[Ill flame]

Track record over the last couple decades shows that up and coming FCS schools tend to be more successful than established G5 schools. Umass has already proven who they are at this level and it's bad. Their best record in 12 years at the FBS level is 4-8. Even their last several years in FCS were mediocre.

I don't want them to add anyone but considering its inevitable I'd rather have missouri state or tarleton state. Even jackson state would be better than umass at this point.

[JK37]

UConn & Villanova as a FB only deal has been rumored for years. They definitely take a deal if they can get one, not sure what CUSA commish position is on this one?

Haven’t most leagues said for football they have to come for all sports? That’s what has held back their football is that no conference is willing to take them as FB only. Conferences want them for all so they can get their MBB.

Maybe they are both ACC-bound.

[Sly Fox]

Tarleton State & Jackson State would be bad adds at this stage. Neither are in any position to make such a jump. Tarleton is in the middle of nowhere and the A&M money is now headed elsewhere to more attracive markets (i.e. Fort Worth, Dallas-commutable Commerce, the Coastal Bend where they have two institutions likely to merge like UT did to create the UT-Rio Grande Valley). The Texans were D2 practically yesterday where they didn't exactly distinguish themselves. Jackson State simply does not have the resources. Coach Prime brought attention and sponsorships but he is gone and so are the funds needed to compete. This was even before the increased costs associated with the scholarships the NCAA will now be requiring.

If FCS call-ups are necessary for CUSA, I would expect for Missouri State would be top of the list. They have the resources and enrollment in a relatively large state. They do have terrible football history. But the potential is there if they choose to invest in more than just their successful hoops & baseball programs.

If we dip back into Texas, Stephen F Austin makes more sense. It fits better into the footprint and recently was added to the University of Texas System where it will start receivig significant funding like Tarleton did from the A&M System before the folks in College Station shifted their investment focus. SFA has a history of success particularly in hoops. They also have a century long rivalry with Sam Houston (Battle of the Piney Woods played annually at NRG Stadium in Houston) and relatively close proximity to La Tech which should be a natural rival.

Villanova is an interesting discussion. Back when the Big East was a real football league, they were offered entry and chose to pass on the opportunity to focus on their hoops and keep football at the FCS level for cost savings. But times have changed significantly across the college sports landscape since those days. They may have a different disposition today. Then again, they have seen their peer Boston College pour money into football with little to show for their ACC membership. Not to mention a negative impact on their once successful basketball program.

If UMass joins as most anticipate, I expect us to stay locked in at the unattractive number of 14 for the time being. There is no pressure to add more at this stage. I am a big fan of Delaware joining. That was the obvious smart move left on the table. Most everything else for CUSA are frankly just varying degrees of unattractiveness. There is no amazing upside opportunity that I can see.

[ATrain]

In regards to baseball, Oregon State and Washington State could play 2 seasons as independents. Would be awesome if we could get them on our schedules or as affiliates in CUSA for 2 years.

[Ill flame]

A system like this would never happen for a myriad of reasons but I would love it and it would solve a lot of issues we are seeing in realignment.

[thepostman]

Yes! This is the kind of system I would absolutely love! Ive brought up Promotion and regulation in the past and I know fans would love it. But the folks with power don't want this at all so it won't happen.

[ballcoach15]

Biggest problem with college football is, there is very little integrity with the game above the school level. NCAA has no idea how to govern football. They allow rampant cheating, and never punish violators, other than a couple games suspension, and maybe vacate a few wins every 5 years.
Those voting in the polls have favorites, that will be ranked high every year, regardless of how good they are. Pollsters think B10 and PAC 12 are stronger than SEC.
Transfer Portal is a joke, with players being allowed to enter portal before the season ends. Schools use NIL to buy recruits and players in portal. (and in some cases tampering with players, not in portal.)

[Purple Haize]

Bowl Games outside of the Semi and Final are basically Spring Practice games (there are exceptions most notably this years LU and Oregon teams). It leads me to believe that a lot of this will calm down starting next year with more teams in the Playoffs. I guarantee you players at FSU or OSU etc would participate if they knew they had a shot at a Natty. As it stands now….they really have nothing to play for

[JK37]

Agreed. An expanded playoff can’t come soon enough.

[cruzan_flame13]

Maybe this direction will not be a beneficial option any longer:

Is LU stuck inside of a limbo without realizing it presently? We shall see.

[Ill flame]

I'm not concerned about whether SMU gets their CFP money or not. Even if we find ourselves in a similar situation it won't make or break us. Apparently there are a few proposals that'll be discussed. Allowing schools to directly negotiate NIL deals with players. New trust fund for players and a new subdivision. No finals decisions will be made until at least August if any of them are implemented. Each of these proposals would only help us.

[cruzan_flame13]

I'm not concerned about whether SMU gets their CFP money or not. Even if we find ourselves in a similar situation it won't make or break us. Apparently there are a few proposals that'll be discussed. Allowing schools to directly negotiate NIL deals with players. New trust fund for players and a new subdivision. No finals decisions will be made until at least August if any of them are implemented. Each of these proposals would only help us.

Get congressman Bob Good into this

[tyndal23]

I'm not concerned about whether SMU gets their CFP money or not. Even if we find ourselves in a similar situation it won't make or break us. Apparently there are a few proposals that'll be discussed. Allowing schools to directly negotiate NIL deals with players. New trust fund for players and a new subdivision. No finals decisions will be made until at least August if any of them are implemented. Each of these proposals would only help us.

So if a new “subdivision” is created, very curious to see what barrier to entry to top “division” is and what legal ramifications there are for schools financially viable enough to field teams and participate but aren’t currently in a super conference. Gets dicey. Would need a few rich schools to band together like Rice, Tulane,LU with some legal eagles. And before you state Rice would have no interest - it is north of a billion dollars over 2-3 decades that even they wouldn’t turn their nose up at. Or do we elect to stay a farm team...

[Ill flame]

The current barrier in the new subdivision would be a trust fund covering $30k per athlete per year for at least half of all scholarship athletes which is projected to cost most schools around $6 million a year. The new subdivision would also be able to make their own rules so i would expect it to be more expensive than that. It would probably be enough to keep out all G5s except the upper half of MWC and AAC.

[cruzan_flame13]

I'm not concerned about whether SMU gets their CFP money or not. Even if we find ourselves in a similar situation it won't make or break us. Apparently there are a few proposals that'll be discussed. Allowing schools to directly negotiate NIL deals with players. New trust fund for players and a new subdivision. No finals decisions will be made until at least August if any of them are implemented. Each of these proposals would only help us.

So if a new “subdivision” is created, very curious to see what barrier to entry to top “division” is and what legal ramifications there are for schools financially viable enough to field teams and participate but aren’t currently in a super conference. Gets dicey. Would need a few rich schools to band together like Rice, Tulane,LU with some legal eagles. And before you state Rice would have no interest - it is north of a billion dollars over 2-3 decades that even they wouldn’t turn their nose up at. Or do we elect to stay a farm team...

Virginia has the most richest universities in the U.S. It can truly get dicey, but LU can't go back on their word when they repeatedly stated that "if it's Christian, it has to be better" . As I stated before, the idea of working our way up to a P5 is basically old news in the new style of realignment in college football. I'm not saying that we can easily get in, but just like how other schools whine and bring lawsuits/politicians in to get their way, LU should also do the same (not the whining part). I mean we sort of did that during the FBS studies period in the 2010's, so we might have to lawyer up again if those proposes come into fruition. Sounds gross thinking about it, but this business isn't so pure.

[tyndal23]

I'm not concerned about whether SMU gets their CFP money or not. Even if we find ourselves in a similar situation it won't make or break us. Apparently there are a few proposals that'll be discussed. Allowing schools to directly negotiate NIL deals with players. New trust fund for players and a new subdivision. No finals decisions will be made until at least August if any of them are implemented. Each of these proposals would only help us.

So if a new “subdivision” is created, very curious to see what barrier to entry to top “division” is and what legal ramifications there are for schools financially viable enough to field teams and participate but aren’t currently in a super conference. Gets dicey. Would need a few rich schools to band together like Rice, Tulane,LU with some legal eagles. And before you state Rice would have no interest - it is north of a billion dollars over 2-3 decades that even they wouldn’t turn their nose up at. Or do we elect to stay a farm team...

Virginia has the most richest universities in the U.S. It can truly get dicey, but LU can't go back on their word when they repeatedly stated that "if it's Christian, it has to be better" . As I stated before, the idea of working our way up to a P5 is basically old news in the new style of realignment in college football. I'm not saying that we can easily get in, but just like how other schools whine and bring lawsuits/politicians in to get their way, LU should also do the same (not the whining part). I mean we sort of did that during the FBS studies period in the 2010's, so we might have to lawyer up again if those proposes come into fruition. Sounds gross thinking about it, but this business isn't so pure.

My assumption is P3 / ND all get in - so that eliminates all but a very few FBS G5 who would try to fight it. IF they kick out lower end P3 schools - it would definitely be a legal debacle, so I don’t see that happening ( at least under NCAA umbrella ). So what other rich schools are in G5 ?

[Ill flame]

The P4 schools know they can't just kick the G5 schools out without more lawsuits the will inevitably lose. The goal seems to be to have P5 schools "opt in" to the new subdivision and have it be just expensive enough that G5 schools can't afford it and won't have a valid lawsuit because the only thing keeping them out is their own inability to pay rather than the lack of an invite.

Part of me hopes they implement it because then the only thing keeping us from being a "power conference" team is writing a check which we seem to be good at.

[Ill flame]

I don't trust the source but it's interesting if true.

[cruzan_flame13]

If true, it looks like a few other schools will join FSU on that exit. ACC will need a few people and the PAC will need teams. Let the brawl begins. Maybe the ACC and PAC2 will merge.

[ATrain]

If true, it looks like a few other schools will join FSU on that exit. ACC will need a few people and the PAC will need teams. Let the brawl begins. Maybe the ACC and PAC2 will merge.

Potentially, but who else out west will join? Do Tulane and USF get called up as well?? It'll be interesting, that's for sure, although sad because we will definitely lose some of the Tobacco Road rivalries that made college basketball so great for a long time.

[thepostman]

The ACC dying is sad to me. I grew up on the ACC. Whether it be hoops or football. Was a diehard FSU fan, and all that stuff. But the ACC did not put themselves in a position to continue to grow and adapt to the ever-changing college athletics landscape. I went to LU and slowly my FSU fandom faded...just like the ACC in general

[Purple Haize]

The ACC dying is sad to me. I grew up on the ACC. Whether it be hoops or football. Was a diehard FSU fan, and all that stuff. But the ACC did not put themselves in a position to continue to grow and adapt to the ever-changing college athletics landscape. I went to LU and slowly my FSU fandom faded...just like the ACC in general

Imagine if the ACC was proactive instead of defensive a few years ago? They could have picked up WVU along with a Texas school or two. Then as the PAC has disintegrated they could have negotiated from a position of strength and possibly worked out a merger. Then you’d have an all sport conference that would be formidable enough to entice ND into its ranks.
Instead..l.l

[thepostman]

Yeah, there was still a lot of emotion about letting schools in like Louisville and Boston College (see ballcoach), that they were afraid to move forward. Typically you have to continuously think outside the box to survive.

[Sly Fox]

I was nearly in college before I learned the ACC even had football. The hoops brands were everywhere. The football ...

[Purple Haize]

I was nearly in college before I learned the ACC even had football. The hoops brands were everywhere. The football ...

Football killed the juggernaut that was Big East hoops. Just took longer for the ACC