Another win for CUSA

Don't be surprised if Western Ky follows them.

I would think WKU would prefer EKU not be FBS. Their only option to have some control over the situation is to remain in CUSA. Should WKU leave, expect EKU to be announced within 24 hours or less.

I'm glad those stupid rumors of UMass to CUSA will now be dead.

So who do y'all want? I want Chattanooga but I don't think they're an option 😭. Everyone on Twitter is saying Tarleton State but I'm not so sure about them. They are boring and wouldn't help us get any better (athletically and academically) just my opinion though

Chatty seems like a good option -- and in a perfect, bus-league world, I suppose they would be -- but when you break down the actual numbers, they'd be a terrible addition. They have solid men's basketball. That's pretty much it. They're mediocre (at best) in football, with near-zero fan support, even when they're contending for the SoCon championship. They do not field a baseball team.

Honestly, if it came to it, I think I'd rather have UNA over the Mocs. Much better fan base in an area that's exploding in growth. Gives us a bit more geographical separation between teams (3 hours vs 2 hours). And though they've been struggling with the move to D-I so far, they're on an upward trend, rather than accepting the status quo of eternal mediocrity.

But if we look outside our immediate area -- which honestly, is what we should do (I just brought up UNA as an answer to Chatty) -- Tarleton is most likely. I'm sure they'll probably approach Mo State first to gauge their interest, but if the Bears aren't immediately on board with it, CUSA won't give them the long leash they gave UMass.

Tarleton will get the nod over EKU, only because we need some western teams and the financial base for Tarleton is much higher than for EKU. The Colonels haven't so much "accepted mediocrity" as they've been stuck in it. Tarleton seems to be pushing its way through it. I'm not saying they're the greatest thing since sliced bread -- most folks in Texas kind of cringe at the thought of Tarleton coming on board -- but I think it's kind of like Kennesaw. Folks who've known about Kennesaw for decades are in disbelief that they're about to be an FBS school. Kennesaw is supposed to be a local college for kids who couldn't (or didn't want to) leave home. It's high school with cigarettes and NAIA athletics. It's not supposed to be an R2 university competing at the highest level of the NCAA. That's where Texans are with the Texans.

I think ultimately, Tarleton will be a good addition. They'll be regional rivals of Sammy and La Tech, and not *terribly* far from UTEP and NMSU. Out of that group, Sammy will become their No. 1 rival in time, since those two schools have more in common than the other three. Will it be enough to make the Bearkats forget SFA and the Battle of the Piney Woods? Probably not. But Tarleton will be to Sammy what Kennesaw is to Jax State (and MTSU is to WKU). A new rival to replace an old one they won't be playing anymore.

Oh... and to address one specific comment in your post:


Tarleton is matching or outperforming Chatty in athletics nearly across the board:

FOOTBALL: Tarleton (8-3, Sagarin #134) - UTC (8-5, Sagarin #161)

FOOTBALL ATTENDANCE:  Tarleton (18,697) - UTC (8,177)

MEN'S HOOPS:  Tarleton (17-7, NET 142) - UTC (17-10, NET 134)

HOOPS ATTENDANCE:  Tarleton (~1,300) - UTC (3,209)

BASEBALL:  Tarleton (24-26, RPI 183) - UTC (--)

SOFTBALL: Tarleton (31-29, RPI 161) - UTC (25-27, RPI 168)

And when it comes to academics, Tarleton is a Carnegie R2 university. Chattanooga is one step down with a basic D/PU classification.


Don't get me wrong... I'm not fired up about the prospects of Tarleton State joining us in CUSA. I'd MUCH rather have EKU or SFA. But of the realistic choices, Tarleton's not too bad. And they could turn into a really good one in time.

Missouri State would probably be the more "prestigious" choice, such as it is, and, if you ignore football, they are pretty strong both athletically and academically. But they don't thrill me at all. I'd accept them if they came on board. I just wouldn't prefer them.

I don't disagree.

Some of them were able to stomach Sammy because of their recent National Championship and their historical strength (or at least solidness) in hoops and basketball.

WKU and MTSU played JSU a couple times in our joint FCS/I-AA history, so they at least knew of us, and the outgoing UAB fans gave us their blessing. Heck, even troy state and App State fans had good things to say about us. (Which was shocking for different reasons.)

Delaware has the funding, academic reputation, and state flagship status to overcome the FCS stigma. (And like Sammy, they've got an FCS Natty in their trophy case.)

Kennesaw has been a MUCH harder pill to swallow, for the exact reasons you mentioned about Tarleton. Worse, given their student body size and Atlanta market, Kennesaw looks like a prime candidate to be poached by another league someday, once their FBS transition is complete. La Tech and WKU fans, in particular, bristle at the thought of these newer teams using CUSA as a stepping stone when they've been stuck here for a decade.

As for Tarleton? They have potential. That's it. Just potential. Even their market (which is one of their brighter selling points) is more potential than anything at this time. They're midway between Abilene and Fort Worth, an area experiencing skyrocketing growth. But that growth isn't in Stephenville yet. It's just ... potential. Even some of the fans who support Tarleton getting a CUSA invite feel that it wouldn't hurt to let the Texans simmer a bit down in FCS. Build out all those facilities (more potential) and win some trophies in football and basketball (potential!) and continue making progress on their quest to become an R1 university (potential!).

I'd be absolutely fine with us staying at 11 teams for a bit. I would've been OK with 9, to be honest.

But if we're moving to 12, and that certainly seems to be the plan, it looks like Tarleton has the lead over Mo State and EKU. (Or at least, the Texans are neck and neck with the Bears. The Colonels appear to be safely in 3rd.)

Hey, we could always invite all three and move to 14. I'm sure that'd be popular with everybody.