http://www.goblueraiders.tv/video.cfm?id...7fV0dtLODQ

(05-19-2012 12:21 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  http://www.goblueraiders.tv/video.cfm?id...7fV0dtLODQ

One of the most surprising things for me out of conference realignment has been the MTSU fans reaction to it.

Their seems to be great offense taken at CUSA "jumping over us to take three FCS teams" and seeming to base their "worth" on CUSA decision-making. It's like a massive hidden Big Blue inferiority complex all of a sudden burst out of the closet.

CUSA decision-making is a reflection on CUSA and I'm not sure what it has to do with the "worth" of MTSU.

The fact is that the SBC has probably made the most improvement, as a whole, of any of the non-AQ leagues in the last decade. Having outlasted the WAC and poised on the verge of surpassing the MAC and gaining a lot of ground on a new CUSA made up of remnants. MTSU was a big part of the SBC rise. MTSU is very desirable to the SBC.

Even though CUSA has further watered down its product, at least temporarily, in search of the mythical tv market.....this seems to make MTSU fans desire it even more. Which is irrational. A CUSA bid would have been much more meaningful when it did not include the FCS startups/callups. But now that it does...MTSU fans seem to find it even more appealing.

ark30inf,

You lost the moral authority to be berating any school for looking a way out of the sun belt after posting thoughts like:

ark30inf(arkst.com) Wrote:It makes me nervous to see nobody below us ready to rise up and knowing conference realignment is not going to be finished after this. We better get our hair fixed real pretty and put on lipstick and get the high heels on as fast as possible and maybe lift our dress a little......look out for ourselves....just to be safe.

ark30inf(arkst.com) Wrote:We also are one of only two FBS programs in our state. Whether we do anything with that advantage is the question. So far we haven't been able to really.

ark30inf(arkst.com) Wrote:May be, but I don't think realignment is over and the next wave could hurt a lot more than this one. We better be prepared to be in a position to look attractive and look out for ourselves when it arrives.

If anyone is in the closet, it is you ark30inf because you say one thing here and say the opposite on the den. So get off your high horse, the only difference between you and the MTSU fans that you are trying to belittle is that the MTSU fans have the balls to be consistent about their views on their boards and on this board.

Unless one's school is already in one of the Big 4 conferences (B1G, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC) then each and every school in and each every conference is currently jockeying to do what they think is in the best interest of their school.

So goes life and the best of luck to all schools as we muddle through this conference realignment upheaval. Attacking one another is helpful how ??

All conferences other than the Big 4 and possibly Big East and ACC to a degree are now sucking hind teat . .

(05-19-2012 12:21 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  http://www.goblueraiders.tv/video.cfm?id...7fV0dtLODQ

askthead.com is a great idea . . kudos to MT !!

(05-19-2012 01:23 PM)ManzanoWolf Wrote:  Unless one's school is already in one of the Big 4 conferences (B1G, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC) then each and every school in and each every conference is currently jockeying to do what they think is in the best interest of their school.

So goes life and the best of luck to all schools as we muddle through this conference realignment upheaval. Attacking one another is helpful how ??

All conferences other than the Big 4 and possibly Big East and ACC to a degree are now sucking hind teat . .

As usual, great post and agree with you. It's hard to understand some posters taking every opportunity they have to belittle others' decisions as if they know something, without realizing each university is doing what they deem the best for each school.

(05-19-2012 01:02 PM)FIU4Ever Wrote:  ark30inf,

You lost the moral authority to be berating any school for looking a way out of the sun belt after posting thoughts like:

ark30inf(arkst.com) Wrote:It makes me nervous to see nobody below us ready to rise up and knowing conference realignment is not going to be finished after this. We better get our hair fixed real pretty and put on lipstick and get the high heels on as fast as possible and maybe lift our dress a little......look out for ourselves....just to be safe.

ark30inf(arkst.com) Wrote:We also are one of only two FBS programs in our state. Whether we do anything with that advantage is the question. So far we haven't been able to really.

ark30inf(arkst.com) Wrote:May be, but I don't think realignment is over and the next wave could hurt a lot more than this one. We better be prepared to be in a position to look attractive and look out for ourselves when it arrives.

If anyone is in the closet, it is you ark30inf because you say one thing here and say the opposite on the den. So get off your high horse, the only difference between you and the MTSU fans that you are trying to belittle is that the MTSU fans have the balls to be consistent about their views on their boards and on this board.

I'd be interested in seeing what you are talking about, I am generally pretty consistent in my positions. Not saying it doesn't happen, because I actually considered NMSU favorably a couple of weeks ago which is out of character (bad day). But there is also the chance I was misinterpreted.

(In addition) UL Cajuns fans aren't very happy about being excluded.

(05-19-2012 01:23 PM)ManzanoWolf Wrote:  Unless one's school is already in one of the Big 4 conferences (B1G, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC) then each and every school in and each every conference is currently jockeying to do what they think is in the best interest of their school.

So goes life and the best of luck to all schools as we muddle through this conference realignment upheaval. Attacking one another is helpful how ??

All conferences other than the Big 4 and possibly Big East and ACC to a degree are now sucking hind teat . .

True.

But there is always the chance that a school administration does what it thinks is best for the school and the fans rebel because they have some perception that doesn't match reality....and the admin reverses course and bows to the pressure and puts the school in a worse position. Happens all the time.

The rumor was there that MTSU was invited and turned CUSA down....and then the fan rebellion forced them to belatedly pursue it. I don't really believe that, but it can happen. Just because a school makes a decision or reverses one does not mean that it really was in the long-term best interests of the school.

A decision can be made to satisfy a big booster, or to appease an uninformed fan-base, or to try to keep the AD's job for another year, or to make sure a buddy gets one more year to try to turn his record around.

We act as if just because a school made a decision, it was the right one and can't be questioned by anybody but that school's fans.

Many times a school's fans want a Paterno or Petrino to stay no matter what when that is the wrong decision.

Not everyone in CUSA is going to win out of this deal. Some programs that move or startup at that level will do well. Others who have such high hopes right now will become bottom-dwellers in a conference they shouldn't have moved to. We just don't know who they are yet.

I have my opinions on who will benefit and who will not and I don't mind voicing them. Some people don't like my opinion....tough, I'm not zipping it just to save their fragile sensibilities.

(05-19-2012 01:40 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  (In addition) UL Cajuns fans aren't very happy about being excluded.

Is the reason ULL is not wanted because they don't have a fan base? Nope. Is it because they have a smaller tv market than Ruston? Nope. Is it because their football performance is worse than UNCC football performance? Nope. Is it because their fans won't travel to a bowl game? Nope. Is it because they can't win a bowl game? Nope.

So they are unhappy that they weren't selected for a beauty contest of questionable worth based on some really questionable criteria.

(05-19-2012 02:04 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(05-19-2012 01:40 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  (In addition) UL Cajuns fans aren't very happy about being excluded.

Is the reason ULL is not wanted because they don't have a fan base? Nope. Is it because they have a smaller tv market than Ruston? Nope. Is it because their football performance is worse than UNCC football performance? Nope. Is it because their fans won't travel to a bowl game? Nope. Is it because they can't win a bowl game? Nope.

So they are unhappy that they weren't selected for a beauty contest of questionable worth based on some really questionable criteria.

Cajuns fans aren't happy because the athletic department and president lied to the fanbase about trying to get into CUSA. There was no more than an informal call to CUSA officials about requirements or where we lack as a university. We sit back and watch Latech practically get on their knees and give the reach around to get in with much less to offer than Louisiana. That is why our fans are upset. We were lead to believe that we had a 5&10 year strategic plan in place and it was all lip service. So we as fans have plenty of reasons to be upset and it has more to do with deception and lack of transpanrancy by the athletic department than anything else. Had we been proactive during this realignment period and been declined we would be ok with it.

(05-19-2012 12:39 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(05-19-2012 12:21 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  http://www.goblueraiders.tv/video.cfm?id...7fV0dtLODQ

One of the most surprising things for me out of conference realignment has been the MTSU fans reaction to it.

Their seems to be great offense taken at CUSA "jumping over us to take three FCS teams" and seeming to base their "worth" on CUSA decision-making. It's like a massive hidden Big Blue inferiority complex all of a sudden burst out of the closet.

CUSA decision-making is a reflection on CUSA and I'm not sure what it has to do with the "worth" of MTSU.

The fact is that the SBC has probably made the most improvement, as a whole, of any of the non-AQ leagues in the last decade. Having outlasted the WAC and poised on the verge of surpassing the MAC and gaining a lot of ground on a new CUSA made up of remnants. MTSU was a big part of the SBC rise. MTSU is very desirable to the SBC.

Even though CUSA has further watered down its product, at least temporarily, in search of the mythical tv market.....this seems to make MTSU fans desire it even more. Which is irrational. A CUSA bid would have been much more meaningful when it did not include the FCS startups/callups. But now that it does...MTSU fans seem to find it even more appealing.

The Sun Belt has seen the greatest gains because we started so far down. It's only logical that we would. As far as Conf. USA, I want to go to it because it has more bowls and more revenue (though the revenue will change a bit, it will still be more than we are getting in the Belt). As far as a complex, I don't think so. We call 'em like we see 'em. I don't think that's having a complex.

(05-19-2012 01:40 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  (In addition) UL Cajuns fans aren't very happy about being excluded.

Not at all. We firmly believe that the core group that we have now will be as strong as CUSA, if not stronger in the near future.

We are pissed because our Pres and AD mislead us on some issues. Now, if the Sunbelt continues to bleed members, MT, WKY, etc... we'll definitely want to bolt.
There is NO way we wont be as strong as CUSA by 2015 if we stay together.

Z

(05-19-2012 03:02 PM)geauxcajuns Wrote:  

(05-19-2012 02:04 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(05-19-2012 01:40 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  (In addition) UL Cajuns fans aren't very happy about being excluded.

Is the reason ULL is not wanted because they don't have a fan base? Nope. Is it because they have a smaller tv market than Ruston? Nope. Is it because their football performance is worse than UNCC football performance? Nope. Is it because their fans won't travel to a bowl game? Nope. Is it because they can't win a bowl game? Nope.

So they are unhappy that they weren't selected for a beauty contest of questionable worth based on some really questionable criteria.

Cajuns fans aren't happy because the athletic department and president lied to the fanbase about trying to get into CUSA. There was no more than an informal call to CUSA officials about requirements or where we lack as a university. We sit back and watch Latech practically get on their knees and give the reach around to get in with much less to offer than Louisiana. That is why our fans are upset. We were lead to believe that we had a 5&10 year strategic plan in place and it was all lip service. So we as fans have plenty of reasons to be upset and it has more to do with deception and lack of transpanrancy by the athletic department than anything else. Had we been proactive during this realignment period and been declined we would be ok with it.

Well, that's pretty much what our admin did also, just to keep all options alive I imagine.

What if you are an administrator and you look at the whole picture and you think that the SBC has improved such that it is going to surpass the MAC in a year or two and continue to improve with GSU and USA coming on board and you think that the CUSA market strategy is a little fishy and a little risky?

Do you really push hard for an invite that you are not even sure you will accept?

Not saying that is what happened....but maybe MTSU and ULL admins decided that they had an okay hand with less risk and only made the obligatory gestures to keep options open?

So now they get raked over the coals by a fan-base whose ego's have been damaged by not getting invited to that conference that used to have Houston and TCU in it and still has their lingering ghosts hovering around.

LaTech fans have ALWAYS had the kneepads on wanting to be loved. I always thought they were just ridiculous. But I guess they were just ahead of their time.

(05-19-2012 03:26 PM)zeebart21 Wrote:  

(05-19-2012 01:40 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  (In addition) UL Cajuns fans aren't very happy about being excluded.

Not at all. We firmly believe that the core group that we have now will be as strong as CUSA, if not stronger in the near future.

We are pissed because our Pres and AD mislead us on some issues. Now, if the Sunbelt continues to bleed members, MT, WKY, etc... we'll definitely want to bolt.
There is NO way we wont be as strong as CUSA by 2015 if we stay together.

Z

A Grant of Rights is what saved the Big 12. It worked.

(05-19-2012 01:48 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(05-19-2012 01:23 PM)ManzanoWolf Wrote:  Unless one's school is already in one of the Big 4 conferences (B1G, Big 12, Pac 12, SEC) then each and every school in and each every conference is currently jockeying to do what they think is in the best interest of their school.

So goes life and the best of luck to all schools as we muddle through this conference realignment upheaval. Attacking one another is helpful how ??

All conferences other than the Big 4 and possibly Big East and ACC to a degree are now sucking hind teat . .

True.

But there is always the chance that a school administration does what it thinks is best for the school and the fans rebel because they have some perception that doesn't match reality....and the admin reverses course and bows to the pressure and puts the school in a worse position. Happens all the time.

The rumor was there that MTSU was invited and turned CUSA down....and then the fan rebellion forced them to belatedly pursue it. I don't really believe that, but it can happen. Just because a school makes a decision or reverses one does not mean that it really was in the long-term best interests of the school.

A decision can be made to satisfy a big booster, or to appease an uninformed fan-base, or to try to keep the AD's job for another year, or to make sure a buddy gets one more year to try to turn his record around.

We act as if just because a school made a decision, it was the right one and can't be questioned by anybody but that school's fans.

Many times a school's fans want a Paterno or Petrino to stay no matter what when that is the wrong decision.

Not everyone in CUSA is going to win out of this deal. Some programs that move or startup at that level will do well. Others who have such high hopes right now will become bottom-dwellers in a conference they shouldn't have moved to. We just don't know who they are yet.

I have my opinions on who will benefit and who will not and I don't mind voicing them. Some people don't like my opinion....tough, I'm not zipping it just to save their fragile sensibilities.

Those MT fans "in the know" knew we were NOT invited.

(05-19-2012 04:23 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  Those MT fans "in the know" knew we were NOT invited.

But the lack of an invite doesn't have that much to do with MTSU.

(05-19-2012 03:33 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(05-19-2012 03:02 PM)geauxcajuns Wrote:  

(05-19-2012 02:04 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(05-19-2012 01:40 PM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  (In addition) UL Cajuns fans aren't very happy about being excluded.

Is the reason ULL is not wanted because they don't have a fan base? Nope. Is it because they have a smaller tv market than Ruston? Nope. Is it because their football performance is worse than UNCC football performance? Nope. Is it because their fans won't travel to a bowl game? Nope. Is it because they can't win a bowl game? Nope.

So they are unhappy that they weren't selected for a beauty contest of questionable worth based on some really questionable criteria.

Cajuns fans aren't happy because the athletic department and president lied to the fanbase about trying to get into CUSA. There was no more than an informal call to CUSA officials about requirements or where we lack as a university. We sit back and watch Latech practically get on their knees and give the reach around to get in with much less to offer than Louisiana. That is why our fans are upset. We were lead to believe that we had a 5&10 year strategic plan in place and it was all lip service. So we as fans have plenty of reasons to be upset and it has more to do with deception and lack of transpanrancy by the athletic department than anything else. Had we been proactive during this realignment period and been declined we would be ok with it.

Well, that's pretty much what our admin did also, just to keep all options alive I imagine.

What if you are an administrator and you look at the whole picture and you think that the SBC has improved such that it is going to surpass the MAC in a year or two and continue to improve with GSU and USA coming on board and you think that the CUSA market strategy is a little fishy and a little risky?

Do you really push hard for an invite that you are not even sure you will accept?

Not saying that is what happened....but maybe MTSU and ULL admins decided that they had an okay hand with less risk and only made the obligatory gestures to keep options open?

So now they get raked over the coals by a fan-base whose ego's have been damaged by not getting invited to that conference that used to have Houston and TCU in it and still has their lingering ghosts hovering around.

LaTech fans have ALWAYS had the kneepads on wanting to be loved. I always thought they were just ridiculous. But I guess they were just ahead of their time.

I agree for the most part, but the fact is our administration sat on their fat happy asses and expect us dumb fans to buy the crap that they were spewing. Well we did up until it came time for this last round of realignment and some of our larger donors found out the true story and were mislead.

Either one of two things will happen, the moeny will either dry up again or the administration will present a public athletic master plan that the fans can get behind and push for improvements.

To my knowledge we have hire a firm to identify and lay out a master plan and timeline. So hopefully in 3-6 month we will have some sort of transparency and a common goal for Cajun fans to rally behind.

I think most of the anger with SBC fans over CUSA that isnt aimed at their own administration is just the pure. "You wont consider all the championships we have, but would gladly take a charlotte team that hasnt played a down of football?" type thing.