[tyndal23]

30 years ago when we were a brand new I-AA school???? I know you have very strong feelings about this but come on man.

Our facilities are great, we have a great AD and some amazing coaches. Regardless of what Ian decides to do, we are in a great spot and won't be set back 30 years.

Who cares about facilities if no one is watching...

You said it would set us back 30 years. You're now ignoring that and saying something completely different.

You have a very narrow view of what LU should do. Once upon a time I did too. So I get it but if Ian decides this is best for us than I think he has earned some trust.

What am I saying different? We play Ole Miss this weekend, not Sam Houston St. and I know where the game is televised, not Flosports or whatever we are going to be on. We play 4 P5 games next year. Pretty sure those will get watched.

[LUOrange]

According to CNSbbs, MTSU & WKU to the MAC is on hold due to the MAC asking them for a ridiculous 25 year GOR. MTSU & WKU staying pit makes the CUSA pill much easier to swallow.

https://csnbbs.com/thread-934326.html

[Sly Fox]

That's just a rumor floated by a Marshall fan. But there does seem to be smoke from the concept that the MAC presidents are not enthusiastic about adding either school.

Honestly if WKU & MTSU were staying in CUSA I could get much more enthusiastic about joining the league. This lineup doesn't look bad at all:

FIU
Jacksonville State
Liberty
La Tech
MTSU
NM State
Sam Houston State
UMass (Football Only)
UTEP
WKU

If you go with two 5-team divisions:

East:
FIU
Liberty
MTSU
WKU
UMass

West
Jacksonville State
La Tech
NM State
Sam Houston
UTEP

That would mean four divisional games and three cross-divisional games with five non-conference slots. If UMass is not involved you could have a 9-team league with 8 league games for football and four non-conference games.

[ballcoach15]

Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State should switch divisions.

[Kricket]

A conference is part of an athletic programs identity but it isn't the whole of the identity. The SEC has Alabama and it also has Vanderbilt. Big Ten has Ohio State and also has Rutgers. The AAC now has Cincinnati and also has Tulane or whoever. In basketball Gonzaga is head and shoulders above practically any team in the country in the WCC. You catch my drift.

Yeah, I catch your drift. I doubt 90% of America knows what Conference BYU plays their non football sports, but 90% of the country recognizes the BYU logo by who they play in football. As Okie St. Coach Grundy said when BYU got accepted in to Big 12 - “ when you see that logo - you see P5 - not G5 or Independent”. If LU played 4-6 P5 every year until 2032 - do you really think winning the worst G5 conference 80% of the time ( with games no one sees or cares about ) elevates our brand more than playing P5 games that mean something and people see ( with actual athletes recruited to be competitive and full budget ) ?

I feel like you're arguing as if I said something I didn't. I'm not pining for a C-USA invite. I also don't disagree with what you're saying hypothetically. The problem is the execution may not be feasible. I trust Ian's discernment. He has scheduled quite a few more games than the both of us I'm assuming.

[Racenut]

The ONLY way this should even be considered is if Liberty would be given scheduling concessions to make non-conference games easier to schedule. Shouldn't be much of an ask since most of those games are normally done years in advance but I would hate to see us lose an opportunity for a marquee game because we have a trip to FIU scheduled too far in advance. Also, I say nix any idea about providing any more $ than any other team as an entry "fee". Liberty would in fact be rescuing this dying conference and I see no need to "buy in"any more than any other school. Liberty has more than earned the right to be considered due to the work of our athletic teams over the last few years. I trust Ian and the Coaches to make this call, but I would just as soon go to the prom alone instead of taking this ugly duckling.

[thepostman]

What am I saying different? We play Ole Miss this weekend, not Sam Houston St. and I know where the game is televised, not Flosports or whatever we are going to be on. We play 4 P5 games next year. Pretty sure those will get watched.

You said it would set us back 30 years. Then pivoted from that insanity and said facilities don't matter because nobody would be watching.

Also we can still play P5 games. Even as a member of CUSA. We could even play 4!

[tyndal23]

What am I saying different? We play Ole Miss this weekend, not Sam Houston St. and I know where the game is televised, not Flosports or whatever we are going to be on. We play 4 P5 games next year. Pretty sure those will get watched.

You said it would set us back 30 years. Then pivoted from that insanity and said facilities don't matter because nobody would be watching.

Also we can still play P5 games. Even as a member of CUSA. We could even play 4!

Yes I said it and still mean it, no one will be watching and our high end facilities will be attractive to FCS level players that want to play in CUSA. The local fan base of 18k and dropping to 12k in 3 years will appreciate them I am sure. As for 30 years, the average realignment of 12 years to slow crawl up the G5 conference ladder - I understated, should have said 60 years.

[jimflamesfan]

A majority of LU's top 10 crowds are FCS games. The crowds won't drop down due to cusa. They might actually get a little better...now the home games we have against teams like new mexico state and Louisiana Tech will mean something. I think CUSA plus 2 p5s plus a good G5 and a FCS is just about perfect for where LU is right now.

What would kill attendence is staying independent and not being able to get enough FBS games because of lack of other independents or unwillingness for P5s to risk scheduling us so we end up play 4 home FCS games because that's all we can get as an independent. That would set us back a decade, right?

Also...if you look at hoops...the average rpi of the remaining CUSA schools is ahead of the ASUn, Big South, and even slightly better tban the Sunbelt.

[jimflamesfan]

My biggest worry about CUSA is they need to announce who is in. If LU is going...then LU, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, and Jacksonville State need to announce on the same day.

Also, Conference USA needs to announce whether WKU and MT are staying or going.
If they are going...then CUSA needs another invite...whether an FCS or UMAss...the announcement should be these are our 8 teams going forward...not the seven and we are hoping for one more. We need the conference to have 8 viable teams before we proceed. That would be my biggest worry going in.

[Cider Jim]

Is UConn still an option for football only? Is UConn more attractive than UMass?

[ballcoach15]

UMass is not a good option for CUSA. Too far north. Missouri State would be a good option.

[ASOR Forums Admin]

“I’m interested and intrigued by all of it for sure,” Liberty football coach Hugh Freeze said last week when asked about conference realignment. “I just really choose to kind of lean on Ian [McCaw, Liberty’s athletic director] and those guys who know a lot more than I do about what’s best for us, what’s best for the university, what makes sense financially.”

SOURCEl

[Sly Fox]

UMass has apparently made it clear that they want in on CUSA whether WKU/MTSU is involved or not. UConn has allegedly said thanks but no thanks up to this point. But I suspect if the Nashville twins stick around they might give some more consideration.

[Cider Jim]

UMass is not a good option for CUSA. Too far north. Missouri State would be a good option.

Ballcoach, if you read Sly's post, there would be equal teams in the East and West divisions. UMass would be in the EAST, which makes perfect sense. Missouri State is 17 hours and 1,140 miles from the East Coast.
This is 2021. Life today is not about North vs. South, and traveling to other schools in our division should factor into a conference's decision making.

[BlueBlood]

Arguing between MO St and UMass is apples and oranges.

MO St. would be for all sports (and C-USA needs all-sports schools)
UMass would be football only (and would be more of a benefit to UMass than to C-USA)

[BlueBlood]

UMass literally has to just sit there and wait until C-USA builds out what it needs - and then hope that C-USA needs one more football team to balance things out.

[BlueBlood]

And if any of this "the MAC wants WKU and MTSU to sign on for a crazy amount of years" stuff is true - WKU and MTSU should be very leery. It should be every G5's hope to "move up" in the future if they can. I can't imagine signing up for the MAC and saying "I guess this is as good as its ever going to get for us". I'm not sure I believe the reports - but this mindset does jive with my issue with the MAC - complacency/lack of ambition.

[BlueBlood]

For reference. Stability is a good thing, but the MAC takes it to the next level. The MAC is literally Hotel California. Or a lobster trap. Cincy was fortunate to make an early escape.

[JCS Flames Fan 31]

What am I saying different? We play Ole Miss this weekend, not Sam Houston St. and I know where the game is televised, not Flosports or whatever we are going to be on. We play 4 P5 games next year. Pretty sure those will get watched.

You said it would set us back 30 years. Then pivoted from that insanity and said facilities don't matter because nobody would be watching.

Also we can still play P5 games. Even as a member of CUSA. We could even play 4!

Yes I said it and still mean it, no one will be watching and our high end facilities will be attractive to FCS level players that want to play in CUSA. The local fan base of 18k and dropping to 12k in 3 years will appreciate them I am sure. As for 30 years, the average realignment of 12 years to slow crawl up the G5 conference ladder - I understated, should have said 60 years.

The constant harping that no one will see our games in the future is a tired worn out tune. CUSA deal with CBS (as said on here over and over) ends in 22-23, which is when we would join at earliest anyway. You must seriously think nothing of the job Ian has done to this point to think he wouldn't be able to help us and CUSA get an ESPN deal going forward. I see where you are coming from with the Indy route, I def get its merit. Your passion for it tho as the ONLY viable option for LU is getting a little out of hand tho. With the setting us back 30 years comment and that no one would every see our games. When almost every CUSA game can be watched on streaming services like Youtube TV (which is how most millennials watch TV nowadays not mom and dad's cable subscription) since they have CBS Sports Network. FBS Conference is not the end of the world if LU goes that route, just like staying Indy isn't end of world either.

[aredd33]

FBS Conference is not the end of the world if LU goes that route, just like staying Indy isn't end of world either.

I think this is the most important thing that's been said on this thread on whether we should or should not join CUSA.

[thepostman]

What am I saying different? We play Ole Miss this weekend, not Sam Houston St. and I know where the game is televised, not Flosports or whatever we are going to be on. We play 4 P5 games next year. Pretty sure those will get watched.

You said it would set us back 30 years. Then pivoted from that insanity and said facilities don't matter because nobody would be watching.

Also we can still play P5 games. Even as a member of CUSA. We could even play 4!

Yes I said it and still mean it, no one will be watching and our high end facilities will be attractive to FCS level players that want to play in CUSA. The local fan base of 18k and dropping to 12k in 3 years will appreciate them I am sure. As for 30 years, the average realignment of 12 years to slow crawl up the G5 conference ladder - I understated, should have said 60 years.

We would have 8 conference games and would still be able to schedule 4 outside of conference games. It would give us plenty of flexibility and would not negatively impact our attendance. You're living in a fantasy land where you think a school that is in it's 3rd year at this level should be considered in the same breath as BYU that has DECADES of history at this level.

I get it, you love your "P5 equivalent idea" and you clearly aren't going to budge from that. I just continue to be thankful that nobody on this message board, myself included, are charged with making these decisions.

[ballcoach15]

Initially i was against CUSA, but the more i think about it, it might be route to take. It will make scheduling easier in future, and we can play 3 or 4 P5 schools a season. As independent, scheduling could easily get harder down the road. It's easier to find 4 opponents, than it is 12.

[TH Spangler]

Rumor is Ian and Liberty are working on a east coast group and C-Usa leaders are working on the west.

Just a guess on my part but I would think our old buddy Stony Brook gets a call.

https://www.sbstatesman.com/2021/10/10/ ... miliating/

[thepostman]

Initially i was against CUSA, but the more i think about it, it might be route to take. It will make scheduling easier in future, and we can play 3 or 4 P5 schools a season. As independent, scheduling could easily get harder down the road. It's easier to find 4 opponents, than it is 12.

I agree. It isn't ideal by any stretch but there are pros to this and only have to worry about filling 4 slots a year is a big one. It isn't perfect and I don't think anybody is claiming that it is but it is a step in the right direction. It isn't the end game but it is the next logical step in our growth.

Once upon a time we offered 25 million to join. Now we will save at least 23 million, if not more. So clearly the Indy route temporarily was the right choice. It was never intended to be a long term solution though.