Ill flame wrote: ↑April 11th, 2022, 3:32 pm
The only thing we can really do is get too big to ignore. UCF, BYU and Cincinnati all did that and are being rewarded for it. If Boise st had our geography I could say the same about them. Right now the best path forward is making it to a NY6 bowl or cfp and prove that we belong with the big boys. That path is way easier in a conference rather than as an independent.
This is where I fundamentally disagree 100%. I guess define Big ? Attendance? TV ratings?
UCF - 2nd largest student body, FL recruiting market, Orlando TV Market. Should have been Big 12 Last round of expansion.
Houston - tv market, great recruiting area, and a billionaire that pushed their facilities to minimum P5 standards.
BYU - Independent route and Big 12 desperation got them to P5 ( the only conference that would take them ideologically and probably only one that would vote in LU in time ).
Cincinnati - tv market, on field success and local support. Take away tv market and they are Boise St
Boise St. - bigger tv local market than LU. ( LU potential tv market is national ). Best on field performance of G5 over time, still not good enough to get an invite ( yet ).
Starting from the bottom G5 and steadily moving up could work for Houston, Cinci,UCF, UTSA, Charlotte, based on recruiting area code and local tv market. Neither of those will change for LU over time.