[Purple Haize]

Wolken just tweeted that we are a strong candidate.

CUSA would be better than SBC. Makes both sets of folks happ: First Available and Best Fit

[Sly Fox]

The thing working against us with CUSA is geography. While we are in the footprint, if you look at where members are located, it makes sense for them to pick a school in the western division footprint. But Georgia State would not surprise me in the least.

CBS Sports is reporting that Banowsky doesn't have the support of league members to keep UAB in the league without football. So where do the Blazers go? One possibility is to the Sun Belt which could open the door for adding another full member.

Lurking on the Sun Belt board is revealing a surprising level of support from posters there who have long dismissed us as a candidate.

[SuperJon]

The biggest thing working to our advantage right now, surprisingly, is our money. Follow the logic:

Cost of Attendance (aka paying players) is a hot button issue everyone knows is coming.
UAB can't afford to pay players or upgrade facilities.
Liberty has all the money in the world to pay players and upgrade facilities.

When it comes down to it, we are in a better place financially than JMU, App, Georgia Southern, or any other school CUSA would look to bring in.

That doesn't mean we'll get in, but it's working to our advantage for the first time in this entire process.

[Rooster Cogburn]

Get Wood Selig on the phone. haha. Couldn't be peaking at a better time!

[SuperJon]

Don't think because Selig said a couple good things about us after they beat us that he's our biggest cheerleader. ODU has a decades long relationship with JMU as well.

[Sly Fox]

We don't need an AD cheerleading for us in regard to CUSA. We just need for the decisionmakers to value what we bring to the table over Georgia State's media market and the on-field success of ULaLa & stAte.

It is tough to see this shaking down without us being in the conversation for both CUSA & SBC.

[Cider Jim]

Lurking on the Sun Belt board is revealing a surprising level of support from posters there who have long dismissed us as a candidate.

Sly's right--we knocked off JMU in the playoffs, and now even the Sun Belt message board guys want to dance with us. To use Super's often-used analogy, we're no longer the ugly girl at the prom; our braces and pig tails are gone, and now we're the homecoming queen:

http://csnbbs.com/thread-715743.html

[SuperJon]

There's no way they'd go for Georgia State. They'd go for Southern way before State.

[Sly Fox]

This is Conference USA we are talking about in regard to expansion. What in their past actions would indicate that Georgia Southern would be more attractive to them than Georgia State?

[jcmanson]

UAB to the Big South in all sports sub-football?

[Rooster Cogburn]

They can take our spot

[aredd33]

IF we were invited to C-USA this spring or summer could we make it to the playoffs next season?

[SuperJon]

This is Conference USA we are talking about in regard to expansion. What in their past actions would indicate that Georgia Southern would be more attractive to them than Georgia State?

The desire to operate like a P5 school and looking at programs who can actually fund them. Paying players is going to be a huge game changer.

[jlread]

I thought in the past teams that were going to transition could actually play post season with an at large bid, but weren't eligible for conference auto bid.

[SuperJon]

I almost hope we have to wait another year because next year's offense could wreak havoc on people. Don't wanna waste that on a transition year.

[TallyW]

While I'd be glad to move up... I'd really love to see us skip SB and go into C-USA. It seems that the administration's work is paying off. We have an admin that has made me very proud.

Yes, we'd want to get our foot in the door but man, I'd rather kick it down with an invite to C-USA.

[Kricket]

If it's true that other schools may be dropping their football programs, we should be campaigning to multiple conferences and leaving the Sun Belt off that list. They know where to reach us, so I think it's about time we start playing hard to get for the Sun Belt.

I'm not saying we'd turn down their invite at this point; but I would let them make the next move.

[NotAJerry]

Interesting little tidbit I read on the Villanova board in regards to UAB dropping football:

Just football. Similar to what temple is going to do.

Now I'm starting to think about what schools actually make sense for dropping their programs in the current landscape.

Seems obvious that the Power 5 conference schools, Notre Dame, BYU, and the service academies are going to be fine.

UAB is gone. Temple makes some sense as they don't draw even in the rare years when they're good, but they have improved on both the winning and attendance front in recent years. UMass may be in serious trouble despite the new stadium with the MAC kicking them out. I would have said UNLV is in trouble, but the Fertitta's are going to pump $30 million into that program for facilities and the next coach so that's not going anywhere. Hawaii is in serious trouble and there are already talks of FCS or no football. If Louisiana Monroe has a run of bad years on the field again, they could be gone. I wonder about the entire MAC, especially with the continued economic decline of the region. Are more Alabama schools in trouble or was UAB just the result of the Crimson Tide pulling a power play? I can't see Idaho sticking around FBS too much longer, it just doesn't make sense.

Feels like there could be a decent number of moving targets in the not too distant future to open up opportunities. I'll agree that whenever paying players happens that it will massively shift the landscape. That seems like the time that will result in 5 power conferences of 16 teams each with everyone else locked out of the top tier. Getting up to speed in C-USA or something similar would help our chances of catching on with one of those.

[JK37]

CUSA is still a reach. Still far more likely a Sun Belt team goes there, and then Liberty is next domino.

Fun to dream, though.

[TH Spangler]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc ... /19702899/

[Dr. Sheh]

I think the C-USA would be a great fit. In a perfect world I would love to delay our entry into FBS for a year to see what we could do in the playoffs next year. Since this is our first taste of FCS playoff football, I really, really enjoy it and would hate to see us participate only this year. Next year we would be LOADED on offense and could really make some noise in the playoffs. Hate to waste that on a transitional year.

[VAGolf]

C-USA is all about numbers and marketability, which is why I've always thought our chances of getting into the C-USA were stronger than the Sun-Belt. I don't see any of the Sun-Belt teams having a real chance. It's between us and JMU. There are more people at JMU that would support a C-USA invite over Sun-Belt BUT there are still many that want nothing to do with FBS OR only want to be in the MAC or CAA. If this opportunity was opened because of a C-USA team leaving for a P5 conference, I would say the advantage would swing to JMU. However, since this opportunity has opened due to a school not being able to support themselves, our chances grow stronger.

The C-USA will be looking for financial stability, which obviously they'll have with us or JMU, but they'll have more of it with us. They'll be looking at growth potential. JMU is almost maxed out in terms of enrollment numbers, we're just getting started. They will obviously be looking at each market, and this is where I think it will get interesting. Lynchburg is not major market but I believe that Jerry/JB will present us as a school that is not dependable on a local market. We're a national brand that has alumni spread out everywhere.

The only factor that could possibly help any of the potential Sun Belt schools is location, in terms of C-USA footprint. Even then, UAB was in the East division. So, they were going to have to realign divisions once UNC-Charlotte joined. Either way, we're in for a really interesting Spring.

[TH Spangler]

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/11/demise- ... d-dominion

[Blessed1]

In the world of conference realignment, we're peaking at the right time as a program...

Last year we took ODU to the limit and now their AD is one of our biggest fans. We beat a current Sun Belt member in App State in OT. And we beat our arch-rival JMU in the playoffs in their home. The same JMU that issued a PUBLIC statement saying that they were not going to join the Sun Belt or any conference that was beneath their "academic standards". IMO, we did the Sun Belt a huge favor in beating them.

The stigma with Liberty has always been that we could not make it to the FCS playoffs. This year, we displayed a lot of character in defying all odds in making it to the playoffs.

Right now, I believe the Sun Belt's and C-USA's perceptions about Liberty is going to change. We had to display to them that we could have good success at this level first. I believe that Liberty is doing that now... This does not mean that Liberty will be first in-line on their wishlist, but at least we were able to shed the "they can't even make it to the playoffs" monkey off our backs.

It feels really good to be a Flame right now.

[flamesfilmguy]

Riddle me this. I'm all for a move. but gauging by the fun that we are all having right now. I feel a slight twinge of wanting to stay in FCS just to see this thing continue to roll. Don't get me wrong I see what App and Southern are doing and would love to see the Flames make a Bowl game in the future but I've always liked the way the FCS does the whole playoffs for a champion thing. Does anyone else feel the same?