Well, I'm fine with less members as long as we get to host an actual Championship Game.
I want 2 clear divisions of the conference with the winner of each meeting in the CCG.
Outside of that, I don't care if we lose at least one of those. Seriously (no insult intended) if we lose GAST, we become better as a football power by subtraction and in turn CUSA becomes weaker. Sure GAST has the "potential", just like both F?Us, but they aren't helping us as a conference get ranked high enough and make a better claim to rights of the Access Bowl.
It'd be a bigger loss to lose USA, but there again - JSU could fill their roll pretty well. Many have said that the only thing keeping JSU out to this point is that they are in a state from which we already have two members. Now, I don't really know their geography in Alabama, but wouldn't we be just about as well off to have JSU and Troy as USA/Troy?
That is IF we wanted to replace a team.
We could stay at 10. Or even less could be good in that we would have one more Saturday to schedule a money game (gotta fund COA!) without giving up a home game. Or even trade that for a home/away series to increase home games in some years. Like this year, we have 6 home games, but only 5 Saturdays. We could still wind up with 6 Saturdays at home and a Thursday this way!
I don't see a need to take UMASS (although I love the History of their region!) as a member unless we are in real danger of dropping below 8. We could keep them alive by some of us rotating scheduling them home/away leaving us that extra payout game in most years. They do have the rest of the G5 to do this with and could easy be OK as an independent. We could assure them so many games a year as a conference maybe to get preferred scheduling? Just a thought.
I'd still take JMU if they came calling. They are still the prettiest girl at the Ball with no dance partner.
Even if some of them have acted like a B otch, I mean come on - what girl isn't at some point?