I think that Denver should bring back football so they can join there WAC teamates.

wkuhilltopperfan Wrote:If WKU is still in the Sunbelt in 2020 I will puke unless the rest of the schools bring more to the table. WKU,Troy,MTSU,FAU, and maybe ASU or UNT are the only schools that have anough versitility to step up. Budget/fanbase and commitment are needed to make a good confrenence. WKU leeds in all so what other schools can step up?

Well, I don't think that MT is really behind WKU in overall support, except fot donations and the fact that you've upgraded Diddle. When you take a look at the new baseball facility we are about to build, I have to almost call the facilities a wash. I'm not certain about the other schools that you mentioned, but I don't htink they would have to make any more improvements other than to remodel their b bal facilities to be equal to WKU. In other words: You have a better basketball arena than everyone else and that's about it. Even with your football stadium upgrades, you aren't going to have better facilites in that area than 2/3rds of the Belt. Your fanbase is good, but it will be interesting to see how they hold uo in the football arena when you have a down year. I do like the way the conference is heading and adding WKU was a good move, but I don't think WKU is in much better shape (if at all) than MT, Troy, UNT and probably a couple of others.

BlueRaiderFan111 Wrote:

wkuhilltopperfan Wrote:If WKU is still in the Sunbelt in 2020 I will puke unless the rest of the schools bring more to the table. WKU,Troy,MTSU,FAU, and maybe ASU or UNT are the only schools that have anough versitility to step up. Budget/fanbase and commitment are needed to make a good confrenence. WKU leeds in all so what other schools can step up?

Well, I don't think that MT is really behind WKU in overall support, except fot donations and the fact that you've upgraded Diddle. When you take a look at the new baseball facility we are about to build, I have to almost call the facilities a wash. I'm not certain about the other schools that you mentioned, but I don't htink they would have to make any more improvements other than to remodel their b bal facilities to be equal to WKU. In other words: You have a better basketball arena than everyone else and that's about it. Even with your football stadium upgrades, you aren't going to have better facilites in that area than 2/3rds of the Belt. Your fanbase is good, but it will be interesting to see how they hold uo in the football arena when you have a down year. I do like the way the conference is heading and adding WKU was a good move, but I don't think WKU is in much better shape (if at all) than MT, Troy, UNT and probably a couple of others.

Dude, looking at your negatives, you really have a Memphis fixation. Wow--LOL :bustacap:

David Krysakowski Wrote:Conference USA in 2020
Alabama-Birmingham
Arkansas-Little Rock
Central Florida
East Carolina
Marshall
Memphis
South Alabama
Southern Mississippi
Troy

Southwest (New)
Houston
Louisiana Tech
North Texas
Rice
Southern Methodist
Texas-El Paso
Texas Christian
Tulane
Tulsa

Sun Belt in 2020.
Appalachian State
Arkansas State
Florida Atlantic
Florida International
Georgia Southern
Louisiana-Lafayette
Louisiana-Monroe
Middle Tennessee
Western Kentucky

Don't you really think that UCF and Memphis in CUSA at that point is entirely unrealistic?

David Krysakowski Wrote:Central Florida and Memphis aren't going anywhere. South Florida will block any membership for the Big East. Memphis is too southwest for that conference.

USF won't block UCF if it can be made convincingly clear that UCF in the BE is beneficial to the conference as a whole. I'll grant it has to be very convincing, but the same could be said for any prospective member. As for Memphis, their basketball can't be overlooked any longer, nor their fball potential, plus they have long time rivalries with UL and UC. Their location will be overlooked or worked out, in light of their favorables.

David Krysakowski Wrote:Central Florida and Memphis aren't going anywhere. South Florida will block any membership for the Big East. Memphis is too southwest for that conference.

And USF was too far south for that conference too, by its own admission during the last rigamaroll. But USF got in.

USF won't have the power to block Memphis. Cincinnati and Louisville, who already were supporting Memphis to come with them, will be sure votes for.

If the BE does split up between footballs and non-footballs in 2010, Memphis is A#1 on their list. Especially with the basketball they bring to the Garden. Plus the Liberty Bowl.

Smackdown Wrote:

David Krysakowski Wrote:Central Florida and Memphis aren't going anywhere. South Florida will block any membership for the Big East. Memphis is too southwest for that conference.

And USF was too far south for that conference too, by its own admission during the last rigamaroll. But USF got in.

USF won't have the power to block Memphis. Cincinnati and Louisville, who already were supporting Memphis to come with them, will be sure votes for.

If the BE does split up between footballs and non-footballs in 2010, Memphis is A#1 on their list. Especially with the basketball they bring to the Garden. Plus the Liberty Bowl.

And UCF was WAY too far South for the MAC, but . . .
Memphis BB is a big plus for the BE.

I am surprised that Arkansas-Little Rock doesn't have football. They could play War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

I would like to see Arkansas-Little Rock (UALR) add football. South Alabama is adding football and joining the Sun Belt in 2013.

Rumor has it that Georgia State and/or Kennesaw State are adding football to eventually become members of the SBC. At least their BoD are looking into that option for the future.

GSU plans first football game for 2010

Student athletic fees raised to fund gridiron program

By ANDREA JONES
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Published on: 04/15/08

Georgia State University's long planned football team is becoming a reality and its students will foot part of the bill.

The Board of Regents on Tuesday approved an $85 increase in Georgia State's athletic fee for fall semester, paving the way for university to play its first game in 2010.

A football team has long been the dream of retiring GSU president Carl Patton, who has overseen dramatic changes at the former-commuter school in his 16 years at the helm.

Still, Patton and other GSU officials declined to comment on Tuesday, preferring to wait until Thursday, when they said an official announcement will be made.

Regents approved tuition and fees for all 35 public colleges and universities at a meeting in Columbus.

Georgia State University's overall fees will go from $494 to $600 in the fall, the largest hike among schools. Georgia Tech's fees will increase by $19, to $592 in the fall. UGA students will pay $24 more, to $587. A committee of Georgia State students approved the proposed jump earlier in 2007.

For several years, the school has been morphing from a commuter-based community into a more traditional university.

By 2015, Patton has said, GSU plans to house 20 percent of its 50,000 full- and part-time students on campus, a sea change for the institution.

Georgia State has raised more than $1 million dollars in pledges toward the football program. The team will likely play its first season in the Georgia Dome.

Georgia State has to worry about getting its program started correctly and getting up to speed in the CAA for a few years before thinking about a jump to FBS level football or the Sun Belt Conference.

Kennesaw State, likewise, would be better served by getting its program started correctly and seeing exactly what plans the A-Sun draws up for football before beginning to flirt with bigger conferences.

Actually everytime one of your polls about adding a team to CUSA comes up Most of your fans pick LaTech, Unt a close second and W.Ky picking up steam. The opinion of a few blowhole Tech haters is not indicative of the whole conference.