(01-27-2021 12:26 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  

(01-27-2021 11:58 AM)TexasTerror Wrote:  

(01-27-2021 09:11 AM)lion1983 Wrote:  I have thought about how the ASUN would even consider FBS, I have no doubt all the ASUN football schools have aspirations of FBS, but the ASUN cant just move per NCAA.

But the WAC can, they still have FBS rights that haven't been sold.

So I wonder if the two commissioners have been working together on this... I dont believe in coincidence, and its awful convenient for both the ASUN and WAC to be doing what they are doing, at the same time basically and talking about FBS.

So I wonder if they plan on having a FBS hybrid football league. With the ASUN under the WAC umbrella?

It could work like two separate conferences. But have a bowl tie in were the WAC winner plays the ASUN winner. Unless one of the winners gets a NY6 or better (unlikely) opportunity.

Just a thought...

I do not think it's a stretch by any means. The question will be how many WAC and/or ASUN members are able to make the move to FBS and if that's truly the desired destination for the league(s).

It is hard to believe that the WAC or ASUN schools would have a partial jump. It's either "all in" or "all out" because leaving behind say a Southern Utah as an FCS Independent (when they could have just stayed in the Big Sky) while the rest of the league makes the move to FBS wouldn't be right.

Having a WAC western and eastern divisions help with building rivalries from the all sports editions of the league, help with the FBS for the ASUN (as you mentioned) and also aids with scheduling (will be crucial for these schools to have eight game slates with four home/four away) from the get go, particularly during the transition year or two. Could certainly create for a "softer landing" for the schools...

And from the CFP perspective, there'd just be one league to give $$$ to and not two leagues. I think that's going to be an issue with any of this WAC/ASUN to FBS talk in the first place!

I think all of the ASUN schools that play scholarship football have higher aspirations for sure. And we will have to see who else the ASUN gets. But there are a couple of WAC schools that I look at and question if they actually could do it.

I’ve wondered about my own school, ACU. Last time I checked only 4 FBS schools had an enrollment of less than 5,000- the three service academies and Tulsa. As I recall only 10 schools enrolled less than 10,000. I don’t believe any of the private schools with a student population of less tha 10,000 had an endowment of under a billion. ACU is approaching half that amount, which is not shabby at all but not in the same league as Tulsa or others. ACU’s strategic plan calls for increasing the selectivity of undergrads rather than growing admission. We do plan to grow grad enrollment mostly through on line study but this growth will be incremental rather than exponential like GCU or Liberty.

Our administration may have a plan in mind for how a small private school with an endowment the size of ours can compete at the FBS level but I’m skeptical.