[bradyfan]

Sly, correct me if I'm wrong but that sounds like he doesn't want to expand unless current teams bolt for C-USA. That obviously wouldn't bold well for us.

[Sly Fox]

That is incorrect. He has publicly stated that he wants to expand to 12 members. How he approaches that expansion is predicated on whether or not the new Alliance raids the league and how deeply. It seems a foregone conclusion that at least 1 or 2 current Sun Belt schools will likely be invited to the MWCUSA Alliance. Once not only the final number but also the location of those schools is determined, it will impact where the Sun Belt expands. For instance, if UNT does in fact get invited to the Alliance then perhaps the Sun Belt passes on Texas State and/or UTSA in order to keep its footprint more compact and they would likely aim their expansion with a more Eastern mindset. On the other hand, if FIU & FAU were to leave then the Texas schools would almost be a necessity from a market perspective after losing the State of Florida.

This is why things aren't moving as quickly as expected. The Temple-Big East situation has repercussions as does the time frame of getting the new MWCUSA alliance off the ground. Then you add in what imp[act is felt by the WAC and it provides three fronts that could impact guide realignment in several different directions.

Frankly the idea of the WAC getting creative to survive is gaining more footing every day. Although there seems to be a sentiment that perhaps the other Lousiana schools have no interest in letting La Tech into their club and the Sun Belt as a whole doesn't appear enthused about the road trips to NMSU. So the WAC may have 4-5 schools stuck in limbo waiting in limbo. And keep in mind that the Alliance allegedly has targeted UNT, Texas State & UTSA. That could throw everything into chaos.

[Sly Fox]

Bumping around online I stumbled across this on the Georgia State message board:

Georgia State Football: The Definitive Case for FBS Move

In other words ... Location, Location, Location.

Put me on record right now as seeing the Panthers in an FBS league by next summer at the absolute latest.

On some of the Sub Belt boards, some of the reputed insiders are suggesting that Benson's first choices to offer invitations are Louisiana Tech & Texas State. Both make perfect sense under current conditions. BUT if circumstances were to change based on the Alliance's decisions then it could change that perspective quickly. La Tech has traditionally held an attitude of superiority over Louisiana-Lafayette & Louisiana-Monroe based on their membership in the once mighty WAC while the others struggled in the Sun Belt. Now that the shoe is on the other foot, you can understand the emotions down on the bayou these days.

[logic]

This is all so confusing it makes my head hurt. Where do we stand in the mix? Seems to be on the outside looking in at this point.

[jbock13]

But I thought that we were gonna move up cause... well... we're awesome!!! Well, one day...

Calm down people. Wait a few years and it will happen.

[Purple Haize]

But I thought that we were gonna move up cause... well... we're awesome!!! Well, one day...

Calm down people. Wait a few years and it will happen.

Clean your glasses. Where is your VISION The B1G may be looking for a footprint in the Mid Atlantic. We could be travel partners with the Zmighty Mountaineers in the Big 12. And of course with our all around athletic excellency the PAC 10 is a no brainer!
man, I haven't been that sarcastic in awhile. Yes I do feel better.

[4everfsu]

Temple back to the Big East in 2012 to play football. The dominoes are starting to fall.


http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... ource-says

[Sly Fox]

C-USA, MWC officials talking numbers

By JOHN KLEIN Senior Sports Columnist
Published: 3/8/2012  2:34 AM
Last Modified: 3/8/2012  5:27 AM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Conference USA athletic directors, eager to be on the front edge of conference realignment, examined a "wide variety" of options in an upcoming merger with the Mountain West, including expanding to as many as 24 teams.

Tulsa athletic director Ross Parmley wouldn't confirm any specifics but did say "we looked at just about every possible option. I think it is fair to say we're keeping all of those options open for now.

"And, I think it is fair to say that we aren't sitting still. We're making arrangements to get these moves done."

C-USA athletic directors had two marathon meetings, Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, before the Conference USA men's and women's basketball tournaments got under way on Wednesday.

Here is the intriguing section for us ...

Some believe the new league will not immediately expand to 24. By going to 20 or 22, it would allow the league to keep slots open for teams that might change their mind and become available once again.

For instance, what if Boise State and San Diego State come to their senses and realize the Big East is a bad option for them? The new conference certainly would want the option of adding those teams.

Still, there is room to grow, and no doubt there are possibilities in the Sun Belt and WAC that could bring something to a new league, especially for a Midwestern school like Tulsa.

Click Here for Full Story

I get the feeling based on these latest reports that we might be in the hunt for one of those delayed invitations unless some current C-USA schools decide to slide over to the more economical Sun Belt or in the case of ECU, even consider football independence.

[R i]

So if we are in the hunt for the delayed invitation, that wouldnt be extended until after Boise and Sandiego decided they wanted to stay in the Big East. Couldnt that be a few years?

I want the big April announcement in April 2012.

[Sly Fox]

The two do not need to be mutually exclusive.

Here are some excerpts from SI's interview today with Tulane President Scott Cowen who also happens to be on the BCS Presidential Oversight Committee ...

SI: Do you see any chance that it stays the same?

Cowen: You never want to rule out that possibility. I think the odds are very small that it stays the same, but you can't rule anything out at this point.

SI: Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference plan to merge into a 16-team league that could get bigger. How much bigger could it get?

Cowen: We could go up to 24. We start out at at least 16, and it's possible we could go expand it up to 24. The notion of consolidation in the larger conferences is already taking place, and that's going to continue. The reason the consolidation is continuing is because of, once again, the TV contracts.

SI: How much did the concept of AQ status influence conference realignment?

Cowen: The AQ status clearly has some impact, especially on those leaving conferences and going to the Big East. It's primarily -- if not exclusively -- about AQ status for a year or two. In our particular case, we really like the possibility of creating a new association made up of the members of the Mountain West and Conference USA. We think there will be strength in numbers. We'll have more stability. Plus, we think we can do some innovative things in that conference academically and competitively that will really distinguish us. We are talking about the possibility of semifinals [for the conference championship].

And here's another nugget of interest ...

SI: Are these cost issues causing a schism in the FBS?

Cowen: I don't think the model is sustainable at the FBS level. You have those conferences with extraordinarily high TV contracts. Then there's everybody else. The way it's evolving is you have five power conferences that have stability and have very large TV contracts. And then you have everybody else. There's a big gap between those, and I think that gap is going to get larger over time. Yet when the NCAA enacts rules that increase costs, it increases costs for everybody, yet if you don't have a big TV contract, you have no way to offset the costs. You can hypothesize all kinds of things. You can suggest that maybe the FBS in the future winds up being 60 schools that make up the five power conferences -- and I'm not including the Big East in the power conferences. Maybe they [the five] become an entity unto themselves, and there's another group that is the others. It's hard for me to see how the current structure of the FBS can sustain itself long into the future. Now, it may not change in the next three years or five years, but if you go out 10, 15 years, it's hard to believe it will be sustainable.

Click Here for Full Story

[Sly Fox]

But wait, there's more ...

Big East still wants to go west

March, 8, 2012 2:00 PM ET
By Andrea Adelson

Big East commissioner John Marinatto said the league will hit the pause button on expansion now that Temple has been added for 2012.

But league expansion is not over. With the Owls in, the Big East will grow to 13 schools by 2015. So yes, the Big East wants to add one more team to get to 14. And ideally, that team would come from out west to help balance out that division with far-flung teams Boise State and San Diego State.

"It's our intention to obviously have equal divisions of seven moving forward, and over the course of the time between now and our television negotiations, as we better position ourselves to attract a quality 14th partner in football, we'll be looking to move forward in that direction," Marinatto said. "We want to get to even divisions, and I think we're looking specifically for a western partner to help us with that."

The Big East is set to begin negotiating a new TV deal Sept. 1. So it appears one more football-only school from the west will be added before September. BYU and Air Force are the most logical candidates, and perhaps the Big East tries to make a run at them a second time. Both turned away Big East overtures when the league was in negotiations with Boise State. At the time, the Broncos preferred adding one of those two schools.

Click Here for Full Story

I have to admit that I am not sure what school really makes any sense out west. So ECU could wind up being that 14th football school almost by default even though the league has no interest in their TV market or non-football programs. There has been buzz that the league is considering underwriting some of the costs to help Villanova step up in football and join them. You would think Temple's inclusion would have eliminated that possibility. Obviously in a dream world for Marinatto it would be Notre Dame filling the void. But that is not going to happen now.

[jcmanson]

It's gotten to the point where realignment is too much to keep track of. Wake me up when we schedule our press conference.

[Sly Fox]

That's why I keep track of it and post significant developments here. This stuff actually is fun for me. Yeah, I know.

[mlschubert]

Sly - based on what you know right now, what's your best guess as to the most likely conference scenario for us?

[Sly Fox]

That could change 3 or 4 times in the next 24 hours. Let's just say we are in the mix for four different leagues. But if you were to hold me to the fire, I still believe that right now we are most likely to land in the Sun Belt. But that could change in an instant.

[jcmanson]

That's why I keep track of it and post significant developments here. This stuff actually is fun for me. Yeah, I know.

I was doing my best to keep track of it. It's easy when all the moves are happening May-August. But September-March it gets overwhelming

[R i]

In our particular case, we really like the possibility of creating a new association made up of the members of the Mountain West and Conference USA. We think there will be strength in numbers. We'll have more stability. Plus, we think we can do some innovative things in that conference academically and competitively that will really distinguish us. We are talking about the possibility of semifinals [for the conference championship].

The National appeal of putting the eastern talent vs the western talent is something that is really intruiging for college athletics. If its not Conf USA Mountain West, for LU, I hope its a similar merger. WACSUN, MACSUN.

[ATrain]

Not that this affects us in any way, but Butler wants to join the A-10:

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story ... ources-say

[LUGrad2000]

Charlotte, Texas-San Antonio 'leading candidates' for Sun Belt
By Brett McMurphy | College Football Insider

PrintFacebookTwitterThe University of Charlotte and Texas-San Antonio have had discussions with the Sun Belt and are “leading candidates” to join the league, sources told CBSSports.com.

One source said both schools have received “informal invitations” to join the Sun Belt, but another source said talks had not progressed that far. Either way, the schools have had discussions with the Sun Belt and could join the league as early as the 2013-14 academic year.

Charlotte, which will start football in 2013, would be leaving the Atlantic 10, where its Olympic sports have competed since 2005. Texas-San Antonio, which just completed its first football season, is joining the WAC on July 1, but would consider a move to the Sun Belt.

Since 2005, Charlotte's Olympic sports have been in the Atlantic 10. The 49ers are starting up a football program in 2013 and will compete as an FCS independent for at least two seasons. The earliest the 49ers could make the move to the FBS level and compete as a Sun Belt football member would be 2015.

Charlotte is a former member of the Sun Belt. The 49ers were in the league from 1976-91 before moving to the Metro Conference (1991-95) and Conference USA (1995-2005) and then the Atlantic 10 in 2005.

If Charlotte opts for the Sun Belt, the 49ers would be the second recent school to leave the Atlantic 10. Last week, Temple announced its Olympic sports were leaving the A-10 to join the Big East in 2013.

Since 1991, Texas San-Antonio's Olympic sports have competed in the Southland Conference, but the Roadrunners are scheduled to join the WAC on July 1.

The Roadrunners just completed their first year of football under former Miami coach Larry Coker.

Texas-San Antonio is viewed as an attractive member for the Sun Belt because of UTSA's location and, more importantly, the Roadrunners' record-setting attendance numbers in their first season. UTSA set the NCAA record for a first-year program, averaging 35,521 fans, including 56,743 in its inaugural game.

For the 2012 season, the Sun Belt will have 10 football members: Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, South Alabama, Troy and Western Kentucky.

If the Sun Belt adds Charlotte and UTSA, the league conceivably would have 12 football members by 2015.

But the number likely could change. Sun Belt members Florida International, Florida Atlantic and North Texas are among 11 schools that have been in contact or has been contacted by the Mountain West or Conference USA about joining the new MWC/C-USA league, sources told CBSSports.com.

Charlotte and Texas-San Antonio also are among those schools that have had discussions about joining the new MWC/C-USA league.

[Sly Fox]

Uh yeah ... not much to that article other than reporting a rumor. Suffice it to say that the Sun Belt has been talking to a number of schools but not limited to those two.

[LUconn]

I don't get the interest in Charlotte.

[ATrain]

I don't get the interest in Charlotte.

Access to a larger media market, traditionally a good basketball program. However, like ECU, Charlotte will always be overshadowed by Carolina, NC State, Duke and Wake Forest.

[bigsmooth]

wondering why everyone thinks its the Sunbelt? I personally would rather see us in the MAC. football has a nice football deal with ESPN. those tuesday and wednesday games would be played in front of a full house at LU and even the fringe fan would watch at least a little bit of one of those games. Plus we are way closer to MAC schools than the Sunbelt. Just my opinion.

[From the class of 09]

wondering why everyone thinks its the Sunbelt? I personally would rather see us in the MAC. football has a nice football deal with ESPN. those tuesday and wednesday games would be played in front of a full house at LU and even the fringe fan would watch at least a little bit of one of those games. Plus we are way closer to MAC schools than the Sunbelt. Just my opinion.

We think it's the Sun Belt because that's who we are talking too at the moment.

[SumItUp]

I would prefer the old CUSA, but the new Alliance will only thrive if it gets a very strong TV deal. I don't think it is likely to happen. The strongest teams from CUSA and MWC have left, but the new conference thinks they can get 3x the revenue per school than they previously had as separate entities. I'm not buying it.

The Sun Belt is a good conference and shows great football potential in the next decade based on their geographic footprint. It would be a good move for baseball, basketball and the olympic sports also. From a selfish standpoint, I would like to see a move to the Alliance because it would include trips to Tulsa, but the Sun Belt is a much better fit for Liberty.