(12-15-2021 03:58 PM)SammyH Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 02:12 PM)Nickleback rules Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 08:08 AM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  Too many team in the west, give us Kennesaw or UTC.
Personally, I like McNeese because of their fanbase is passionate and fun. Could easily be the number two team in Louisiana in a short period of time.

That statement isn't even close to being correct. They will not surpass La Tech and they certainly wont pass Louisiana, ever. Trying not to come off as a ***k, but its a reality.

Z

Which Louisiana are you referring to? They could certainly pass Monroe.

Maybe Santa will bring you some intelligence for Christmas?

Happy Holidays

Z

(12-15-2021 09:57 PM)GE and MTS Wrote:  Our future media partner(s) may pay us more per school for the right tenth school

Enough more to cover the difference? 1.1 times more? From this bunch of suggestions? Maybe. I wouldn't hold my breath.

But the NCAA basketball units are also paid out by conference. So if the denominator changes, your share goes down

Of course more schools means more mouths to feed.

NDSU

I'm not here to tell you that we are the only choice. Kennesaw State has amazing potential with their enrollment and alumni base. The appeal of Stephen F. Austin is obvious with the need to add a western team and the pairing with Sammy. Missouri State would be fire. I would choose them over us too.

But Central Arkansas over EKU? A few of you are out of your minds on that one. They might be ready one day, but EKU was ready two years ago (and still making massive upgrades and adding new sports). Besides that, people seem to be drooling over bringing in the Battle of the Piney woods, but the "Battle of the Bluegrass" rivalry was one of I-AA's finest in its day.

Unless your primary criteria is unusual playing surfaces, EKU is a mile ahead of UCA by nearly any metric one might use to vet this kind of thing.

(12-16-2021 12:04 PM)Tmac13 Wrote:  

(12-16-2021 11:24 AM)eku05 Wrote:  I'm not here to tell you that we are the only choice. Kennesaw State has amazing potential with their enrollment and alumni base. The appeal of Stephen F. Austin is obvious with the need to add a western team and the pairing with Sammy. Missouri State would be fire. I would choose them over us too.

But Central Arkansas over EKU? A few of you are out of your minds on that one. They might be ready one day, but EKU was ready two years ago (and still making massive upgrades and adding new sports). Besides that, people seem to be drooling over bringing in the Battle of the Piney woods, but the "Battle of the Bluegrass" rivalry was one of I-AA's finest in its day.

Unless your primary criteria is unusual playing surfaces, EKU is a mile ahead of UCA by nearly any metric one might use to vet this kind of thing.

Almost every person here has decent knowledge of their local candidates, but has little knowledge of the schools in other areas..

1st..A tenth member of CUSA almost has to be a Western add..Otherwise, Jacksonville State ends up in a division with New Mexico State and UTEP, which just isn't very practical..

2nd..The folks touting the Dakota schools are correct. They are FCS powerhouses. But...They are also a zillion miles away , bring nothing to the conference in recruiting , and are tiny media markets..

3rd..You are correct..EKU is probably the "most ready" school within the current CUSA footprint, and if the conference goes to 12, they will likely be strongly considered. UTC also fits as a more ready possiblity, similar to EKU..

4th..The Kennesaw State people are correct. KS has far and away the "most potential" of any school usually mentioned..42k students, large media market, more fertile recruiting within a 50 mile radius of the school than most states..They are also the most successful FCS startup ever based on winning percentage and playoff appearances in their 1st 7 years of existence...But, they aren't quite ready..They need to fundraise to increase stadium size, and need to grow their fanbase, which is tough in a state that only cares about FBS football..But if CUSA went to 14 schools, they might be hard to pass up..

Since Missouri State doesn't seem to want it, it's probably either SFA , UCA, or Tarleton State that gets the next invite..Tarleton seems to want it more than anyone else at this point..

(12-16-2021 11:24 AM)eku05 Wrote:  I'm not here to tell you that we are the only choice. Kennesaw State has amazing potential with their enrollment and alumni base. The appeal of Stephen F. Austin is obvious with the need to add a western team and the pairing with Sammy. Missouri State would be fire. I would choose them over us too.

But Central Arkansas over EKU? A few of you are out of your minds on that one.

Can't speak for everyone, but the only reason I usually have UCA ahead of EKU is because in any hypotheticals I do, I'm trying to maintain an east-west balance.

Right now, the conference is east-heavy, so a western team would be the first add, and UCA would qualify as a western team, as would SFA, MOST, and Tarleton.

On the East side, things get complicated.

As a JSU fan, I'd go with KSU or UTC first, only because it gives us a natural rival (and an historical rival in the case of UTC). NCAT would make more sense from the standpoint of providing a travel partner for Liberty.

That said, I would absolutely support adding the Colonels in the East. It resurrects one of the great rivalries in college football in the Battle of the Bluegrass, they're a familiar opponent (and not insignificant rival) for JSU fans, they'd bring solid football and good hoops, and EKU, like JSU, is a team that's been making active strides toward FBS for several years.

I get that. My counter-argument would be that UCA is so far down the list of potential western adds that by the time you got to them the balance would have already shifted west (by several schools) and you'd need eastern teams again. Also, is balance so important that you add a school without regard as to whether or not they're ready to be successful? That seems like putting the cart before the horse.

JACKSON STATE

They should at least be considered IF they want to go FBS.

(12-15-2021 10:09 PM)Nickleback rules Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 03:58 PM)SammyH Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 02:12 PM)Nickleback rules Wrote:  

(12-15-2021 08:08 AM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  Too many team in the west, give us Kennesaw or UTC.
Personally, I like McNeese because of their fanbase is passionate and fun. Could easily be the number two team in Louisiana in a short period of time.

That statement isn't even close to being correct. They will not surpass La Tech and they certainly wont pass Louisiana, ever. Trying not to come off as a ***k, but its a reality.

Z

Which Louisiana are you referring to? They could certainly pass Monroe.

Maybe Santa will bring you some intelligence for Christmas?

Happy Holidays

Z

Sir, under the “I root for” section, you’ve wrote out the name of a state not a specific school. So I’m not sure if my statement offended you or something, but it seems like it isn’t Sammy who needs intelligence. I’m the smartest poster on the forums. Ask NMSU fans.

(12-16-2021 11:24 AM)eku05 Wrote:  I'm not here to tell you that we are the only choice. Kennesaw State has amazing potential with their enrollment and alumni base. The appeal of Stephen F. Austin is obvious with the need to add a western team and the pairing with Sammy. Missouri State would be fire. I would choose them over us too.

But Central Arkansas over EKU? A few of you are out of your minds on that one. They might be ready one day, but EKU was ready two years ago (and still making massive upgrades and adding new sports). Besides that, people seem to be drooling over bringing in the Battle of the Piney woods, but the "Battle of the Bluegrass" rivalry was one of I-AA's finest in its day.

Unless your primary criteria is unusual playing surfaces, EKU is a mile ahead of UCA by nearly any metric one might use to vet this kind of thing.

Any plans to replace Kidd Stadium?

Quote:Any plans to replace Kidd Stadium?

Outright replace? I doubt it, but when is the last time you were there?

We've done a mini-version of what WKU did with the formerly one-sided Smith. The "small" side of the stadium was knocked down and completely rebuilt including a new home locker room. They've also done some aesthetic stuff on the home side, and there's a new field surface as of this past season. There were leaked documents indicating plans to more (seats in the non-hill end zone and raising the scoreboard above them) from when we were talking with the Sun Belt a few years back.

There are some issues with the home side to be sure. It's not perfect, but it works well-enough, and there's no particular need to expand from a capacity standpoint which cannot be said of Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton, or Central Arkansas. We've got 20,000 seats as it is, and if you include the grass berm in the north end zone it can easily hold 25,000 if necessary.

(12-17-2021 08:39 AM)eku05 Wrote:  

Quote:Any plans to replace Kidd Stadium?

Outright replace? I doubt it, but when is the last time you were there?

We've done a mini-version of what WKU did with the formerly one-sided Smith. The "small" side of the stadium was knocked down and completely rebuilt including a new home locker room. They've also done some aesthetic stuff on the home side, and there's a new field surface as of this past season. There were leaked documents indicating plans to more (seats in the non-hill end zone and raising the scoreboard above them) from when we were talking with the Sun Belt a few years back.

There are some issues with the home side to be sure. It's not perfect, but it works well-enough, and there's no particular need to expand from a capacity standpoint which cannot be said of Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin, Tarleton, or Central Arkansas. We've got 20,000 seats as it is, and if you include the grass berm in the north end zone it can easily hold 25,000 if necessary.

I was at the last Battle at Richmond during our transition to FBS I think (late 20 aughts), and it sounds like a lot has changed since then.

No offense but was not impressed with the visitor side, and felt like the “big side” needed a good power washing (that’s concrete painted white for ya!)

My memory of RKS’ aesthetics matches Wikipedia’s, but I bet the images haven’t been updated since the renovations you mentioned.

Size-wise that’s perfect for G5.

Add Lamar. Why isn’t Lamar being mentioned. Travel parter for Louisiana Tech and SHSU. FBS facilities and fan support. Nicest football and basketball arena of any team mentioned for expansion. **** Tarleton, add LU. Way better.

Quote:I was at the last Battle at Richmond during our transition to FBS I think (late 20 aughts), and it sounds like a lot has changed since then.

No offense but was not impressed with the visitor side, and felt like the “big side” needed a good power washing (that’s concrete painted white for ya!)

My memory of RKS’ aesthetics matches Wikipedia’s, but I bet the images haven’t been updated since the renovations you mentioned.

Size-wise that’s perfect for G5.

It's not the prettiest of exteriors, and there's no doubt the stadium shows its age in certain ways.

The visitors side you sat in back then was, as you know, just 4,000 seats of metal bleachers. It was basically a stadium with one college football side and one high school football side. The new visitors side isn't bigger (it might even have slightly fewer seats), but it's a real concrete structure with space to walk around above the seating, nearby (and nice) restrooms, and a concession stand you don't have to walk a mile to. Here's what it looks like now (although they've don some additional branding since then too...it's weirdly difficult to find pics of it):

New Side of RKS

While I agree with your summary of Lamar being a better fit than Tarleton, neither have any business being in FBS.

They have nice FCS facilities in Beaumont. They are admittedly better than Sam's current situation. But that isn't saying much. Their basketball arena is bordered by a refinery.

I have lived in Texas for 31 years and love my adopted state dearly. But I don't see any viable CUSA expansion options in the Lone Star State. Tarleton, SFA, Lamar, Texas Southern, Prairie View, UT-RGV, A&M CC-Kingsville, West Texas A&M: Noe of them have any business in an FBS league right now. Could some of them cast a vision and build towards that goal? Absolutely. But right now they simply don't cut it.

And I know what you are thinking, SammyH. Neither does your school in Hunstville. I admit I was shocked when the rumors became true knowing some of the Sam AD staff and some of their biggest backers. But the school has a vision and is pursuing it based on the opportunity KC Keeler created for them. The Sam administration is all in. Government data shows there projects to be 5M people living in the area north of Harris County (primarily Montgomery, Walker & Liberty counties) by 2050 where there is now roughly 750k. Huntsville is primed to be an epicenter of that growth on the I-45 corridor and the SHSU administration is getting the same data. The I-10 corridor is not primed for as substantial growth. Sam has the potential to be a major educational player in the region. Tarleton has similar aspirations based on growth come from Fort Worth but nowhere near as massive.

(12-17-2021 11:54 AM)eku05 Wrote:  

Quote:I was at the last Battle at Richmond during our transition to FBS I think (late 20 aughts), and it sounds like a lot has changed since then.

No offense but was not impressed with the visitor side, and felt like the “big side” needed a good power washing (that’s concrete painted white for ya!)

My memory of RKS’ aesthetics matches Wikipedia’s, but I bet the images haven’t been updated since the renovations you mentioned.

Size-wise that’s perfect for G5.

It's not the prettiest of exteriors, and there's no doubt the stadium shows its age in certain ways.

The visitors side you sat in back then was, as you know, just 4,000 seats of metal bleachers. It was basically a stadium with one college football side and one high school football side. The new visitors side isn't bigger (it might even have slightly fewer seats), but it's a real concrete structure with space to walk around above the seating, nearby (and nice) restrooms, and a concession stand you don't have to walk a mile to. Here's what it looks like now (although they've don some additional branding since then too...it's weirdly difficult to find pics of it):

New Side of RKS

Yeah that’s much better!

(12-17-2021 11:57 AM)SlyFox Wrote:  I don't see any viable CUSA expansion options

Because we have more than the minimum number of teams to exist.

That was the goal, and we've met it.

(12-17-2021 02:13 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(12-17-2021 11:57 AM)SlyFox Wrote:  I don't see any viable CUSA expansion options

Because we have more than the minimum number of teams to exist.

That was the goal, and we've met it.

Until there's another shift. I get that WKU and MTSU don't want to expand further. They will have options in the next few years, and why split the pie more ways in the mean time. The rest of you should be concerned about perceived stability when it happens. If the two of them leave within the next few years (and there multiple scenarios in which they do) you'll be having to make a move just to hit the minimum for the second time in recent memory. That will crush the public reputation of the conference further than it has already been crushed.

You don't want to go too big, but I'd say all of you but the two I mentioned should want at least ten...maybe twelve. And I say that knowing full well if it's only 10 EKU has zero shot of getting in because you'll go west.

I'd don't bet, but I'd bet a lot of money that WKU is in the MAC five years from now assuming they don't have an offer better than that. MTSU might eventually relent and go with them, but that's far less certain. The MAC will find another partner for them if not. There's just no need to rush it on the MAC's end.

I see no future in the MAC for WKU unless they lose a team.

REASONS:

---MAC leadership got "burned"-- they did not like that AT ALL; they were already the most conservative and slow moving leadership in all of FBS.

--- There is NO team to pair up with WKU; the MAC will NOT do a FB only-- they have been very clear.

--- UMASS is a failure; their leadership has no focus-- their FB is in the dumpster-- and they are more of a geographic outlier than WKU.

--- If the new conf. media deal, NCAA constitution changes, and CFP structure-- money distributions turn out favorably


then the NEW C-USA will become more palatable to the WKU admn. and fans.


--- ESPN did not appear to offer much if ANY more money for the proposed additions-- even though some MAC leaders were willing to go ahead. That does not bode well for such an increase in any future proposal.

--- MT is Extremely unlikely to change their mind due to entrenched leadership.