(04-04-2014 08:54 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 08:53 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 11:26 PM)CajunExpress Wrote:  I know it is a wish list and you got yours, he has his, and I got mine, but some of you need to know the SBC is nowhere near asking, nor demanding either NMSU, or Idaho to leave. That is off the boards. Again a couple of you indicated UTA, and UALR need new homes. That may be the case, or not, but nobody is going to ask either to leave.

The real choices IMO are very limited. JMU vs Liberty. Mo State and approve all sports for NMSU. Somehow I am getting the feeling we are going to get Mo State, NMSU all sports, and Liberty. My only wish is nor NMSU to be included in all sports. It is just nuts to not have their best sports.

NMSU we really do not need all the angst about travel. Cross travel is very limited, and the western schools want it so get over that.

I agree with most of this but do we think the SBC will go to 13 in football?

That would be extremely stupid if we were to go to 13. Why take more moveups than we absolutely have to.

Thirteen to cover the Cajuns saying adios.

(04-04-2014 09:17 AM)CajunExpress Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 08:54 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 08:53 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 11:26 PM)CajunExpress Wrote:  I know it is a wish list and you got yours, he has his, and I got mine, but some of you need to know the SBC is nowhere near asking, nor demanding either NMSU, or Idaho to leave. That is off the boards. Again a couple of you indicated UTA, and UALR need new homes. That may be the case, or not, but nobody is going to ask either to leave.

The real choices IMO are very limited. JMU vs Liberty. Mo State and approve all sports for NMSU. Somehow I am getting the feeling we are going to get Mo State, NMSU all sports, and Liberty. My only wish is nor NMSU to be included in all sports. It is just nuts to not have their best sports.

NMSU we really do not need all the angst about travel. Cross travel is very limited, and the western schools want it so get over that.

I agree with most of this but do we think the SBC will go to 13 in football?

That would be extremely stupid if we were to go to 13. Why take more moveups than we absolutely have to.

Thirteen to cover the Cajuns saying adios.

Haha! You guys never stop.

You may laugh, but it won't be from afar, you will be with us. Actually they get to add Lamar to get back to a dirty dozen.

(04-04-2014 08:51 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 09:58 PM)AtlantaJag Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 08:49 PM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 07:36 PM)AtlantaJag Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 04:47 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  VT is not Michigan in terms of history, but they're still a very respectablepprogram and went 11-3 that year and won the ACC.

Virginia Tech is probably a Top 10-15 program the last 20 years, likely better in that span than Michigan. And they ended up doing well that year as well, so it wasn't like JMU caught a notable program in a down year.
BTW, I know Michigan also ended up doing well the season that ASU beat them, so I'm not trying to say it's a better win.
However, this was a signature win that few in the Sun Belt could match.

Advantage: JMU...and Liberty isn't even close.

It isn't close except when they actually played.

You can only vaguely remember JMU pulling off one of the biggest upsets of the last several years but you can recall that JMU and Liberty have played a close game recently?
I would expect that to be an extremely rare circumstance for most college football fans.

I have this thing called the internet. When we discuss the various candidates I use this mechanism to look at facilities, schedules, budgets, etc.

Ditto here.
The JMU/VT talk was an example of of their superior athletic accomplishments and therefore greater name recognition (at least in terms of athletics).

(04-04-2014 09:20 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 09:17 AM)CajunExpress Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 08:54 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 08:53 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 11:26 PM)CajunExpress Wrote:  I know it is a wish list and you got yours, he has his, and I got mine, but some of you need to know the SBC is nowhere near asking, nor demanding either NMSU, or Idaho to leave. That is off the boards. Again a couple of you indicated UTA, and UALR need new homes. That may be the case, or not, but nobody is going to ask either to leave.

The real choices IMO are very limited. JMU vs Liberty. Mo State and approve all sports for NMSU. Somehow I am getting the feeling we are going to get Mo State, NMSU all sports, and Liberty. My only wish is nor NMSU to be included in all sports. It is just nuts to not have their best sports.

NMSU we really do not need all the angst about travel. Cross travel is very limited, and the western schools want it so get over that.

I agree with most of this but do we think the SBC will go to 13 in football?

That would be extremely stupid if we were to go to 13. Why take more moveups than we absolutely have to.

Thirteen to cover the Cajuns saying adios.

Haha! You guys never stop.

A few of them never do.....
Regardless of anyone leaving, going to 13 is a bad idea. You can always add a new #12 or just go with less than 12.

Your problem is that you actually pay attention to any of this, numbers, balance, location, commitment. None of it matters, it is a BS message board with members delusional enough to think their concerns, and hopes matter.

You got a problem with thirteen, the hell fifteen, seventeen make you happier. Oh, maybe fourteen, sixteen, eighteen. ;o)

(04-04-2014 08:53 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  I agree with most of this but do we think the SBC will go to 13 in football?

I think 13 is a very real possibility depending on the university.

Think about it like this: if say (for example) we invite JMU this year and they accept. 3 years down the line, highly coveted Missouri State asks about being invited. I think we move to 13. I would think the same about a school like USM, a Texas school (UTSA/Rice/UNT/SMU/UH), though I think the chances of that are WAY more slim.

If we invited (again, by example) JMU this year, and next year, Liberty asks for an invite again. I don't think we invite to go to 13.

It's all about who we like and who wants to go to 13.

(04-03-2014 09:55 AM)ARSTATEFAN1986 Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 01:25 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(04-02-2014 11:14 PM)ARSTATEFAN1986 Wrote:  What would be the best case scenario for the belt?

1. Add Missouri State and get this coveted school...Football can wait until 2015.

2. Add New Mexico State's oly sports

3. Add Liberty...as they may now have the votes.

4. Add Massachusetts as football only.

Football

East

Appalachian State
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Liberty
*Massachusetts
South Alabama
Troy

West

Arkansas State
*Idaho
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana Monroe
Missouri State (2015)
New Mexico State
Texas State

Olympic Sports

Appalachian State
Arkansas State
Arkansas Little Rock
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Liberty
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana Monroe
Missouri State
New Mexico State
South Alabama
Texas Arlington
Texas State
Troy

With this makeup and a little time the Sun Belt will shine!

Keep it simple and add James Madison and you are done. When did Missouri State become a "coveted school"?

James Madison has had ample time to make it's intentions known...time to move on! They can wait for the next ship to arrive. Missouri State has been coveted since the 1990's...longer than Texas State was even a thought.

JMU has not made an official decision yet and they have time before they will need to decide, which will effect Liberty. The decision on a 12th school is about an eastern school interested in moving up to FBS. Missouri State is not in the east and not interested in moving up. Time to move on from MSU.

Missouri State may have been coveted since the 90's, but I would be more concerned with what they have not done since the 90's. They have not made an FCS playoff appearance since 1990. They have not made a NCAA men's basketball tournament appearance since 1999.

The football attendance is lousy and the football facility is not FBS ready. MSU is 5-29 against Northern Iowa, having lost 8 straight and 14 of the last 15 games. Northern Iowa has been a regular in post-season play in both football and basketball. Maybe you should covet them. I get that Missouri State is a bus trip for Arkansas State, but they are not in the east or close to being ready. JMU and Liberty are in the east and they are ready.

What the heck? Why not another outsider opinion?

There are 3 major sports. Sunbelt is great at 2 of them and not for good at the other one which is a revenue producer. It would make sense that the best case would address that sport. Otherwise you add whatever 12th team you can find to field a championship game for football or wait for the rules to change.

The best way to address the basketball at this point that I have seen is to get as many games with UMASS as you can get with a football only invite with terms similar to a MAC invite, a New Mexico State all sports invite, and a Missouri State invite. Missouri State has been playing in a league that is not comparable to the Sun Belt for basketball and is more comparable to the Atlantic 10 or AAC. Witness Creighton leaving and becoming the class of the Big East immediately. Mo State is one of the all time winningest programs in NCAA history, however.

Unrelated to basketball is getting another school for a travel partner for App State. JMU gets right of first refusal. I think Liberty still works; however, as a school who has hung around long enough where they still stink but the stink doesn't bother you anymore because you are used to it now. They would fit in to the Sun Belt more than other places.

I think all of this could be taken care of in the next couple of months. UMASS could commit to a MAC schedule in 2014 and then pay the early exit fee of $250K for 2015 while the Sun Belt works out how to have a championship game for that year. New Mexico State moves their sports in 2015. Missouri State and either JMU or Liberty commits now but files paperwork on June 2 with NCAA so doesn't start conversion until 2015.[/i]

(04-04-2014 09:23 AM)AtlantaJag Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 09:20 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 09:17 AM)CajunExpress Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 08:54 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 08:53 AM)Crump1 Wrote:  I agree with most of this but do we think the SBC will go to 13 in football?

That would be extremely stupid if we were to go to 13. Why take more moveups than we absolutely have to.

Thirteen to cover the Cajuns saying adios.

Haha! You guys never stop.

A few of them never do.....
Regardless of anyone leaving, going to 13 is a bad idea. You can always add a new #12 or just go with less than 12.

With ULL gone, we'd just open it up to SHSU. There would only be one 'no more Southland' team.

(04-03-2014 06:43 PM)msu_bears Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 06:39 PM)Eagleditka Wrote:  So you take Georgia Southern's two biggest rivals out of our division? No thanks.

you would be Georgia State's designated crossover rivals and would play every year

You don't understand. App State is our biggest rival. We have to be in the same division as them period. Non-negotiable. Our rivalry goes back to before WWII.

(04-04-2014 03:40 PM)Eagleditka Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 06:43 PM)msu_bears Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 06:39 PM)Eagleditka Wrote:  So you take Georgia Southern's two biggest rivals out of our division? No thanks.

you would be Georgia State's designated crossover rivals and would play every year

You don't understand. App State is our biggest rival. We have to be in the same division as them period. Non-negotiable. Our rivalry goes back to before WWII.

It's crazy that we're able to continue this annual rivalry. We took the best SoCon rivalry hands down and one of, if not, the best rivalry in all of FCS with us.

(04-04-2014 03:40 PM)Eagleditka Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 06:43 PM)msu_bears Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 06:39 PM)Eagleditka Wrote:  So you take Georgia Southern's two biggest rivals out of our division? No thanks.

you would be Georgia State's designated crossover rivals and would play every year

You don't understand. App State is our biggest rival. We have to be in the same division as them period. Non-negotiable. Our rivalry goes back to before WWII.

First App State -vs- Ga Southern game was in 1934.

UMASS because they are established and EKU as their Olympic sports partner. Solves the East team needed APP ST travel partner issues. Gives EKU time to get ready for FBS . Helps them with fundraising since they would have a promise of the next football add .

JMU may regret not taking the offer.
Missouri St would also benefit from time to build .
Liberty is a good insurance policy along with EKU football .
So 12 actually is as safe as 14 if raided.

(04-04-2014 09:40 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 09:55 AM)ARSTATEFAN1986 Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 01:25 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(04-02-2014 11:14 PM)ARSTATEFAN1986 Wrote:  What would be the best case scenario for the belt?

1. Add Missouri State and get this coveted school...Football can wait until 2015.

2. Add New Mexico State's oly sports

3. Add Liberty...as they may now have the votes.

4. Add Massachusetts as football only.

Football

East

Appalachian State
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Liberty
*Massachusetts
South Alabama
Troy

West

Arkansas State
*Idaho
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana Monroe
Missouri State (2015)
New Mexico State
Texas State

Olympic Sports

Appalachian State
Arkansas State
Arkansas Little Rock
Georgia Southern
Georgia State
Liberty
Louisiana Lafayette
Louisiana Monroe
Missouri State
New Mexico State
South Alabama
Texas Arlington
Texas State
Troy

With this makeup and a little time the Sun Belt will shine!

Keep it simple and add James Madison and you are done. When did Missouri State become a "coveted school"?

James Madison has had ample time to make it's intentions known...time to move on! They can wait for the next ship to arrive. Missouri State has been coveted since the 1990's...longer than Texas State was even a thought.

JMU has not made an official decision yet and they have time before they will need to decide, which will effect Liberty. The decision on a 12th school is about an eastern school interested in moving up to FBS. Missouri State is not in the east and not interested in moving up. Time to move on from MSU.

Missouri State may have been coveted since the 90's, but I would be more concerned with what they have not done since the 90's. They have not made an FCS playoff appearance since 1990. They have not made a NCAA men's basketball tournament appearance since 1999.

The football attendance is lousy and the football facility is not FBS ready. MSU is 5-29 against Northern Iowa, having lost 8 straight and 14 of the last 15 games. Northern Iowa has been a regular in post-season play in both football and basketball. Maybe you should covet them. I get that Missouri State is a bus trip for Arkansas State, but they are not in the east or close to being ready. JMU and Liberty are in the east and they are ready.

Time to move on from fickle JMU. Too many other options. Benson wants it to be an eastern team...but he doesn't have a vote.

(04-03-2014 12:10 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  Actually

1) NMSU in all sports
2) Missouri State in all sports

Would be ideal.

No need to go over 12 or take multiple moveups

I would love this, but I also understand the desire for another eastern school.

Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

(04-04-2014 07:39 PM)MSUBear42 Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 12:10 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  Actually

1) NMSU in all sports
2) Missouri State in all sports

Would be ideal.

No need to go over 12 or take multiple moveups

I would love this, but I also understand the desire for another eastern school.

Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

I would love to see Missouri State and NMSU as full invites and okay with adding Massachusetts as football only to help balance the two divisions with an eastern school...so should it be luke-warm JMU who has shown a lack of committment or Liberty who is doing everything they can to sway the SBC vote in their favor or EKU who also is showing more interest than JMU.

(04-04-2014 08:29 PM)ARSTATEFAN1986 Wrote:  

(04-04-2014 07:39 PM)MSUBear42 Wrote:  

(04-03-2014 12:10 AM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  Actually

1) NMSU in all sports
2) Missouri State in all sports

Would be ideal.

No need to go over 12 or take multiple moveups

I would love this, but I also understand the desire for another eastern school.

Posted from my mobile device using the CSNbbs App

I would love to see Missouri State and NMSU as full invites and okay with adding Massachusetts as football only to help balance the two divisions with an eastern school...so should it be luke-warm JMU who has shown a lack of committment or Liberty who is doing everything they can to sway the SBC vote in their favor or EKU who also is showing more interest than JMU.

Quoting myself from earlier in this thread:

Some are taking JMU's foot-dragging way too personally. This is not a wedding proposal in which the askee asks for time to think it over because they always assumed they would do better. This is a business decision with a lot of people to satisfy.

App State's fans (some) and administration openly sneered at the prospect of joining the SBC when they thought CUSA was about to pop the question. Now they look to be a solid and supportive addition to the conference

I don't think adding UMass would be added to even out the divisions, because... well, they are such an outlier.

What MIGHT (and I stress might) be in play with regards to UMass is the basketball games against Sun Belt teams being appealing to Missouri State. With a built in big name opponent on the schedule nearly every year (ok, probably every year), it can help show Missouri State that we are not going to ignore basketball. Plus, it gives other schools that are more in line with finding an App State travel partner time to get ready for a move.

I wish USM would give C-USA the finger and join the belt that would be my best case scenario.