Outside of adding App State, GA Southern and JMU, none of those other teams make any sense whatsoever and many are likely not even ready OR even interested in the FBS level to begin with.

Look at the support levels in 2012 of these programs:
WEST
Western Division
UT-Arlington - No football currently
Sam Houston State - 8.8k
Stephen F. Austin - 6.7k
New Mexico State - 14.2k
Lamar - 11.1k

Central Division
Murray State - 6.9k

EAST
Southern Division
Georgia Southern - 18.5k
Jacksonville State - 16k

Northern Division
Appalachian State - 26.4k
Chattanooga - 9.5k
Eastern Kentucky - 9.8k
James Madison - 22.8k
Richmond - 8.7k (i know it's less than that and they inflate their attendance at UR)

App, JMU, and GA southern are going to be your 3 best supported programs and that's something that you need. It means eyes on the football product.

IIRC, UT-C was actually considering dropping football a few years ago. They have since improved their product on the field so I think those talks have stopped... but I don't see them going FBS ANYTIME soon. Along with 80% of that list.

From a Troy perspective, I want to see the conference move forward. It's bad enough we are adding several I-AA teams, but to flood the conference with them ...? I would hope Troy would do anything to get the heck out of such a league.

(12-10-2012 01:53 PM)BMarkey Wrote:  From a Troy perspective, I want to see the conference move forward. It's bad enough we are adding several I-AA teams, but to flood the conference with them ...? I would hope Troy would do anything to get the heck out of such a league.

well why should troy not then immediately be booted from the league for not being loyal?

Don't you have a C USA board to gossip on?

You can take it to the bank, the day UL gets into any other conference I will not be on this site. I will be at the new home.

Texas State?!?

Uh, well ... Because I do not speak for Troy, I am not a school leader, Troy has been staunchly loyal to the Sun Belt (Chancellor Jack Hawkins is president of the board), has not mentioned leaving the conference and reportedly is not looking in any way to do so - as opposed to your school which has been whoring itself to CUSA for years and bolted for the worst rated league in the country with some really bad timing.

(12-10-2012 02:11 PM)SpaceRaider Wrote:  

(12-10-2012 01:53 PM)BMarkey Wrote:  From a Troy perspective, I want to see the conference move forward. It's bad enough we are adding several I-AA teams, but to flood the conference with them ...? I would hope Troy would do anything to get the heck out of such a league.

well why should troy not then immediately be booted from the league for not being loyal?

(12-10-2012 12:30 PM)panama Wrote:  

(12-10-2012 11:57 AM)FloridaJag Wrote:  You must not forget the potential of North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast adding football programs. UNF is in Jacksonville, Florida and FGCU is in Ft. Myers. There was some discussion on the board about Missouri State and there is the possibility that UT Arlington might restart football.

Still selling that merchandise eh?

Yep. Why not. They bought Georgia State.

Youre seriously comparing us to these glorified community colleges you have been hawking? Come on playa. Neither one of those schools is even close to being close to being on radar fro even FCS in the next 10 years. Didnt FGCU do a feasibility study 2 years ago and say no to even starting football? North Florida hasnt even gotten that far.

(12-10-2012 04:11 PM)panama Wrote:  Youre seriously comparing us to these glorified community colleges you have been hawking? Come on playa. Neither one of those schools is even close to being close to being on radar fro even FCS in the next 10 years. Didnt FGCU do a feasibility study 2 years ago and say no to even starting football? North Florida hasnt even gotten that far.

Yes I am, for the past two years, I have been arguing for Ga State and North Carolina Charlotte which many called "glorified community colleges". FGCU is just as close as being on the radar as Ga State. The President and BOT put a pause on the plans due to the fact the FGCU has only been around a decade. They want to jump straight to FBS but realized they needed to build up their alumni numbers in order to have it go well. I expect an announcement from them within the next 24 months.

So if UWF and FGCU add football programs, that will leave UNF as the only university in the State University System without football. Their alumni will not sit by and allow UNF to not have a football program.

I was right about, ODU, Ga State, UTSA and UNCC which does not have a football team at the moment but are now in CUSA. It is amazing how you have become high and mighty since receiving the FBS status from the invite from the SBC.

Look at how UNF and FGCU compare to the future SBC. Both schools are growing faster than most of the SBC.

Texas State 34,299
Texas - Arlington 33,439
Georgia State 30,606
Western Kentucky 21,048
Louisiana Lafayette 16,885
North Florida 16,372
South Alabama 15,077
Arkansas-Little Rock 13,167
Florida Gulf Coast 12,683
Louisiana Monroe 8,300
Troy 7,194

(12-10-2012 05:21 PM)FloridaJag Wrote:  

(12-10-2012 04:11 PM)panama Wrote:  Youre seriously comparing us to these glorified community colleges you have been hawking? Come on playa. Neither one of those schools is even close to being close to being on radar fro even FCS in the next 10 years. Didnt FGCU do a feasibility study 2 years ago and say no to even starting football? North Florida hasnt even gotten that far.

Yes I am, for the past two years, I have been arguing for Ga State and North Carolina Charlotte which many called "glorified community colleges". FGCU is just as close as being on the radar as Ga State. The President and BOT put a pause on the plans due to the fact the FGCU has only been around a decade. They want to jump straight to FBS but realized they needed to build up their alumni numbers in order to have it go well. I expect an announcement from them within the next 24 months.

So if UWF and FGCU add football programs, that will leave UNF as the only university in the State University System without football. Their alumni will not sit by and allow UNF to not have a football program.

I was right about, ODU, Ga State, UTSA and UNCC which does not have a football team at the moment but are now in CUSA. It is amazing how you have become high and mighty since receiving the FBS status from the invite from the SBC.

Look at how UNF and FGCU compare to the future SBC. Both schools are growing faster than most of the SBC.

Texas State 34,299
Texas - Arlington 33,439
Georgia State 30,606
Western Kentucky 21,048
Louisiana Lafayette 16,885
North Florida 16,372
South Alabama 15,077
Arkansas-Little Rock 13,167
Florida Gulf Coast 12,683
Louisiana Monroe 8,300
Troy 7,194

There is the matter of neither having football or planning football at any level. Kennesaw and Mercer are ahead of them and even they are not on anyone's radar. University of New Orleans will get there before them. Chattanooga comes to mind. There are a half dozen other schools planning football or with FCS football that I would put ahead of them. This is like one of those GSU football threads used to have back in 2003.

Well, since we're lumping every institution of higher learning in Florida into the Sun Belt, what about Edward Waters (Jacksonville), which plays in NAIA, Webber International in Babson Park (http://webberathletics.com/index.aspx?ta...football), which plays in NAIA, and Ave Maria (http://www.avemariagyrenes.com/) in southwest Florida, east of Naples (http://webberathletics.com/index.aspx?ta...football), which plays in NAIA?

Then there's Stetson in DeLand (http://www.gohatters.com/), which will play in FCS and Florida Institute of Technology/Florida Tech in Melbourne )http://www.floridatechsports.com/football/default), which will start in NCAA D-II next year, and Warner University (http://www.warnerroyals.com/index.aspx?p...b=football) in Lake Wales (central-south Florida), which will begin play in NAIA next year.

(12-10-2012 07:29 PM)BMarkey Wrote:  Well, since we're lumping every institution of higher learning in Florida into the Sun Belt, what about Edward Waters (Jacksonville), which plays in NAIA, Webber International in Babson Park (http://webberathletics.com/index.aspx?ta...football), which plays in NAIA, and Ave Maria (http://www.avemariagyrenes.com/) in southwest Florida, east of Naples (http://webberathletics.com/index.aspx?ta...football), which plays in NAIA?

Then there's Stetson in DeLand (http://www.gohatters.com/), which will play in FCS and Florida Institute of Technology/Florida Tech in Melbourne )http://www.floridatechsports.com/football/default), which will start in NCAA D-II next year, and Warner University (http://www.warnerroyals.com/index.aspx?p...b=football) in Lake Wales (central-south Florida), which will begin play in NAIA next year.

You forgot Florida A&M, Bethune Cookman and Florida Memorial.

I think you guys are just being short sided. You have to look 3 to 5 years out. Strip away your bias and look at possible advantages.

SBC choice priority

1. App State
2. Ga Southern
3. UTA starts football
4. Lamar

Then five years out

5. Kennesaw State
6. North Florida
7. Florida Gulf Coast
8. Southeastern Louisiana
9. Central Arkansas

This makes a nice compact footprint that helps on the travel coast and allows the fans to follow thier teams on the road.

Central Arkansas is a LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG ways away from getting FBS. They'd have to build a brand new football stadium most likely, which means finding land to do so.

(12-10-2012 08:15 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Central Arkansas is a LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG ways away from getting FBS. They'd have to build a brand new football stadium most likely, which means finding land to do so.

I was thinking ten years out for UCA.

(12-10-2012 08:07 PM)FloridaJag Wrote:  

(12-10-2012 07:29 PM)BMarkey Wrote:  Well, since we're lumping every institution of higher learning in Florida into the Sun Belt, what about Edward Waters (Jacksonville), which plays in NAIA, Webber International in Babson Park (http://webberathletics.com/index.aspx?ta...football), which plays in NAIA, and Ave Maria (http://www.avemariagyrenes.com/) in southwest Florida, east of Naples (http://webberathletics.com/index.aspx?ta...football), which plays in NAIA?

Then there's Stetson in DeLand (http://www.gohatters.com/), which will play in FCS and Florida Institute of Technology/Florida Tech in Melbourne )http://www.floridatechsports.com/football/default), which will start in NCAA D-II next year, and Warner University (http://www.warnerroyals.com/index.aspx?p...b=football) in Lake Wales (central-south Florida), which will begin play in NAIA next year.

You forgot Florida A&M, Bethune Cookman and Florida Memorial.

I think you guys are just being short sided. You have to look 3 to 5 years out. Strip away your bias and look at possible advantages.

SBC choice priority

1. App State
2. Ga Southern
3. UTA starts football
4. Lamar

Then five years out

5. Kennesaw State
6. North Florida
7. Florida Gulf Coast
8. Southeastern Louisiana
9. Central Arkansas

This makes a nice compact footprint that helps on the travel coast and allows the fans to follow thier teams on the road.

University of Phoenix?

(12-10-2012 08:15 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Central Arkansas is a LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG ways away from getting FBS. They'd have to build a brand new football stadium most likely, which means finding land to do so.

agreed. Earlier this year, they were contemplating dropping back down to D2.

http://www.katv.com/story/19665807/uca-c...ivision-ii

Plus I don't want the Purple/Grey field in the league.

(12-10-2012 08:25 PM)chrisattsu Wrote:  

(12-10-2012 08:15 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Central Arkansas is a LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG LONG ways away from getting FBS. They'd have to build a brand new football stadium most likely, which means finding land to do so.

agreed. Earlier this year, they were contemplating dropping back down to D2.

http://www.katv.com/story/19665807/uca-c...ivision-ii

Plus I don't want the Purple/Grey field in the league.

Drop UCA, what about the other 8?

I didn't even now about Florida Memorial. I ignored BCC and FAMU because BCC has neither the support, facilities or funds to move up and FAMU tried once and failed miserably.

How about while we're at it, why not extend a bid to the University of Florida at St Petersburg? It might take them a while to get up to speed (seeing as that university has yet to be founded), but they aren't much further behind Florida Gulf Coast, and North Florida as far as suitabilty for Sun Belt affiliation.