IF NMSU get's the all sport nod, it would be because there are divisions, which should lessen the travel burden the Sun Belt currently has.

That being said, it would raise another question about how the split would be, or if UAB also joins ( 13 ? )

And NMSU joining wouldn't really solve a travel partner for App.

Things may change - gotta re-assess this in July and see where things stand.

(03-06-2015 06:16 PM)DoubleAggie Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 03:18 PM)GSU Eagles Wrote:  No.

This is a Southeastern conference. NMSU is not in the Southeast.

Travel is way too much for all sports.

This is a football first conference and they are bad.

In the 3 most important areas, they are a resounding no.

IF NMSU get's the all sport nod, it would be because there are divisions,
which would LESSEN travel burden the Sun Belt currently has.

Can't argue FB, but let's see how much progress we make this year and next.

I vote YES.
(Possibly I might be a little biased...)

Yes.

(03-06-2015 03:17 PM)Atlanta Trojan Wrote:  IF we are going to keep them for football we might as well bring all other sports on board since basketball is good there.

Agreed

(03-06-2015 03:12 PM)RamblinRedWolf44 Wrote:  More random, nonsensical discussion to get us through the off season and winter


Me personally I wouldn't mind having the Aggies as full members.

Yeah, yeah I get that geographically they're not ideally located in the "preferred blueprint area", and they've certainly struggled with football relevance and success but the fact that they still have the top athletic budget in the conference, a nice enrollment size of a little over 18,000 and not to mention the success of their basketball program are all pluses in my book and make up for their location.

(INTERESTING TIDBIT): Found this from an article written back in December. Aggies AD Mario Moccia was interviewed by the Las Cruces Sun News and he addressed their conference affiliations:

"SN: How important is it for you to have all sports in the same conference?

Moccia: We are very pleased that we are in conferences. I don't think it's the end of the world because realignment has turned things on its head. I think people would have a comfort level if all of your sports were in the same conference. If there is more shifting with the UAB situation, which there will be, we will have to be prepared to deal with it. I know both commissioners very well. They are professionals who know what they are doing. Nobody has given me any pause to think anything but we are in a stable situation."

NMSU is actually second to Texas State in athletic revenue. NMSU is in the footprint of Texas State and we would have no problem with them in the SBC. This conference probably needs to be tilted more to the west. I am sure the eastern schools might feel differently about that.

If NMSU were added to the conference for all sports, the conference starts to look like CUSA without the TV revenue. So at a time when the conference schools are dealing with additional expenses from the Cost of Attendance, some of the schools would add additional travel expenses to New Mexico.

NMSU would accept an all-sports invite to the SBC to protect their FBS football program, but they really have it better in the WAC. They have an easier path to the NCAA tournament. The post-season conference tournament has basically become the NMSU Invitational. The NCAA basketball revenue is better. The travel is better.

It seems from the comments by Moccia that he thinks NMSU might have an opportunity to get an invite from CUSA for all-sports if UAB is ejected. That would be a surprise.

(03-06-2015 10:12 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 03:12 PM)RamblinRedWolf44 Wrote:  More random, nonsensical discussion to get us through the off season and winter


Me personally I wouldn't mind having the Aggies as full members.

Yeah, yeah I get that geographically they're not ideally located in the "preferred blueprint area", and they've certainly struggled with football relevance and success but the fact that they still have the top athletic budget in the conference, a nice enrollment size of a little over 18,000 and not to mention the success of their basketball program are all pluses in my book and make up for their location.

(INTERESTING TIDBIT): Found this from an article written back in December. Aggies AD Mario Moccia was interviewed by the Las Cruces Sun News and he addressed their conference affiliations:

"SN: How important is it for you to have all sports in the same conference?

Moccia: We are very pleased that we are in conferences. I don't think it's the end of the world because realignment has turned things on its head. I think people would have a comfort level if all of your sports were in the same conference. If there is more shifting with the UAB situation, which there will be, we will have to be prepared to deal with it. I know both commissioners very well. They are professionals who know what they are doing. Nobody has given me any pause to think anything but we are in a stable situation."

NMSU is actually second to Texas State in athletic revenue. NMSU is in the footprint of Texas State and we would have no problem with them in the SBC. This conference probably needs to be tilted more to the west. I am sure the eastern schools might feel differently about that.

If NMSU were added to the conference for all sports, the conference starts to look like CUSA without the TV revenue. So at a time when the conference schools are dealing with additional expenses from the Cost of Attendance, some of the schools would add additional travel expenses to New Mexico.

NMSU would accept an all-sports invite to the SBC to protect their FBS football program, but they really have it better in the WAC. They have an easier path to the NCAA tournament. The post-season conference tournament has basically become the NMSU Invitational. The NCAA basketball revenue is better. The travel is better.

It seems from the comments by Moccia that he thinks NMSU might have an opportunity to get an invite from CUSA for all-sports if UAB is ejected. That would be a surprise.

It is easier going through the WAC to get to the NCAA's, but I would rather be playing tougher competition. The MBB team has looked board at times this year. They seem to let teams hang around and then the last 5 minutes pour it on for double digit wins and they also start dunking. I want my school at the top of the conference by earning it and not having it given to you because no one can compete with you.

(03-06-2015 05:44 PM)southernwolf Wrote:  NMSU will be brought in with all sports, before the West votes to take in anyone else.

I agree.

Travel partners don't do much to benefit the team that is out by its lonesome.

At the very best it replaces a flight in basketball (men's and women's) and a biennial flight in baseball, soccer, volleyball, and softball into a bus trip. Not a big savings. The benefit goes to the schools traveling to them getting two games (in basketball, soccer and volleyball) in on one flight.

(03-07-2015 01:08 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Travel partners don't do much to benefit the team that is out by its lonesome.

At the very best it replaces a flight in basketball (men's and women's) and a biennial flight in baseball, soccer, volleyball, and softball into a bus trip. Not a big savings. The benefit goes to the schools traveling to them getting two games (in basketball, soccer and volleyball) in on one flight.

travel will be less of a factor when the sbc gets enough teams for east/west divisions.

(03-06-2015 10:12 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 03:12 PM)RamblinRedWolf44 Wrote:  More random, nonsensical discussion to get us through the off season and winter


Me personally I wouldn't mind having the Aggies as full members.

Yeah, yeah I get that geographically they're not ideally located in the "preferred blueprint area", and they've certainly struggled with football relevance and success but the fact that they still have the top athletic budget in the conference, a nice enrollment size of a little over 18,000 and not to mention the success of their basketball program are all pluses in my book and make up for their location.

(INTERESTING TIDBIT): Found this from an article written back in December. Aggies AD Mario Moccia was interviewed by the Las Cruces Sun News and he addressed their conference affiliations:

"SN: How important is it for you to have all sports in the same conference?

Moccia: We are very pleased that we are in conferences. I don't think it's the end of the world because realignment has turned things on its head. I think people would have a comfort level if all of your sports were in the same conference. If there is more shifting with the UAB situation, which there will be, we will have to be prepared to deal with it. I know both commissioners very well. They are professionals who know what they are doing. Nobody has given me any pause to think anything but we are in a stable situation."

NMSU is actually second to Texas State in athletic revenue. NMSU is in the footprint of Texas State and we would have no problem with them in the SBC. This conference probably needs to be tilted more to the west. I am sure the eastern schools might feel differently about that.

If NMSU were added to the conference for all sports, the conference starts to look like CUSA without the TV revenue. So at a time when the conference schools are dealing with additional expenses from the Cost of Attendance, some of the schools would add additional travel expenses to New Mexico.

NMSU would accept an all-sports invite to the SBC to protect their FBS football program, but they really have it better in the WAC. They have an easier path to the NCAA tournament. The post-season conference tournament has basically become the NMSU Invitational. The NCAA basketball revenue is better. The travel is better.

It seems from the comments by Moccia that he thinks NMSU might have an opportunity to get an invite from CUSA for all-sports if UAB is ejected. That would be a surprise.

I agree with everything you say. The WAC is better for NMSU (SBC travel would be a killer, tougher path to the NCAA) - except, there is no guarantee that the Sun Belt will continue the football-only relationship. IMO they won't. So, overall a full SBC membership would be better.

(03-06-2015 03:12 PM)RamblinRedWolf44 Wrote:  More random, nonsensical discussion to get us through the off season and winter

We have the conference basketball tourney in a few days and baseball begins conference play and we are in the offseason?

(03-06-2015 04:33 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  I would like to see NMSU as a full member of the SBC. There are some Aggie fans who don't want us to join, mainly they express the same concerns about travel as some SBC fans have. I think it could work if you had divisions like it was mentioned in an earlier post. I want NMSU to be with other football schools.

So Olympic sports trips to Seattle, Bakersfield and Chicago are considered close by those guys' standards?

(03-06-2015 10:57 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  It is easier going through the WAC to get to the NCAA's, but I would rather be playing tougher competition. The MBB team has looked board at times this year. They seem to let teams hang around and then the last 5 minutes pour it on for double digit wins and they also start dunking. I want my school at the top of the conference by earning it and not having it given to you because no one can compete with you.

Being in the SBC for all-sports is security for your FBS program. That is the reason you want to be in the SBC. At the current level of play in the Sun Belt Conference, you guys would still have to win the post-season tournament to get into the NCAA tournament for MBB. Your seeding if you got in would still be 13-16. You would still have to beat a 1-4 seed to advance.

The Sun Belt as a whole needs to improve in order to get multiple bids like the MWC and AAC. So you are not really joining the SBC for better competition, you are joining to secure your FBS football program. This year was the first outright regular season conference title in 21 years for NMSU, so enjoy one season in the WAC of inferior competition.

(03-07-2015 03:18 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 03:12 PM)RamblinRedWolf44 Wrote:  More random, nonsensical discussion to get us through the off season and winter

We have the conference basketball tourney in a few days and baseball begins conference play and we are in the offseason?

Come on man... You know 99% of this board only cares about football.

Everything else is off season.

(03-07-2015 03:23 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 04:33 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  I would like to see NMSU as a full member of the SBC. There are some Aggie fans who don't want us to join, mainly they express the same concerns about travel as some SBC fans have. I think it could work if you had divisions like it was mentioned in an earlier post. I want NMSU to be with other football schools.

So Olympic sports trips to Seattle, Bakersfield and Chicago are considered close by those guys' standards?

It's not the length of the trips that is the problem (though Sun Belt travel times would overall be greater because more WAC schools are in large metro areas, allowing for shorter bus trips from the airport to campus).

Some Sun Belt schools are leery of having to send their non-football sports to Las Cruces once or so a year, because of travel costs. NMSU would have to send its teams on such trips every road game. UTA and Tex State would be the only easy trips. That kind of travel - heavily weighted against one school will make a difference over the course of a season. In the WAC - all schools have difficult travel, so the pain is more evenly spread out.

Divisions would certainly help though.
And it is still worth it for NMSU to join a stable conference like the Sun Belt. Tough travel would just be a part of the equation.

(03-07-2015 03:23 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 10:57 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  It is easier going through the WAC to get to the NCAA's, but I would rather be playing tougher competition. The MBB team has looked board at times this year. They seem to let teams hang around and then the last 5 minutes pour it on for double digit wins and they also start dunking. I want my school at the top of the conference by earning it and not having it given to you because no one can compete with you.

Being in the SBC for all-sports is security for your FBS program. That is the reason you want to be in the SBC. At the current level of play in the Sun Belt Conference, you guys would still have to win the post-season tournament to get into the NCAA tournament for MBB. Your seeding if you got in would still be 13-16. You would still have to beat a 1-4 seed to advance.

The Sun Belt as a whole needs to improve in order to get multiple bids like the MWC and AAC. So you are not really joining the SBC for better competition, you are joining to secure your FBS football program. This year was the first outright regular season conference title in 21 years for NMSU, so enjoy one season in the WAC of inferior competition.

Understand though that one good team raises the RPI of everyone. If everything else remains the same and NMSU joins, then their higher RPI boosts everyone else. Right now, the WAC as a whole is much worse than the SBC. That makes NMSU's RPI worse too. Therefore, they move to the SBC and improve their RPI, which ups the SBC's.

If schools like Georgia State maintain their talent level, schools like UTA play to their potential and schools like Texas State improves to their level that they should, SBC basketball is looking good. Add NMSU and BAM!!!!!

(03-07-2015 08:30 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  

(03-07-2015 03:23 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(03-06-2015 10:57 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  It is easier going through the WAC to get to the NCAA's, but I would rather be playing tougher competition. The MBB team has looked board at times this year. They seem to let teams hang around and then the last 5 minutes pour it on for double digit wins and they also start dunking. I want my school at the top of the conference by earning it and not having it given to you because no one can compete with you.

Being in the SBC for all-sports is security for your FBS program. That is the reason you want to be in the SBC. At the current level of play in the Sun Belt Conference, you guys would still have to win the post-season tournament to get into the NCAA tournament for MBB. Your seeding if you got in would still be 13-16. You would still have to beat a 1-4 seed to advance.

The Sun Belt as a whole needs to improve in order to get multiple bids like the MWC and AAC. So you are not really joining the SBC for better competition, you are joining to secure your FBS football program. This year was the first outright regular season conference title in 21 years for NMSU, so enjoy one season in the WAC of inferior competition.

Understand though that one good team raises the RPI of everyone. If everything else remains the same and NMSU joins, then their higher RPI boosts everyone else. Right now, the WAC as a whole is much worse than the SBC. That makes NMSU's RPI worse too. Therefore, they move to the SBC and improve their RPI, which ups the SBC's.

If schools like Georgia State maintain their talent level, schools like UTA play to their potential and schools like Texas State improves to their level that they should, SBC basketball is looking good. Add NMSU and BAM!!!!!

Yes...add NMSU for all sports and while we are at it...add UAB/UMASS and get to the CCG. Later on...when Missouri State is ready add them and drop Idaho.

I would say yes to NMSU for a couple of reasons.

1) Excellent basketball tradition. 19 appearances in the NCAA tournament. The SBC just isn't going to be able to find another school with that level of basketball cred as a member.

2) Tradition. Everyone knows that NMSU is a D1 school. Its a good school to have in the conference from a name recognition standpoint. It makes the conference feel more like an FBS conference and less FCS.

3) If the SBC dropped both NMSU and Idaho it would be at 11 all sport members so it will be almost forced to make another addition. If you are looking at ditching NMSU for EKU or UTC because of geography it doesn't make a lot of sense. Those schools will have to qualify for FBS and they'll compete more with your existing schools in recruiting than NMSU.

I think its pretty crazy to try to block the school that would have the largest basketball budget from joining all sports. The SBC has a lot of schools that have some work to do from a budgetary angle but NMSU isn't one of them.

What you do if you are the SBC is add NMSU all sports for a 10/12 split for the time being.

Then if there are changes not predicted out there like ULL to CUSA, ULM to FCS, UALR to OVC the SBC can react with some new membership.

If the SBC can hold tight at a 10/12 split for a while and give the TV partners confidence they aren't going to be cannibalized then when there is some more movement they'll be able to aim higher, perhaps attract a CUSA program or 2 that is tired of their conference.

(03-08-2015 12:34 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  What you do if you are the SBC is add NMSU all sports for a 10/12 split for the time being.

Then if there are changes not predicted out there like ULL to CUSA, ULM to FCS, UALR to OVC the SBC can react with some new membership.

If the SBC can hold tight at a 10/12 split for a while and give the TV partners confidence they aren't going to be cannibalized then when there is some more movement they'll be able to aim higher, perhaps attract a CUSA program or 2 that is tired of their conference.

I'm for 10/12 without divisions in hoops.