(08-18-2014 11:34 AM)gsuncc Wrote:  

(08-18-2014 11:22 AM)ASUMountaineer Wrote:  

(08-16-2014 11:47 AM)gsuncc Wrote:  

(08-16-2014 11:03 AM)DrGonzo Wrote:  CUSA is NOT a football focused conference. Not anymore anyway.

Disagree.

It appears the good people at WKU disagree with you. They chose to move to CUSA due to basketball.

OK, that's fine, they can disagree. But, we should also acknowledge that if Charlotte and ODU did not have football it's highly unlikely that either would have been invited to CUSA. CUSA wanted all-sports programs. Since the first realignment, football has influenced CUSA. Other factors matter, of course, but if Charlotte had not started football I just don't see it being invited to return to a conference it left because it didn't have football.

If it were a football-focused conference stAte and ULL would have certainly been invited over the F_U's. C'mon...try again.

(08-18-2014 03:43 PM)ASUMountaineer Wrote:  If it were a football-focused conference stAte and ULL would have certainly been invited over the F_U's. C'mon...try again.

That's exactly the reason the F_Us were invited to CUSA. They were invited because of the talent in Florida and its a recruiting tool to tell those kids in Florida "You see how we play, we want you to come play for us and if you do, your family can still come watch you".

Marshall has the most Florida kids on a roster (36) not from a school in Florida.

I think things are about to settle down for a while with realignment. But I can almost guarantee you that ULL and Ark State are the next 2 in line when and if it starts again.

(08-20-2014 12:33 PM)HerdZoned Wrote:  

(08-18-2014 03:43 PM)ASUMountaineer Wrote:  If it were a football-focused conference stAte and ULL would have certainly been invited over the F_U's. C'mon...try again.

That's exactly the reason the F_Us were invited to CUSA. They were invited because of the talent in Florida and its a recruiting tool to tell those kids in Florida "You see how we play, we want you to come play for us and if you do, your family can still come watch you".

Marshall has the most Florida kids on a roster (36) not from a school in Florida.

I think things are about to settle down for a while with realignment. But I can almost guarantee you that ULL and Ark State are the next 2 in line when and if it starts again.

Strategically the F_U's have more value for CUSA than other SBC Schools because CUSA teams recruit Florida very heavily while most SBC teams focus on Texas, Georgia, and Alabama.

Y'all better watch out. FIU fans roasted and toasted me for saying they were chosen based on geography.

Neither Florida Atlantic nor FIU have a long standing football tradition. Hell, we've only had a team for a lil over a decade. Our value lies in the TV markets we COULD infulence (if either team makes a run) AND in the fact that both schools lie in one of (if not THE) best football recruiting areas in the country.

Confrences do not make decisions solely on football performance. If they did then there is no way that we or FIU get into CUSA. The Cajuns or stAte would be. Performance varies and there are ups and downs in every cycle. Hell, FIU was smoking us as far as record and everyone was lamenting that Florida Atlantic got an invite in CUSA since we were'nt "as good" of a football schools as FIU was. Now the shoe is on the other foot, Florida Atlantic is on the rise, while FIU has fallen into a valley.

Football records are probably the LAST factor when a confrence looks to add a team.

My point has been that CUSA is football focused because every addition since 2003 has been with schools that have football. CUSA 1.0 had the mix, but FIU and FAU, similar to Charlotte and ODU, would not have been invited without football. In this case, even 0-12 is better than 0-0 in football. Other factors went into the invites, such as market (not needing to "own" the market, rather be situated in it). I've never said football focus meant accomplishments on the field, rather IMO that CUSA is a football focused conference.

Impossible for coosa to be considered football first oriented when they put so much
emphasis on basketball. That may change but does not appear that way yet.

(08-20-2014 01:42 PM)gsuncc Wrote:  My point has been that CUSA is football focused because every addition since 2003 has been with schools that have football. CUSA 1.0 had the mix, but FIU and FAU, similar to Charlotte and ODU, would not have been invited without football. In this case, even 0-12 is better than 0-0 in football. Other factors went into the invites, such as market (not needing to "own" the market, rather be situated in it). I've never said football focus meant accomplishments on the field, rather IMO that CUSA is a football focused conference.

Choosing Charlotte does not send a "football focused" message to me. But that may just be me.

(08-20-2014 02:53 PM)GoApps70 Wrote:  Impossible for coosa to be considered football first oriented when they put so much
emphasis on basketball. That may change but does not appear that way yet.

You're mixing two different things. Conference focus has been football, regardless of what Charlotte's focus was. Charlotte was invited to return because it has football is my point; it would not have been invited, nor would ODU, without it. No school has been invited to join without football and the conference has moved away from BB only to focus on all-sports teams. Having some schools BB/oly sports worked in CUSA 1.0, until it was poached. Since 2003 and the first realignment, football schools (whether they're good at it, new at it, doesn't matter) has been the priority in CUSA.

(08-20-2014 02:57 PM)ark30inf Wrote:  

(08-20-2014 01:42 PM)gsuncc Wrote:  My point has been that CUSA is football focused because every addition since 2003 has been with schools that have football. CUSA 1.0 had the mix, but FIU and FAU, similar to Charlotte and ODU, would not have been invited without football. In this case, even 0-12 is better than 0-0 in football. Other factors went into the invites, such as market (not needing to "own" the market, rather be situated in it). I've never said football focus meant accomplishments on the field, rather IMO that CUSA is a football focused conference.

Choosing Charlotte does not send a "football focused" message to me. But that may just be me.

My point is that CUSA invited Charlotte and ODU because both now have football. I doubt that either would have been invited without it. That, too me (let's face it, we're all just asserting opinions), is part of the football focus. We all do know that the realignment was football driven, why is CUSA different? I don't think it is.

(08-20-2014 01:20 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  Neither Florida Atlantic nor FIU have a long standing football tradition. Hell, we've only had a team for a lil over a decade. Our value lies in the TV markets we COULD infulence (if either team makes a run) AND in the fact that both schools lie in one of (if not THE) best football recruiting areas in the country.

Confrences do not make decisions solely on football performance. If they did then there is no way that we or FIU get into CUSA. The Cajuns or stAte would be. Performance varies and there are ups and downs in every cycle. Hell, FIU was smoking us as far as record and everyone was lamenting that Florida Atlantic got an invite in CUSA since we were'nt "as good" of a football schools as FIU was. Now the shoe is on the other foot, Florida Atlantic is on the rise, while FIU has fallen into a valley.

Football records are probably the LAST factor when a confrence looks to add a team.

Strength of Football Program became very important with the advent of the CFP system.....strength of Conference as a whole is now very important