I was shocked when SHSU was announced as the other FCS call-up moving to CUSA with us. Still am.
Competitively, they're solid. No question about that. But fan support is... well... #45.
Other FCS teams of note, from a CUSA expansion perspective:
3. JMU 19,631 (headed to the Belt)
6. Florida A&M 16,967 (often mentioned when people talk about southern FCS schools deserving of FBS consideration)
7. Jacksonville St. 16,8098. North Dakota St. 15,101 (way out of the footprint, but they come up in every CUSA expansion discussion)
10. Delaware 12,844 (another popular pick for eastward expansion, especially when people bring up UMass or UConn)
11. South Dakota St. 12,668 (often paired with NDSU)
12. NCAT 12,437 (one of my top picks as a travel partner for Liberty)
14. EKU 11,539 (a popular CUSA expansion choice for everyone not affiliated with WKU)
20. Missouri St. 10,156 (a popular choice in the "Who Should be Next?" CUSA discussions, even though their fans are uppity jerks who crap on CUSA any chance they get)
26. ETSU 9,508 (another popular choice with some CUSA fans as an alternative to EKU and/or UTC; strong hoops)
27. Tarleton St. 9,204 (a D-II transitional team everyone pencils in for a CUSA invitation if the conference pushes into mid-Texas; big money and growth potential, not much else)
30. SFA 8,349 (a very popular pick for those next-up CUSA discussions as a travel partner and longtime rival of SHSU, not too far from La Tech; solid hoops)
34. McNeese 7,903 (mentioned quite a bit due to their strong fan base and stated FBS goals, but Lake Charles is in recovery mode from hurricane damage and the time's not right)
35. Murray St. 7,844 (often mentioned by people who only follow basketball; those who know Murray and follow football know this is a bad fit)
40. UCA 7,560 (mentioned as a West candidate, mainly because of their FBS goals and ASUN membership; decent football, bad hoops)
43. UTC 7,482 (a popular pick among JSU fans, mainly for travel and rivalry reasons; strong hoops)
46. UNA 7,175 (rarely mentioned in CUSA talks; probably stuck in FCS unless a major shift happens)
61. Kennesaw St. 5,803 (when people say they're not ready, they point to this)
64. Lamar University 5,716 (a popular West pick for some reason; competitively they're awful, and then there's their fan support...)