I sure hope this rumor has legs! I agree with most that if the SBC can somehow stay at 10 after this whole shakeup and add Marshall and Southern Miss we’d be a solid football conference. I just don’t know if App., GSU or Louisiana are gonna get plucked by the AAC in all this mess.

(08-08-2021 04:05 PM)Big Buds Wrote:  I sure hope this rumor has legs! I agree with most that if the SBC can somehow stay at 10 after this whole shakeup and add Marshall and Southern Miss we’d be a solid football conference. just don’t know if App., GSU or Louisiana are gonna get plucked by the AAC in all this mess.

Not to worry. I'd be surprised if they were "plucked" by the AAC, but maybe coosa could be interested, not that all of them would go.

(08-08-2021 04:05 PM)Big Buds Wrote:  I sure hope this rumor has legs! I agree with most that if the SBC can somehow stay at 10 after this whole shakeup and add Marshall and Southern Miss we’d be a solid football conference. I just don’t know if App., GSU or Louisiana are gonna get plucked by the AAC in all this mess.

No Belt team is getting plucked. We are trying to add to strengthen the conference for that 5th playoff spot. The playoff money will cover adding 2 teams. ESPN didn't give us more TV games to lose our top TV views.

(08-08-2021 04:17 PM)statefanatic Wrote:  

(08-08-2021 04:05 PM)Big Buds Wrote:  I sure hope this rumor has legs! I agree with most that if the SBC can somehow stay at 10 after this whole shakeup and add Marshall and Southern Miss we’d be a solid football conference. I just don’t know if App., GSU or Louisiana are gonna get plucked by the AAC in all this mess.

No Belt team is getting plucked. We are trying to add to strengthen the conference for that 5th playoff spot. The playoff money will cover adding 2 teams. ESPN didn't give us more TV games to lose our top TV views.

That would easily be the best case scenario if in fact all 10 stay.

(08-08-2021 04:15 PM)JoeJag Wrote:  

(08-08-2021 04:05 PM)Big Buds Wrote:  I sure hope this rumor has legs! I agree with most that if the SBC can somehow stay at 10 after this whole shakeup and add Marshall and Southern Miss we’d be a solid football conference. just don’t know if App., GSU or Louisiana are gonna get plucked by the AAC in all this mess.

Not to worry. I'd be surprised if they were "plucked" by the AAC, but maybe coosa could be interested, not that all of them would go.

I feel App. and GSU have the highest odds of getting an AAC invite.

The Sun Belt is in negotiation mode right now. The lovely point in time where we see how much the schools actually like each other. If the major figures can compromise, we end up with a league that can challenge the rest of the G5. If it fails, than rest assured everyone will start stabbing their best friends in the back to get their way.

I see scenarios where App goes without Southern and Southern goes without App. I see scenarios where AState/UL both combined to push ULM off a cliff. We don't want it to get to that, but hey, got to keep your options open

Probably just for vacation. Huntington is a resort town.

If we were to leave I wonder who the 2nd (or 3rd and 4th) team would be?

I’m gonna assume ODU, Charlotte, UAB, or Southern Miss would be the options.

(08-08-2021 04:52 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  If we were to leave I wonder who the 2nd (or 3rd and 4th) team would be?

I’m gonna assume ODU, Charlotte, UAB, or Southern Miss would be the options.

I don't think we know who the 2nd team would be.

(08-08-2021 04:52 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  If we were to leave I wonder who the 2nd (or 3rd and 4th) team would be?

I’m gonna assume ODU, Charlotte, UAB, or Southern Miss would be the options.

ODU to keep APP happy and USM to keep stAte and UL happy.

Marshall or bust

ODU is 350 miles from Boone. I’d rather add someone in the current footprint.

Rumors or hearsay are pretty powerful tools. If it is true that App is getting looks from the AAC it's Katy bar the door. GS's having a meltdown. Marshall's pissed. USM sees a solid out losing some bling. The Sun Belt can replace Ga state. We'll likely be glad we did in a few years. We need a presence Florida. App's a little tougher but IF Marshall takes the jump anyway we're right back where we were. In a dam good spot. IF Southern Miss follows and we add UAB it's all good. App fans dancing in the streets but will soon find the dollars get stretched thin getting skull drug in every sport other than football. We just carry on and keep building in a blue collar slobber knockin football conference.

(08-08-2021 04:58 PM)statefanatic Wrote:  

(08-08-2021 04:52 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  If we were to leave I wonder who the 2nd (or 3rd and 4th) team would be?

I’m gonna assume ODU, Charlotte, UAB, or Southern Miss would be the options.

ODU to keep APP happy and USM to keep stAte and UL happy.

We don’t need to add any teams to keep anyone in the league happy. App and Louisiana and Arkansas State are not Texas and this isn’t the Big 12. If we added Marshall the other other team would likely be USM because that makes sense for the entire league.

Where is all this App and AAC talk coming from? Not smelling any smoke from my contacts in Boone.

Now is definitely the time to be proactive. I hope Gill is making some moves.

(08-08-2021 04:58 PM)statefanatic Wrote:  

(08-08-2021 04:52 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  If we were to leave I wonder who the 2nd (or 3rd and 4th) team would be?

I’m gonna assume ODU, Charlotte, UAB, or Southern Miss would be the options.

ODU to keep APP happy and USM to keep stAte and UL happy.

Sounds like a plan to me.

(08-08-2021 02:59 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(08-08-2021 02:53 PM)statefanatic Wrote:  

(08-08-2021 02:12 PM)HHHERD Wrote:  

(08-08-2021 01:47 PM)EigenEagle Wrote:  I'm sure there's plenty of behind-the-scenes talks and plans for all kinds of different unlikely scenarios but I doubt there's anything imminent.

I think you are right on the money. Just too much up in the air right now with the Big 12, AAC, and other conferences. My guess is Gill is being pro-active, especially with the rumor of Marshall/ODU wanting to form an eastern based conference. NO way the belt wants to lose the eastern based schools of their league.

If Gill was there it wasn't to talk about an Eastern conference. It would be that the Belt are looking to add 2 teams. As I said before. Marshal and USM are the targets. Commissioners don't sneak around talking about splitting conferences.

Even the discussions between the Pac 12 and Big 12 recently have been more about alliances more than anything.

Conference merger's are fantasies that don't have a lot of root in reality because they involve an idea that everyone gets what they want. The reality is, that You'd have to drag AState and UL kicking and screaming to a league that involves travel to El Paso.

I think you guys missed my point. In no way am I saying Gill was in Huntington (if he really was) working on a merger with CUSA, nor do I think he cares about ALL of the CUSA Eastern teams. What he does care about is keeping Appy St, Coastal, Ga State, and GA Southern in the Sun Belt. If the "rumors" really have any legs that the CUSA East is talking of breaking off and has reached out to APPY, then this is a threat to the Sun Belt. Like any good Commish, Gill is trying to nip this in the bud. What better way to do it than offer a combination of Marshall, USM, ODU, UNCC, and UAB to the belt. Not only does it bolster the belt, but it kills off any talk of a new league, plus weakens CUSA further.

(08-08-2021 05:12 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  ODU is 350 miles from Boone. I’d rather add someone in the current footprint.

Would you prefer Marshall?

(08-08-2021 05:12 PM)Saint3333 Wrote:  ODU is 350 miles from Boone. I’d rather add someone in the current footprint.

You'd rather add a school that voluntarily chose not to play football last season and is in major financial problems to save a few miles of travel compared to a team that was in the top 25 for part of last year?