Has CUSA ever extended an official invitation to a school to join the conference and been rejected by that team. I believe when they went all football they may have in-invited some teams.

If the conference was rejected which school was it and what were the circumstances.

I have no idea for sure, but I believe I heard through message board talk/rumors that Toledo and/or Miami (OH) may have been invited and declined in 2005.

Nah, we have been too busy congratulating teams for "bettering themselves" in the office to even think about getting a team here that already has been there

(04-16-2014 10:24 AM)Rabonchild Wrote:  Has CUSA ever extended an official invitation to a school to join the conference and been rejected by that team. I believe when they went all football they may have in-invited some teams.

If the conference was rejected which school was it and what were the circumstances.

I don't think you'd hear about it if we had.

(04-16-2014 10:39 AM)eaglenjxn Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 10:24 AM)Rabonchild Wrote:  Has CUSA ever extended an official invitation to a school to join the conference and been rejected by that team. I believe when they went all football they may have in-invited some teams.

If the conference was rejected which school was it and what were the circumstances.

I don't think you'd hear about it if we had.

We heard about teams that rejected old Big East & SBC

It's weird how much the MAC schools like to keep to themselves and their own little click.

I will say this though. Their strength is in their genuine support for each other and maintaing their core. We declined an invite from the MAC in '03. MAC wanted us and wkcc and the toppers wanted to go as they began their transition, but the MAC wouldn't take only one of us. They had to have both. Our adminstration didn't believe it was a good fit being the southern most team in an upper midwest based league taking us out of our primary recruiting areas. Smart move.

Though everyone is well aware of this one we also turned down multiple offers from the WAC the first being in 2004 as as Benson tried to create a 16-team league. Again we rebuffed that along with some of our Sun Belt colleagues and avoided that sinking ship. We had one goal all along and it was to get here. Just hate it had to happen with so many others leaving. I still have high hopes though. There is a good group of schools here!

(04-16-2014 10:33 AM)nastybunch Wrote:  Nah, we have been too busy congratulating teams for "bettering themselves" in the office to even think about getting a team here that already has been there

100% correct. I fully expect C-USA to admit the University of Phoenix one day. Playing Southern Miss in football will be just one more step on the road to legitimacy (i.e. getting just enough respect to loot the US Department of Education for another year).

No official invite would be given unless a conference was fairly certain it would be accepted. SBC, AAC, and C-USA (and probably others) have approached schools and been told "No, thanks."

C-USA approached several MAC schools when Marshall was added. SBC approached UAB and Southern Miss just a couple of years ago when the core of C-USA went to the Big East. AAC approached a couple of MWC schools when attempting to keep Boise.

Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

I bet your administration couldn't keep a straight face during that conversation.

(04-16-2014 12:43 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

I bet your administration couldn't keep a straight face during that conversation.

I believe they contacted Marshall, ECU, UAB and Southern Miss about joining. I respect their efforts, but it just wasn't happening.

(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

Man, an SBC with ECU, Southern Miss, and UAB would have been awesome. The TV deal might have sucked, but everything elsemakes sense.

The Sunbelt Conference has always held a special hatred for LA Tech, because Tech has rebuffed several invitations to join the SBC. Hell, it was only a couple of years ago that SBC Commissioner Karl Benson was leaking stories telling various media outlets that LA Tech would be joining the Sunbelch after the WAC's demise.

(04-16-2014 12:45 PM)AndreWhere Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

Man, an SBC with ECU, Southern Miss, and UAB would have been awesome. The TV deal might have sucked, but everything elsemakes sense.

USM fans seem to be among the few that get it.

(04-16-2014 01:05 PM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:45 PM)AndreWhere Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

Man, an SBC with ECU, Southern Miss, and UAB would have been awesome. The TV deal might have sucked, but everything elsemakes sense.

USM fans seem to be among the few that get it.

Andre is no USM fan, he's a UL-L fan that would love to have ECU, USM, and UAB as conference mates. Who can blame him? Misery loves company, and being stuck in the Sun Belt the way UL-L is, Andre's longing for some decent company is understandable. No one would ever leave the AAC, MAC, or CUSA for the Sunbelt, but his dreaming about that possibility doesn't hurt anyone.

Often in business, you don't ask the question unless you already know the answer.

UTSA turned down the MWC and the Sun Belt. At the time I was not sure UTSA was doing the right thing by turning down the MWC, but now i love CUSA.

(04-16-2014 02:57 PM)Irish Rowdy Wrote:  UTSA turned down the MWC and the Sun Belt. At the time I was not sure UTSA was doing the right thing by turning down the MWC, but now i love CUSA.

I am curious about the MWC statement. UTEP fans saying they have fielded interest from the MWC, and Houston/SMU fans saying they have a standing offer from the MWC. The MWC also talked to Rice and Tulsa.

Why did UTSA turn down the MWC? Would your decision change if the MWC came back and said UTEP, UTSA and Houston/SMU or North Texas/Rice were getting a package offer? Or do you think the MWC is making contingencies to balance a BYU addition (if that ever happened) with a Texas addition?

(04-16-2014 10:58 AM)ThreeifbyLightning Wrote:  It's weird how much the MAC schools like to keep to themselves and their own little click.

I will say this though. Their strength is in their genuine support for each other and maintaing their core. We declined an invite from the MAC in '03. MAC wanted us and wkcc and the toppers wanted to go as they began their transition, but the MAC wouldn't take only one of us. They had to have both. Our adminstration didn't believe it was a good fit being the southern most team in an upper midwest based league taking us out of our primary recruiting areas. Smart move.

Though everyone is well aware of this one we also turned down multiple offers from the WAC the first being in 2004 as as Benson tried to create a 16-team league. Again we rebuffed that along with some of our Sun Belt colleagues and avoided that sinking ship. We had one goal all along and it was to get here. Just hate it had to happen with so many others leaving. I still have high hopes though. There is a good group of schools here!

Yes there are, and everyone is hungry to improve.

(04-16-2014 01:38 PM)BRtransplant Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 01:05 PM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:45 PM)AndreWhere Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

Man, an SBC with ECU, Southern Miss, and UAB would have been awesome. The TV deal might have sucked, but everything elsemakes sense.

USM fans seem to be among the few that get it.

Andre is no USM fan, he's a UL-L fan that would love to have ECU, USM, and UAB as conference mates. Who can blame him? Misery loves company, and being stuck in the Sun Belt the way UL-L is, Andre's longing for some decent company is understandable. No one would ever leave the AAC, MAC, or CUSA for the Sunbelt, but his dreaming about that possibility doesn't hurt anyone.

I've never been to a ULL sporting event other than a single football game. It was a USM-USL game where Jeff Bower rewarded our backup QB for years of service by letting him rush for 4 rushing TDs on the Cajuns. There's a book about Southern Miss football called "Rock Solid", by John Cox, of which I own a signed copy. In it, there's a picture from this game of a very scared-looking Jake Delhomme about to get sacked. USM won this game something like 55-14. It was a week after USL had upset A&M, and the New Orleans paper recapped the game under the headline "Cajuns Get Reality Check from USM." I'm thinking you might also be in need of a reality check.