(11-12-2021 07:02 AM)GE and MTS Wrote: (11-11-2021 09:24 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote: (11-11-2021 04:45 PM)GE and MTS Wrote: (11-11-2021 02:01 PM)eku05 Wrote: (11-11-2021 12:43 AM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote: WKU did not keep EKU out of CUSA. We were headed to the MAC. That would have left an opening for EKU in CUSA and there is NOTHING we could have done about it at all. I am almost sure you would have been added if we got the MAC. WKU was inches from a MAC invite. We will be trying again as we have established connections with the MAC. If we become a member of the MAC in three years-- you will probably be added by CUSA. We WERE/ARE focused on getting out of CUSA to the MAC or SBC. ALL these events indirectly effect other schools-- that is just the way it is. We are not focused on EKU-- we have enough problems of our own. So if you want to blame someone-- it is MT who kept you from FBS--although it was indirect and the farthest thing from their mind.
Extra-- WKU, EKU to MAC would never happen since MAC does not take FCS schools-- their current policy.
Translation: They won't take an FCS team until it makes sense for them to do so. Are you telling me they wouldn't have taken James Madison if JMU was interested. Please. I get that they aren't interested in us, but they'd take an FCS team if it really appealed to them.
Also, you're not going to convince me that WKU won't rally the votes against EKU if C-USA decides to add one more. I hope I'm wrong. I think that rivalry inside of a conference would bring a lot of energy to both programs, but I doubt it will happen (at least not now).
Now the other possibility is that C-USA stands pat at 9 for now in which case you're correct, none of this is WKU's fault.
The irony is that if the situation was flipped and it was the Sunbelt that was in trouble then we would have gotten in instead of JSU because Troy would have rallied the votes against them. It's a really shame that the politics affects this so much.
The double irony is that WKU was interested in the MAC, in which 75% of the current membership is in either Ohio or Michigan. Literally half of the teams are in Ohio alone. They have lots of great rivalries. They have schools that make sense together. And as a result they have the stability that every other G5 league admires. I'd like to see the new C-USA create that, and adding both EKU and Chattanooga would be a great start.
UT-Chattanooga and EKU overlap existing C-USA schools in a negative way. Rivalries are great but you don't want two schools fighting over the same fans, local coverage, and limited support.
This attitude is what lands you giant footprints and lots of long road trip. The MAC has 9 schools in 2 states and they do just fine. 2 KY and 2 TN schools will be just fine.
The MAC does just fine? In what way? How many good brands do they have? How many top 25 teams do they have in football and men's basketball? What's the difference between a Bowling Green and Akron or Toledo? Western Michigan and Central Michigan? I'd argue their biggest breakthroughs have been Buffalo (basketball) and Northern Illinois (football), two schools that aren't competing with other MAC schools in their market. WMU had a NY6 bowl and immediately went back to being vanilla.
This is Division I. This is FBS. Athletics is marketing for the schools. Go spread the brand and reach new prospective students. If you want to compete against your own state schools (and maybe the next state over if you are feeling dangerous), go back to Division II or lower and save all the money by busing to away games, lower salaries, and less scholarships.
That is, to put it bluntly, absurd. Let's look at the really powerful conferences shall we? THIS is Division I. THIS is FBS.
SEC: 2 in Alabama, 2 in Mississippi, 2 in Tennessee, 2 in Texas (soon)
ACC: 4 in North Carolina, 2 in Florida, 2 in Virginia
Pac 12: 3 in California, 2 in Washington, 2 in Oregon, 2 in Arizona
Big 10: 2 in Indiana, 2 in Michigan, 2 in Illinois
Big 12: 2 in Kansas, 4 in Texas (both before and after the coming moves), 2 in Oklahoma (for now)
Don't get me wrong. There is something to be said for spreading your brand as well, but my point was that WKU was beating down the door to get into a conference where 75% of the teams are in two states. It's a conference that actually makes sense, and it accomplishes what it needs to for the institutions in question. My only point is that a second team in C-USA from Kentucky hardly makes it too crowded. In fact, look at all of the intense in-state rivalries in the conferences I listed above. They thrive on those kinds of things.
Also, on the MAC football side there was that one magical season at Kent State, and the PJ Fleck era at Western Michigan. Central Michigan has been a cradle of coaches with Brian Kelly and Butch Jones being back -to-back head coaches. MAC basketball is solid as well even though they don't have a ton of top 25 teams. The regularly have crowds of 10,000 plus at the conference tournament.