Unlike my other Marshall brothers who think the AAC is lateral to C-USA, I think the AAC is just like the old Big East (minus the AQ status, which doesn't even matter anymore). I really would like to see Marshall in this conference, but the question I often ask myself is why the hell would they add us? Then sometimes I ask myself how the hell did we even get out of the MAC? I'm not trolling I'm just a bored 16 year old who wants to know what some people from the outside think about Marshall to the AAC.

(01-03-2014 08:04 PM)Herdfan555 Wrote:  Unlike my other Marshall brothers who think the AAC is lateral to C-USA, I think the AAC is just like the old Big East (minus the AQ status, which doesn't even matter anymore). I really would like to see Marshall in this conference, but the question I often ask myself is why the hell would they add us? Then sometimes I ask myself how the hell did we even get out of the MAC? I'm not trolling I'm just a bored 16 year old who wants to know what some people from the outside think about Marshall to the AAC.

Get a good airport. Going to Huntington is a nightmare...

(01-03-2014 08:16 PM)AGuyIn_Water Wrote:  

(01-03-2014 08:04 PM)Herdfan555 Wrote:  Unlike my other Marshall brothers who think the AAC is lateral to C-USA, I think the AAC is just like the old Big East (minus the AQ status, which doesn't even matter anymore). I really would like to see Marshall in this conference, but the question I often ask myself is why the hell would they add us? Then sometimes I ask myself how the hell did we even get out of the MAC? I'm not trolling I'm just a bored 16 year old who wants to know what some people from the outside think about Marshall to the AAC.

Get a good airport. Going to Huntington is a nightmare...

oh man so true!!! I live in a little town north of Charleston but, yah tri-state is a piece of s$&@

I haven't done my homework. But from my perception, Marshall is not a school willing to spend as much to be in the big boy league. Marshall has history. It is a good private school. But competing with big time college athletic needs a thorough makeover and investment. How can Marshall compete with UCF and West Virginia? Maybe you can educate me on the situation with Marshall. I, as a regular fan, will be more than willing to hear back from you.

Well we are actually a public university, but IMO the real problem is politics and lack of fan support. There are way too many WVU alums in the state legislature and therefore we don't get as much $$$ as WVU. I blame the lack of fan support on the poor job we do advertising in Kanawha county (location of Charleston state capital). Huntington has a population of like 55,000 and is the states second largest city. To ask 70% of Huntington's population to come and fill our stadium(38,000 capacity) on Saturdays is just asking for too much IMO. We need to find a way to draw more fan support from Kanawha county which has a population of like 190,000. It's less than a hour drive from Charleston to Huntington, there is no reason why we should not average 30,000 plus a game. I mean hell you can't even find Marshall gear east of the Huntington mall, the only place in Charleston with t-shirts is drug emporium! If we could find a way to expand our brand and draw more fans from Kanawha county we would rolling.

(01-03-2014 08:52 PM)Herdfan555 Wrote:  Well we are actually a public university, but IMO the real problem is politics and lack of fan support. There are way too many WVU alums in the state legislature and therefore we don't get as much $$$ as WVU. I blame the lack of fan support on the poor job we do advertising in Kanawha county (location of Charleston state capital). Huntington has a population of like 55,000 and is the states second largest city. To ask 70% of Huntington's population to come and fill our stadium(38,000 capacity) on Saturdays is just asking for too much IMO. We need to find a way to draw more fan support from Kanawha county which has a population of like 190,000. It's less than a hour drive from Charleston to Huntington, there is no reason why we should not average 30,000 plus a game. I mean hell you can't even find Marshall gear east of the Huntington mall, the only place in Charleston with t-shirts is drug emporium! If we could find a way to expand our brand and draw more fans from Kanawha county we would rolling.

What about State of West Virginia outside Kanawha county?? It seems it all come down to media market. Marshall's market is just too small unless it becomes a state favorite behind WVU

That's another thing the state only has 1.8 million people and only about 200,000 are Marshall fans. Which still makes me wonder how the hell do we still not fill that stadium!

(01-03-2014 08:34 PM)AGuyIn_Water Wrote:  I haven't done my homework. But from my perception, Marshall is not a school willing to spend as much to be in the big boy league. Marshall has history. It is a good private school. But competing with big time college athletic needs a thorough makeover and investment. How can Marshall compete with UCF and West Virginia? Maybe you can educate me on the situation with Marshall. I, as a regular fan, will be more than willing to hear back from you.

Do you just post randomly? Every post you make has lowered my education with wrong data.

As a Southern Miss fan I'd love to join the AAC. I will miss games against Tulane, Memphis, UCF and ECU.

Southern Miss has lots of potential, but it is disheartening to our fan base when our long time rivals and others are moving on due to market size. Historically we have always done more with less than any other team in the country. If given a bigger and better opportunity the sky could be the limit.

We lobbied for many teams to join CUSA because we saw potential in those universities and they have left the conference and told us our market is too small. IMO, market is not what makes an athletic program successful and if that were the case teams from top markets would win championships every year.

Look, we have some problems but we will overcome them and I hope the AAC decides to give us an opportunity to showcase our potential.

Potential unrealized is just potential...

(01-08-2014 11:19 AM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  Potential unrealized is just potential...

Big is the new small.

(01-02-2014 01:51 PM)Freshy Wrote:  

(01-02-2014 12:48 PM)BearcatJerry Wrote:  I really hope that Southern Miss can get the ship righted quickly. The Eagles have been a great team in years past.

That being said, I think they are better suited for CUSA. CUSA is now solidly a "Southern" conference and not a bad one at that. A resurgent USM could shine just as well on the CUSA stage as they could in the AAC.

Still, if realignment pulls more than one team away from the American, USM would not be a terrible choice. It all depends on the direction the conference wanted to move. The trouble with the American adding yet another original CUSA member to the pool would be the inevitable equation of "The American" with "CUSA." For that reason alone, as things stand right now, I think that USM is likely not to be invited.

But who knows?

The sentiment I bolded above is one shared by a lot of realistic Southern Miss fans. While I can see obvious benefits for some programs moving to the AAC, and it would certainly not be a bad move for us, the benefits aren't necessarily as great for USM as for other programs. Moving conferences wouldn't produce changes in OOC schedule philosophies, capital investment, or alumni investment the way it has with other programs who have moved on to the AAC. Those same steady investments are in large part responsible for 18 straight winning seasons, but they are also responsible for the same stagnation that ultimately killed the program's competitiveness over the last few years and led to ineptitude among the athletic department's administration. In short, in today's athletic environment, if you aren't always growing, you aren't always competing.

The bottom paragraph is a sentiment that is growing stronger in a lot of places and not only in AAC circles. It's why a lot of people out there believe that, if the AAC grabs another CUSA program, the conference will take Rice.

I don't think you could be more wrong.

There are not "a lot of people" that think that...because as long as UH is a member of the AAC, adding Rice wouldn't add one more viewer or add value to the AAC's TV contract, especially with 12 members already slated for 2015.

Unlike back in 2003, when Rice (and others) were invited to join CUSA in 2005, TV markets didn't mean squat since tv contracts back then were so small.

Even at $2 Million - $3 Million per team...(plus hopefully a renegotiated contract in the coming years before expiring current deal), Rice would probably be the last team on anyone's List of 40 possible AAC new members...and with the Conf being at 12 teams...don't think there will be a 13th or 14th team for a very, very, very long time.

Here are facts, USM only has losing records to two of the current and future members of the AAC. It should be noted that we never played UConn or Rutgers.

We did this all with our small market and budget. What I'm saying is, what we could potentially do with AAC help.

USM v Cincy - 7-8
USM v UL - 15-10-1
USM v USF - 3-1
USM v UCF - 6-2
USM v UH - 9-4
USM v SMU - 3-1
USM v ECU - 26-11
USM v Tulane - 23-7
USM v Tulsa - 3-4
USM v Memphis - 32-17
USM v Navy - 1-0

Honest question:

Let's say USM recovers a bit and joins the AAC. Would a game between a 5-4 Tulane and a 5-4 USM team draw good ratings/attendance regionally (and/or nationally)?

UL-Lafayette and Tulane already had a positive experience in the NOLA Bowl this year. Decent football game, both teams drew strong attendance numbers (UL-Lafayette were REALLY strong in this regard), and it made for decent TV on ESPN.

The AAC already invited Tulane - but I can see room for USM to replace any defections. The USM-Tulane series COULD be a nice "rivalry" to develop in a future AAC.

There are some snags right now - and I'm ignoring those for the sake of conversation - but do you think there are good possibilities here?

(01-08-2014 11:48 AM)oliveandblue Wrote:  Honest question:

Let's say USM recovers a bit and joins the AAC. Would a game between a 5-4 Tulane and a 5-4 USM team draw good ratings/attendance regionally (and/or nationally)?

UL-Lafayette and Tulane already had a positive experience in the NOLA Bowl this year. Decent football game, both teams drew strong attendance numbers (UL-Lafayette were REALLY strong in this regard), and it made for decent TV on ESPN.

The AAC already invited Tulane - but I can see room for USM to replace any defections. The USM-Tulane series COULD be a nice "rivalry" to develop in a future AAC.

There are some snags right now - and I'm ignoring those for the sake of conversation - but do you think there are good possibilities here?

I don't think a 5-4 Tulane team and a 5-4 Houston team would draw any more viewers than a game between us. Yes, those schools have a possibility of more TV sets, but that doesn't mean people will tune in.

USM has always traveled well to New Orleans for either a bowl or game against Tulane.

I really and honestly think it would be good for all parties. We finally have strong leadership in place after the past three years of instability and are building more on campus housing, a new business building and nursing school.

In the coming months our AD will roll out a long awaited plan for the future of our athletics programs.

It is definitely a pipe dream, but I hope it can happen.

(01-08-2014 11:56 AM)Its The Talons Wrote:  

(01-08-2014 11:48 AM)oliveandblue Wrote:  Honest question:

Let's say USM recovers a bit and joins the AAC. Would a game between a 5-4 Tulane and a 5-4 USM team draw good ratings/attendance regionally (and/or nationally)?

UL-Lafayette and Tulane already had a positive experience in the NOLA Bowl this year. Decent football game, both teams drew strong attendance numbers (UL-Lafayette were REALLY strong in this regard), and it made for decent TV on ESPN.

The AAC already invited Tulane - but I can see room for USM to replace any defections. The USM-Tulane series COULD be a nice "rivalry" to develop in a future AAC.

There are some snags right now - and I'm ignoring those for the sake of conversation - but do you think there are good possibilities here?

I don't think a 5-4 Tulane team and a 5-4 Houston team would draw any more viewers than a game between us. Yes, those schools have a possibility of more TV sets, but that doesn't mean people will tune in.

USM has always traveled well to New Orleans for either a bowl or game against Tulane.

I really and honestly think it would be good for all parties. We finally have strong leadership in place after the past three years of instability and are building more on campus housing, a new business building and nursing school.

In the coming months our AD will roll out a long awaited plan for the future of our athletics programs.

It is definitely a pipe dream, but I hope it can happen.

Next month?? What you think the plan will be? Expansion of stadium? Better recruiting budget?? USM has the lowest recruiting budget of all FBS. They need to step it up

(01-08-2014 01:28 PM)AGuyIn_Water Wrote:  

(01-08-2014 11:56 AM)Its The Talons Wrote:  

(01-08-2014 11:48 AM)oliveandblue Wrote:  Honest question:

Let's say USM recovers a bit and joins the AAC. Would a game between a 5-4 Tulane and a 5-4 USM team draw good ratings/attendance regionally (and/or nationally)?

UL-Lafayette and Tulane already had a positive experience in the NOLA Bowl this year. Decent football game, both teams drew strong attendance numbers (UL-Lafayette were REALLY strong in this regard), and it made for decent TV on ESPN.

The AAC already invited Tulane - but I can see room for USM to replace any defections. The USM-Tulane series COULD be a nice "rivalry" to develop in a future AAC.

There are some snags right now - and I'm ignoring those for the sake of conversation - but do you think there are good possibilities here?

I don't think a 5-4 Tulane team and a 5-4 Houston team would draw any more viewers than a game between us. Yes, those schools have a possibility of more TV sets, but that doesn't mean people will tune in.

USM has always traveled well to New Orleans for either a bowl or game against Tulane.

I really and honestly think it would be good for all parties. We finally have strong leadership in place after the past three years of instability and are building more on campus housing, a new business building and nursing school.

In the coming months our AD will roll out a long awaited plan for the future of our athletics programs.

It is definitely a pipe dream, but I hope it can happen.

Next month?? What you think the plan will be? Expansion of stadium? Better recruiting budget?? USM has the lowest recruiting budget of all FBS. They need to step it up

I don't think it will be next month, but sometime before Summer. No need to expand our current stadium as it is the perfect size for our fan base. However, they are looking at renovations of other venues and expanding our overall budget for athletics.

We definitely need to step it up and McGillis seems to be making a lot of inroads with the alumni base for additional funds.

(01-02-2014 02:50 PM)oliveandblue Wrote:  When Tulane was added into the AAC - this was BEFORE the stadium update, the 7-6 season, and CJ's contract extension - most people felt that Southern Miss would have been the better selection as they had a superior football program at the time.

Adding Tulane - from a outsider's POV - was a mistake in 2012.

Tulane's resurgence (new stadium, new CJ contract, decent bowl attendance, 7-6 record) was unexpected. Most people thought that a 2-10 Tulane was going to pull down the conference profile going forward. The AAC is incredibly lucky that this add isn't going to burn their conference to the ground.

Southern Miss are collapsing at the wrong time. I'm probably going to miss playing them in about 3-5 years.

Yesterday's Southern Miss > Today's Tulane >>>>> Yesterday's Tulane > Today's Southern Miss

Realignment decisions should not be based on who is 'hot' now, who had a great season 'last year'. Programs flux up and down pretty regularly (with a few exceptions). Conference expansion should be the big picture. B1G took RU and Md... neither have been hot lately. B12 took WV, essentially because of a big BCS bowl win... how's it working out for both parties? B12 has WV on an island and wishes they had taken LV. WV may be happy to be in 'any' P conference, but they are on an island, travel is killing the students, and FB obviously not as successful.

I hate it when everyone jumps on the 'hot' bandwagon. Tulane was a great addition, a few of us said it at the time, and tried to pull everyone else back off the cliff. USM might be good also, I wouldn't worry about a bad season or two... they will be considered along with Army, uMASS, etc etc. *IF* we every get around to expanding again.

You build a conference to last for decades, not just next season.

AAC should wait and see if it can dominate the At-Large spot for the next few years, If so they'll have more leverage to pick who they want from the G5. Otherwise your just selling another G5 league IMHO.

How many seats does Southern Miss basketball arena sit?

Anyone think Southern Miss will make the NCAA tournament this year?

Fav in CUSA?