either would be the AAC, and neither Bowling Green nor Murfreesboro exactly fits the "big urban market" profile the AAC usually goes for. Liberty, on the other hand, would jump at the Sun Belt, if invited, because it would put them in a conference with nearby JMU, Marshall, App State, and ODU. (That's a far cry from CUSA, where MTSU and Jax State are their two closest opponents, at about 8 hours away each.) But so far, the Sun Belt schools -- especially the Virginia Sun Belt schools -- are fundamentally opposed to anything associated with Liberty darkening their sacred doors. And as with Bowling Green and Murfreesboro, Lynchburg isn't exactly the kind of booming metropolis which would catch the eye of the AAC, even without all the Falwell baggage. So we're stuck with the Flames. (Hooray!) I'm not saying expansion won't happen, or that it won't impact CUSA. I'm just saying rumors of CUSA's imminent death may have been greatly exaggerated.
|
|
|
Post by Cleburneslim on Oct 5, 2022 15:22:17 GMT -6
I’d add all if possible of UTC EKU KSU SFA Mo st Likely CUSA loses a few in the next movement so itd be smart to look ahead at who’ll replace those leaving. If I could handpick the ones who leave, it'd be UTEP/NMSU and FIU. Nothing against any of the programs... despite their recent incompetence on the gridiron, they're actually decent programs overall, and each has its strength. But FIU is a LONG way away, with no travel partner anywhere near them. UTEP and NMSU work great as travel partners (they're only about a half hour apart) but they're WAY outside the footprint, and contribute to the widely held view that "CUSA sucks for travel". UTEP and NMSU would be solid additions to the MWC. FIU could *potentially* be a fit for the AAC. So all three are more or less realistic poaching threats. Take those three out of the equation, and CUSA becomes a true southeast regional conference, which would be awesome. The two teams which scare me the most when it comes to possible exits are WKU and MTSU, only because those two are -- by far -- the closest teams to Jax State. I wouldn't want to lose either, let alone both. The good news is, neither WKU nor MTSU have a lot of friends in the Sun Belt. And while there's some mutual interest between the MAC and WKU, a second team would have to go along with the Toppers, and it's slim pickins' out there. (MTSU is absolutely not interested in the MAC, so they're off the table.) That means the only conference which could realistically poach either would be the AAC, and neither Bowling Green nor Murfreesboro exactly fits the "big urban market" profile the AAC usually goes for. Liberty, on the other hand, would jump at the Sun Belt, if invited, because it would put them in a conference with nearby JMU, Marshall, App State, and ODU. (That's a far cry from CUSA, where MTSU and Jax State are their two closest opponents, at about 8 hours away each.) But so far, the Sun Belt schools -- especially the Virginia Sun Belt schools -- are fundamentally opposed to anything associated with Liberty darkening their sacred doors. And as with Bowling Green and Murfreesboro, Lynchburg isn't exactly the kind of booming metropolis which would catch the eye of the AAC, even without all the Falwell baggage. So we're stuck with the Flames. (Hooray!) I'm not saying expansion won't happen, or that it won't impact CUSA. I'm just saying rumors of CUSA's imminent death may have been greatly exaggerated. I don’t think Cusa will die but if/when the sbc, aac, or MWC loses a few teams they’ll look somewhere to collect replacements and whether they like it or not history dictates that a current fbs team is far more preferable than an fcs team.
|
|
|
Post by King_Gamecock on Oct 5, 2022 17:11:18 GMT -6
I’d add all if possible of UTC EKU KSU SFA Mo st Likely CUSA loses a few in the next movement so itd be smart to look ahead at who’ll replace those leaving. If I could handpick the ones who leave, it'd be UTEP/NMSU and FIU. Nothing against any of the programs... despite their recent incompetence on the gridiron, they're actually decent programs overall, and each has its strength. But FIU is a LONG way away, with no travel partner anywhere near them. UTEP and NMSU work great as travel partners (they're only about a half hour apart) but they're WAY outside the footprint, and contribute to the widely held view that "CUSA sucks for travel". UTEP and NMSU would be solid additions to the MWC. FIU could *potentially* be a fit for the AAC. So all three are more or less realistic poaching threats. Take those three out of the equation, and CUSA becomes a true southeast regional conference, which would be awesome. The two teams which scare me the most when it comes to possible exits are WKU and MTSU, only because those two are -- by far -- the closest teams to Jax State. I wouldn't want to lose either, let alone both. The good news is, neither WKU nor MTSU have a lot of friends in the Sun Belt. And while there's some mutual interest between the MAC and WKU, a second team would have to go along with the Toppers, and it's slim pickins' out there. (MTSU is absolutely not interested in the MAC, so they're off the table.) That means the only conference which could realistically poach either would be the AAC, and neither Bowling Green nor Murfreesboro exactly fits the "big urban market" profile the AAC usually goes for. Liberty, on the other hand, would jump at the Sun Belt, if invited, because it would put them in a conference with nearby JMU, Marshall, App State, and ODU. (That's a far cry from CUSA, where MTSU and Jax State are their two closest opponents, at about 8 hours away each.) But so far, the Sun Belt schools -- especially the Virginia Sun Belt schools -- are fundamentally opposed to anything associated with Liberty darkening their sacred doors. And as with Bowling Green and Murfreesboro, Lynchburg isn't exactly the kind of booming metropolis which would catch the eye of the AAC, even without all the Falwell baggage. So we're stuck with the Flames. (Hooray!) I'm not saying expansion won't happen, or that it won't impact CUSA. I'm just saying rumors of CUSA's imminent death may have been greatly exaggerated. Murfreesboro is in the Nashville metro which has a population of around 2 million. That’s a sizable market lying just outside of the top 30 in America.
|
|
|
Post by Cleburneslim on Oct 5, 2022 19:21:19 GMT -6
And growing.
I’d say it less likely we loose nmsu and Utep And seemingly very unlikely FIU moves.
I’d say wku liberty and MTSU would be the more likely losses if movement is imminent. Who would you replace these with?
|
|