(05-01-2024 08:32 PM)TexanFan Wrote:  

(05-01-2024 07:23 PM)LUSportsFan Wrote:  

(05-01-2024 03:23 PM)Outsider Wrote:  I've asked it on our forum but also ask it here. The SLC is considered a bad move by pretty much all of us. An immediate move up to CUSA is currently unlikely. How bad would it be for the Texas four (ACU, Tarleton, UTA & SFA) to work together with the ASUN to form a 16 member ASUN conference with an East and West Division? Would this create a strong mid-major conference that keeps many of the current matchups together and keeps the UAC intact and strong?

Divisions would make sense as long as the divisions remain intact. That's what made the move to the WAC feasible. It was messed up when Sam Houston and New Mexico State left. There are issues with the SLC, but barring a wholesale exit, membership movement wouldn't adversely affect the conference going forward as much as movement that would disrupt the divisional set up.

Comparing the most recent SLC and ASUN NET and RPI rankings, there isn't that much difference based on Warren Nolan's conference rankings.

Men's basketball
ASUN - 26
SLC -27

WAC - 14
Warren Nolan NET rankings by conference

Women's basketball
ASUN - 23
SLC - 25

WAC - 21
Warren Nolan NET by Conference

Baseball
SLC - 14
ASUN - 23

WAC - 21

Warren Nolan RPI by Conference

Softball
SLC - 10
ASUN - 11

WAC - 18

Warren Nolan RPI by Conference

Comparisons are more difficult in football due to seasonal performance and grouping differences from year to year. Here are the raw numbers using Warren Nolan's ELO conference rankings.
Warren Nolan ELO by FCS Conference - Toggle the year in the upper left corner
2021
WAC (with Lamar, Sam Houston, and Jacksonville State) - 5 (WAC and ASUN under WAC)
SLC - 7
2022
ASUN (with Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State) - 2 (Reported separately)
SLC - 9
WAC (with Sam Houston) - 7 (Reported separately)
2023
UAC - 6 (WAC and ASUN under UAC)
SLC - 10

Stephen F. Austin could be looking at the travel costs post divisional play. Here's a comparison of game and travel expenses by year adjusted for inflation using the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database. The database combines game expenses with travel expenses so it may cloud some of the results, but I think travel expenses is the biggest driver.

Lamar...............................SFA.........................SHSU
2019 $1,550,029.........$2,328,786................$1,801,899
2020 $1,182,638.........$2,054,734................$1,575,815
2021 $928,400............$1,986,911................$_914,468
2022 $1,966,211.........$3,610,813................$2,107,466
2023 $1,635,897.........$3,420,195................$2,690,000

from Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database

I was originally intrigued about the ASUN, but looking at the rankings, it would also be a step down like the Southland. I do think the ceiling of the ASUN is higher than the Southland, but still lower than the WAC.

I love the WAC but the stability questions are concerning. I don’t know what it would take to alleviate these concerns, but it would be nice to try something.

FIRE THE COMMISSIONER

Would be a good start

I think the key is getting a few other schools to join, at least 2 out of WTAMU Angelo State Central Oklahoma ( maybe add Pittsburg(Kansas) in there as well. We could use some Gorilla's in the WAC! Col-Mesa and Col Mines would also be welcomed but I am not sure how much interest any of them have at the administrative level. I am not too keen on the few D1 POSSIBILITIES like Commerce, N Col or N Az but I would take any of them at the moment. And yes, Thornton needs to go NOW!!! I doubt Luck would want the job but I wish he would take it. If not think outside the box like the Big X12 did and try to get someone competent.

Thanks for answering my question. At this point it's hypotheticals, but not out of the realm of possibilities. I wanted to gauge peoples thoughts though. At least you all had enough merit and strength to answer it. Posters on our board didn't want to. I agree with the statement that the ceiling for the ASUN is probably higher than the SLC even though the rankings aren't a lot different. Also, the footprint is larger. It would be a bigger mix of smaller private and public schools, but I think you would have schools that are looking more towards the future, as a collective. Yes, the FBS is out the window and the NCAA question with the UAC hasn't been settled. Still, the ASUN is the league that holds the auto-bids for what is called the UAC and it would keep that intact. The UAC is a very strong football league. Merging the Texas schools, minus the Utah schools would still keep the UAC at 8 football members and 7 qualifying members. The travel costs would be more than the SLC but I think the benefits would be worth it. I also think the NIL investment costs would probably require more in the ASUN as well. Still, and again I say with the widening gap between the P5 and G5, the moves to FBS may slow down. It could make the decision to make a strong mid-major super conference more appealing in the long run.

(05-02-2024 02:47 AM)Spolovilo4EVER Wrote:  I think the key is getting a few other schools to join, at least 2 out of WTAMU Angelo State Central Oklahoma ( maybe add Pittsburg(Kansas) in there as well. We could use some Gorilla's in the WAC! Col-Mesa and Col Mines would also be welcomed but I am not sure how much interest any of them have at the administrative level. I am not too keen on the few D1 POSSIBILITIES like Commerce, N Col or N Az but I would take any of them at the moment. And yes, Thornton needs to go NOW!!! I doubt Luck would want the job but I wish he would take it. If not think outside the box like the Big X12 did and try to get someone competent.

Luck is just as bad, if not worse than Thornton. I agree with Matt that the WAC wants competitive DI programs and not DII move ups. Now, if everyone moved on and left them with no choice then.... By then though the WAC wouldn't be worth much.

From the D1 Ticker:

Quote:Stephen F. Austin is “strongly considering a move back to the Southland Conference” and could potentially make an announcement to that effect as soon as this month, and Extra Points’ Matt Brown notes that “the exact whys are complicated, depending on who you talk to. Some industry sources have noted that [President Neal] Weaver was previously a VP for University Advancement at Nicholls State, and already has deep familiarity with many Southland institutions. Others have pointed to a desire to save money on travel, as well as instability and a lack of confidence in WAC/ASUN United and that organization’s long term future.” If SFA were to leave, Brown reports that “multiple WAC institutions will continue to do their due diligence on other conference membership options. Specifically, I’ve been told to monitor the Summit League as a potential destination for the Utah-based institutions, the WCC as a potential landing spot for Cal Baptist, and the ASUN or Southland as potential destinations for ACU, UTA and Tarleton, with the ASUN considered more likely than the Southland.” Also from Brown: “Industry sources close to WCC schools have told me multiple times over the last few months that while multiple member schools are strongly in favor of the conference adding Grand Canyon, the best basketball program in the league at the moment, it is unlikely that the Lopes can get enough votes from the entire conference to earn an invite. … I’m not ready to shovel dirt on any league. But I do think it’s fair to say that the WAC is in a very precarious position at the moment.”

https://www.extrapointsmb.com/p/conferen...ons-coming

Problem with the idea that the ASun ceiling is higher is that schools like ACU, SFA and UTA would immediately bolster either conference, vaulting whichever conference those schools joined over the other. McNeese really bolstered the SLC last year and looks like it will again.

Now if either had WAC-like rankings, then maybe not.

When I posted I think the ASUN has a higher ceiling, I am referring to the schools currently in the ASUN and the Southland. I think the schools in the ASUN can elevate themselves above the schools in the Southland as currently configured.

I think both Sportscaster's and TexasFan's statements are true. I also looked at it initially from the current ASUN members. It has a lot of smaller private institutions, as well as small public, but I think these institutions have the ability to grow themselves academically higher and could also elevate some of their sports with time. They have a few that are on the rise and some that are noted in various sports already. Yes, once the WAC schools came in, that would immediately elevate the conference as a whole and I think might push some of the other institutions. I don't know how much they would push the SLC schools. The MVC could have some possibilities I guess, but they would also mean travel costs and I think the ASUN gives room for growth. I also think the ASUN also offers more market opportunity. The stability would need to be monitored, but I think that is the current reality for everyone.