One interesting thing that I would like to look into. Would it be possible for the two sides to compromise? The East schools get JMU like they want for football only, but in exchange, the West gets NMSU like we want for all sports.

I highly doubt the East division would go for such a plan...but it might be one way to improve football, and keep our Olympics strong at the same time.

Its not very often that a basketball program the quality of NMSU's wants in the Sun Belt...and I kind of wonder if we are screwing up by not making the move. Travel sucks...but it would be only one trip a year for some, and every other year for others. We've made longer trips in Olympics.

(11-25-2013 11:50 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(11-25-2013 11:36 PM)AceEagle Wrote:  You guys are going to think I'm crazy for saying this but I would rather have UMASS instead of JMU.
1) Already an established FBS program which gives us a championship game immediately
2) Helps with our basketball rankings
3) We are flying to Idaho, why not Boston
4) Media Market
5) Add NMSU and we have a solid basketball & football conference
6) We can put to bed talks about JMU & the other school name I will not mention 3x...

UMass wont join the MAC for all sports, why in the hades would they join our craptastic basketball league?

UMass has a special deal that allows them to stay in the A-10 for olys. Why would they move their olys to the Sun Belt when they can play in the A-10?

(11-26-2013 12:01 AM)AceEagle Wrote:  The MAC should kick them out... how beneficial UMASS is to the MAC?

To answer your question: For Football, nothing. The MAC should have told them all sports from the start. IMO you can have them for Football. If you going to go that route, you can have Eastern Michigan also.

I do think JMU is going to make an FBS move but I don't think Matthews getting fired necessarily means a decision has been made or conference invite accepted. Missing the FCS playoffs 4 of the last 5 years would probably be enough to get a coach fired regardless of the FCS/FBS situation. JMU has facilities and resources that very few FCS programs can match and routinely have among the highest rated recruiting classes in the FCS. His dismissal could be simply due to on-field results.

I would love to see JMU join the SBC but I think MAC is the most likely. C-USA seems unlikely to add more in the East, particularly another FCS move-up when they already have their foot in VA's largest market/recruiting area. I've seen some JMU fans mention the AAC as well but there is zero chance they take anything but established FBS programs.

Two years ago, JMU had a CUSA offer, but they thought they were too good for CUSA. Now that door has closed and they think they are too good for the SBC. Soon that door will close and they can rot away in the CAA where they will be stuck in a conference that they are actually too good for.

They will be the pretty good looking woman that thought she was a 10 and would settle for nothing less than a 10. Soon she will be 40 and still single and not even looking that good anymore. Suits them right.

(11-26-2013 11:40 AM)GSU Eagles Wrote:  Two years ago, JMU had a CUSA offer, but they thought they were too good for CUSA. Now that door has closed and they think they are too good for the SBC. Soon that door will close and they can rot away in the CAA where they will be stuck in a conference that they are actually too good for.

They will be the pretty good looking woman that thought she was a 10 and would settle for nothing less than a 10. Soon she will be 40 and still single and not even looking that good anymore. Suits them right.

I am always amazed at the attitude of SBC posters. Constant chip on your shoulder, it seems.

2 years ago, we had an ANTI-FBS president who vowed "NO FBS on my watch". It had nothing to do with "too good" for CUSA. I doubt we ever had an offer to begin with.

(11-26-2013 11:49 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 11:40 AM)GSU Eagles Wrote:  Two years ago, JMU had a CUSA offer, but they thought they were too good for CUSA. Now that door has closed and they think they are too good for the SBC. Soon that door will close and they can rot away in the CAA where they will be stuck in a conference that they are actually too good for.

They will be the pretty good looking woman that thought she was a 10 and would settle for nothing less than a 10. Soon she will be 40 and still single and not even looking that good anymore. Suits them right.

I am always amazed at the attitude of SBC posters. Constant chip on your shoulder, it seems.

2 years ago, we had an ANTI-FBS president who vowed "NO FBS on my watch". It had nothing to do with "too good" for CUSA. I doubt we ever had an offer to begin with.

they get this stuff from listening to ODU posters, one in particular who frequents many boards and talks about JMU as if he has a clue of what is going on when he absolutely has NO idea about what he is talking about.

(11-26-2013 11:53 AM)Duke Dawg Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 11:49 AM)JMU2004 Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 11:40 AM)GSU Eagles Wrote:  Two years ago, JMU had a CUSA offer, but they thought they were too good for CUSA. Now that door has closed and they think they are too good for the SBC. Soon that door will close and they can rot away in the CAA where they will be stuck in a conference that they are actually too good for.

They will be the pretty good looking woman that thought she was a 10 and would settle for nothing less than a 10. Soon she will be 40 and still single and not even looking that good anymore. Suits them right.

I am always amazed at the attitude of SBC posters. Constant chip on your shoulder, it seems.

2 years ago, we had an ANTI-FBS president who vowed "NO FBS on my watch". It had nothing to do with "too good" for CUSA. I doubt we ever had an offer to begin with.

they get this stuff from listening to ODU posters, one in particular who frequents many boards and talks about JMU as if he has a clue of what is going on when he absolutely has NO idea about what he is talking about.

yea, the same guy who is their mod and posts under 2 different accounts. What a _______

(11-26-2013 10:36 AM)lance99 Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 12:01 AM)AceEagle Wrote:  The MAC should kick them out... how beneficial UMASS is to the MAC?

To answer your question: For Football, nothing. The MAC should have told them all sports from the start. IMO you can have them for Football. If you going to go that route, you can have Eastern Michigan also.

I actually think that if we're gonna add another football outlier, we should offer it to NDSU over UMass. UMass has no stadium on campus (but is building a really small one), the school appears to be a bit hostile towards the FBS stuff anyway, and the school isn't going to stay if they get better (in the MAC or the Belt or CUSA) as they'll be in the AAC if they ever get better. I have no idea why you guys gave them a bid in the first place. Because they'll pull a Marshall/UCF in a heartbeat.

We have no need for EMU. I'm wondering why CUSA didn't take them. Think of the market.

(11-26-2013 01:02 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 10:36 AM)lance99 Wrote:  

(11-26-2013 12:01 AM)AceEagle Wrote:  The MAC should kick them out... how beneficial UMASS is to the MAC?

To answer your question: For Football, nothing. The MAC should have told them all sports from the start. IMO you can have them for Football. If you going to go that route, you can have Eastern Michigan also.

I actually think that if we're gonna add another football outlier, we should offer it to NDSU over UMass. UMass has no stadium on campus (but is building a really small one), the school appears to be a bit hostile towards the FBS stuff anyway, and the school isn't going to stay if they get better (in the MAC or the Belt or CUSA) as they'll be in the AAC if they ever get better. I have no idea why you guys gave them a bid in the first place. Because they'll pull a Marshall/UCF in a heartbeat.

We have no need for EMU. I'm wondering why CUSA didn't take them. Think of the market.

We would have been much better off adding NDSU than Idaho if they were interested. Benson felt the need to do a personal favor and help out his home state team. He said the reason was for a championship game, but he didn't have any degree of certainty we could get to 12. Now we are stuck at 11 with the two worst FBS programs taking our payout cut AND dragging down our conference rating which costs us more money. At least NDSU would have helped there. But apparently because Idaho didn't have the FCS label, they were a more attractive addition. Lol

I'll still be thrilled with JMU if they join.

(11-25-2013 11:16 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  I do believe that JMU's football coach, Mickey Matthews, being forced out today indicates JMU is getting ready to make an announcement
about going to the FBS in some conference.

My understanding Matthews was pro FBS.

(11-27-2013 05:06 PM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(11-25-2013 11:16 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  I do believe that JMU's football coach, Mickey Matthews, being forced out today indicates JMU is getting ready to make an announcement
about going to the FBS in some conference.

My understanding Matthews was pro FBS.

I thought, like Coach Moore, that Mickey was for staying FCS but would have gone FBS if necessary.

(11-26-2013 10:44 AM)Mike Holloway Wrote:  I do think JMU is going to make an FBS move but I don't think Matthews getting fired necessarily means a decision has been made or conference invite accepted. Missing the FCS playoffs 4 of the last 5 years would probably be enough to get a coach fired regardless of the FCS/FBS situation. JMU has facilities and resources that very few FCS programs can match and routinely have among the highest rated recruiting classes in the FCS. His dismissal could be simply due to on-field results.

I would love to see JMU join the SBC but I think MAC is the most likely. C-USA seems unlikely to add more in the East, particularly another FCS move-up when they already have their foot in VA's largest market/recruiting area. I've seen some JMU fans mention the AAC as well but there is zero chance they take anything but established FBS programs.

Great first post.

JMU is also looking for an all-sports home and that is something that appeals to the MAC after 3 straight FB only adds (UMass, Temple, UCF).

The MAC's TV deal is up in 2016-17 while CUSA is up in 2015-16. There is also the B1G look in coming up in 2016. There is a sense in the MAC that more change could be in store for the league within a few years. The MAC can sit on 13 for a few more years until the next TV contract if it wants to without repercussion.

I don't see why there's such a big deal about this or JMU in general.

As I understand it, there are a few options that are viable: JMU, Missouri State. Missouri State isn't ready. JMU isn't sure. Ok, fine. Move on, but let them know the door is open until it shuts.

In the meantime, talk to other schools that are looking at making a move. FBS/FCS schools. Talk to other schools about how television contracts are coming up and the disparity between the two conferences will change. Talk to them about the strength we have in football, baseball. How basketball is a work in progress. Talk about the compact nature of the divisions that they would fit into.

Sell the benefits of the Sun Belt. If one jumps, then the door closes for Missouri State and JMU. If they jump before another school does, then the door closes on the other school.

But the bottom line is that right now, no one is going to leapfrog them for the spot. So why on earth would they jump now? They potentially have options (I'm guessing CUSA or MAC has told them that the landscape might change and they would take them).

(11-27-2013 07:12 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  But the bottom line is that right now, no one is going to leapfrog them for the spot. So why on earth would they jump now? They potentially have options (I'm guessing CUSA or MAC has told them that the landscape might change and they would take them).

With the TV contracts due to be up for CUSA in 2 years and the MAC in 3 years there is no point in tacking on additional membership right this minute.

JMU however has moved a lot closer to pulling the trigger on a new conference and one would think based on how the AD is looking at things its only a matter of time.

JMU never had an offer to CUSA, stop the madness.

JMU is going to either the SBC or MAC.

(11-28-2013 02:40 AM)Cat79 Wrote:  JMU is going to either the SBC or MAC.

I question whether JMU is negotiating with the Sun Belt in good faith. I think they're using us as a stalking horse with the MAC.

I say we offer the bid to JMU, publically, and give them 2 weeks to accept or reject. Then just cut them off and offer it to Missouri State or NDSU.

JMU is in a mode that looks like they will be accepting some type of FBS offer. Texas State had similar efforts going on that leads me to believe their membership seems processed and approved. The MAC could be offering a football only invite to them like UMASS.

The SBC could be offering a football only invite also. This would allow New Mexico State to become a full member and placement in the west division leaving JMU and Idaho with football only invites. IMHO, JMU would probably jump at this and wait for a full MAC or USA invite to happen in the future. One of our two oly sports members would have to move to the east division.

East
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
App State
Troy
South Alabama
JMU-Football only

West
ASU
Louisiana
ULM
Texas State
New Mexico State
Idaho-Football only

UTA-Oly Sports
UALR-Oly Sports