(12-07-2021 02:25 PM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  Is there any reason to think Central Arkansas might prefer the OVC to the A-Sun with the loss of Jax State football (and Liberty's money)?

I have long been somewhat surprised that AR Tech has never seemed to desire to at least explode FCS (their enrollment one point in time was close to overtaking Arkansas State as second largest university in the state in terms of enrollment) but have seen a steady decrease in recent years (they reported their fall enrollment this year at 9,640). Russellville is nice college town with a little over 30,000 (and appears they will be getting casino resort built in town I would imagine will boost population and local economy). They just haven’t really invested in their facilities whatsoever (at least Harding built a ridiculously nice indoor facility and Cliff Harris gave Ouachita Baptist a boatload of money to build brand new stadium)

From my understanding UCA AD Brad Teague has lofty aspirations for the Bears and a big draw to the ASUN was the proposition of the league taking gradual steps to advancing to FBS level. I think at the least, they’re still in a more stable position and are more primed to be able to raid another FCS league (I know their Comissioner has stated they would never raid a league To the point of putting them under the required number to maintain conference status but I think that’s diplomatic talk, especially if they get in a position of needing bodies).

(12-07-2021 02:37 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  No surprise. Adding UALR stretches the OVC footprint and doesn't help resolve its football problem, but at this point the conference isn't in a position to be picky.

It helps if the mystery "second ARkansas school" is....Central Arkansas.

Since UCA left the Southland for the ASUN, the ASUN has lost Liberty and Jacksonville STate, and failed (as yet) to put together a football league. The grand "split into two conferences using the contintuity rules that no longer exist" plan was blown up when NJIT joined America East, and I think everyone realized that the FBS ASUN isn't happening with Liberty (and Jacksonville State) to CUSA.


If Central Arkansas left the Southland because they didn't want to play so much in Texas, well now they're a WAC football affiliate with 2021 conference road games @ Abilene and @ Tarleton.

Just a wild thought

(12-07-2021 02:49 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 02:37 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  No surprise. Adding UALR stretches the OVC footprint and doesn't help resolve its football problem, but at this point the conference isn't in a position to be picky.

It helps if the mystery "second ARkansas school" is....Central Arkansas.

Since UCA left the Southland for the ASUN, the ASUN has lost Liberty and Jacksonville STate, and failed (as yet) to put together a football league. The grand "split into two conferences using the contintuity rules that no longer exist" plan was blown up when NJIT joined America East, and I think everyone realized that the FBS ASUN isn't happening with Liberty (and Jacksonville State) to CUSA.


If Central Arkansas left the Southland because they didn't want to play so much in Texas, well now they're a WAC football affiliate with 2021 conference road games @ Abilene and @ Tarleton.

Just a wild thought

Assuming Murray St is going...

An OVC west from EIU to Little Rock wouldn't be that bad
EIU, SIUE, SEMO, UT Martin, UCA, UALR

On the eastern front you would have
Morehead, TN Tech, TN St with upgrades Southern Indiana and Lincoln Martin and 1 more

Football would be stable at 6
EIU, SEMO, UT Martin, UCA, TN Tech and TN St

OVC soccer could be launched at 6 as well
EIU, SIUE, S Indiana, Lincoln Martin, and UCA with Chicago State as an affiliate

(12-07-2021 02:35 PM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:44 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:23 AM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:04 AM)solohawks Wrote:  If the OVC is not a football playing conference any longer perhaps they stay in the SWAC for FCS football

Question is would the SWAC be okay with that? I mean there isn't another football option for UAPB at this moment except maybe the SLC as an affiliate. I know it's dangerous but if Murray State leaves and UAPB put their football in the OVC that would give them 6 FB teams keeping them alive a little longer.

UAPB is a poor school right now. Traveling to Daytona Beach is hurting them big time. Little Rock and SE Missouri State are closer to them than the Louisiana pair. It could be more of a move for all sports to try and save money on travel.

What are you even talking about? UAPB hasn't even traveled to Daytona Beach. The things that you just make up and throw out on this board are downright amazing sometime.

Bethune-Cookman is in Daytona Beach.

(12-07-2021 02:49 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 02:37 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  No surprise. Adding UALR stretches the OVC footprint and doesn't help resolve its football problem, but at this point the conference isn't in a position to be picky.

It helps if the mystery "second ARkansas school" is....Central Arkansas.

Since UCA left the Southland for the ASUN, the ASUN has lost Liberty and Jacksonville STate, and failed (as yet) to put together a football league. The grand "split into two conferences using the contintuity rules that no longer exist" plan was blown up when NJIT joined America East, and I think everyone realized that the FBS ASUN isn't happening with Liberty (and Jacksonville State) to CUSA.


If Central Arkansas left the Southland because they didn't want to play so much in Texas, well now they're a WAC football affiliate with 2021 conference road games @ Abilene and @ Tarleton.

Just a wild thought

I wouldn't make that assumption. More likely to have been the Louisiana schools.

(12-07-2021 05:32 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 02:49 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 02:37 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  No surprise. Adding UALR stretches the OVC footprint and doesn't help resolve its football problem, but at this point the conference isn't in a position to be picky.

It helps if the mystery "second ARkansas school" is....Central Arkansas.

Since UCA left the Southland for the ASUN, the ASUN has lost Liberty and Jacksonville STate, and failed (as yet) to put together a football league. The grand "split into two conferences using the contintuity rules that no longer exist" plan was blown up when NJIT joined America East, and I think everyone realized that the FBS ASUN isn't happening with Liberty (and Jacksonville State) to CUSA.


If Central Arkansas left the Southland because they didn't want to play so much in Texas, well now they're a WAC football affiliate with 2021 conference road games @ Abilene and @ Tarleton.

Just a wild thought

I wouldn't make that assumption. More likely to have been the Louisiana schools.

Was gonna say, would happily add UCA to the WAC if they were interested.

(12-07-2021 04:40 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 02:35 PM)GreenHornet33 Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:44 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:23 AM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  

(12-07-2021 11:04 AM)solohawks Wrote:  If the OVC is not a football playing conference any longer perhaps they stay in the SWAC for FCS football

Question is would the SWAC be okay with that? I mean there isn't another football option for UAPB at this moment except maybe the SLC as an affiliate. I know it's dangerous but if Murray State leaves and UAPB put their football in the OVC that would give them 6 FB teams keeping them alive a little longer.

UAPB is a poor school right now. Traveling to Daytona Beach is hurting them big time. Little Rock and SE Missouri State are closer to them than the Louisiana pair. It could be more of a move for all sports to try and save money on travel.

What are you even talking about? UAPB hasn't even traveled to Daytona Beach. The things that you just make up and throw out on this board are downright amazing sometime.

Bethune-Cookman is in Daytona Beach.

Bethune-Cookman is in Daytona Beach but UAPB has not traveled to Daytona Beach. The two schools have played just once in 2021-22, a volleyball match that was played at Grambling.

Why don't you tell us when UAPB has ever traveled to Daytona Beach?

Arkansas Tech has seen UCA get hand slapped a couple times for violating state budget rules for athletics. Great American Conference is headquartered in Russellville and Tech was driver behind it. I think they like the D2 model of few full rides.

They also understand as far as Little Rock TV is concerned they will get priority after Arkansas, Arkansas State, UALR, UCA and UAPB. Fort Smith is same distance away but they going to be behind Hogs and UA Fort Smith and lot of the stations have a shell office in Fort Smith moving operations to Fayetteville-Bentonville corridor. Getting a tv crew to drop in is tough.

Pride and ambition can cause most anything to happen but Tech is a long shot for Division I.

(12-09-2021 12:34 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  Arkansas Tech has seen UCA get hand slapped a couple times for violating state budget rules for athletics. Great American Conference is headquartered in Russellville and Tech was driver behind it. I think they like the D2 model of few full rides.

They also understand as far as Little Rock TV is concerned they will get priority after Arkansas, Arkansas State, UALR, UCA and UAPB. Fort Smith is same distance away but they going to be behind Hogs and UA Fort Smith and lot of the stations have a shell office in Fort Smith moving operations to Fayetteville-Bentonville corridor. Getting a tv crew to drop in is tough.

Pride and ambition can cause most anything to happen but Tech is a long shot for Division I.

Exactly! We win a national championship and the only mention we get all week in the Demo-zette is the following quote. That's it, that is the entire article and only 2 paragraphs are about us. There are no benefits to going D1. All it does is it makes us a bigger nobody. At least in D2 we are a nobody with a real opportunity to win national championships. And I remember when we won our first national championship in 1992, Paul Eels saying "by the way Arkansas Tech won the NAIA women's basketball championship today" as he was signing off the sports segment of the 10:00 news. A whole throw-away half sentence after spending all his time talking about the pigs.

Quote:STATE SPORTS BRIEFS: ATU men win national title | UALR loses on the road | ULM rallies past ASU
May 22, 2021 at 2:01 a.m.

GOLF

ATU men win national title

Andre Jacobs birdied the par-3 17th hole at PGA National's Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on Friday to give the Arkansas Tech University men's team a 3-2 victory over Georgia Southwestern for the school's first national championship in any sport in nearly 30 years.

The birdie, combined with a bogey from Georgia Southwestern's Jaxson Daskalos, gave Jacobs a two-stroke lead with one hole to play. Jacobs would win the match by one stroke after the two teams split the first four matches. Francois Jacobs won his match by nine strokes, while Henry Frizzell won his by eight strokes.

BASEBALL

UALR loses on the road

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock (21-27, 11-12 Sun Belt Conference) was held to 3 hits, committed 2 errors and stranded 6 runners Friday in a 5-0 loss to Georgia State (16-36, 11-12) at the GSU Baseball Complex in Atlanta.

The Trojans' three hits came from Miguel Soto, Nathan Lyons and Jake Wright. Aaron Funk (2-6) took the loss after allowing 3 runs -- 2 earned -- on 7 of Georgia Southern's 9 hits with 1 walk and 7 strikeouts over 5 innings.

The final game of the series will be played at 11 a.m. Central today.

ULM rallies past ASU

Arkansas State University (18-28, 10-13 Sun Belt Conference) led 5-0 after the third inning Friday, but the University of Louisiana-Monroe (25-24, 10-13) scored three runs in the fourth and seven more in the sixth to claim a 10-7 victory in Jonesboro.

Jaylon Deshazier gave the Red Wolves the early lead with a three-run home run in the first inning and a two-run shot in the third. A throwing error by Warhawks second baseman Travis Washburn led to a run for the Red Wolves in the seventh inning, while Liam Hicks added an RBI double down in the bottom of the ninth.

Will Nash (3-6) took the loss after allowing 6 earned runs on 5 hits with 1 walk and 3 strikeouts over 5 innings. The series concludes at 1 p.m. today.

UCA drops doubleheader

The University of Central Arkansas (22-28, 17-22 Southland Conference) dropped both games of its doubleheader against McNeese State (28-27, 21-17) on Friday, losing 6-1 in the first game and 6-5 in a 10-inning second game at Bear Stadium in Conway.

The Bears trailed 4-1 in the second game, but scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh on a bases-clearing triple by A.J. Mendolia, who later scored on Rylan Meek's sacrifice fly. The Cowboys tied the game in the eighth when a throwing error by Connor Williams allowed Julian Gonzales to reach and Cooper Hext to score. Hext then hit a home run to right field in the 10th inning to give McNeese State a 2-1 series lead.

UCA was held to five hits and committed three errors in the first game. Mendolia's RBI groundout in the first inning accounted for the Bears' only run.

The final game of the series starts at 1 p.m. today.

Harding's Butterfield, Yakel honored

Harding University third baseman David Butterfield and reliever Ryder Yakel received second-team All-Central Region honors Friday from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.

Butterfield hit .402 with 6 home runs and 33 RBI, leading the Bisons with 26 extra-base hits and reaching base in the final 28 games of the season. Yakel went 6-3 with a 2.95 ERA, allowing 12 walks with 60 strikeouts in 55 innings.

-- Democrat-Gazette Press Services