[rmiller1959]

ODU is upgrading their stadium to meet the standards of their FBS home:

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... t-stadium/

Meanwhile, Coastal is trying to raise more private funds for their stadium expansion, and they won't go back to the state until they've made significant progress in private fundraising:

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/sports ... 94572.html

[TH Spangler]

C-USA should dissolve or get creative to survive

No conference has taken it on the chin more during the era of realignment than Conference USA and this week's news of the league's paltry new TV contract is a potential death blow.

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/sports/college ... 99052.html

[Humble_Opinion]

UCF was all over my FB feed Friday/Saturday with their attempts to sway the BIG 12 into looking their way for expansion.

[rmiller1959]

UCF was all over my FB feed Friday/Saturday with their attempts to sway the BIG 12 into looking their way for expansion.

Considering their size and location, they should be a viable candidate -- if the Big 12 chooses to expand. I still think they are too concerned about splitting the pie 12 ways rather than 10 to consider expansion.

[Purple Haize]

UCF was all over my FB feed Friday/Saturday with their attempts to sway the BIG 12 into looking their way for expansion.

If I were the Big XII I'd want a 'Brand Name' if I were going to expand. UCF isn't that. Louisville kinda sorta is, Cincinnati is more so than UCF
I've been curious what the possibility is of wooing back Nebraska or Missouri would entail

[Humble_Opinion]

I'm not so sure I'd want Mizzou back. They are experiencing rough times as an institution at the moment. Nebraska would be intriguing. You're right, UCF doesn't have the 'brand' recognition yet that would allow them to make a huge splash. We've talked about this already though... there aren't many of those left, as they've all made their moves and are rather content with their landing spots. UCF has a lot of potential. They are in the state of FL, which is ripe for recruiting and not too difficult in terms of travel. They are a large research institution and they've had a good amount of success in football recently. I could see Cinci... not so sure about Louisville though.

[VAGolf]

Texas will join the Big10 before Nebraska rejoins the Big12. None of those Big10 schools are leaving for a long, long time.

[Sly Fox]

They are all rusted together.

I have mentioned it before but the obvious schools to try and woo back would be Arkansas and aTm. LSU fits in better culturally with Big XII than SEC and would be the other obvious choice. The odds of it ever happening are exceptionally remote even though there are no repercussions for leaving the SEC from legal or exit fee perspective. But if those three schools were to move together or with Missouri as a fourth (Mizzou would be better fit in B1G than SEC but Delaney blew that one) it would be a better geographic and historic fit. A 14-team league with those schools with natural rivalries would be huge for fans of those schools and be a very attractive television option. I repeat that I don't see it happening.

[rmiller1959]

'I really would love to see our football play at that level, be playing in a P5 conference,' Holmoe said. 'I want our players ... in all of our sports to be able to play at the highest level.'

Of course they want to be in a Power 5 conference - but does a Power 5 conference want them?

http://espn.go.com/college-football/sto ... ay-sundays

[rmiller1959]

The Big 12 will reportedly discuss expansion again in July

http://www.vanquishthefoe.com/2016/6/30 ... ry-up-guys

[rmiller1959]

Coastal Carolina officially joins the Sun Belt today, in all sports except football

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... -football/

[rmiller1959]

“We’ll not be served well by an ongoing, extended, protracted discussion of this. We’ve got the data we need. I think we need to establish institutional decisions and make some decisions.”

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/ ... /86717604/

[ATrain]

“We’ll not be served well by an ongoing, extended, protracted discussion of this. We’ve got the data we need. I think we need to establish institutional decisions and make some decisions.”

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/ ... /86717604/

Houston, BYU, Memphis, Cincinnati, Connecticut, Colorado State, and Central Florida have been mentioned.

We can probably cross Houston off the list. The rest have a chance ranging from .1% to 90% if the conference expands.

[alabama24]

LIBERTY TO THE BIG 12!!!

"I’m not at liberty to talk specifically about the data that’s been provided to us." (Bowls by) That must mean he is at Liberty to talk about joining, right? lol

[Sly Fox]

Well played.

[ballcoach15]

If Louisville and Syracuse can get into ACC, there may be hope for everyone .

[Liberty22]

http://www.espn.com/college-football/st ... candidates

Finally, let's get some dominos going!

[rmiller1959]

http://www.espn.com/college-football/st ... candidates

Finally, let's get some dominos going!

Well, you could knock me over with a feather! I was convinced they were going to vote no on expansion. And they're looking at a two or four team expansion?

I wonder if the ACC Network announcement slapped them awake? With the other big conferences locking themselves down and making TV deals, maybe they concluded they needed more than just a championship game to be a viable contender at the P-5 level.

[Liberty22]

Yea i had pretty much given up on it. 4 team expansion would certainly be a better scenario for us.

[rmiller1959]

So who are the most obvious candidates and how would you rank them?

Boise State
BYU
Cincinnati
Colorado State
Houston
Memphis
UCF
UConn
USF

Some other lists have SMU, Northern Illinois and East Carolina, but they aren't mentioned very often.

[olldflame]

So who are the most obvious candidates and how would you rank them?

Boise State
BYU
Cincinnati
Colorado State
Houston
Memphis
UCF
UConn
USF

Some other lists have SMU, Northern Illinois and East Carolina, but they aren't mentioned very often.

SMU will be doing well to beat us this year Northern Illinois would give them an entry to the Chicago market and not much else

[rmiller1959]

Yea i had pretty much given up on it. 4 team expansion would certainly be a better scenario for us.

I agree - the more openings, the more opportunities for us to get a look. Six of the expansion candidates are in the AAC, so there's a possibility that some openings there could lead to them raiding C-USA for replacements, which could create a slot for Liberty to join Old Dominion, which is an ally as far as I know and a natural rival. They could also look to the Sun Belt, and the dominoes that fall could reunite us with our friends at Coastal Carolina.

Let the speculation begin!

[rmiller1959]

SMU will be doing well to beat us this year Northern Illinois would give them an entry to the Chicago market and not much else

It sure would help our cause to beat SMU -- they aren't what they used to be, but the name still attracts some attention, and beating them would put a few more eyeballs on us, I would hope.

[rmiller1959]

It doesn't look like they're going to waste time. They are suggesting that they could have new teams in play by the 2017 season.

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.co ... expansion/

[Jonathan Carone]

I'm tempted to make a bet that we still don't get an invite. The cards are stacked so high against us.