(03-11-2021 11:31 AM)whupemall Wrote:  

(03-10-2021 03:13 PM)eku05 Wrote:  

(03-10-2021 01:30 PM)SMUfan Wrote:  Any rumors on a 6th footballs school?

I think the rumors are already out there. The only thing left is confirmation, but I don't think that will come until sometime next year. UTC and Austin Peay are my odds on favorites, but it's anybody's guess at this point.

If it's UTC or another SoCon school, they'll need to announce their intentions one year in advance, in order to avoid an additional $250K penalty on top of the regular $1M exit fee.

I'm not sure what the cutoff date for that penalty is... but if something's going to happen by Fall 2022, I would imagine we'd need to know something by July 2021 at the absolute latest. (And really, much earlier than that, since both conferences would need to make their schedules.)

I could see the scenario unfolding in two waves, with Peay (for example) joining as the 6th school for Fall 2022, then UTC coming on board a season later in Fall 2023.

The reason I see it playing out this way is, it's easy for Peay to justify the move now. They've made a huge financial commitment to football, and they're not going to see much of a return on that investment in the OVC. The ASUN would be seen as an upgrade (or at least a lateral move) in pretty much every sport.

For UTC, though, they'd be coming from the tradition, stability, and national reputation of the SoCon to "Wait ... The ASUN has football now?!"

It'll be a far easier sales job for them if they wait another season to let the ASUN do its thing. We just need to prove our worth in hoops in the 2021-22 season (not passing the SoCon, necessarily, but distancing ourselves from the OVC, Southland, etc.) and making waves in football in fall 2022. Multiple bids ... multiple playoff wins, especially when paired against SoCon schools.

If the ASUN schools don't trip over our own shoelaces, a UTC move would become a no-brainer.

That'd give the ASUN 14 full members and 7 ASUN Football schools. Any expansion past that point would be based more on long-term conference goals than necessity.

There is no doubt about the SoCon's tradition. Heck, most of the SEC and ACC schools were members at one time. It is one of the oldest conferences, so sure it does have a solid reputation. My first reaction when I heard that my alma mater was joining the ASUN was "We're joining the what?"

I have been impressed with how hard the ASUN works to provide opportunities for its athletes and its schools. At first, I kind of thought that it was just a marketing ploy, but having watched the ASUN closely over the last 3 months, I'm convinced that the ASUN doesn't just mouth the words, it really does work hard to provide opportunities for athletes. The ASUN has impressed me, and I believe that it really will rise, and faster than many people think.

(03-11-2021 11:31 AM)whupemall Wrote:  

(03-10-2021 03:13 PM)eku05 Wrote:  

(03-10-2021 01:30 PM)SMUfan Wrote:  Any rumors on a 6th footballs school?

I think the rumors are already out there. The only thing left is confirmation, but I don't think that will come until sometime next year. UTC and Austin Peay are my odds on favorites, but it's anybody's guess at this point.

If it's UTC or another SoCon school, they'll need to announce their intentions one year in advance, in order to avoid an additional $250K penalty on top of the regular $1M exit fee.

I'm not sure what the cutoff date for that penalty is... but if something's going to happen by Fall 2022, I would imagine we'd need to know something by July 2021 at the absolute latest. (And really, much earlier than that, since both conferences would need to make their schedules.)

I could see the scenario unfolding in two waves, with Peay (for example) joining as the 6th school for Fall 2022, then UTC coming on board a season later in Fall 2023.

The reason I see it playing out this way is, it's easy for Peay to justify the move now. They've made a huge financial commitment to football, and they're not going to see much of a return on that investment in the OVC. The ASUN would be seen as an upgrade (or at least a lateral move) in pretty much every sport.

For UTC, though, they'd be coming from the tradition, stability, and national reputation of the SoCon to "Wait ... The ASUN has football now?!"

It'll be a far easier sales job for them if they wait another season to let the ASUN do its thing. We just need to prove our worth in hoops in the 2021-22 season (not passing the SoCon, necessarily, but distancing ourselves from the OVC, Southland, etc.) and making waves in football in fall 2022. Multiple bids ... multiple playoff wins, especially when paired against SoCon schools.

If the ASUN schools don't trip over our own shoelaces, a UTC move would become a no-brainer.

That'd give the ASUN 14 full members and 7 ASUN Football schools. Any expansion past that point would be based more on long-term conference goals than necessity.

From everything I've gathered, the goal of the ASUN is to eventually have a solid 16, with hopefully 8 playing football. At first it would be 14/7 , with 2 seven team divisions. And then 16 with two 8 team divisions.

With 14 you would almost have to go after Austin Peay and Chattanooga.

15 and 16 would probably be West Florida and a non football school.

(03-11-2021 11:24 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  From everything I've gathered, the goal of the ASUN is to eventually have a solid 16, with hopefully 8 playing football. At first it would be 14/7 , with 2 seven team divisions. And then 16 with two 8 team divisions.

With 14 you would almost have to go after Austin Peay and Chattanooga.

15 and 16 would probably be West Florida and a non football school.

13/6 - Peay
14/7 - UTC
15/8 - West Fla.
16/8 - ???

Best candidates for that last (non-football) school:
Morehead (2021 OVC mbb champs, good baseball, strong volleyball, historical/nearby rival of EKU, only 2 hrs from Bellarmine)
Belmont (very strong mbb and wbb, strong baseball, historical/crosstown rival of Lipscomb, only 1 hr from Peay, former ASUN member 2001-2012)
UNCG (2021 SoCon mbb champs, very strong baseball, strong softball, only 2 hours from Liberty)

Any of them would be a strong non-football addition. Is there a favorite?

(03-12-2021 09:29 AM)whupemall Wrote:  

(03-11-2021 11:24 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  From everything I've gathered, the goal of the ASUN is to eventually have a solid 16, with hopefully 8 playing football. At first it would be 14/7 , with 2 seven team divisions. And then 16 with two 8 team divisions.

With 14 you would almost have to go after Austin Peay and Chattanooga.

15 and 16 would probably be West Florida and a non football school.

13/6 - Peay
14/7 - UTC
15/8 - West Fla.
16/8 - ???

Best candidates for that last (non-football) school:
Morehead (2021 OVC mbb champs, good baseball, strong volleyball, historical/nearby rival of EKU, only 2 hrs from Bellarmine)
Belmont (very strong mbb and wbb, strong baseball, historical/crosstown rival of Lipscomb, only 1 hr from Peay, former ASUN member 2001-2012)
UNCG (2021 SoCon mbb champs, very strong baseball, strong softball, only 2 hours from Liberty)

Any of them would be a strong non-football addition. Is there a favorite?

I really just don’t like the idea of another D2 call up. The goal should be to pick up another D1 school or stay put IMO.

(03-12-2021 09:44 AM)Ewglenn Wrote:  

(03-12-2021 09:29 AM)whupemall Wrote:  

(03-11-2021 11:24 PM)lion1983 Wrote:  From everything I've gathered, the goal of the ASUN is to eventually have a solid 16, with hopefully 8 playing football. At first it would be 14/7 , with 2 seven team divisions. And then 16 with two 8 team divisions.

With 14 you would almost have to go after Austin Peay and Chattanooga.

15 and 16 would probably be West Florida and a non football school.

13/6 - Peay
14/7 - UTC
15/8 - West Fla.
16/8 - ???

Best candidates for that last (non-football) school:
Morehead (2021 OVC mbb champs, good baseball, strong volleyball, historical/nearby rival of EKU, only 2 hrs from Bellarmine)
Belmont (very strong mbb and wbb, strong baseball, historical/crosstown rival of Lipscomb, only 1 hr from Peay, former ASUN member 2001-2012)
UNCG (2021 SoCon mbb champs, very strong baseball, strong softball, only 2 hours from Liberty)

Any of them would be a strong non-football addition. Is there a favorite?

I really just don’t like the idea of another D2 call up. The goal should be to pick up another D1 school or stay put IMO.

There not just a D2 call up... They would be worth it...

UWF or an OVC defection would be my guess.

I’m curious if/when WIU will announce that they are moving to the OVC.

The two non-football candidates that could be school #16 are in the NCAA tournament. Morehead State and UNC-Greensboro. Is there anyone else?

(03-14-2021 09:24 PM)SMUfan Wrote:  The two non-football candidates that could be school #16 are in the NCAA tournament. Morehead State and UNC-Greensboro. Is there anyone else?

Though I have an afinity for Morehead St., I’m not very interested in having them in the ASUN.
I’d also rather have UNC Wilmington than UNC Greensboro, simply for the fact it’s a nice town on the Atlantic coast.
The only D2 team that is remotely worth consideration is West Florida. They have the right profile, location and resources.
The SoCon schools are still the top targets.

You’d be hard pressed to get UNC Greensboro to leave the comfort of the SoCon—if UTC isn’t leaving, they definitely are not leaving.

If they really want an 8/8 set up then the 8th non-fb school to target is Belmont.

Belmont and 3 football schools from the OVC would complete the ASUN’s set nicely.

(03-15-2021 01:26 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  You’d be hard pressed to get UNC Greensboro to leave the comfort of the SoCon—if UTC isn’t leaving, they definitely are not leaving.

If they really want an 8/8 set up then the 8th non-fb school to target is Belmont.

Belmont and 3 football schools from the OVC would complete the ASUN’s set nicely.

Don't bother with Belmont. For those who don't know the backstory...

Belmont was invited to join the Missouri Valley a couple of years back. That seems like a dream come true and would, without questions be a step up. They turned it down citing their primary reason for leaving the ASUN for the OVC in the first place...shorter commutes.

Belmont is apparently exceptionally budget conscious and likes being right in the middle of what is a relatively small conference footprint to begin with. Besides, they win the OVC once every 2-3 years at least.

Belmont would be great if we can get them, but they won't bite.

(03-15-2021 02:12 PM)eku05 Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 01:26 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  You’d be hard pressed to get UNC Greensboro to leave the comfort of the SoCon—if UTC isn’t leaving, they definitely are not leaving.

If they really want an 8/8 set up then the 8th non-fb school to target is Belmont.

Belmont and 3 football schools from the OVC would complete the ASUN’s set nicely.

Don't bother with Belmont. For those who don't know the backstory...

Belmont was invited to join the Missouri Valley a couple of years back. That seems like a dream come true and would, without questions be a step up. They turned it down citing their primary reason for leaving the ASUN for the OVC in the first place...shorter commutes.

Belmont is apparently exceptionally budget conscious and likes being right in the middle of what is a relatively small conference footprint to begin with. Besides, they win the OVC once every 2-3 years at least.

Belmont would be great if we can get them, but they won't bite.

Right—I’m familiar with the history there. But can Belmont stay in the OVC of the ASUN completely trashes it?

Adding Belmont is fine in a bubble but with Lipscomb already in the conference and UT-Chattanooga allegedly on the move with maybe another Tennessee school, I think the conference would be extremely saturated with TN representation. I think regional diversity would be beneficial, especially since Belmont is located within the same city as a current member. Belmont is a step up from Lipscomb but is not brand that we do whatever it takes to land like the ACC would if either Duke or UNC weren't in the conference already.

(03-15-2021 01:26 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  You’d be hard pressed to get UNC Greensboro to leave the comfort of the SoCon—if UTC isn’t leaving, they definitely are not leaving.

If they really want an 8/8 set up then the 8th non-fb school to target is Belmont.

[b]Belmont and 3 football schools from the OVC would complete the ASUN’s set nicely[/b].

Belmont maybe but a bunch of ovc schools?
Why would eku and jsu leave the ovc only to bring half the conference with them?

(03-15-2021 07:46 PM)cleburneslim Wrote:  Belmont maybe but a bunch of ovc schools?
Why would eku and jsu leave the ovc only to bring half the conference with them?

Yes! This! Remember the goal that the the Commish stated, “to be the best FCS football conference in America.” There are no current OVC schools that will help us achieve that.

I also agree with the statement earlier that we don’t want to put all our eggs in one Tennessee basket.

(03-15-2021 09:50 PM)army56mike Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 07:46 PM)cleburneslim Wrote:  Belmont maybe but a bunch of ovc schools?
Why would eku and jsu leave the ovc only to bring half the conference with them?

Yes! This! Remember the goal that the the Commish stated, “to be the best FCS football conference in America.” There are no current OVC schools that will help us achieve that.

I also agree with the statement earlier that we don’t want to put all our eggs in one Tennessee basket.

Right... The only Tennessee school I'm interested in is Chattanooga. Austin Peay maybe, but not as much as Chattanooga.

I think we would all be okay with Chattanooga and West Florida.

Chattanooga makes the football side relatively compact, and then West Florida brings it to the panhandle.

Both easy to get to for all schools.

Quote:Right—I’m familiar with the history there. But can Belmont stay in the OVC of the ASUN completely trashes it?

Yes, they can. Reports of the OVC's demise are greatly exaggerated. Based on what the ASUN has said, they will take no more than one additional OVC team, and it won't be Murray State because they just don't have the commitment to football. The OVC will be fine. It will still have a small travel footprint, and even if it takes a minor step backward...they'll just get to the tournament more often which is clearly what they're going for anyway.

But...

Even if everything I said above turns out to be false and the OVC really is falling apart, it's widely believed that the MVC still wants them. If Belmont suddenly decides that they are willing to spend/travel more and really do need to be in a higher quality conference it would make more sense to go that direction than to come crawling back to an ASUN that is vastly inferior to the MVC in basketball.

I just can't see a scenario in which the ASUN ends up being the best move for Belmont based on their own institutional attitude.

(03-15-2021 09:50 PM)army56mike Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 07:46 PM)cleburneslim Wrote:  Belmont maybe but a bunch of ovc schools?
Why would eku and jsu leave the ovc only to bring half the conference with them?

Yes! This! Remember the goal that the the Commish stated, “to be the best FCS football conference in America.” There are no current OVC schools that will help us achieve that.

I also agree with the statement earlier that we don’t want to put all our eggs in one Tennessee basket.

I largely agree with this post, but Austin Peay has genuinely recommitted to football. They're spending more on it than we are right now, and they just completed a terrific renovation of their stadium. They are the exception to the rule of OVC football schools being worth adding.

There would be a certain amount of intrigue with TSU as well, but probably not enough to get them over the hump.

(03-16-2021 08:36 AM)eku05 Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 09:50 PM)army56mike Wrote:  

(03-15-2021 07:46 PM)cleburneslim Wrote:  Belmont maybe but a bunch of ovc schools?
Why would eku and jsu leave the ovc only to bring half the conference with them?

Yes! This! Remember the goal that the the Commish stated, “to be the best FCS football conference in America.” There are no current OVC schools that will help us achieve that.

I also agree with the statement earlier that we don’t want to put all our eggs in one Tennessee basket.

I largely agree with this post, but Austin Peay has genuinely recommitted to football. They're spending more on it than we are right now, and they just completed a terrific renovation of their stadium. They are the exception to the rule of OVC football schools being worth adding.

There would be a certain amount of intrigue with TSU as well, but probably not enough to get them over the hump.

Being here in Nashville no one cares about Austin Peay in the state. UTC has a pretty large following and are based in a decent sized city. They feel like a low G5 school. That’s what we need.

I'm not saying I'd take Peay over UTC, but ideally we'd have more than 6 on the football side, and UTC may turn us down. I was really more replying to the idea that no one from the OVC is even worth considering. Austin Peay is worthy of consideration, and while they don't land big in the Nashville market, they do decently in terms of following there in Clarksville.

In a world of limited options, they are one of the reasonable ones.

In 2019 it's not like their football attendance was world's apart either. UTC was about 7,700 and AP was about 6,700. If 7,700 is "low G5" worthy then maybe Jax State and EKU have a shot at the American (they don't).

The Nashville market has changed to NFL ALL the time. It is really a shame. There is no off season from the Titans-- none. Then you have the NHL Predators. Next up SEC football-- not just UT or Vandy either-- they talk about Ga. Fla., etc. like they are in Tenn.. Next comes Vandy. Then maybe 2 seconds for G5 Middle Tenn and Belmont and the rest. Really next to impossible to get much media attention.