A repost from another thread I thought was worth looking at because many are assuming their is a deep reservoir of FCS/DII schools in the southern CUSA footprint ready to move up on a dime. It doesn't seem to be that many in all honesty.

How many public, low-mid major, non-HBCUs FCS programs are left in the footprint that have 10,000+ students?

FCS
Kennesaw St. (41,181) Cap: 8,318
Central Arkansas (11,487) Cap: 10,000
Eastern Kentucky (14,465) Cap: 20,000
Northwestern St. (11,081) Cap: 15,971
Western Carolina (12,243) Cap: 13,742
Chattanooga (11,638) Cap: 20,412
East Tennessee (17,296) Cap: 7,694
Tennessee Tech (10,054) Cap: 16,500
Lamar (16,191) Cap: 16,000
Tarleton St (13,996) Cap: 15,000
Stephen F. Austin (11,946) Cap: 14,575
TAMU-Commerce (12,385) Cap: 13,500

DII
West Georgia (13,733) Cap: 10,000
West Florida (12,850) Cap: 5,038
Valdosta St. (11,220) Cap: 11,249
Angelo St (10,477) Cap: 5,870
West Texas A&M (10,169) Cap: 8,500

The only FCS to CUSA transition candidates that meet both 10k enrollment and 15k stadium size are Eastern Kentucky, Northwestern St, Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech, Lamar and SFA. That is only 7 schools. With Northwestern St. and Lamar committed to a regional SLC they are effectively off the table.

EKU, Tarleton and SFA are pretty much about IT unless Kennesaw gets off its duff and builds a bigger FB stadium. CUSA has 9 at the moment and that makes 12 with EKU, Tarleton and SFA in the conference.

17 schools in the footprint have the 10k but at lot of them just barely. Only 5 of them have 13,000 students. The smallest MAC school by comparison is 15.5k (CMU).

The schools that have signed up for CUSA 4.0 so far were WAC/ASun FBS hopefuls; New Mexico St, Sam Houston St, Liberty, Jacksonville St. Others that didn't get the call up yet are SFA, Tarleton and Eastern Kentucky. Institutions that are already in poor geography with WAC or Atlantic Sun and might as well be in CUSA w/ an acceptable profile.

CUSA might be smart going to 12 with Tarleton (WAC), EKU (ASUN) and Chattanooga (OVC) since they are acceptable fill-ins and put more pressure on other WAC, ASUN and OVC schools to consider moving up to get out of their situations.

12 might also help CUSA with its TV deal.

No question we are getting to the end of the line for viable FCS callups out of the south and to join CUSA. MWC could pull in the entire Big Sky and the Dakotas. SBC could pull the entire CUSA and Missouri St + EKU, Tarleton, SFA, Chattanooga if they needed them and they are already at 14 teams.

MWC and SBC have TV deals those from FCS would find quite attractive and willing to expand stadiums for. CUSA seems like its a hard pass unless a school is in the WAC, ASun or maybe OVC because of the instability.

(06-24-2022 06:05 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  CUSA might be smart going to 12 with Tarleton (WAC), EKU (ASUN) and Chattanooga (OVC) since they are acceptable fill-ins and put more pressure on other WAC, ASUN and OVC schools to consider moving up to get out of their situations.

12 might also help CUSA with its TV deal.

No question we are getting to the end of the line for viable FCS callups out of the south and to join CUSA. MWC could pull in the entire Big Sky and the Dakotas. SBC could pull the entire CUSA and Missouri St + EKU, Tarleton, SFA, Chattanooga if they needed them and they are already at 14 teams.

MWC and SBC have TV deals those from FCS would find quite attractive and willing to expand stadiums for. CUSA seems like its a hard pass unless a school is in the WAC, ASun or maybe OVC because of the instability.

They've already crossed that line

You know you're getting low on options when Western Carolina makes the list.

I would throw Towson into the list given it's immediately adjacent to the footprint. Stadium needs some work as it seats only 11,000, but enrollment is over 22,000, and the college football landscape in Maryland isn't that crowded. If Towson were interested in FBS, I would suspect Delaware might follow, and dismantling the CAA becomes a real possibility if Albany is next in line.

The downside is they likely arent interested unless if NMSU and UTEP have a firm exit date. Towson and Delaware would probably want Sam Houston gone too.

If C-USA could get away with it, the thing to do might be to invite six Big Sky schools for football only, transition them, and then have NMSU and UTEP follow them back to the Big Sky:

Big Sky - Sacramento State, Weber State, Montana, Montana State, Idaho, New Mexico State, UTEP, Northern Colorado

Northern Colorado is the only one that doesn't currently have a stadium over 15,000 seats.

Any Big Sky schools who won't commit to FBS join the WAC. Presuming Southern Utah and Utah Tech stay, the WAC only needs 4 of the 6 remaining Big Sky football schools.

The Texas FCS schools return to the Southland, join the A-Sun, or upgrade and join the remnant C-USA.

There will always be wiling options:
- Eastern Kentucky
- Tarleton St
- McNeese St
- North Carolina A&T

Even if you exhaust all those options, you can dumpster dive with a school like Central Arkansas who doesn’t belong in FBS but has publicly stated a desire.

(06-24-2022 06:24 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  There will always be wiling options:
- Eastern Kentucky
- Tarleton St
- McNeese St
- North Carolina A&T

Even if you exhaust all those options, you can dumpster dive with a school like Central Arkansas who doesn’t belong in FBS but has publicly stated a desire.

EKU has been hurt greatly by the fact it doesn't have a media market and was caught on the wrong side of the FBS/FCS split but they seem otherwise a legit mid sized public D1 university.

The Texas schools in FCS/DII have long term demographic upside to respect.

McNeese just tucked its tail in and returned to the SLC from a WAC invite.

NC AT&T got into the Colonial which is superior situation to CUSA.

(06-24-2022 06:20 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  If C-USA could get away with it, the thing to do might be to invite six Big Sky schools for football only, transition them, and then have NMSU and UTEP follow them back to the Big Sky:

Big Sky - Sacramento State, Weber State, Montana, Montana State, Idaho, New Mexico State, UTEP, Northern Colorado

Northern Colorado is the only one that doesn't currently have a stadium over 15,000 seats.

Any Big Sky schools who won't commit to FBS join the WAC. Presuming Southern Utah and Utah Tech stay, the WAC only needs 4 of the 6 remaining Big Sky football schools.

The Texas FCS schools return to the Southland, join the A-Sun, or upgrade and join the remnant C-USA.

CUSA 4.0 additions so far have come from the WAC and A-Sun low level situations but with some members wanting to sneak into FBS. The last stop FBS conference has turned out to not be a reincarnation of the WAC or the A-Sun but CUSA 4.0.

Big Sky schools think they can do better. MWC isn't just a different division but its a clear higher level conference across the board. SBC was in CUSA situation 15 years ago but the TV deal has become significant enough to attract.

CUSA 4.0 can't make a Towson or a Missouri St type addition. The SBC could do it and they were able to land James Madison.

This is why I think CUSA might be smarter going to 12 as fast as it can to destabilize the WAC, A-Sun or OVC, MEAC even rather than sit back at 9 and wait to have their heads chopped off.

(06-24-2022 06:24 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  There will always be wiling options:
- Eastern Kentucky
- Tarleton St
- McNeese St
- North Carolina A&T

Even if you exhaust all those options, you can dumpster dive with a school like Central Arkansas who doesn’t belong in FBS but has publicly stated a desire.

That last sentence describes the first two on your list as well

(06-24-2022 06:12 PM)Bobcat2013 Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 06:05 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  CUSA might be smart going to 12 with Tarleton (WAC), EKU (ASUN) and Chattanooga (OVC) since they are acceptable fill-ins and put more pressure on other WAC, ASUN and OVC schools to consider moving up to get out of their situations.

12 might also help CUSA with its TV deal.

No question we are getting to the end of the line for viable FCS callups out of the south and to join CUSA. MWC could pull in the entire Big Sky and the Dakotas. SBC could pull the entire CUSA and Missouri St + EKU, Tarleton, SFA, Chattanooga if they needed them and they are already at 14 teams.

MWC and SBC have TV deals those from FCS would find quite attractive and willing to expand stadiums for. CUSA seems like its a hard pass unless a school is in the WAC, ASun or maybe OVC because of the instability.

They've already crossed that line

Maybe they can find a diamond in the rough like Coastal Carolina.

The rough usually has only one diamond unfortunately.

If someone leaves, we invite another FCS as needed.

Until then, what would be the point?

It's a shame none of this has been considered or discussed before on these message boards.

(06-24-2022 06:20 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  Northern Colorado is the only one that doesn't currently have a stadium over 15,000 seats.

UNC needs a 15,000-seat stadium like Lake Superior State needs a sand pit for a beach volleyball court

(06-24-2022 06:40 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  NC AT&T got into the Colonial which is superior situation to CUSA.

Ouch!

(06-24-2022 07:21 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 06:20 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  Northern Colorado is the only one that doesn't currently have a stadium over 15,000 seats.

UNC needs a 15,000-seat stadium like Lake Superior State needs a sand pit for a beach volleyball court

Apparently Boise State has beach volleyball. You learn a lot on these message boards (most of what you "learn" is wrong, but it's still a lot in terms of quantity).

(06-24-2022 07:29 PM)inutech Wrote:  You learn a lot on these message boards (most of what you "learn" is wrong, but it's still a lot in terms of quantity).

Kind of how the internet works, no?

The hope that CUSA could find itself in a glorious future with 9 seems more like a prayer to me.

I believe its more about nobody wanting to join and/or not accepting others like EKU who would join because its too embarrassing for WKU.

(06-24-2022 06:05 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  CUSA might be smart going to 12 with Tarleton (WAC), EKU (ASUN) and Chattanooga (OVC) since they are acceptable fill-ins and put more pressure on other WAC, ASUN and OVC schools to consider moving up to get out of their situations.

Chattanooga is in the SoCon, not the OVC. Also with the SoCon adding a $2 million exit fee, I'm not sure Chattanooga would leave for C-USA. Maybe SBC or MAC if offered (not likely), but I don't think they would for C-USA.

(06-24-2022 07:35 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 07:29 PM)inutech Wrote:  You learn a lot on these message boards (most of what you "learn" is wrong, but it's still a lot in terms of quantity).

Kind of how the internet works, no?

Yep.

(06-24-2022 07:54 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  The hope that CUSA could find itself in a glorious future with 9 seems more like a prayer to me.

Did anyone say anything about a glorious future?

I thought we were talking survival.

Any option we have to add today we likely still have when and if we need them.

(06-24-2022 07:13 PM)inutech Wrote:  If someone leaves, we invite another FCS as needed.

Until then, what would be the point?

It's a shame none of this has been considered or discussed before on these message boards.

No school is going to leave any time soon. The best the remain five can do is collect the exit fees from the departing schools and welcome the incoming four schools next year (I don’t know if they’re paying any entrance fees). Negotiate a new tv deal and maximize the CFP money by dividing it by 9 instead of 14.