They are certainly the best at the Big 4 sports right now, but in terms of all around Athletic Program? I'm not sure.

JMU may be better overall. But the mustard hens are my sentimental favorites.

(02-26-2023 07:19 PM)Noodles Wrote:  Our baseball program is very strong. Our current squad not so much. This will be a down year if this weekend tells us anything.

Agreed. Anytime you lose 2/3 at home to a B1G school it’s not a good look.

How cool to be considered among some great athletic programs. We are certainly proud of our current state and look forward to improving more with our SBC mates.

(02-26-2023 08:34 PM)sdcritter Wrote:  JMU may be better overall. But the mustard hens are my sentimental favorites.

Come on now, you know you love us and our beautiful purple and gold!!!

Better than predicted inaugural year in the SBC but no, still a ways to go.

(02-26-2023 08:08 PM)lcitsh Wrote:  There is a measuring device that determines the overall best athletic program in the conference (Bubas Cup). You can look at it two ways, 1. consistency over time or 2. current champion. Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State dominated it from 2000 until they left in 2014. South Alabama has won 5 of the 8 since then and Texas State is the defending champion. Take your pick, one of these should be considered the best overall program until someone proves otherwise.

I'm going to complicate this a little more. I forgot about the Learfield Directors' Cup, which is the industry standard for all NCAA sports. The Fall schedule has been completed and the standings are posted. Take a look:

Final W. CC M. CC W. FH FBS FB FCS FB W. SOC M. SOC W. VB M. WP
Rank Institution Conference Division Fall Pl. Pts. Pl. Pts. Pl. Pts. Pl. Pts. Pl. Pts. Pl. Pts. Pl. Pts. Pl. Pts. Pl. Pts.

53 Marshall Sun Belt FBS 109.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 45 0 0 0 0 9 64 0 0 0 0
113 Troy Sun Belt FBS 54.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 20 54 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
139 Southern Mississippi Sun Belt FBS 45.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 26 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
147 Arkansas State Sun Belt FBS 27.00 0 0 32 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
154 Coastal Carolina Sun Belt FBS 25.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
154 Georgia Southern Sun Belt FBS 25.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
154 James Madison Sun Belt FCS 25.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 25 0 0
154 Louisiana Sun Belt FBS 25.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
154 Old Dominion Sun Belt FBS 25.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 33 25 0 0 0 0 0 0
154 South Alabama Sun Belt FBS 25.00 0 0 0 0 0 0 51 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

W. - Women; M. - Men; CC - cross country; FH - field hockey; FB - football; Soc - soccer; VB - volleyball; WP - water polo

https://nacda.com/documents/2023/1/13/Ja...Update.pdf

(02-26-2023 10:44 PM)Big Dub Wrote:  Better than predicted inaugural year in the SBC but no, still a ways to go.

Even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then...

(02-26-2023 08:21 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  They are certainly the best at the Big 4 sports right now, but in terms of all around Athletic Program? I'm not sure.

Big four:

Football: jmu > southern miss
Mens hoops: southern miss > jmu
Womens hoops: jmu > southern miss
Baseball: southern miss > jmu

Looks pretty even. So let’s go to the other sports both play:

Volleyball: jmu > southern miss
Womens soccer: jmu > southern miss
Mens tennis: jmu > southern miss (still going)
Softball: southern miss > jmu ( still going)
Womens tennis: jmu > southern miss (still going)

JMU leads 6-3

No. You have to be good in football to claim the top spot imho. Until Southern Miss is consistently competing in Football Championships I don't think you can claim anything. I love our baseball success, and basketball had a great year this year too. However, football is what really matters, as it pays the bills.

We don't have the ability (State Laws) to charge large student athletic fees like some of our competitors, so our football program needs to win to fund all of our sports. We also are in a State where our college board holds us down and won't let us add high paying degrees (Law, Medical, and Engineering), so our donation dollars are a little harder to come by than a school with a med school. It's just harder at USM, and we have to learn to do more with less resources than many of our competitors.

No, we aren't the premier program, but we're measurably better in the highest profile sports (football, both basketball teams, softball) that were struggling when we were extended an invitation. Frankly it's good to be a positive contributor in our first year. The SBC has been rejuvenating. Ironically, you may see our best sport, baseball, struggle some this year. We ain't got much pitching so far.

I don't think we have a single "premier" program. I believe the SBC has several premierly run athletic departments. Some depts have been more consistent than others obviously but when I look at overall program health there are 9-10 programs that are on solid ground and about 4 or 5 of us that need to improve drastically. Now, I am not necessarily talking about competition on the field or court. I'm talking about all the things that go on behind the scenes to create what happens in competition. For ULM we are hoping that Hartwell is the answer we've been looking to find for almost 30 years. Many of you probably don't remember a time when ULM was pretty dominant in football, basketball, and baseball but we were. Lot of us would like to get back to that. Some of you that are looking to reclaim some past glory don't have to look 30 years in the past to find it but the desire is still there. The only way to get there is to have a competent, functioning athletic department and like I said, 9-10 of you guys are looking all right.

I think it's going to take some time to figure that out.
It hasn't even been a full year with four new members. It seems kind of crazy to come to a conclusion in year one.
Four teams are coming with with little knowledge or history with schools in the conference. That could be seen as a benefit or a disadvantage.
One season is a pretty low sample size.
I know many want an answer right away, but it may not be representative of what the trend shows in the next 3-5 years.
To come to a conclusion in the first year of expansion is a bit silly.

(02-27-2023 07:32 AM)Duke Dawg Wrote:  

(02-26-2023 08:21 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  They are certainly the best at the Big 4 sports right now, but in terms of all around Athletic Program? I'm not sure.

Big four:

Football: jmu > southern miss
Mens hoops: southern miss > jmu
Womens hoops: jmu > southern miss
Baseball: southern miss > jmu

Looks pretty even. So let’s go to the other sports both play:

Volleyball: jmu > southern miss
Womens soccer: jmu > southern miss
Mens tennis: jmu > southern miss (still going)
Softball: southern miss > jmu ( still going)
Womens tennis: jmu > southern miss (still going)

JMU leads 6-3

Pretty sure both teams share a first place finish in WBB.

I don't think there is one premier athletic program overall that "makes" the SBC. Southern Miss is having a stellar year though.

(02-27-2023 09:31 AM)FairwayEagle Wrote:  No, we aren't the premier program, but we're measurably better in the highest profile sports (football, both basketball teams, softball) that were struggling when we were extended an invitation. Frankly it's good to be a positive contributor in our first year. The SBC has been rejuvenating. Ironically, you may see our best sport, baseball, struggle some this year. We ain't got much pitching so far.

Fairway, we say that nearly every year to start with.. Granted that Illinois game was a "WTF moment in USM baseball history".

But I've got faith in berry to get us through the Potholes along the way. Those potholes may keep us from winning the conference, but he'll keep us in contention i think.

(02-27-2023 07:32 AM)Duke Dawg Wrote:  

(02-26-2023 08:21 PM)chiefsfan Wrote:  They are certainly the best at the Big 4 sports right now, but in terms of all around Athletic Program? I'm not sure.

Big four:

Football: jmu > southern miss
Mens hoops: southern miss > jmu
Womens hoops: jmu > southern miss
Baseball: southern miss > jmu

Looks pretty even. So let’s go to the other sports both play:

Volleyball: jmu > southern miss
Womens soccer: jmu > southern miss
Mens tennis: jmu > southern miss (still going)
Softball: southern miss > jmu ( still going)
Womens tennis: jmu > southern miss (still going)

JMU leads 6-3

Honestly, the only reason I put them ahead of you in the Big 4 is related to baseball. I feel the difference between the programs is minimal basketball, and while JMU was better in football, its not a gigantic difference, but in baseball as a program, USM should be a clear step ahead.

If the Eagles have a down year this year however, it changes things.

Some people laughed when we added who we added in realignment this last go around. But man did we add some stellar programs. Couldn't be happier.

(02-27-2023 11:18 AM)TroyFootball05 Wrote:  Some people laughed when we added who we added in realignment this last go around. But man did we add some stellar programs. Couldn't be happier.

Imagine adding Charlotte, FAU and North Texas and pretending to be happy about it

I think it was a perfect storm for us change from C-USA to SBC. It ignited a fire in the teams and fanbase alike. I wouldn't say we're the premier program, but have the ability to possibly be that one day. But, more likely, the rising tide floats all boats and it just makes for even better competition, in turn making the whole conference even better. Still excited about the move to SBC and the future of So Miss.