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Post: #1
State of the Sun Belt
from the Murfreesboro Daily News Journal:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

State of the Sun Belt
League's hierarchy, concerns stem from money

By Adam Sparks


The Sun Belt Conference appears to be making a move in a Darwinian direction.

With its addition of Division I-A football in 2001, the league was based on equal opportunity and a good Samaritan mentality.

It took in fledgling I-A football schools and nursed them to the lower end of the nation's highest level of play.

But the Sun Belt's slogan may now be moving toward natural selection and "Survival of the fittest" to better its midmajor species.

Such a topic was raised at the league's recent spring meetings.

"We looked at what we can all do in our own situations to raise our standards, and I looked around the room at each school as if to say, 'Where are you at on this?'" said Sun Belt Commissioner Wright Waters. "It's one thing to look at the top one, two, three teams in the league, but I'm concerned about what 11, 12 and 13 are doing to raise their standards to the rest.

"It's a concern that too many schools aren't raising their standards, ... but I don't want to say it's only the bottom group that's a concern because everyone needs to up their expectations. When you raise the bar, it makes everyone else raise their expectations or look like fools."

Money seems to be the root of both the league's hierarchy and its worries.

Three of the richest Sun Belt schools, in terms of annual athletic budgets, --- Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and North Texas --- are also the leading trio in the league's All-Sports points standings since 2000.

Others like Denver and Florida Atlantic have comparable budgets but have competed in limited sports in the conference.

"There is some significance in the difference of resources," said Middle Tennessee athletic director Chris Massaro, whose previous football coaching staff in the 2005 season was the highest paid in the Sun Belt.

"Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky are always compared, and then North Texas has also made large strides with their facilities. Those three schools are usually the top three in the (Vic) Bubas Cup standings about every year. That's probably not a coincidence."

The poorest I-A football league in the nation, the Sun Belt's 2004-05 annual athletic budgets ranged from Denver's $18.1 million to New Orleans' $4.2 million, and effects of Hurricane Katrina has even reduced the latter number by 20 percent for the 2006-07 fiscal year.

However, even the more prosperous of the Sun Belt are struggling when compared to conferences one-half step above.

While Western Kentucky, North Texas and Middle Tennessee each tout annual athletic budgets between $12 million-$15 million, Conference USA's average budget is more than $22 million, and major conferences like the SEC can reach as high as Florida's $73.8 million athletic budget in 2004-05.

Those figures have further highlighted the conference's monetary misfortunes, especially in men's basketball.

Sun Belt men's teams have not landed an at-large bid or won a game in the NCAA Tournament in more than a decade, letting other conferences take incentives for reaching further into the NCAA bracket.

"That's definitely a financial issue because we're leaving huge amounts of money on the table," Waters said.

According to a revenue study introduced at the league's spring meetings, the Sun Belt has been awarded six shares worth a total of $983,988 in NCAA Tournament money over the last six years, with one share equaling one team's appearance in each round of the Big Dance.

The Sun Belt has been represented by only one team in the NCAA Tournament during the six-year study, and that team has been ousted in the first round each time.

The $983,988 is divided among the member schools and the conference office. In comparison, the Big 12 conference was awarded $14,430,355 from 88 shares in the same six-year period. The Mid-American Conference had 11 shares for $1.8 million, the Western Athletic Conference had 20 shares and Conference USA 44 during the same span.

"We also had a study ranking the 332 Division I (men's basketball) teams based on win-loss records. We had four in the top 100. ... Middle Tennessee was 172, but, of course, (coach Kermit Davis) has only been there for four years. (The Blue Raiders) were 103rd in the last three years," Waters said. "But even when you look at it in the short term, we need a cultural change and to raise expectations.

"A winning record doesn't get you where you want to go. We can't accept a winning record as a good year. A good year means competing in the NCAA Tournament and winning."

To compete more consistently on a national scale, the Sun Belt needs its poorer schools to catch up to the initiative of the more prosperous schools.

Waters says that means spending more to buy home games, which will in turn sell more season tickets.

"None are putting enough in the stands to balance their budget, and not every solution is going to work for every school," Waters said. "But one thing is for sure: You can't schedule your way into the NCAA Tournament. Only winning can get you in. But you can sure schedule yourself out of the NCAA. Each institution must find a schedule that allows winning."

Massaro, whose Blue Raiders have bought a home basketball game against Tennessee State this season for $45,000, said each school must mold the league's plan to fit its own means.

"Even if your budget is half of ours, there are things you can do within your schedule," Massaro said. "If the league gets multiple teams in the NCAA, it's well worth it. We're going to do it, and we hope others will, too."

The league is in reasonable agreement that similar football issues aren't as serious as those in the league's traditionally strong sport.

"I don't get real panicked about football. Football is only 5 years old, and it has to go through normal growing pains," Waters said. "I still feel good about it. Am I happy with it? No, but we're getting there.

"We need to get smarter (in football) because even with 12 games, most are getting four money games. We need bowl eligible teams, and so the same scheduling concerns apply. But men's basketball has to be fixed. There's a history there we have to get back to."

While admitting basketball's superior tradition in the Sun Belt, Davis sees the league's concerns stretching across numerous sports.

"This was created as a basketball league. There's no question about that. But the biggest thing we all have to do is sell more season tickets. That's an issue everyone in our league faces," Davis said.

"But still it goes back to raising standards. The point was made (at the spring meetings) that we need everyone to draw closer to the top teams in our league rather than aid the bottom teams. The league needs to make decisions based on how it will help emphasize the top three or four teams in the league. We can't lower our standards.

"Look at Florida State football in the ACC. They couldn't be beaten by anybody in their league for years, but others raised their standards to beat them, and that changed the complexion of ACC football."

But despite the mounting issues for the ever-changing league, the Sun Belt's key figures carry an optimistic view of the conference.

"Back when we started, we put together something called Vision 2010, which is where we would like to be. We want to be a top-10 league in all sports, and I think we can still get there," Waters said. "Overall, we just need to be better organized and have a spirit of cooperation."

After one year of headway at Middle Tennessee, Massaro believes one of the league's strongest suits is the athletic administration matching the conference's vision.

"I see a lot of ambition with the ADs around this league," Massaro said. "That's what this league needs, and that can help get us to that vision."




http://www.dnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article...10329/1006
06-11-2006 06:44 AM
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OUBOBCATJOHN Offline
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Post: #2
 
Sun Belt is a basketball league that is merging into an all-sports league. They need to expand to 12 teams to get a title game on TV like the MAC and CUSA. With football members Troy, MTSU, FAU,FIU, N Texas, ASU, LA-Lafayette, and LA-Monroe established in D-A, Sun Belt needs to add 4 teams that can move them up to the other D-A conferences. WKy is a no brainer. After that, Sun Belt could add GA Southern, Furman and Wofford. Those shools have played games vs D-A powers for years. They could move up and still play in the south.
06-25-2006 11:25 PM
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rufus Offline
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Post: #3
 
I agree that the Sun Belt should consider adding teams, but I don't know about some of the choices mentioned. WKU is obviously a good fit if the MAC thing doesn't work out for them. Georgia Southern is also another good pick if their admin ever decides to make the move. I can't say the same for Furman or Wofford. Both are small private schools (Wofford being the smallest in I-AA at less than 2k students), and neither has ever expressed any interest in I-A. Appalachian State is another Sun Belt possibility, and Coastal Carolina may be an option at some point down the road. The Sun Belt could also find some potential candidates further west with Texas State or McNeese State.
06-26-2006 06:01 PM
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OUBOBCATJOHN Wrote:Sun Belt is a basketball league that is merging into an all-sports league. They need to expand to 12 teams to get a title game on TV like the MAC and CUSA. With football members Troy, MTSU, FAU,FIU, N Texas, ASU, LA-Lafayette, and LA-Monroe established in D-A, Sun Belt needs to add 4 teams that can move them up to the other D-A conferences. WKy is a no brainer. After that, Sun Belt could add GA Southern, Furman and Wofford. Those shools have played games vs D-A powers for years. They could move up and still play in the south.

Don't be surprised if you see the Sun Belt lose it's non-football members. Denver is rumored to be looked at heavily by the Big Sky. South Alabama, New Orleans, and Arkansas-Little Rock my find refuge in the Atlantic Sun.

But North Texas, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas State, Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, and Troy may likely be joined by La Tech, Western Kentucky, Appalachian, and Georgia Southern to form a 12-member Sun Belt Conference.
06-27-2006 08:49 AM
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"Don't be surprised if you see the Sun Belt lose it's non-football members. South Alabama, New Orleans, and Arkansas-Little Rock my find refuge in the Atlantic Sun."

I know of nothing that would indicate that.
06-27-2006 10:51 AM
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I don't kow that the Sun Belt is in any hurry to add teams just for the sake of expansion. I think Denver will leave fairly soon, but of their own accord. The non-football schools provide travel partners in basketball - though it seems like the conference has broke with the idea of travel partners in this coming year's schedule. I don't expect to see USA or UALR leave and if they did it would certainly be their decision. UNO's ability to fully bounce back from Katrina and its aftermath concerns me - if there was one program that could least withstand something like last year's disaster, it's UNO.

I think if wku will finally man up and announce their 1A transition in the Sun Belt it will solidify the conference. A MT & WKU FB game will benefit both schools and the conference with full stadiums and media attention.

I think if the SBC had more FB members it would force teams not to play so many so-called body-bag games due to an increase in conference games. I don't think a 12 team conference just for the sake of a conf. championship game makes any kind of financial sense.

If the Sun Belt was to expand beyond wku in FB, there's not a lot to choose from. Latech's ultimate destination is likely back with Sun Belt, IMHO. Beyond that the only potential expansion candidates are still in 1aa. Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Texas State are mentioned most often. Right now the SBC seems to be turning its focus on improving basketball/RPI and none of those 1aa programs have strong programs in basketball.


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06-28-2006 03:37 PM
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Post: #7
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I don't think that the Sun Belt NEEDS 12 football schools. After all, expanding too quickly with the wrong schools has certainly hurt the MAC (see: Buffalo).

The WKU situation is huge for the Sun Belt. It's actually pretty similar to the Big East-Villanova situation. We can't make them move up, even though we need them badly for a 9th member. They can sit there in I-AA for the next 50 years and screw their respective conferences. Frustrating really, even more so for the Sun Belt as WKU has the money to move up.

A 9 football and 12 basketball conference (sans Denver) would be great for the Sun Belt.
07-02-2006 05:21 PM
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ALLIESPAPPY Offline
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[quote="SpaceRaider"]I don't kow that the Sun Belt is in any hurry to add teams just for the sake of expansion. "

Nor should we be in a hurry. I like the configuration of the league right now. If expansion is not a definite positive, why do it?
07-03-2006 11:45 AM
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Post: #9
 
ALLIESPAPPY Wrote:
SpaceRaider Wrote:I don't kow that the Sun Belt is in any hurry to add teams just for the sake of expansion. "


Nor should we be in a hurry. I like the configuration of the league right now. If expansion is not a definite positive, why do it?

I like the configuration too save for a few minor alterations--Denver moving to the Big Sky evening the basketball members to 12 and adding Western Kentucky for football giving us nine members.

That would be ideal. I just wished we could see an increase in budgets at our non-football schools. Even before Katrina, the estimated $4 million budget of UNO is one of the smallest in Division 1.
07-03-2006 01:27 PM
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I agree. If Denver goes to another conference and WKU moves to I-A, I think the conference is set. The conference can then move to the task of building the quality of the existing membership. We still have many schools that are not stepping up to the plate and doing the things needed to be competitive as a conference member. It is no coincidence that for the last six years the same schools are always at the top of Vic Bubas.
07-05-2006 11:25 AM
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OUBOBCATJOHN Offline
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Adding more teams would give SunBelt more conference games and help get more teams bowl eligible. WKY may be sitting back and seeing if MVC moves up as a whole and then putting all sports in the Valley. Basketball has to be a concern for WKY in the Sun Belt. MAC and MVC have big time conference tornaments while Sun Belt is at a conference site. Temple is the wildcard for the MAC. Temple joining for hoops would put the MAC basketball combined with football ahead of MVC. WKY might be seeing how this ends up. Also, CUSA could be an option if BE adds one team from CUSA. That would be the idea fit for WKY as they could be a better travel partner for Marshall.
07-08-2006 10:00 PM
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Post: #12
 
12 schools gives you a little security in case someone leaves. Texas State and la tech in the west and western Ky and another school in the east would be a solid move.
07-10-2006 04:36 PM
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Tech isn't going anywhere for the next few years unless it's CUSA...sorry guys.
07-13-2006 05:41 PM
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johnnylightnin Wrote:Tech isn't going anywhere for the next few years unless it's CUSA...sorry guys.

And CUSA isn't going anywhere unless the Big East expands and takes members from CUSA, and that's not happening for another five years mininum. Unless you can convince every donor you got to donate double what they've been doing, I can't see how La Tech will cover the losses. They are already losing $2.5 Million every year and if it weren't for conference revenue with SMU, Rice, Tulsa, and UTEP, they'd lose more. And I'm afraid to tell you this, but NCAA tournament appearances by Utah State and Nevada will not be enough to offset your costs.

You have to think with your mind instead of your heart. If it were my school, I'd realize that a move to the Sun Belt Conference would better ensure the future from a financial standpoint. Financially, La Tech faces too much uncertainty.
07-13-2006 10:33 PM
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johnnylightnin Offline
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Semper Wrote:And CUSA isn't going anywhere unless the Big East expands and takes members from CUSA, and that's not happening for another five years mininum. Unless you can convince every donor you got to donate double what they've been doing, I can't see how La Tech will cover the losses. They are already losing $2.5 Million every year and if it weren't for conference revenue with SMU, Rice, Tulsa, and UTEP, they'd lose more. And I'm afraid to tell you this, but NCAA tournament appearances by Utah State and Nevada will not be enough to offset your costs.

You have to think with your mind instead of your heart. If it were my school, I'd realize that a move to the Sun Belt Conference would better ensure the future from a financial standpoint. Financially, La Tech faces too much uncertainty.

Well, it's not your school and we're doing just fine thank you. A time could come when we would reach the pit of desperation and we would join the sunbelt, but that time isn't now. Most athletic programs in the country lose money...especially at the non-BCS level. Tech finishes in the black year after year. We're doing just fine...thanks for your concern.
07-13-2006 10:43 PM
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johnnylightnin Wrote:Well, it's not your school and we're doing just fine thank you. A time could come when we would reach the pit of desperation and we would join the sunbelt, but that time isn't now. Most athletic programs in the country lose money...especially at the non-BCS level. Tech finishes in the black year after year. We're doing just fine...thanks for your concern.


Did anyone say anything about "now"? No, I believe the topic was in reference to changes coming in two to three years. I think you just hate the Sun Belt so much that you are getting defensive rather than discussing this topic objectively.

I have shown you evidence of where La Tech is losing an estimated $2.5 Million.

Show me hard evidence that Utah State and Nevada revenue offsets your travel expenses, and I might take your side. Show me proof that the donations you are getting will offset costs spent for facility upgrades and that facility upgrades beyond fieldturf and a football jumbotron are coming.

You know why La Tech got overlooked by CUSA for UTEP? It's not hard to figure out.
07-13-2006 11:09 PM
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Semper Wrote:Did anyone say anything about "now"? No, I believe the topic was in reference to changes coming in two to three years. I think you just hate the Sun Belt so much that you are getting defensive rather than discussing this topic objectively.

I have shown you evidence of where La Tech is losing an estimated $2.5 Million.

Show me hard evidence that Utah State and Nevada revenue offsets your travel expenses, and I might take your side. Show me proof that the donations you are getting will offset costs spent for facility upgrades and that facility upgrades beyond fieldturf and a football jumbotron are coming.

You know why La Tech got overlooked by CUSA for UTEP? It's not hard to figure out.

You've claimed this evidence, I've yet to read it for myself because you failed to post a link. I don't hate the sunbelt at all. The sunbelt is the premier developmental DI conference. It's not for us. And as for UTEP over Tech...that's not hard. UTEP is in a major metro area and they've got top notch facilities and are currently putting about 50K in their stadium.

I'm not dillusional enough to say that everything is peachy in Ruston. I know all too well what Tech's short-comings are. I also know that the sunbelt isn't a means to improve those short-comings...it's a means of looking better by comparison.

That's not a slam on the sunbelt, it is an aknowledgement that being in a regional conference isn't the only thing an athletic program must concern itself with. I feel fairly confident that Tech will be able to remain in the WAC until 2010 if need be. Somewhere between now and then, all these hypotheticals will become reality in one way or another. When that time comes, Tech will evaluate where they are, where they want to be, and the best road from one to the other.
07-13-2006 11:45 PM
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johnnylightnin Wrote:You've claimed this evidence, I've yet to read it for myself because you failed to post a link.

It's the U.S. Department of Education Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act website. A simple Google search would've found it.

I could've posted a link, but you wouldn't have been able to read it because their site has been down for maintenance. You might try it later, but here's the link:

http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/Search.asp

All you do is select the state of Louisiana; select Public, 4-year or above; and then press "Search" and then select Louisiana Tech University.

You can select "Participants and Operating Expenses," "Coaching Staff," "Revenues and Expenses," and "Coaching Salaries."

La Tech isn't alone. Only Fresno State saw an offset of the expenses for their sports and was able to capitalize over a $1 Million in profit above their $24 Million. Boise State made money in football, but they were over budget in everything else.

Alot of the reason why the WAC schools struggle to offset those costs is because that league is spread so far out. Western states are big. There's more area to cover. Fresno was able to do it because they are dang good in almost every sport and are well-supported in almost every sport. I'm very surprised that the Mountain West has yet to pick that school up.
07-14-2006 05:25 AM
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Semper Wrote:La Tech isn't alone. Only Fresno State saw an offset of the expenses for their sports and was able to capitalize over a $1 Million in profit above their $24 Million. Boise State made money in football, but they were over budget in everything else.

I believe I've already made this point...so, should the rest of the WAC join the sunbelt as well?
07-14-2006 08:09 AM
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johnnylightnin Wrote:
Semper Wrote:La Tech isn't alone. Only Fresno State saw an offset of the expenses for their sports and was able to capitalize over a $1 Million in profit above their $24 Million. Boise State made money in football, but they were over budget in everything else.

I believe I've already made this point...so, should the rest of the WAC join the sunbelt as well?

No, because unlike La Tech, they would have to travel across the country to every game and pull more money from the general fund taking away other monies they were using for facility upgrades.

If you look at the revenue section for "Not allocated for gender/sport" that's where the money received from conference revenue is allocated. And if you look at La Tech's that figure is $5,450,420 which will be significantly less with the revenue from SMU, Rice, Tulsa, and UTEP is gone. Keep in mind $2.5 Million of that is going to go to offset expenses you lost in all of your sports--mostly due to travel expenses.

Your expenses were just over $2.8 Million. That's money your school took from the general fund to cover the expenses for things not going for individual sports such as facility upgrades, but lucky for you guys, the non-allocation revenue is nearly $5.5 Million which pays for both your expenses taken from the general fund and your losses in all of your sports.

ULM's non-allocated revenue is around $3.5 Million (revenue from the Sun Belt and Southland). They spent just over $1 Million on projects not allocated by gender. Their jumbotron is probably figured in there. The only reason why ULM broke even is because they lost alot of money from their sports. Not surprising. When you don't sale enough tickets for a sport, you can't offset the costs from that particular sport, so the money comes from the general fund.

Middle Tennessee's non-allocated revenue is over $4.2 Million. We didn't lose any money in any sport and we spent as much non-allocated revenue that we received for other projects that include field turf, phase I on a new track stadium, a new scoreboard and fencing for the baseball stadium, and an upgraded softball stadium.

$4.2 Million does alot more when you aren't having to spend over half of that toward travel costs.
07-14-2006 08:38 AM
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