(10-15-2021 02:33 PM)pilot172000 Wrote:  

(10-15-2021 01:14 PM)FAU Connoisseur! Wrote:  

(10-15-2021 12:54 PM)BlazintheAtl1 Wrote:  

(10-15-2021 07:23 AM)Luckyshot Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:54 PM)BlazinBham Wrote:  It isn’t necessarily FAUs fault on the fans, they’re just in south Florida where there’s so much more to do than go to a CFB game on the weekend.

I don't understand this concept. I've traveled to 11 foreign countries, from tropical paradises to huge metropolises, and to some of the coolest places in the US, and I still LOVE live college football games. It seems like you could do all that cool stuff in Florida during the week, Sunday afternoons, spring and summer Saturdays. I guess it's more about being sucked into a culture early. If FAU keeps up their football success, any students they suck in now can be lifers like those of us who post on this board. They're still fairly new and it will just take time to build p a large fanbase.

You didn't watch the Panthers game last night.
Watch any sporting event in Miami other than Dolphins or Heat games. People just aren't into it.

My dream is to win the lotto and buy the Florida Panthers. Not a Panthers fan per se but its the most economical chance I have of owning a big4 team.

2020 estimated value $295,000,000. Maybe MLS.

Here is a semi plausible scenario I cooked up I think yall would like

My guesses based on what we think we know

AAC - UAB, Charlotte, Rice, FAU

AAC's Plan A was to get Big 12 schools
AAC's Plan B was to get MWC schools
AAC's Plan C is now replacement, status quo, and minimal damage

UAB fills the Cincinnati slot
Charlotte fills the UConn slot
Rice fills the Houston slot
FAU fills the UCF slot

Not ideal but passable and the market driven AAC is pleased with 4 big market adds

Sunbelt gets a Marshall and USM that fit in well with the culture of the league
MWC gets into TX with N Texas and UTSA and to address the concerns of the Mountain schools and gets Boise in the CA based western division

CUSA is left with ODU, WKU, MTSU, FIU, LA Tech, UTEP

My best case scenario for CUSA at that point

If MTSU/WKU want to stick around instead of trying to get into the MAC, then the CUSA can add JMU and MO St from FCS to get to 8 full time schools
I would also add UConn and UMass for football only.

Then, try to work out a deal with UTEP to get them as a football only member promising them no exit fees and their share of the exit fees from departing schools.
If they can be the WAC #14, then replace them with Liberty as the FBS #8 all sports member

That would give you a solid core of
WKU, MTSU, JMU, Liberty, ODU
with MO St. and LA Tech as travel partners
your requisite Florida school with FIU
and then UMASS, UCONN, UTEP, and NMSU as football only for 12 schools.

If you have a solid core of
WKU, MTSU, JMU, Liberty, ODU
and can build off it, down the line I would approach UMass, VCU, St. Louis, and Dayton about coming on board to solidify the CUSA basketball brand.

END GAME CUSA
UMASS
UConn/VCU
ODU
Liberty
JMU
FIU

WKU
MTSU
MO ST
LA Tech
UTEP/St. Louis
NMSU/Dayton

A question for UCONN and or AAC fans. Was UCONN not allowed to stay as a football only member? It makes no sense they paid millions of dollars to leave the AAC then a few years later join the remnants of CUSA.

(10-15-2021 03:29 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Here is a semi plausible scenario I cooked up I think yall would like

My guesses based on what we think we know

AAC - UAB, Charlotte, Rice, FAU

AAC's Plan A was to get Big 12 schools
AAC's Plan B was to get MWC schools
AAC's Plan C is now replacement, status quo, and minimal damage

UAB fills the Cincinnati slot
Charlotte fills the UConn slot
Rice fills the Houston slot
FAU fills the UCF slot

Not ideal but passable and the market driven AAC is pleased with 4 big market adds

Sunbelt gets a Marshall and USM that fit in well with the culture of the league
MWC gets into TX with N Texas and UTSA and to address the concerns of the Mountain schools and gets Boise in the CA based western division

CUSA is left with ODU, WKU, MTSU, FIU, LA Tech, UTEP

My best case scenario for CUSA at that point

If MTSU/WKU want to stick around instead of trying to get into the MAC, then the CUSA can add JMU and MO St from FCS to get to 8 full time schools
I would also add UConn and UMass for football only.

Then, try to work out a deal with UTEP to get them as a football only member promising them no exit fees and their share of the exit fees from departing schools.
If they can be the WAC #14, then replace them with Liberty as the FBS #8 all sports member

That would give you a solid core of
WKU, MTSU, JMU, Liberty, ODU
with MO St. and LA Tech as travel partners
your requisite Florida school with FIU
and then UMASS, UCONN, UTEP, and NMSU as football only for 12 schools.

If you have a solid core of
WKU, MTSU, JMU, Liberty, ODU
and can build off it, down the line I would approach UMass, VCU, St. Louis, and Dayton about coming on board to solidify the CUSA basketball brand.

END GAME CUSA
UMASS
UConn/VCU
ODU
Liberty
JMU
FIU

WKU
MTSU
MO ST
LA Tech
UTEP/St. Louis
NMSU/Dayton

OMG please please stop with these random ramblings. This realignment talk is like make your own pancakes but with horrible ingredients. I wish Aresco would go ahead and make an announcement already. sheesh

(10-15-2021 03:43 PM)JCMiner Wrote:  A question for UCONN and or AAC fans. Was UCONN not allowed to stay as a football only member? It makes no sense they paid millions of dollars to leave the AAC then a few years later join the remnants of CUSA.

They wanted to stay in the AAC football only, and the AAC politely and correctly told them to go pound sand. They'll continue FB only for as long as they want to continue having a FB program.

It’s very unlikely UConn joins a conference as a football affiliate. They’ve been able to put a schedule together and they have the CBSSN contract. Their fans (and probably their admin too) would think CUSA is beneath them as an institution. Their AD is selling the idea that UConn can be like BYU as an independent. They may change their opinion at some point but they’re a long way from that happening if it ever does.

UMass on the other hand would take a football invitation in a heartbeat. I’m deeply skeptical they’d accept full membership despite their forsaken football program.

The idea that the top three A10 members would join a depleted CUSA is the funniest thing I’ve read today.

TWO things I am weary of:

1.) Dumb talk of MT/WKU to the MAC (they just keep repeating with NO basis).

2.) UCONN talk-- who cares about them?

St Louis moving out of the A10.

(10-15-2021 07:43 PM)DaBigBlue Wrote:  St Louis moving out of the A10.

No, nothing imminent.

clt says visiting 11 countries is cute

(10-15-2021 03:29 PM)solohawks Wrote:  My guesses based on what we think we know

AAC - UAB, Charlotte, Rice, FAU

Sunbelt gets a Marshall and USM that fit in well with the culture of the league

We've seen this a bunch of times, so let me take it in another direction.

Men's Soccer. The AAC has six schools playing now, but UCF is leaving, Memphis and SMU may very well leave, and Tulsa and USF might leave. Let's just call it unstable. But, based on your prediction above they would add CLT, UAB and FAU. Then Marshall to the SBC. This would leave two CUSA teams and three associate teams in CUSA--plus any they could add if new schools come in.

I would not be surprised if the AAC would offer Kentucky, South Carolina and Coastal Carolina a new home, sending CUSA from one of the top Men's Soccer conferences in the NCAA to maybe dropping the sport. Marshall might also get an invitation since the SBC does not offer the sport anymore. Suddenly the AAC would be one of the top conferences.

Of course soccer is not as big as football or basketball, but you can't ignore the growing popularity in the US, or the number of youth leagues playing it.

UConn plays Yale tomorrow, and it is by no means a sure thing that UConn wins. Yale is a pretty good team for the Ivy League, and UConn is, well, UConn.

(10-16-2021 12:05 AM)UAB Band Dad Wrote:  UConn plays Yale tomorrow, and it is by no means a sure thing that UConn wins. Yale is a pretty good team for the Ivy League, and UConn is, well, UConn.

UConn is an underdog against a non-scholarship Division 1-AA team. Let that sink in for just a sec. Anytime anyone talks about adding UConn or UMass as non-football members to Conference USA in case CUSA gets desperate for members during realignment?

(10-13-2021 09:54 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  West: Navy, Tulsa, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Memphis
East: UAB, Charlotte, Marshall, Temple, USF, ECU

I think the AAC's expansion will be: Rice, Charlotte, ODU, and UAB.

West Division
Rice
Navy/Wichita
SMU
Tulsa
Tulane
Memphis

East Division
Temple
UAB
Charlotte
ECU
Old Dominion
USF

That's the best combination of Budgets/FB/MBB/Facilities/Commitment

I'm not sure there are any better fits. That league has a relatively high ceiling in the money sports, and upholds the AAC's commitment to decent history and good locales. It can be argued that the ceilings of those 4 are higher than most in the West.

(10-15-2021 07:23 AM)Luckyshot Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:54 PM)BlazinBham Wrote:  It isn’t necessarily FAUs fault on the fans, they’re just in south Florida where there’s so much more to do than go to a CFB game on the weekend.

I don't understand this concept. I've traveled to 11 foreign countries, from tropical paradises to huge metropolises, and to some of the coolest places in the US, and I still LOVE live college football games. It seems like you could do all that cool stuff in Florida during the week, Sunday afternoons, spring and summer Saturdays. I guess it's more about being sucked into a culture early. If FAU keeps up their football success, any students they suck in now can be lifers like those of us who post on this board. They're still fairly new and it will just take time to build p a large fanbase.

A little thing called "a job" gets in the way and, gosh dang it, summer Saturdays you won't get me out of the air conditioning.

(10-15-2021 12:54 PM)BlazintheAtl1 Wrote:  

(10-15-2021 07:23 AM)Luckyshot Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:54 PM)BlazinBham Wrote:  It isn’t necessarily FAUs fault on the fans, they’re just in south Florida where there’s so much more to do than go to a CFB game on the weekend.

I don't understand this concept. I've traveled to 11 foreign countries, from tropical paradises to huge metropolises, and to some of the coolest places in the US, and I still LOVE live college football games. It seems like you could do all that cool stuff in Florida during the week, Sunday afternoons, spring and summer Saturdays. I guess it's more about being sucked into a culture early. If FAU keeps up their football success, any students they suck in now can be lifers like those of us who post on this board. They're still fairly new and it will just take time to build p a large fanbase.

You didn't watch the Panthers game last night.
Watch any sporting event in Miami other than Dolphins or Heat games. People just aren't into it.

Winning cures it all, even in South Florida.

South Florida sports have a major problem that has nothing to do with fandom: transplants. South Florida IS crazy for sports, but a large percentage of people are not local teams' fans. I was at Florida Panthers' opening game Thursday. There were about 10,000 hardcore Panthers fans and about 2K visiting fans with some other sprinkled in. Now, yes, the opener was at 7 P.M. on Thursday, not the best combination. There were decidedly more people Saturday, for the NY Islanders game, but about 5-6K were islanders fans, most of who live here and continue to support their team.

There are two cures to it:

1) winning (these same Panthers sold out every damn game during the 1996-1997 season, which followed their unlikely run to the Stanley Cup finals the year before)
2) growing a generation of local team fans, which hold no loyalty to the teams from their past environs.

(10-16-2021 02:03 AM)TroyTBoy Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 09:54 PM)shizzle787 Wrote:  West: Navy, Tulsa, Rice, SMU, Tulane, Memphis
East: UAB, Charlotte, Marshall, Temple, USF, ECU

I think the AAC's expansion will be: Rice, Charlotte, ODU, and UAB.

West Division
Rice
Navy/Wichita
SMU
Tulsa
Tulane
Memphis

East Division
Temple
UAB
Charlotte
ECU
Old Dominion
USF

That's the best combination of Budgets/FB/MBB/Facilities/Commitment

I'm not sure there are any better fits. That league has a relatively high ceiling in the money sports, and upholds the AAC's commitment to decent history and good locales. It can be argued that the ceilings of those 4 are higher than most in the West.

But now on the realignment board you say that Rice and UTSA need to a combo in the AAC? What changed your mind? I don't disagree with that idea, by the way.