I've been reading quite a bit of misinformation as to how the Marshall/ODU/JMU pair with Southern Miss to the Sun Belt happened. I just want to clear this up so everyone understands what happened. I've started this based on a comment from a Liberty fan that stated Marshall and ODU were a lot closer to staying in CUSA as some may think which he stated in the Chris Vannini Tweet thread....which is not actually true.


Just a little back story that some may not know to get this started......Both Marshall and ECU were very instrumental in getting ODU up from FCS and into CUSA. Both schools have large numbers of alumni in the Tidewater area and all three had similar goals as it pertains to college athletics. A guy named Terry Holland (Former AD at ECU) along with Marshall's former AD Mike Hamrick were the driving force to getting CUSA to accept the idea of taking in ODU. It was a fight with CUSA to get them in. CUSA was ok with Charlotte (Who had been a former CUSA member) but was not as keen on ODU but finally gave in.

That scenario is what brought Marshall and ODU so close. Especially after ECU moved on to the American. When the latest round of deflections happened, Marshall and ODU stood in solidarity. They knew that whatever happened, they were doing it together. Both had already started talks with the Sun Belt (along with Southern Miss and a few others) behind the scenes in the summer of 21. Both Marshall and ODU liked the idea of being with a conference that included App State, Coastal, Georgia Southern, Georgia State etc. As did the fans. Both schools have large alumni bases in these areas and recruit these areas as well.

The TV deal that the Sun Belt was able to negotiate with ESPN was attractive and was a big driving force for the move as fans and alumni from both schools had gotten tired of watching games on Facebook, stadium etc,

When the six schools got selected from the American, it was then that both schools new it was likely they were moving on. For them to have any chance to stay, they were adamant that at least half of any new additions would come from the east.

So here is the kicker......When Marshall and ODU made their request of schools to be added to CUSA.....they were JMU and Liberty. CUSA was ok with JMU, but they did not want Liberty at first. To save face, Liberty said they preferred to "stay independent" when they were turned down.

Other eastern options were out as CUSA had lost its leverage to pull a school from the Sun Belt or the Mac so those options were gone and never was an option. At that point, Marshall and ODU had essentially told CUSA they were looking at other options (meaning the move to the Sun Belt).

The Sun Belt for Marshall and ODU was always the preferred option so they could get with like minded schools. Both schools along with JMU and Southern Miss had large alumni bases in Sunbelt Occupied locations (Myrtle Beach, Boone/Charlotte, Atlanta and other gulf coast cities.). They both wanted to get back with schools that they had a history with (App/Georgia Southern/Troy etc). The Sunbelt is where they were going and they knew it but they had to do their "due diligence" based on pressure from each schools board of governors.

The MAC made a last minute play (Not knowing that Marshall and ODU had been in talks with the Sun Belt) but the two schools had no real interest in going to the MAC. They wanted to be in the south. Going to the Sunbelt was what we were doing and they let CUSA know.

As a "last minute" Hail Mary, CUSA had now decided they would allow Liberty to join hoping Marshall and ODU would have a change of mind and reconsider staying. It was to late. The decision had been made and we were moving on along with JMU and Southern Miss to the Sun Belt. The rest is history.

Interesting. And looking at it now, I'd say that one of the more interesting twists that led to the current setup is ODU not going to the AAC. Seems like they could have easily been in that group of six, although I have no idea what their interst level was. Glad it worked out like it did.

Very interesting

So if CUSA has said yes to Liberty on the front end, a divison of Marshall, ODU, JMU, Liberty, MTSU, and WKU would have been on the table

(02-13-2022 10:29 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Very interesting

So if CUSA has said yes to Liberty on the front end, a divison of Marshall, ODU, JMU, Liberty, MTSU, and WKU would have been on the table

Don’t leave out App and Charlotte possibly heading to that mythical eastern based conference.

(02-13-2022 10:19 AM)Pounce FTW Wrote:  Interesting. And looking at it now, I'd say that one of the more interesting twists that led to the current setup is ODU not going to the AAC. Seems like they could have easily been in that group of six, although I have no idea what their interst level was. Glad it worked out like it did.

I'm glad it worked out the way it did too. Looking forward to rekindling our rivalries on a yearly basis with App, Georgia Southern, JMU etc. Really excited to be in the same league as Coastal as well considering I own property in the Myrtle Beach area. Looking forward to visiting those campuses again. And the icing on the cake is Southern Miss. In a lot of ways, Southern Miss and Marshall are very similar. Very happy there were the selection on the west side. Looking forward to playing all the schools and being part of the conference. Lousiana, Troy....we have history with those schools as well. Also looking forward to a future trip to Texas State. Beautiful looking campus and facilities.

(02-13-2022 10:13 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I've been reading quite a bit of misinformation as to how the Marshall/ODU/JMU pair with Southern Miss to the Sun Belt happened. I just want to clear this up so everyone understands what happened. I've started this based on a comment from a Liberty fan that stated Marshall and ODU were a lot closer to staying in CUSA as some may think which he stated in the Chris Vannini Tweet thread....which is not actually true.


Just a little back story that some may not know to get this started......Both Marshall and ECU were very instrumental in getting ODU up from FCS and into CUSA. Both schools have large numbers of alumni in the Tidewater area and all three had similar goals as it pertains to college athletics. A guy named Terry Holland (Former AD at ECU) along with Marshall's former AD Mike Hamrick were the driving force to getting CUSA to accept the idea of taking in ODU. It was a fight with CUSA to get them in. CUSA was ok with Charlotte (Who had been a former CUSA member) but was not as keen on ODU but finally gave in.

That scenario is what brought Marshall and ODU so close. Especially after ECU moved on to the American. When the latest round of deflections happened, Marshall and ODU stood in solidarity. They knew that whatever happened, they were doing it together. Both had already started talks with the Sun Belt (along with Southern Miss and a few others) behind the scenes in the summer of 21. Both Marshall and ODU liked the idea of being with a conference that included App State, Coastal, Georgia Southern, Georgia State etc. As did the fans. Both schools have large alumni bases in these areas and recruit these areas as well.

The TV deal that the Sun Belt was able to negotiate with ESPN was attractive and was a big driving force for the move as fans and alumni from both schools had gotten tired of watching games on Facebook, stadium etc,

When the six schools got selected from the American, it was then that both schools new it was likely they were moving on. For them to have any chance to stay, they were adamant that at least half of any new additions would come from the east.

So here is the kicker......When Marshall and ODU made their request of schools to be added to CUSA.....they were JMU and Liberty. CUSA was ok with JMU, but they did not want Liberty at first. To save face, Liberty said they preferred to "stay independent" when they were turned down.

Other eastern options were out as CUSA had lost its leverage to pull a school from the Sun Belt or the Mac so those options were gone and never was an option. At that point, Marshall and ODU had essentially told CUSA they were looking at other options (meaning the move to the Sun Belt).

The Sun Belt for Marshall and ODU was always the preferred option so they could get with like minded schools. Both schools along with JMU and Southern Miss had large alumni bases in Sunbelt Occupied locations (Myrtle Beach, Boone/Charlotte, Atlanta and other gulf coast cities.). They both wanted to get back with schools that they had a history with (App/Georgia Southern/Troy etc). The Sunbelt is where they were going and they knew it but they had to do their "due diligence" based on pressure from each schools board of governors.

The MAC made a last minute play (Not knowing that Marshall and ODU had been in talks with the Sun Belt) but the two schools had no real interest in going to the MAC. They wanted to be in the south. Going to the Sunbelt was what we were doing and they let CUSA know.

As a "last minute" Hail Mary, CUSA had now decided they would allow Liberty to join hoping Marshall and ODU would have a change of mind and reconsider staying. It was to late. The decision had been made and we were moving on along with JMU and Southern Miss to the Sun Belt. The rest is history.

I'm wondering if you have any additional insight on who the others were. From hints over the past 6 months, I've assumed the schools who entertained the idea of joining the Belt and were in contact with the conference were:

- Southern Miss
- Marshall
- ODU
- JMU
- WKU
- UTSA
- UAB
- FAU
- Charlotte
- Missouri State

Is this list correct?

We weren’t staying in cusa regardless of who was brought in.

(02-13-2022 10:33 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:19 AM)Pounce FTW Wrote:  Interesting. And looking at it now, I'd say that one of the more interesting twists that led to the current setup is ODU not going to the AAC. Seems like they could have easily been in that group of six, although I have no idea what their interst level was. Glad it worked out like it did.

I'm glad it worked out the way it did too. Looking forward to rekindling our rivalries on a yearly basis with App, Georgia Southern, JMU etc. Really excited to be in the same league as Coastal as well considering I own property in the Myrtle Beach area. Looking forward to visiting those campuses again. And the icing on the cake is Southern Miss. In a lot of ways, Southern Miss and Marshall are very similar. Very happy there were the selection on the west side. Looking forward to playing all the schools and being part of the conference. Lousiana, Troy....we have history with those schools as well. Also looking forward to a future trip to Texas State. Beautiful looking campus and facilities.

One of the big mistakes that CUSA made was breaking up USM, Marshall and UAB. Those were always solid annual football matchups in CUSA 2.0 and they threw them away. While we won’t play yearly in the SBC, looks like we will play more often than recently.

(02-13-2022 10:32 AM)Usajags Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:29 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Very interesting

So if CUSA has said yes to Liberty on the front end, a divison of Marshall, ODU, JMU, Liberty, MTSU, and WKU would have been on the table

Don’t leave out App and Charlotte possibly heading to that mythical eastern based conference.

Lol….yeah, that’s their last, extremely desperate attempt to minimize the pain of their situation….the fantasy of these ‘eastern’ conf. Guess they need something to hold to.

(02-13-2022 10:39 AM)Yosef181 Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:13 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I've been reading quite a bit of misinformation as to how the Marshall/ODU/JMU pair with Southern Miss to the Sun Belt happened. I just want to clear this up so everyone understands what happened. I've started this based on a comment from a Liberty fan that stated Marshall and ODU were a lot closer to staying in CUSA as some may think which he stated in the Chris Vannini Tweet thread....which is not actually true.


Just a little back story that some may not know to get this started......Both Marshall and ECU were very instrumental in getting ODU up from FCS and into CUSA. Both schools have large numbers of alumni in the Tidewater area and all three had similar goals as it pertains to college athletics. A guy named Terry Holland (Former AD at ECU) along with Marshall's former AD Mike Hamrick were the driving force to getting CUSA to accept the idea of taking in ODU. It was a fight with CUSA to get them in. CUSA was ok with Charlotte (Who had been a former CUSA member) but was not as keen on ODU but finally gave in.

That scenario is what brought Marshall and ODU so close. Especially after ECU moved on to the American. When the latest round of deflections happened, Marshall and ODU stood in solidarity. They knew that whatever happened, they were doing it together. Both had already started talks with the Sun Belt (along with Southern Miss and a few others) behind the scenes in the summer of 21. Both Marshall and ODU liked the idea of being with a conference that included App State, Coastal, Georgia Southern, Georgia State etc. As did the fans. Both schools have large alumni bases in these areas and recruit these areas as well.

The TV deal that the Sun Belt was able to negotiate with ESPN was attractive and was a big driving force for the move as fans and alumni from both schools had gotten tired of watching games on Facebook, stadium etc,

When the six schools got selected from the American, it was then that both schools new it was likely they were moving on. For them to have any chance to stay, they were adamant that at least half of any new additions would come from the east.

So here is the kicker......When Marshall and ODU made their request of schools to be added to CUSA.....they were JMU and Liberty. CUSA was ok with JMU, but they did not want Liberty at first. To save face, Liberty said they preferred to "stay independent" when they were turned down.

Other eastern options were out as CUSA had lost its leverage to pull a school from the Sun Belt or the Mac so those options were gone and never was an option. At that point, Marshall and ODU had essentially told CUSA they were looking at other options (meaning the move to the Sun Belt).

The Sun Belt for Marshall and ODU was always the preferred option so they could get with like minded schools. Both schools along with JMU and Southern Miss had large alumni bases in Sunbelt Occupied locations (Myrtle Beach, Boone/Charlotte, Atlanta and other gulf coast cities.). They both wanted to get back with schools that they had a history with (App/Georgia Southern/Troy etc). The Sunbelt is where they were going and they knew it but they had to do their "due diligence" based on pressure from each schools board of governors.

The MAC made a last minute play (Not knowing that Marshall and ODU had been in talks with the Sun Belt) but the two schools had no real interest in going to the MAC. They wanted to be in the south. Going to the Sunbelt was what we were doing and they let CUSA know.

As a "last minute" Hail Mary, CUSA had now decided they would allow Liberty to join hoping Marshall and ODU would have a change of mind and reconsider staying. It was to late. The decision had been made and we were moving on along with JMU and Southern Miss to the Sun Belt. The rest is history.

I'm wondering if you have any additional insight on who the others were. From hints on this board over the past 6 months, I've assumed the schools who entertained the idea of joining the Belt and were in contact with the conference were:

- Southern Miss
- Marshall
- ODU
- JMU
- WKU
- UTSA
- UAB
- FAU
- Charlotte
- Missouri State

Is this list correct?

I don't recall hearing Missouri State or UTSA specifically reaching out. AD's and school presidents talk all the time about different scenarios and possibilities so it wouldn't surprise me if they had.

One thing I will tell you....when JMU made it known to the CAA that they were making the move, Delaware did reach out and wanted to be a part of the additions to the Sun Belt but were told that the conference was going to hold at 14. Delaware made it known that they were very interested in making the move in the future if the situation ever presented itself.

That being said....Delaware is going to have a lot of competition for a spot in the future if that ever happened but they are working on facilities to position themselves for such a move in the future. We'll see what happens.

(02-13-2022 10:29 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Very interesting

So if CUSA has said yes to Liberty on the front end, a divison of Marshall, ODU, JMU, Liberty, MTSU, and WKU would have been on the table

Yes but I think ODU and especially JMU both saw that newly reformed CUSA as being less stable Marshall likely too. When you add in the difference in the TV deals all signs were pointing to the SB as being the preferred option.

I was told by a pretty good source, that JMU did not want to be in a conference with Liberty. And didn’t matter is it was a revamped CUSA eastern division or the Sun Belt.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

(02-13-2022 11:05 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:29 AM)solohawks Wrote:  Very interesting

So if CUSA has said yes to Liberty on the front end, a divison of Marshall, ODU, JMU, Liberty, MTSU, and WKU would have been on the table

Yes but I think ODU and especially JMU both saw that newly reformed CUSA as being less stable Marshall likely too. When you add in the difference in the TV deals all signs were pointing to the SB as being the preferred option.

100% correct. Just remember that when dealing with situations like this, there are a lot of moving parts and sign-offs that must happen for a move to be made. Board of Governors, AD's, School Presidents.....all are involved and requires due diligence to make an official decision. But yes, it was already known that all signs were pointing to the Sun Belt as the preferred option regardless.

(02-13-2022 10:33 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:19 AM)Pounce FTW Wrote:  Interesting. And looking at it now, I'd say that one of the more interesting twists that led to the current setup is ODU not going to the AAC. Seems like they could have easily been in that group of six, although I have no idea what their interst level was. Glad it worked out like it did.

I'm glad it worked out the way it did too. Looking forward to rekindling our rivalries on a yearly basis with App, Georgia Southern, JMU etc. Really excited to be in the same league as Coastal as well considering I own property in the Myrtle Beach area. Looking forward to visiting those campuses again. And the icing on the cake is Southern Miss. In a lot of ways, Southern Miss and Marshall are very similar. Very happy there were the selection on the west side. Looking forward to playing all the schools and being part of the conference. Lousiana, Troy....we have history with those schools as well. Also looking forward to a future trip to Texas State. Beautiful looking campus and facilities.

ULM and Marshall have a history as well, even if only one game. It was a big one. ULM leads the series 1-0 after a 43-42 win in the 1987 1-AA National Championship. About time for a rematch!

(02-13-2022 11:03 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:39 AM)Yosef181 Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:13 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I've been reading quite a bit of misinformation as to how the Marshall/ODU/JMU pair with Southern Miss to the Sun Belt happened. I just want to clear this up so everyone understands what happened. I've started this based on a comment from a Liberty fan that stated Marshall and ODU were a lot closer to staying in CUSA as some may think which he stated in the Chris Vannini Tweet thread....which is not actually true.


Just a little back story that some may not know to get this started......Both Marshall and ECU were very instrumental in getting ODU up from FCS and into CUSA. Both schools have large numbers of alumni in the Tidewater area and all three had similar goals as it pertains to college athletics. A guy named Terry Holland (Former AD at ECU) along with Marshall's former AD Mike Hamrick were the driving force to getting CUSA to accept the idea of taking in ODU. It was a fight with CUSA to get them in. CUSA was ok with Charlotte (Who had been a former CUSA member) but was not as keen on ODU but finally gave in.

That scenario is what brought Marshall and ODU so close. Especially after ECU moved on to the American. When the latest round of deflections happened, Marshall and ODU stood in solidarity. They knew that whatever happened, they were doing it together. Both had already started talks with the Sun Belt (along with Southern Miss and a few others) behind the scenes in the summer of 21. Both Marshall and ODU liked the idea of being with a conference that included App State, Coastal, Georgia Southern, Georgia State etc. As did the fans. Both schools have large alumni bases in these areas and recruit these areas as well.

The TV deal that the Sun Belt was able to negotiate with ESPN was attractive and was a big driving force for the move as fans and alumni from both schools had gotten tired of watching games on Facebook, stadium etc,

When the six schools got selected from the American, it was then that both schools new it was likely they were moving on. For them to have any chance to stay, they were adamant that at least half of any new additions would come from the east.

So here is the kicker......When Marshall and ODU made their request of schools to be added to CUSA.....they were JMU and Liberty. CUSA was ok with JMU, but they did not want Liberty at first. To save face, Liberty said they preferred to "stay independent" when they were turned down.

Other eastern options were out as CUSA had lost its leverage to pull a school from the Sun Belt or the Mac so those options were gone and never was an option. At that point, Marshall and ODU had essentially told CUSA they were looking at other options (meaning the move to the Sun Belt).

The Sun Belt for Marshall and ODU was always the preferred option so they could get with like minded schools. Both schools along with JMU and Southern Miss had large alumni bases in Sunbelt Occupied locations (Myrtle Beach, Boone/Charlotte, Atlanta and other gulf coast cities.). They both wanted to get back with schools that they had a history with (App/Georgia Southern/Troy etc). The Sunbelt is where they were going and they knew it but they had to do their "due diligence" based on pressure from each schools board of governors.

The MAC made a last minute play (Not knowing that Marshall and ODU had been in talks with the Sun Belt) but the two schools had no real interest in going to the MAC. They wanted to be in the south. Going to the Sunbelt was what we were doing and they let CUSA know.

As a "last minute" Hail Mary, CUSA had now decided they would allow Liberty to join hoping Marshall and ODU would have a change of mind and reconsider staying. It was to late. The decision had been made and we were moving on along with JMU and Southern Miss to the Sun Belt. The rest is history.

I'm wondering if you have any additional insight on who the others were. From hints on this board over the past 6 months, I've assumed the schools who entertained the idea of joining the Belt and were in contact with the conference were:

- Southern Miss
- Marshall
- ODU
- JMU
- WKU
- UTSA
- UAB
- FAU
- Charlotte
- Missouri State

Is this list correct?

I don't recall hearing Missouri State or UTSA specifically reaching out. AD's and school presidents talk all the time about different scenarios and possibilities so it wouldn't surprise me if they had.

One thing I will tell you....when JMU made it known to the CAA that they were making the move, Delaware did reach out and wanted to be a part of the additions to the Sun Belt but were told that the conference was going to hold at 14. Delaware made it known that they were very interested in making the move in the future if the situation ever presented itself.

That being said....Delaware is going to have a lot of competition for a spot in the future if that ever happened but they are working on facilities to position themselves for such a move in the future. We'll see what happens.

That's also very interesting about Delaware. They are always thrown out as a name for upgrading to FBS.

They don't seem like a goof fit for the Sunbelt though. The Sunbelt we ended up with will be a very fun and League with schools that make sense together

Southern Miss was gone by early Summer. There was a make a show of "waiting on the AAC" thing mainly for optics. USM knew they had no chance of getting into the AAC, and no matter what Georgia State fans thought about deep into the recesses of their imaginations, all 10 SBC Members had already known that the 4 letter was going to make the AAC go after MWC or CUSA schools.

As discussed previously, it took a while to convince the Western most SBC Members that adding 3 East schools was the play, but the ability to move Troy, who has always aligned with the Western Schools to the Western Division was appealing, which allowed time to talk to schools and consider the move. From there all it took was ESPN signing off.

Getting the 4 newbies in for football this year was largely spearheaded by the CUSA 3. The SBC had known from the beginning that JMU would have to come in 2022 because of CAA Tournament bans but had little to do with the other 3 outside of drafting schedules early. Gill knew he had to stay as far away from that as possible because he has to maintain a working relationship with the CUSA leadership, unlike say Southern Miss, which knew its primary OOC options were moving to the AAC anyway, so it could go full scorched earth if it had to and not lose much more than the Tech series.

Very similar situations with Marshall and ODU, who had the same security of knowing that the Athletic Departments they'd most likely tick off in a move were in El Paso, Ruston, and Miami. All areas they could afford to not play in for the future.

(02-13-2022 11:03 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:39 AM)Yosef181 Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:13 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I've been reading quite a bit of misinformation as to how the Marshall/ODU/JMU pair with Southern Miss to the Sun Belt happened. I just want to clear this up so everyone understands what happened. I've started this based on a comment from a Liberty fan that stated Marshall and ODU were a lot closer to staying in CUSA as some may think which he stated in the Chris Vannini Tweet thread....which is not actually true.


Just a little back story that some may not know to get this started......Both Marshall and ECU were very instrumental in getting ODU up from FCS and into CUSA. Both schools have large numbers of alumni in the Tidewater area and all three had similar goals as it pertains to college athletics. A guy named Terry Holland (Former AD at ECU) along with Marshall's former AD Mike Hamrick were the driving force to getting CUSA to accept the idea of taking in ODU. It was a fight with CUSA to get them in. CUSA was ok with Charlotte (Who had been a former CUSA member) but was not as keen on ODU but finally gave in.

That scenario is what brought Marshall and ODU so close. Especially after ECU moved on to the American. When the latest round of deflections happened, Marshall and ODU stood in solidarity. They knew that whatever happened, they were doing it together. Both had already started talks with the Sun Belt (along with Southern Miss and a few others) behind the scenes in the summer of 21. Both Marshall and ODU liked the idea of being with a conference that included App State, Coastal, Georgia Southern, Georgia State etc. As did the fans. Both schools have large alumni bases in these areas and recruit these areas as well.

The TV deal that the Sun Belt was able to negotiate with ESPN was attractive and was a big driving force for the move as fans and alumni from both schools had gotten tired of watching games on Facebook, stadium etc,

When the six schools got selected from the American, it was then that both schools new it was likely they were moving on. For them to have any chance to stay, they were adamant that at least half of any new additions would come from the east.

So here is the kicker......When Marshall and ODU made their request of schools to be added to CUSA.....they were JMU and Liberty. CUSA was ok with JMU, but they did not want Liberty at first. To save face, Liberty said they preferred to "stay independent" when they were turned down.

Other eastern options were out as CUSA had lost its leverage to pull a school from the Sun Belt or the Mac so those options were gone and never was an option. At that point, Marshall and ODU had essentially told CUSA they were looking at other options (meaning the move to the Sun Belt).

The Sun Belt for Marshall and ODU was always the preferred option so they could get with like minded schools. Both schools along with JMU and Southern Miss had large alumni bases in Sunbelt Occupied locations (Myrtle Beach, Boone/Charlotte, Atlanta and other gulf coast cities.). They both wanted to get back with schools that they had a history with (App/Georgia Southern/Troy etc). The Sunbelt is where they were going and they knew it but they had to do their "due diligence" based on pressure from each schools board of governors.

The MAC made a last minute play (Not knowing that Marshall and ODU had been in talks with the Sun Belt) but the two schools had no real interest in going to the MAC. They wanted to be in the south. Going to the Sunbelt was what we were doing and they let CUSA know.

As a "last minute" Hail Mary, CUSA had now decided they would allow Liberty to join hoping Marshall and ODU would have a change of mind and reconsider staying. It was to late. The decision had been made and we were moving on along with JMU and Southern Miss to the Sun Belt. The rest is history.

I'm wondering if you have any additional insight on who the others were. From hints on this board over the past 6 months, I've assumed the schools who entertained the idea of joining the Belt and were in contact with the conference were:

- Southern Miss
- Marshall
- ODU
- JMU
- WKU
- UTSA
- UAB
- FAU
- Charlotte
- Missouri State

Is this list correct?

I don't recall hearing Missouri State or UTSA specifically reaching out. AD's and school presidents talk all the time about different scenarios and possibilities so it wouldn't surprise me if they had.

One thing I will tell you....when JMU made it known to the CAA that they were making the move, Delaware did reach out and wanted to be a part of the additions to the Sun Belt but were told that the conference was going to hold at 14. Delaware made it known that they were very interested in making the move in the future if the situation ever presented itself.

That being said....Delaware is going to have a lot of competition for a spot in the future if that ever happened but they are working on facilities to position themselves for such a move in the future. We'll see what happens.

Missouri State is similar to Deleware. They didn't find out till the recent MVC Expansion that the league is shifting further away from Springfield, and started kicking the tires with football expansion and the SBC real late.

I think both will hold on in FCS and hope the P5 decides to expand further, or that the SBC decides to actually go for the Eastern and Western league route just with the two working together under the same office Umbrella.

(02-13-2022 11:16 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  Southern Miss was gone by early Summer. There was a make a show of "waiting on the AAC" thing mainly for optics. USM knew they had no chance of getting into the AAC, and no matter what Georgia State fans thought about deep into the recesses of their imaginations, all 10 SBC Members had already known that the 4 letter was going to make the AAC go after MWC or CUSA schools.

As discussed previously, it took a while to convince the Western most SBC Members that adding 3 East schools was the play, but the ability to move Troy, who has always aligned with the Western Schools to the Western Division was appealing, which allowed time to talk to schools and consider the move. From there all it took was ESPN signing off.

Getting the 4 newbies in for football this year was largely spearheaded by the CUSA 3. The SBC had known from the beginning that JMU would have to come in 2022 because of CAA Tournament bans but had little to do with the other 3 outside of drafting schedules early. Gill knew he had to stay as far away from that as possible because he has to maintain a working relationship with the CUSA leadership, unlike say Southern Miss, which knew its primary OOC options were moving to the AAC anyway, so it could go full scorched earth if it had to and not lose much more than the Tech series.

Very similar situations with Marshall and ODU, who had the same security of knowing that the Athletic Departments they'd most likely tick off in a move were in El Paso, Ruston, and Miami. All areas they could afford to not play in for the future.

We did have discussions over the years with the AAC, but the higher budgets needed and their insistence on facilities upgrades priced us out. But we watched as the SBC matured and grew, how there were SBC games on ESPN linear channels while we were stuck with Facebook, and our new AD came from Troy. We were tired of the dysfunction in CUSA, so we started a mutual pursuit. You guys wanted us and we wanted you right back. We fit naturally into the SBC. It just made a ton of sense.

(02-13-2022 10:13 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I've been reading quite a bit of misinformation as to how the Marshall/ODU/JMU pair with Southern Miss to the Sun Belt happened. I just want to clear this up so everyone understands what happened. I've started this based on a comment from a Liberty fan that stated Marshall and ODU were a lot closer to staying in CUSA as some may think which he stated in the Chris Vannini Tweet thread....which is not actually true.


Just a little back story that some may not know to get this started......Both Marshall and ECU were very instrumental in getting ODU up from FCS and into CUSA. Both schools have large numbers of alumni in the Tidewater area and all three had similar goals as it pertains to college athletics. A guy named Terry Holland (Former AD at ECU) along with Marshall's former AD Mike Hamrick were the driving force to getting CUSA to accept the idea of taking in ODU. It was a fight with CUSA to get them in. CUSA was ok with Charlotte (Who had been a former CUSA member) but was not as keen on ODU but finally gave in.

That scenario is what brought Marshall and ODU so close. Especially after ECU moved on to the American. When the latest round of deflections happened, Marshall and ODU stood in solidarity. They knew that whatever happened, they were doing it together. Both had already started talks with the Sun Belt (along with Southern Miss and a few others) behind the scenes in the summer of 21. Both Marshall and ODU liked the idea of being with a conference that included App State, Coastal, Georgia Southern, Georgia State etc. As did the fans. Both schools have large alumni bases in these areas and recruit these areas as well.

The TV deal that the Sun Belt was able to negotiate with ESPN was attractive and was a big driving force for the move as fans and alumni from both schools had gotten tired of watching games on Facebook, stadium etc,

When the six schools got selected from the American, it was then that both schools new it was likely they were moving on. For them to have any chance to stay, they were adamant that at least half of any new additions would come from the east.

So here is the kicker......When Marshall and ODU made their request of schools to be added to CUSA.....they were JMU and Liberty. CUSA was ok with JMU, but they did not want Liberty at first. To save face, Liberty said they preferred to "stay independent" when they were turned down.

Other eastern options were out as CUSA had lost its leverage to pull a school from the Sun Belt or the Mac so those options were gone and never was an option. At that point, Marshall and ODU had essentially told CUSA they were looking at other options (meaning the move to the Sun Belt).

The Sun Belt for Marshall and ODU was always the preferred option so they could get with like minded schools. Both schools along with JMU and Southern Miss had large alumni bases in Sunbelt Occupied locations (Myrtle Beach, Boone/Charlotte, Atlanta and other gulf coast cities.). They both wanted to get back with schools that they had a history with (App/Georgia Southern/Troy etc). The Sunbelt is where they were going and they knew it but they had to do their "due diligence" based on pressure from each schools board of governors.

The MAC made a last minute play (Not knowing that Marshall and ODU had been in talks with the Sun Belt) but the two schools had no real interest in going to the MAC. They wanted to be in the south. Going to the Sunbelt was what we were doing and they let CUSA know.

As a "last minute" Hail Mary, CUSA had now decided they would allow Liberty to join hoping Marshall and ODU would have a change of mind and reconsider staying. It was to late. The decision had been made and we were moving on along with JMU and Southern Miss to the Sun Belt. The rest is history.

Re: the Hail Mary, right before it was official on the moves last year an AState fan with inside connections said App was attempting to do something else, I wonder if that was part of it with the MECC.

(02-13-2022 11:14 AM)solohawks Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 11:03 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:39 AM)Yosef181 Wrote:  

(02-13-2022 10:13 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  I've been reading quite a bit of misinformation as to how the Marshall/ODU/JMU pair with Southern Miss to the Sun Belt happened. I just want to clear this up so everyone understands what happened. I've started this based on a comment from a Liberty fan that stated Marshall and ODU were a lot closer to staying in CUSA as some may think which he stated in the Chris Vannini Tweet thread....which is not actually true.


Just a little back story that some may not know to get this started......Both Marshall and ECU were very instrumental in getting ODU up from FCS and into CUSA. Both schools have large numbers of alumni in the Tidewater area and all three had similar goals as it pertains to college athletics. A guy named Terry Holland (Former AD at ECU) along with Marshall's former AD Mike Hamrick were the driving force to getting CUSA to accept the idea of taking in ODU. It was a fight with CUSA to get them in. CUSA was ok with Charlotte (Who had been a former CUSA member) but was not as keen on ODU but finally gave in.

That scenario is what brought Marshall and ODU so close. Especially after ECU moved on to the American. When the latest round of deflections happened, Marshall and ODU stood in solidarity. They knew that whatever happened, they were doing it together. Both had already started talks with the Sun Belt (along with Southern Miss and a few others) behind the scenes in the summer of 21. Both Marshall and ODU liked the idea of being with a conference that included App State, Coastal, Georgia Southern, Georgia State etc. As did the fans. Both schools have large alumni bases in these areas and recruit these areas as well.

The TV deal that the Sun Belt was able to negotiate with ESPN was attractive and was a big driving force for the move as fans and alumni from both schools had gotten tired of watching games on Facebook, stadium etc,

When the six schools got selected from the American, it was then that both schools new it was likely they were moving on. For them to have any chance to stay, they were adamant that at least half of any new additions would come from the east.

So here is the kicker......When Marshall and ODU made their request of schools to be added to CUSA.....they were JMU and Liberty. CUSA was ok with JMU, but they did not want Liberty at first. To save face, Liberty said they preferred to "stay independent" when they were turned down.

Other eastern options were out as CUSA had lost its leverage to pull a school from the Sun Belt or the Mac so those options were gone and never was an option. At that point, Marshall and ODU had essentially told CUSA they were looking at other options (meaning the move to the Sun Belt).

The Sun Belt for Marshall and ODU was always the preferred option so they could get with like minded schools. Both schools along with JMU and Southern Miss had large alumni bases in Sunbelt Occupied locations (Myrtle Beach, Boone/Charlotte, Atlanta and other gulf coast cities.). They both wanted to get back with schools that they had a history with (App/Georgia Southern/Troy etc). The Sunbelt is where they were going and they knew it but they had to do their "due diligence" based on pressure from each schools board of governors.

The MAC made a last minute play (Not knowing that Marshall and ODU had been in talks with the Sun Belt) but the two schools had no real interest in going to the MAC. They wanted to be in the south. Going to the Sunbelt was what we were doing and they let CUSA know.

As a "last minute" Hail Mary, CUSA had now decided they would allow Liberty to join hoping Marshall and ODU would have a change of mind and reconsider staying. It was to late. The decision had been made and we were moving on along with JMU and Southern Miss to the Sun Belt. The rest is history.

I'm wondering if you have any additional insight on who the others were. From hints on this board over the past 6 months, I've assumed the schools who entertained the idea of joining the Belt and were in contact with the conference were:

- Southern Miss
- Marshall
- ODU
- JMU
- WKU
- UTSA
- UAB
- FAU
- Charlotte
- Missouri State

Is this list correct?

I don't recall hearing Missouri State or UTSA specifically reaching out. AD's and school presidents talk all the time about different scenarios and possibilities so it wouldn't surprise me if they had.

One thing I will tell you....when JMU made it known to the CAA that they were making the move, Delaware did reach out and wanted to be a part of the additions to the Sun Belt but were told that the conference was going to hold at 14. Delaware made it known that they were very interested in making the move in the future if the situation ever presented itself.

That being said....Delaware is going to have a lot of competition for a spot in the future if that ever happened but they are working on facilities to position themselves for such a move in the future. We'll see what happens.

That's also very interesting about Delaware. They are always thrown out as a name for upgrading to FBS.

They don't seem like a goof fit for the Sunbelt though. The Sunbelt we ended up with will be a very fun and League with schools that make sense together

I somewhat agree that they don't really seem like a good fit for the Sun Belt. I do think that they would be a good fit for the MAC though. They would align well with schools like Buffalo. I could see the pair of WKU and Delaware to the MAC as a possibility at some point if UMASS, Missouri State etc fall through.