(12-03-2012 10:14 PM)FIU4Ever Wrote:  When Temple left the MAC four months before the start of the season they paid some where between 2.5 - 6 M. Considering that the belt would be given more than 4 months notice and that it is the sun belt, the buy out would be closer to the lower end of that scale.

Uh, the MAC has enough teams to maintain the same number of FBS home games AND its existing championship game for the remaining members. They caused none of the damages that both FAU and MTSU leaving next year would cause the remaining Sun Belt teams and yet still had to pay up to 6 million bucks for breaking a contract WITH THE MAC for leaving early.

The Temple payment was basically free money to the MAC remainders. If FAU and MTSU leave early, there's going to be actual monetary damages borne by remaining schools on top of that.

(12-03-2012 09:00 PM)MTalum09 Wrote:  I know our donors have stepped up and are willing to pay, if there is a fine. I know many of our fans are willing to pay as well. Why play in a conference who is just trying to screw you over? No point. We could go 10-2 next season and Benson would still find a reason for us not to be in a bowl. That's just unacceptable and we aren't taking chances. Time to move on. CUSA has already asked MT if we would like to play beginning in 2013. As I see it now, why not?!?

Surely you jest??

Enjoy CUSA!!

Z

If there was any screwing over, it was by MTSU and FAU - leaving a growing and respect-gaining conference at the drop of a hat. MTSU's reportedly leaving is about sour grapes for the bowl snub. Go for it. As for FAU, the powers that be are mistaken about all the riches they are already counting. I can understand them wanting a close partner in FIU, although FIU does not seem to take the rivalry seriously. They reportedly are in negotiations to leave early. I'll bet the excited fans at both schools will become subdued when they realize they must fill their stadiums for games against Old Dominion, Charlotte and USTA.

If both teams leave, they will be replaced. SBC teams won't need to find non-conference games.

(12-03-2012 10:17 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(12-03-2012 10:05 PM)surlycanon Wrote:  because of the platry sums that make up the annual sun belt payout and TV contract I cannot see how a judge will rule for much money. Also Big 12 payed for half of WVU's exit and I can see CUSA doing something similar possibly.

But its the cost of having to replace FBS home games at the late date. The extra cost over simple revenues is the cost that was the proximate result of you breaking the contract by not providing enough notice. If both of you leave, you need to find some one-off home games for the Belt. Or the Belt will have to buy those games and will sue you for the cost. And you will likely lose that lawsuit.

Why hasn't CUSA just released ECU and Tulane?

I would presume that they haven't ask to be released early. Temple wanted in to the Big East early and did what they had to do.

UCF, Memphis, Houston and SMU didn't leave last season as well, but then their commissioner never shafted them either.

(12-03-2012 10:20 PM)BMarkey Wrote:  If there was any screwing over, it was by MTSU and FAU - leaving a growing and respect-gaining conference at the drop of a hat. MTSU's reportedly leaving is about sour grapes for the bowl snub. Go for it. As for FAU, the powers that be are mistaken about all the riches they are already counting. I can understand them wanting a close partner in FIU, although FIU does not seem to take the rivalry seriously. They reportedly are in negotiations to leave early. I'll bet the excited fans at both schools will become subdued when they realize they must fill their stadiums for games against Old Dominion, Charlotte and USTA.

Tell us how you really feel BMarkey.

(12-03-2012 10:20 PM)USACoN2012 Wrote:  If both teams leave, they will be replaced. SBC teams won't need to find non-conference games.

Uh, yes we will. Where are we going to find a FBS team to replace them NEXT YEAR? Ga Southern and Appy have to transition. Those home games need to count towards bowl eligibility. If we invite NMSU, we'll have increased travel costs. They can go, but they have to pay for the damage their leaving EARLY would cause if they choose to do so.

We can't find that many FBS OOC home games in this time period. And we'd have to play away games to get them without paying for them.

(12-03-2012 10:20 PM)BMarkey Wrote:  If there was any screwing over, it was by MTSU and FAU - leaving a growing and respect-gaining conference at the drop of a hat. MTSU's reportedly leaving is about sour grapes for the bowl snub. Go for it. As for FAU, the powers that be are mistaken about all the riches they are already counting. I can understand them wanting a close partner in FIU, although FIU does not seem to take the rivalry seriously. They reportedly are in negotiations to leave early. I'll bet the excited fans at both schools will become subdued when they realize they must fill their stadiums for games against Old Dominion, Charlotte and USTA.

It wasn't at the drop of a hat. It was a goal for years. They will draw just as well as the belt schools if not better because they are more household names thanks to basketball. Plus Marshall, USM and Tulsa will draw better.

(12-03-2012 10:21 PM)FIU4Ever Wrote:  

(12-03-2012 10:17 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(12-03-2012 10:05 PM)surlycanon Wrote:  because of the platry sums that make up the annual sun belt payout and TV contract I cannot see how a judge will rule for much money. Also Big 12 payed for half of WVU's exit and I can see CUSA doing something similar possibly.

But its the cost of having to replace FBS home games at the late date. The extra cost over simple revenues is the cost that was the proximate result of you breaking the contract by not providing enough notice. If both of you leave, you need to find some one-off home games for the Belt. Or the Belt will have to buy those games and will sue you for the cost. And you will likely lose that lawsuit.

Why hasn't CUSA just released ECU and Tulane?

I would presume that they haven't ask to be released early. Temple wanted in to the Big East early and did what they had to do.

UCF, Memphis, Houston and SMU didn't leave last season as well, but then their commissioner never shafted them either.

You might want to ask them, but I imagine part of the reason they didn't leave early was because if they left, CUSA wouldn't have a conference championship this year, and the remaining members would persue legal action against them for that loss.

And Temple had to pay. But the Temple payment didn't have to account for actual monetary damages because none of the remaining schools would have to scramble to find another home game. Temple just had to pay to leave because they left early. Temple caused no direct monetary damages to the MAC and still paid up to 6 million bucks to the friggen MAC as a 'contract breaking fee'.

I have no problem letting FAU and MTSU leave early. They just need to pay us for breaking the contract (like Temple did to the MAC) and find us some home games for next year (that don't require us returning) so that all of our teams have the same number of home games that we would have had FAU/MTSU honored their agreement.

As far as Benson screwing MTSU, you'll find that only the conference champion is guaranteed a bowl berth in the Sun Belt.

(12-03-2012 10:27 PM)TeKERaider Wrote:  

(12-03-2012 10:20 PM)BMarkey Wrote:  If there was any screwing over, it was by MTSU and FAU - leaving a growing and respect-gaining conference at the drop of a hat. MTSU's reportedly leaving is about sour grapes for the bowl snub. Go for it. As for FAU, the powers that be are mistaken about all the riches they are already counting. I can understand them wanting a close partner in FIU, although FIU does not seem to take the rivalry seriously. They reportedly are in negotiations to leave early. I'll bet the excited fans at both schools will become subdued when they realize they must fill their stadiums for games against Old Dominion, Charlotte and USTA.

It wasn't at the drop of a hat. It was a goal for years. They will draw just as well as the belt schools if not better because they are more household names thanks to basketball. Plus Marshall, USM and Tulsa will draw better.

Look, you have a good program at MTSU. But don't try and tell me FIU is going to start drawing well for football because of basketball ties with UNCC or ODU. Tulsa will not draw better. The only team that will register more down there is Marshall, which has a large alumni base in South Florida.

Look I am not gonna try and one up you here because it will come across as bashing the belt and I am not trying to do that, but if you think ODU is less of a draw than USA or Troy circa 2005 than we will just have to agree to disagree. I am pretty sure we will take no hit in attendance.

(12-03-2012 10:51 PM)TeKERaider Wrote:  Look I am not gonna try and one up you here because it will come across as bashing the belt and I am not trying to do that, but if you think ODU is less of a draw than USA or Troy circa 2005 than we will just have to agree to disagree. I am pretty sure we will take no hit in attendance.

You guys will draw just fine in CUSA. I was referring to how FIU and FAU are going to draw in CUSA. Just as bad as they do now.

FAU and FIU will almost always have sub-par attendance, UNLESS they are winning and winning big.

If one of us does do that and has a LA Tech type of year (No bowl invite non-withstanding) LOTS of TV sets will be watching and attendance will rise.

I've embraced the fact that we are desired not for our attendance and history, but for our Market and potential.

Agree or disagree, THATS what college football has become.

I dont mind if either or both leave early so long as it costs us nothing and they comply with whatever requirements, including "reasonable notice." which, with ooc schedules made years in advance is more than 9 months I'm certain. It doesnt seem if both leave we have enough teams for 8 conference games.

It does depend on what language is used in the agreements, if any.

This could get nasty and potentially expensive for MTSU and FAU. And then they could not qualify for bowls next year anyway.

Im for protecting our interests, financial or otherwise, period. If its revenue neutral and doesnt hurt the continuing members, fine. Again, no one knows what those agreements actually say, if anything.

There's 1 million dollar exit fee if the school leaves before giving a 12 month notice. It's not the muts or fau's responsibility to insure any SBC team ANY games if they decide to pay the $1 million exit fee.

This was voted on by the SBC president's last May and passed, muts President McPhee did not cast a vote at the meeting...voting or not the muts must live by the bylaw passed. They must also give up their annual portion of league revenue. Any school leaving can appeal the exit fee but how likely is that appeal to be granted. Not likely since the remaining (same ones who voted for it) school presidents will hear the appeal.

A million dollars isn't small change to any SBC school or for that matter CUSA school especially when the landscape of conferences are changing so quickly. The money should be the 2nd choice to burning bridges for the muts...they will still need OOC games and their former conference mates will be some of the less costly (travel) OOC games they could get.

UNT and FIU could have left for $500,000 but decided to not burn any bridges they didn't have to and stayed in the conference for the 12 months.

Middle Tennessee fans need to step back and keep level heads about this stuff. The way things typically work is that teams announce they are leaving and then play a lame duck season. It is very rare for any team to announce they are leaving once the school year starts and then play football in their new league the very next year. West Virginia and Temple, both of which had to pay huge buyouts, are the only recent examples of such early changes.

Pitt and Syracuse announced they were leaving the Big East in September of 2011 but then stayed through the 2012 season. They will play ACC football in September of 2013. See how this works? UCF, Houston, SMU, Boise State, and SDSU announced in December of 2011 that they would be moving over (Memphis followed two months later) but stayed in CUSA or the MWC through the 2012 campaign. They will begin Big East football in September of 2013.

There is a pattern to his process and nobody is changing it just because the Beef O Brady Bowl inked a back-up deal with the MAC, instead of the SBC, thus screwing Middle Tennessee out of a bowl game this year. Go through your lame duck season like almost every other school in the history of NCAA football and stop putting your fellow SBC posters through tortured mental gymnastics. FIU and UNT fans haven't cried about being lame ducks this year.

I'd just stay a year rather than waste a million or more to leave. It isn't a big deal at all. Hoping to play Georgia State away and go to the game. Is the schedule coming out soon or does this make it get delayed more?

(12-03-2012 11:24 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  FAU and FIU will almost always have sub-par attendance, UNLESS they are winning and winning big.

If one of us does do that and has a LA Tech type of year (No bowl invite non-withstanding) LOTS of TV sets will be watching and attendance will rise.

I've embraced the fact that we are desired not for our attendance and history, but for our Market and potential.

Agree or disagree, THATS what college football has become.

Agreed. That is why Mizzou and A&M are in the SEC before FSU/Clemson. That is why Rutgers got into the Big 10. That is why Tulane is in the Big East etc.

FAU and FIU are competiting for the 6th most fans in FBS in their own state. A lot different than teams that have been around 90 years and have only 1 or 2 FBS schools to compete with in state. Plus many people move to Florida and keep their own teams when doing so. There is also a lot of people not even from this country in S Florida and they can care less about sports like football.

Add in the great weather and lots of options on stuff to do (plus the teams sucking) and you get many reasons for bad attendance.

(12-03-2012 10:20 PM)BMarkey Wrote:  If there was any screwing over, it was by MTSU and FAU - leaving a growing and respect-gaining conference at the drop of a hat. MTSU's reportedly leaving is about sour grapes for the bowl snub. Go for it. As for FAU, the powers that be are mistaken about all the riches they are already counting. I can understand them wanting a close partner in FIU, although FIU does not seem to take the rivalry seriously. They reportedly are in negotiations to leave early. I'll bet the excited fans at both schools will become subdued when they realize they must fill their stadiums for games against Old Dominion, Charlotte and USTA.

Why don't you say something to all the other Sun Belt fans on here trying to get out? Why are we the only bad guys?

(12-04-2012 08:10 AM)MT FAN Wrote:  Why don't you say something to all the other Sun Belt fans on here trying to get out? Why are we the only bad guys?

Because Troy is secretly in love with us.

I'm serious. They don't care about FAU. Or FIU. But we were buddies.

Their heartbroken.

FWIW, I will miss them too.