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Still sounds like Sun Belt is determined to go to 12 FB teams
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The4thOption Offline
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Post: #36
RE: Still sounds like Sun Belt is determined to go to 12 FB teams
(04-17-2014 08:30 AM)baruna falls Wrote:  
(04-17-2014 08:20 AM)The4thOption Wrote:  
(04-17-2014 12:12 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  You know I hate driving past Newport but try as I may I've not found a practical way to get Jonesboro from Little Rock without going through Newport. Newport isn't my destination and not my target but I have to go there to get where I want to go.

That's what JMU's administration doesn't understand. Odds are stacked against them getting where they want to go without already being FBS. The question isn't whether they WANT to join the Sun Belt. The question is how realistic is it that they can arrive at their preferred destination without holding membership in FBS.

When FAU started football Howard made it clear their goal was Big East but he learned a lesson from his Louisville mistake. At FAU he understood he couldn't leap directly to the place he wanted to go to and had to take intermediary steps.

At Louisville when the Metro was talking of adding football (the fabled Super Metro) but the organizing meetings were ongoing even though there was rampant speculation that even if it happened, Florida State and maybe South Carolina would never actually join because of other opportunities. The deal fell apart because Howard didn't recognize the marketplace had changed. He thought the era of the independent was still strong and Louisville could be a national player and maybe use that success to get in one of the big name brand leagues. They walked and when they walked talks collapsed and once that happened, the Big East picked up the pieces, but not with a 16 or 14 team league but an 8 team league a year later. Seven years later the Big East became one of the six AQ conferences. Four years after the Big East added football, CUSA formed and Louisville soon learned with the formation of the BCS, they had made a critical error by killing the Super Metro, that league would have garnered AQ status. For the next several years Louisville scrambled to try to get in the Big East and finally made it then they ended up being the (so far) last team invited into the P5.

Louisville had failed to realize initially that they needed to adjust to the time and take the intermediate step to get where they wanted to be. They ended up OK but probably delayed their move to the big time by several years.

That's a great explanation. Regardless of the end game, taking steps towards your goal is progress. You cant climb the whole mountain in one day. Plus They have to recognize the changed landscape and that pecking orders are being shook up.

I admit that I used to not want in the Sun Belt. I felt that we were a great fit (both us and App) for C-USA. I felt that CUSA with a Ga Southern, App - Marshall, ECU, Southern Miss (all teams except Southern Miss that we had some history with) would have been ideal. Back when they seemingly cared about football strength over market.
I saw our State as a huge hole in the middle of their Conference (Still is!)

But now, it is very different. I'd rather be in the Belt. I honestly think that we are going to own CUSA in football and the Belt will rise as the premier G5 conference.

The leadership at JMU is also missing the writing on the wall imop in regards to the possible changes in conference championship game restrictions. That was one of the biggest things that had potential to cause another big **** by the Big 12 expanding to 12. With that shut down (if it passes) - the door from FCS to FBS is going to get much tighter. They may have seen that as something that would keep them stuck in the Belt - Again, if that is true, they have missed the "rise of the belt". But the reality is that it is likely to keep them stuck in the CAA!
I like Ga Southern and App. I think they would have been great additions to Conf USA. ALso, just curious as to why you think the Sun Belt will eventually be the premier G5 league. I am not knocking the Sun Belt, but just curious about your analysis.

Well, for starters - 1: is that they have Georgia Southern! :) 2: And App. State

The AAC is going to hold the title for a while - congrats on your new home.

But - speaking football only - and other than the AAC:
First: The MAC is a northern conference, more concerned with Basketball. Imop = the weakest of all G5 football conferences with no end in sight.

The MWC: A north/western conference - again maybe more Basketball concerned than football? They are at a location disadvantage in regards to recruiting the best football stockpile talent in the country.
Honestly, without Boise State - where is the fear? And without looking it up, I believe that those western states are in large part less populated and they may have already nearly maxed out their attendance numbers. The Eastern US and Southern states are usually more populated leaving lots of potential season ticket holders!

I believe that the Sun Belt is already superior to CUSA. They have a southern footprint as well, even further south with the F?U's. But our football institutions are better. Granted that has been in large part due to teams like ECU, UCF, etc.. taking invites to the AAC. That making the AAC harder to overcome but at the same time making CUSA easier.

Going forward, CUSA then made a decision to recruit Market over power and I think this will be their downfall in the football ranking of their conference. In the short term it might help for TV contracts (we made 1 similar decision with GAST). But butts in seats, ticket sales and fan base are going to weigh heavy on that to. Winning solves a lot but many of the big market programs are struggling with that and so fan support.

The SBC footprint very much mirrors that of the SEC. There is more than money in play as to why the SEC is so good. Our conference is better located for recruiting football talent and better suited due to our commitment to football power (imHop) than ANY other G5. Our stadiums are getting bigger. We play the SEC a bunch and are going to use that cash/exposure to rise. Our programs have already been even winning some of those battles and that makes recruits recognize our names when we come calling.

I believe the CFP will be expanded, giving many athletes (who might be riding the bench at an AQ) more of a reason to accept an offer from a G5. Surely this will help all G5's, but given our hotbed location on recruiting - I think that lends itself to helping the SBC more than any other G5.

I believe that MAYBE the AAC will regain AQ status - almost certainly before the rest of us in regards to being included in the playoffs.
I look forward to the Cure Bowl and having our teams face the AAC.
It may come to be that the AAC begins sending it's higher ranked team to that bowl in an attempt to squelch the Sun Belt because if they send their lower ranked teams, they are likely to draw a loss each year and that would look bad for the AAC. We are going to have to earn our way to the top, and win that bowl a few years to begin drawing the better AAC opponents. But the stage has been set.

Can we rise? I believe we can. Feel free to disagree.
(This post was last modified: 04-17-2014 09:16 AM by The4thOption.)
04-17-2014 09:13 AM
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RE: Still sounds like Sun Belt is determined to go to 12 FB teams - The4thOption - 04-17-2014 09:13 AM



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