I really hate that CUSA isn't keeping the Marshall vs So. Miss game as a permanent crossover for these two programs. I felt like this was one of the best rivalries in Conference USA. How do you feel about it?

I would rather play USM than anyone else in the conference. We've had several good games and I fondly remember Vinny Curry and 2011.

(12-17-2018 10:38 PM)banker Wrote:  I would rather play USM than anyone else in the conference. We've had several good games and I fondly remember Vinny Curry and 2011.

Vinny was good that day but that game was all about Kase Whitehead pinning USM inside the 20 6 times, with 4 being inside the 8.

When you look at who's coached where, we've had a lot of coaches over the years that have spent time coaching at Marshall.

According to CUSA's front office, they didn't schedule the regular season game between USM and Marshall this year because they didn't want a repeat of the game when the two play the CCG in Hattiesburg. Don't shoot the messenger.

(12-18-2018 08:00 AM)va-eagle Wrote:  When you look at who's coached where, we've had a lot of coaches over the years that have spent time coaching at Marshall.

According to CUSA's front office, they didn't schedule the regular season game between USM and Marshall this year because they didn't want a repeat of the game when the two play the CCG in Hattiesburg. Don't shoot the messenger.

Do what?

I for one am starting to revisit some of my original dislike for what this conference was evolving into... in my best Dennis Green voice, we are who we thought we'd be.

This is a mess. Instead of CUSA 3.0, it is indeed just another branch of the Sun Belt now.

I'd like nothing better at this point than for the most legit schools with the most legit fan bases to take some action to distinguish themselves from the ones that aren't so much.

And I think MU and USM would need to be the lead dogs in that kind of initiative... and circling back to the OP... so it only follows then that I agree with the sentiment.

USM has a storied and accomplished program. Hate to see that game not being played.

(12-18-2018 09:33 AM)_sturt_ Wrote:  I for one am starting to revisit some of my original dislike for what this conference was evolving into... in my best Dennis Green voice, we are who we thought we'd be. This is a mess. Instead of CUSA 3.0, it is indeed just another branch of the Sun Belt now. I'd like nothing better at this point than for the most legit schools with the most legit fan bases to take some action to distinguish themselves from the ones that aren't so much. And I think MU and USM would need to be the lead dogs in that kind of initiative... and circling back to the OP... so it only follows then that I agree with the sentiment.

The problem is that the most legit schools with good fan bases have all moved up. What’s left in CUSA and the Sun Belt are either schools with good fan bases that the conferences don’t want or schools that the conferences want but currently with poor fan bases..

(12-18-2018 11:02 AM)XYZ Wrote:  

(12-18-2018 09:33 AM)_sturt_ Wrote:  I for one am starting to revisit some of my original dislike for what this conference was evolving into... in my best Dennis Green voice, we are who we thought we'd be. This is a mess. Instead of CUSA 3.0, it is indeed just another branch of the Sun Belt now. I'd like nothing better at this point than for the most legit schools with the most legit fan bases to take some action to distinguish themselves from the ones that aren't so much. And I think MU and USM would need to be the lead dogs in that kind of initiative... and circling back to the OP... so it only follows then that I agree with the sentiment.

The problem is that the most legit schools with good fan bases have all moved up. What’s left in CUSA and the Sun Belt are either schools with good fan bases that the conferences don’t want or schools that the conferences want but currently with poor fan bases..

Many of those schools that moved up had crap attendance at the time.

2011 CUSA teams that move to AAC and their attendance:
Tulane - 19,771
Memphis - 20,078
SMU - 20,889
Tulsa - 22,541
Houston - 31,726 (partly because of their great season)
UCF - 34,283
ECU - 50,012

same season:
Marshall - 25,874
S Miss - 28,400

(12-18-2018 11:02 AM)XYZ Wrote:  The problem is that the most legit schools with good fan bases have all moved up. What’s left in CUSA and the Sun Belt are either schools with good fan bases that the conferences don’t want or schools that the conferences want but currently with poor fan bases..

It appears you prefer to believe there is no delineation within the current 14 schools. You're welcome to that opinion, but I think the evidence stacks up pretty clearly that there is one. I don't want to call out any schools to the negative side of that, but I will assert strongly that Marshall and Southern Miss are two of those on the positive side.

(12-18-2018 11:45 AM)va-eagle Wrote:  

(12-18-2018 11:02 AM)XYZ Wrote:  

(12-18-2018 09:33 AM)_sturt_ Wrote:  I for one am starting to revisit some of my original dislike for what this conference was evolving into... in my best Dennis Green voice, we are who we thought we'd be. This is a mess. Instead of CUSA 3.0, it is indeed just another branch of the Sun Belt now. I'd like nothing better at this point than for the most legit schools with the most legit fan bases to take some action to distinguish themselves from the ones that aren't so much. And I think MU and USM would need to be the lead dogs in that kind of initiative... and circling back to the OP... so it only follows then that I agree with the sentiment.

The problem is that the most legit schools with good fan bases have all moved up. What’s left in CUSA and the Sun Belt are either schools with good fan bases that the conferences don’t want or schools that the conferences want but currently with poor fan bases..

Many of those schools that moved up had crap attendance at the time.

I haven't bothered to look, but I'm fairly certain very little has changed with the likely exception of UCF.

If you guys want to play each other so much just schedule tthe game as an OOC game.

USM played Memphis for 50 straight years (twice one year)...and dominated.
USM played Toolame for 30 straight years...and more than dominated.
USM played ECU almost every year for 35 straight years....and dominated.

So, "moving up" to the AAC was NEVER about wins and losses....

But, instead of "blaming" those longtime rivals who treat us like we have leprosy now, USM must look inwards...

Yes, we revamped MM Roberts into a pretty neat venue, but we never told the fans we had to "put up or shut up", that we were on the verge of being left behind. We were told "ALL IS WELL" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDAmPIq29ro .....and we were dumb enough to believe it.

The administration should have told fans, alumni, local businesses and city government that things MUST be upgraded, or our program will be downgraded. We foolishly believed our success in C-USA made our inclusion in the AAC a given.

Not so fast my friends...

Now, it is true our conference "brethren" came up with sh!t to make sure we were excluded....so we couldn't kick their azzzes any more....but we made it easy for them to do so.

We needed a Winston Churchill, instead, we had a Neville Chamberlain.....and you know how WELL that turned out..

I'm pissed. USM is main school from this conference I want to play every year.

The 2 biggest brands in this conference dont even get to play each other.

(12-18-2018 12:32 PM)herdfan129 Wrote:  I'm pissed. USM is main school from this conference I want to play every year.

The 2 biggest brands in this conference dont even get to play each other.

We enjoy playing you guys too..

(12-18-2018 11:45 AM)va-eagle Wrote:  

(12-18-2018 11:02 AM)XYZ Wrote:  

(12-18-2018 09:33 AM)_sturt_ Wrote:  I for one am starting to revisit some of my original dislike for what this conference was evolving into... in my best Dennis Green voice, we are who we thought we'd be. This is a mess. Instead of CUSA 3.0, it is indeed just another branch of the Sun Belt now. I'd like nothing better at this point than for the most legit schools with the most legit fan bases to take some action to distinguish themselves from the ones that aren't so much. And I think MU and USM would need to be the lead dogs in that kind of initiative... and circling back to the OP... so it only follows then that I agree with the sentiment.

The problem is that the most legit schools with good fan bases have all moved up. What’s left in CUSA and the Sun Belt are either schools with good fan bases that the conferences don’t want or schools that the conferences want but currently with poor fan bases..

Many of those schools that moved up had crap attendance at the time.

2011 CUSA teams that move to AAC and their attendance:
Tulane - 19,771
Memphis - 20,078
SMU - 20,889
Tulsa - 22,541
Houston - 31,726 (partly because of their great season)
UCF - 34,283
ECU - 50,012

same season:
Marshall - 25,874
S Miss - 28,400

Most of the teams you listed have worse attendance now. By comparison in 2018:

Tulane - 18,015 (-1,756)
Memphis - 30,178 +10,100
SMU - 19,383 (-1,506)
Tulsa - 17,098 (-5,443)
Houston - 29,838 (-1,888)
UCF - 44,018 +9,735
ECU - 32,908 (a whopping -17,704)

Marshall - 24,062 (-1,812)
USM - 21,615 (-6,785)

No need to get pissed. There are no permanent cross-division games. Everyone knew this was the case more than 3 years ago when the current schedule format was decided by our university leaders.

(12-18-2018 02:06 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  No need to get pissed. There are no permanent cross-division games. Everyone knew this was the case more than 3 years ago when the current schedule format was decided by our university leaders.

What the other programs in the conference decide to do or not do shouldn't have any effect on Southern Miss and Marshall and what's in their best interests. The past few years, after the OOC games ive felt like the season was over except for waiting around on the USM game. I think USM, Marshall, and LA Tech should leave. If the three even join the Sunbelt, with the likes ofArkansas State, Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, and Louisiana it would be an improvement.

(12-18-2018 12:45 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  

(12-18-2018 11:45 AM)va-eagle Wrote:  

(12-18-2018 11:02 AM)XYZ Wrote:  

(12-18-2018 09:33 AM)_sturt_ Wrote:  I for one am starting to revisit some of my original dislike for what this conference was evolving into... in my best Dennis Green voice, we are who we thought we'd be. This is a mess. Instead of CUSA 3.0, it is indeed just another branch of the Sun Belt now. I'd like nothing better at this point than for the most legit schools with the most legit fan bases to take some action to distinguish themselves from the ones that aren't so much. And I think MU and USM would need to be the lead dogs in that kind of initiative... and circling back to the OP... so it only follows then that I agree with the sentiment.

The problem is that the most legit schools with good fan bases have all moved up. What’s left in CUSA and the Sun Belt are either schools with good fan bases that the conferences don’t want or schools that the conferences want but currently with poor fan bases..

Many of those schools that moved up had crap attendance at the time.

2011 CUSA teams that move to AAC and their attendance:
Tulane - 19,771
Memphis - 20,078
SMU - 20,889
Tulsa - 22,541
Houston - 31,726 (partly because of their great season)
UCF - 34,283
ECU - 50,012

same season:
Marshall - 25,874
S Miss - 28,400

Most of the teams you listed have worse attendance now. By comparison in 2018:

Tulane - 18,015 (-1,756)
Memphis - 30,178 +10,100
SMU - 19,383 (-1,506)
Tulsa - 17,098 (-5,443)
Houston - 29,838 (-1,888)
UCF - 44,018 +9,735
ECU - 32,908 (a whopping -17,704)

Marshall - 24,062 (-1,812)
USM - 21,615 (-6,785)

I don't know where that UCF 2017 number came from but it's wrong. We averaged 39.5K in 2017 and 44.5K in 2018.

(12-18-2018 02:34 PM)polkhigh Wrote:  

(12-18-2018 02:06 PM)49RFootballNow Wrote:  No need to get pissed. There are no permanent cross-division games. Everyone knew this was the case more than 3 years ago when the current schedule format was decided by our university leaders.

What the other programs in the conference decide to do or not do shouldn't have any effect on Southern Miss and Marshall and what's in their best interests. The past few years, after the OOC games ive felt like the season was over except for waiting around on the USM game. I think USM, Marshall, and LA Tech should leave. If the three even join the Sunbelt, with the likes ofArkansas State, Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, and Louisiana it would be an improvement.

I agree we should leave but we should only do it in order to form a new conference.

Marshall
So Miss
UAB
La Tech
ODU
WKU
MTSU
App State
Ga Southern
Troy/Arkansas St/Louisiana/FAU/FIU/other suggestions for number 10??