Texas State is having second thoughts about the WAC I say we bring them in as the 12th team then the WAC will be a non football league. And it will then be join or die for UTSA and La Tech and UTSA.

(04-04-2012 08:10 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Texas State is having second thoughts about the WAC I say we bring them in as the 12th team then the WAC will be a non football league. And it will then be join or die for UTSA and La Tech and UTSA.

Why?

I certainly hope we add ONLY all-sports members, and no football-only, or basketball-with-no-football members.

Hoping all play baseball, as well.

(04-04-2012 02:35 AM)Hilltopper2K Wrote:  Okay. So after all the rumors (Louisiana Tech, Charlotte, UTSA, etc) we appear to be adding Georgia State.

I can't imagine that the master plan was to get us to 11.

Does that mean we lose a couple of teams and stop at 9?

Do we lose zero teams and add one more for 12?

Do we add more than one team?

And where does Arkansas State Fan stand on all of this?

(04-04-2012 08:26 PM)RaiderATO Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 08:10 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Texas State is having second thoughts about the WAC I say we bring them in as the 12th team then the WAC will be a non football league. And it will then be join or die for UTSA and La Tech and UTSA.

Why?

I want both Texas teams if we lose UNT. And I also want La Tech to balance out all these FCS teams.

(04-05-2012 12:55 AM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 08:26 PM)RaiderATO Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 08:10 PM)TrojanCampaign Wrote:  Texas State is having second thoughts about the WAC I say we bring them in as the 12th team then the WAC will be a non football league. And it will then be join or die for UTSA and La Tech and UTSA.

Why?

I want both Texas teams if we lose UNT. And I also want La Tech to balance out all these FCS teams.

I can see replacing someone we lose, but why expand otherwise? If it's expansion for expansion's sake then where does that get the SBC?

(04-04-2012 03:26 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 03:07 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 03:05 PM)Kruciff Wrote:  Why does this all sound so familiar...

Which part?

Alluding to how the WAC tried to get BYU and then ended up getting raided by MWC.

The difference of course being that the WAC was out of options. Once they lost teams they had no one to replace them.

Within our footprint we have Georgia State, Jax St, UTSA, TexSt, La.Tech. Near our footprint we have Charlotte, App, Georgia Southern, Old Dominion, James Madison and NMSU all in various stages of moving to FBS or discussing FBS or in the soon to die WAC. The Sun Belt could literally lose all 10 football playing members and there are still enough teams within the region to have a legal FBS league with room to spare.

The WAC could only afford to lose two and they lost three with the possibility looming of losing more.

The wrinkle in all this is with Georgia State presumably poised to accept and other invites likely to follow the possibility remains that CUSA/Alliance will likely change their expansion calculations. When Georgia State, or UTSA, or Charlotte or Old Dominion or James Madion playing FBS football is a hypothetical or tied to a dead league they are less likely to be expansion targets. If they are locked in to joining (just like Utah State basketball was locked into the Sun Belt or TCU to the Big East was locked in) they may be more attractive.

For all we know, the Sun Belt taking Georgia State or Charlotte might mean they move from "maybe in a few year" to let's lock them in right now for CUSA and in turn knock an FIU or UNT out of CUSA's plans.

This has been the possibility that has concerned me the whole time. The SBC very well be taking programs that aren't realistically on the list for CUSA/BE/Whoever and putting them there. The programs in the West probably aren't too concerned about what happens if Ga State goes on to be a member of a bigger-named FBS conference in a few years but it will be a problem for those of us in the East. Maybe some UNT fans had similar concerns with Texas State and UTSA getting the WAC invitation.
Regardless, the FBS population needs to get under control quickly. This divisional split talk that is going around is largely because the Power conferences don't like the constant addition of new programs (I know USA is one of them but we had the rare circumstance of already being members of an FBS conference, just like UConn a few years ago). The more teams advancing to FBS every year means they are more likely to undertake actions to marginalize all of us.

(04-04-2012 06:16 PM)GreenFlag Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 03:26 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 03:07 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 03:05 PM)Kruciff Wrote:  Why does this all sound so familiar...

Which part?

For all we know, the Sun Belt taking Georgia State or Charlotte might mean they move from "maybe in a few year" to let's lock them in right now for CUSA and in turn knock an FIU or UNT out of CUSA's plans.

I couldn't quite follow this. Can you clarify? Additionally, who do you think the mystery team is?

I think CUSA has a number in mind and will add 1 to 5 schools. They may have gone into the process thinking Georgia State or Charlotte or whomever else are teams to look at down the road, since GaSt wasn't formally pursuing FBS and Charlotte is targeting FBS on down the road. Their opinion might change to take them now if they are locked into the transition process and in turn could mean a spot that was likely going to an existing Sun Belt might go to one of them.

(04-05-2012 10:13 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 06:16 PM)GreenFlag Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 03:26 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 03:07 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(04-04-2012 03:05 PM)Kruciff Wrote:  Why does this all sound so familiar...

Which part?

For all we know, the Sun Belt taking Georgia State or Charlotte might mean they move from "maybe in a few year" to let's lock them in right now for CUSA and in turn knock an FIU or UNT out of CUSA's plans.

I couldn't quite follow this. Can you clarify? Additionally, who do you think the mystery team is?

I think CUSA has a number in mind and will add 1 to 5 schools. They may have gone into the process thinking Georgia State or Charlotte or whomever else are teams to look at down the road, since GaSt wasn't formally pursuing FBS and Charlotte is targeting FBS on down the road. Their opinion might change to take them now if they are locked into the transition process and in turn could mean a spot that was likely going to an existing Sun Belt might go to one of them.

It could, but I'd still expect both to be longer term options. I think most of the league wants to keep a presence in Florida, and I honestly think UNT is almost a lock to be added. Charlotte has the best chance of joining, just because much to the chagrin of our fans our administration is probably pushing hard for them. I don't think as many are currently pushing for GSU, although they certainly make sense long term.