2 things here—1. Why would Liberty join a broken down CUSA? I don t think they would. 2. It is very clear many schools don t want to be in a conference with them. I m not sure it is the religious thing as it is they can FAR outspend any school in CUSA or the Sun Belt

I think a lot of people feel that they have purchased their success rather than earned it. I don't know if that is truly accurate or not. I know I have friends whose kids have gone there and they absolutely love it. I also know that no university cantruly serve 90,000 students regardless if they are on-campus or virtual.

Money helps but a few years ago Liberty had a much bigger wealth disparity with its Big South playmates and it didn’t seem to help them THAT much. I think they won one FCS playoff game and only won the BS’s auto bid three times in the 26 seasons they were there.

Like seriously, if you’re worried about spending with Liberty, imagine trying to keep up with them when you’re Charleston Southern or UNC Asheville.

All of which is to say they have good sports and are obviously committed to getting better, on and off the field, but I don’t think they’re going to spend their way into the P5 either.

I think CUSA can't say no now. It's probably more if liberty says yes

(10-22-2021 11:07 AM)slycat Wrote:  I think CUSA can't say no now. It's probably more if liberty says yes

IF Liberty really wants to be in an FBS conference, then this is their chance. It would actually be a good marriage for both. CUSA needs the body, and Liberty gets a conference affiliation. Win-win.

If I’m Liberty I don’t touch CUSA with a 10’ pole! Stay Indy and schedule accordingly.

Coach Freeze has said multiple times over multiple seasons Liberty's goal is to be in an FBS conference. Now they could be in one they can help mold.

CUSA-5 has better basketball than the ASUN
CUSA has access to a possible 12 team playoff
CUSA has more bowl bids than the Cure Bowl
Liberty will have 4 OOC slots to pay for P5 1:1s. They losing nothing and still get P5 home games.


Liberty will be giving up their ESPN deal, which means they can use their Flame TV network more and use that in CUSA's upcoming media deal.

Top reason: Access bowl slot. I believe that the G5 NY6 bowl slot can only go to the highest ranked G5 conference champion. If they aren't in a conference, then they can't ever get it.

Also, I'm sure it's very difficult/stressful to try and schedule 12 conference games a year and even more difficult to try and get 6 teams to come to Lynchburg. Being in a conference will take a big load off of scheduling. I'm sure any media money won't be a windfall for them, but who doesn't like free money?

(10-22-2021 11:19 AM)Big Buds Wrote:  If I’m Liberty I don’t touch CUSA with a 10’ pole! Stay Indy and schedule accordingly.

I think Liberty has done quite well for themselves as an independent and jumping on the CUSA ship would be a huge mistake. On the bright side, there is about to be 3 more independents for late season scheduling.

(10-22-2021 11:23 AM)AppfanInCAAland Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 11:19 AM)Big Buds Wrote:  If I’m Liberty I don’t touch CUSA with a 10’ pole! Stay Indy and schedule accordingly.

I think Liberty has done quite well for themselves as an independent and jumping on the CUSA ship would be a huge mistake. On the bright side, there is about to be 3 more independents for late season scheduling.

Their future schedule has plenty of blah G5 games with sprinkled in P5 H:H games. They can keep the same ratio of blah G5 and P5 H:H games in a conference. And they get the benefit of using whatever CFP and media payout to actually pay for those P5 home games and save themselves the trouble of paying for them.

All told, they can recruit better as an independent.

I wonder if Conference USA could request a waiver from the NCAA to be a football only conference just so that teams don’t need their olympic sports in a far flung league but don’t need to be in Indy purgatory. CBS could keep their football rights or CBS could pay each team what they believe they’re worthy.

NMSU, UTEP, LA TECH, MTSU, WKU, UMASS, LIBERTY, FIU

I’m not sure if UCONN or Army would want in. If they did they could split into 2 divisions of 5 but only play 6-7 conference games so each team still has plenty of ooc slots.

LU might join just because it is falling apart. That way we can have the autobid, FBS and the CFP stuff built in and then mold CUSA into what we want.

(10-22-2021 11:36 AM)Curtisc83 Wrote:  LU might join just because it is falling apart. That way we can have the autobid, FBS and the CFP stuff built in and then mold CUSA into what we want.

Stuff like that is exactly why conferences seemingly balk at LU

(10-22-2021 11:37 AM)ODU-Z8 Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 11:36 AM)Curtisc83 Wrote:  LU might join just because it is falling apart. That way we can have the autobid, FBS and the CFP stuff built in and then mold CUSA into what we want.

Stuff like that is exactly why conferences seemingly balk at LU

I'm not saying we would join just that if we did it might be because of those reasons. Just like buying a failing bank just because it has a federal bank charter.

(10-22-2021 11:40 AM)Curtisc83 Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 11:37 AM)ODU-Z8 Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 11:36 AM)Curtisc83 Wrote:  LU might join just because it is falling apart. That way we can have the autobid, FBS and the CFP stuff built in and then mold CUSA into what we want.

Stuff like that is exactly why conferences seemingly balk at LU

I'm not saying we would join just that if we did it might be because of those reasons. Just like buying a failing bank just because it has a federal bank charter.

If a conference ever takes Liberty they will rue the day they did so.

(10-22-2021 11:25 AM)Yosef Himself Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 11:23 AM)AppfanInCAAland Wrote:  

(10-22-2021 11:19 AM)Big Buds Wrote:  If I’m Liberty I don’t touch CUSA with a 10’ pole! Stay Indy and schedule accordingly.

I think Liberty has done quite well for themselves as an independent and jumping on the CUSA ship would be a huge mistake. On the bright side, there is about to be 3 more independents for late season scheduling.

Their future schedule has plenty of blah G5 games with sprinkled in P5 H:H games. They can keep the same ratio of blah G5 and P5 H:H games in a conference. And they get the benefit of using whatever CFP and media payout to actually pay for those P5 home games and save themselves the trouble of paying for them.

They will have the same Blah G5 games weather they join the sunbelt or C-USA.

https://www.propublica.org/article/the-l...l-assaults

(10-25-2021 11:42 AM)ragin4u Wrote:  https://www.propublica.org/article/the-l...l-assaults

Timely and damning

(10-25-2021 11:54 AM)HighlandsApp Wrote:  

(10-25-2021 11:42 AM)ragin4u Wrote:  https://www.propublica.org/article/the-l...l-assaults

Timely and damning

There has already been multiple news reports about this and there is a Podcast that has multiple episodes with primary sources detailing abuses at Liberty (e.g. financial, social, personal).

Liberty attempted to bribe Sun Belt programs to get them to join. They called it a donation but to me it rings of bribery.