[flamesfilmguy]

EKU then JAX state if its the sunbelt looking for schools. if its CUSA its a toss up. so my hopes of actually moving up are still a solid slim to none.

[thepostman]

Our fearless leader hurt our slim fbs hopes so thanks jr!

[Purple Haize]

Our fearless leader hurt our slim fbs hopes so thanks jr!

This 'small ball thinking' is hurting your standing in If LU gets denied entry into an FBS Conference again LU will sue. It will make it all the way to the Supreme Court where the pivotal vote in LU's favor will be cast by newly minted SCOTUS JLFJR!!
#Trump2016

[ballcoach15]

Trump as President, LU in FBS Conference, Life will be good.

[jimflamesfan]

At the Big South Media Day, commissioner Kyle said that the Big South has a plan in place for football expansion.

Anyone have any clues to what new teams could be invited?

I would love for the Big South to have 8 football members and 12 basketball members. Those seem like ideal numbers.

[alabama24]

I would love for the Big South to have 8 football members and 12 basketball members. Those seem like ideal numbers.

...as long as Liberty aint one of em.

[flamesfilmguy]

At the Big South Media Day, commissioner Kyle said that the Big South has a plan in place for football expansion.

Anyone have any clues to what new teams could be invited?

I would love for the Big South to have 8 football members and 12 basketball members. Those seem like ideal numbers.

my guess would be North Alabama and West GA.

[ballah09]

I was about to say Northern Alabama, West Georgia, Valdosta State, and Jacksonville (FB only)

[Purple Haize]

Mars Hill
West Virginia State
VUL

[phoenix]

Mars Hill
West Virginia State
VUL

My very first away game with the LU band was to Mars Hill back in '86. We lost, IIRC ....

[rmiller1959]

I don't share the pessimism about our chances to move up. I know the obstacles, but I know the persistence and the resources we bring to the table, and we have the numbers to prove we're ready.

Our average home football attendance in 2015, which wasn't our best year on the field, ranked us #6 in the nation. Eastern Kentucky, presumably everyone's favorite to leapfrog us into the Sun Belt, was #23 in average home attendance. We even led NDSU in average home attendance by a nose. Only Montana, Jacksonville State, Yale, JMU and Montana State had higher average attendance than us.

We have top-shelf athletic facilities and, despite all the naysayers about our online program, which is fully accredited and lauded by The Chronicle for Higher Education as a model for other schools to follow, we are an R3 doctoral university - neither Coastal nor Eastern Kentucky can claim that - and I believe we will be an R2 doctoral university before long.

We have athletic directors in C-USA and the Sun Belt, working for ODU and Coastal respectively, who have been favorable toward us in the past. The ODU AD, a friend of Jeff Barber's, said he has been keeping his conference leadership and peers apprised of Liberty, and as I recall, Jerry and the president of Coastal were quite complimentary of one another when Coastal moved up. Coastal likes the rivalry and would probably be a vote in favor of us joining the Sun Belt. The commissioner of the Sun Belt has always looked favorably upon our candidacy.

As I said, I know the obstacles, but I also know the news cycle can move things along quickly, and people have short memories. My hope and prayer is that we put a good product out on the field this year and make some noise in the playoffs.

[thepostman]

A lot of those things have been true for a few years now and we have been passed over and I would be absolutely shocked if we weren't passed over again. Private schools just don't move up especially controversial ones.

[LUGrad2000]

I counted 18 FBS schools that we had a higher average home attendance last year.

[Cider Jim]

Don't leave us hanging, LUGrad. Who are the 18?

[alabama24]

I don't share the pessimism about our chances to move up.

I am impatient, but I concur. If I remember correctly, we were a single vote away from getting in last time. We had to have a certain percentage. The "no's" were deadset against us, but I believe that Coastal makes the additional vote/percentage we need. Furthermore, if Ark St. bolts, there is one of our "no" votes gone.

[flamesfilmguy]

HA my mom went to mars hill. anyway, someone will find a reason not to add us. might as well get comfortable. I'd be completely happy with a west GA and Valdosta add. since thats at least one or two games in my home state every year. but something tells me VSU isn't ready. They still play in the high school stadium (which i know is huge) but its not on campus, 2, WEST GA and UNA both have made it very clear their desire is to move up. Jacksonville is a weird one with everything that went on over there with the coach and pres. I don't think they have the financials to join the conference with scholly's.

[Humble_Opinion]

EKU. after them, they'll find another school before Liberty. Online education and politics especially after this year, won't get an invite anytime soon.

http://pilotonline.com/sports/college/ol...34cd3.html

Some quotes:
Conference USA might not expand if it loses a member or two, or it could act quickly to get back to 14 schools, she said.

“We’ll have options” for expansion, she said, adding that she’s heard from several schools interested in joining the conference since last week. She wouldn’t name names, but James Madison, Texas State and Georgia State are among those thought to be on the short list.

“At this point, I wouldn’t hazard a guess as to what’s going to happen,” she said. “There are too many moving parts.”

It's not online education that's a negative for us anymore. There are quite a few cash-strapped public institutions that would love the opportunity to sit down and see how our online operation works. The big negatives with the SBC are us being a private institution, and what was our lack of a strong PR game outside the LU bubble, and our seemingly unlimited resources for athletics. I haven't looked at the latest numbers, but I know that in just maintaining our current level of spending in FCS, our Athletics Budget would be at or near the top of the SBC. That's a scary thought for the other member institutions.

[Humble_Opinion]

I don't share the pessimism about our chances to move up. I know the obstacles, but I know the persistence and the resources we bring to the table, and we have the numbers to prove we're ready.

Our average home football attendance in 2015, which wasn't our best year on the field, ranked us #6 in the nation. Eastern Kentucky, presumably everyone's favorite to leapfrog us into the Sun Belt, was #23 in average home attendance. We even led NDSU in average home attendance by a nose. Only Montana, Jacksonville State, Yale, JMU and Montana State had higher average attendance than us.

We have top-shelf athletic facilities and, despite all the naysayers about our online program, which is fully accredited and lauded by The Chronicle for Higher Education as a model for other schools to follow, we are an R3 doctoral university - neither Coastal nor Eastern Kentucky can claim that - and I believe we will be an R2 doctoral university before long.

We have athletic directors in C-USA and the Sun Belt, working for ODU and Coastal respectively, who have been favorable toward us in the past. The ODU AD, a friend of Jeff Barber's, said he has been keeping his conference leadership and peers apprised of Liberty, and as I recall, Jerry and the president of Coastal were quite complimentary of one another when Coastal moved up. Coastal likes the rivalry and would probably be a vote in favor of us joining the Sun Belt. The commissioner of the Sun Belt has always looked favorably upon our candidacy.

As I said, I know the obstacles, but I also know the news cycle can move things along quickly, and people have short memories. My hope and prayer is that we put a good product out on the field this year and make some noise in the playoffs.

You're thinking too logically about all of this. Aside from the update from Carnegie regarding our institutional classification, all of the above advantages of LU were researched and communicated to anyone we could find to listen to us and still, we were passed over. And the classification update from Carnegie, was already known to be coming because we had the necessary output of research/doctoral degrees that it required. They just only update the listing every 5 years. Anyways, there is reason to be pessimistic. Consider that the first time, when JMU turned the SBC down and we were obviously the ONLY viable option, they chose to remain at the status quo. In the latest instance, they invited CCU. Maybe that helps us moving forward, but I don't think CCU will have a vote should it come up this year seeing as how they are in a transition year (I could be wrong about that).

In either case, I think they actually fear us. When you make a true top-to-bottom comparison, we are not their peers. Our resources as an institution, our politics, our campus life, our faith-based academics, etc. are different than any school that has every been in the SBC. That is a huge hurdle to overcome.

[Jonathan Carone]

Coastal is a full Sun Belt school this year in all sports but football. They should have a vote.

That said, I'm not holding my breath.

[Sly Fox]

Our chances of moving up tot he Sun Belt are directly correlated to who would be leaving the league. If ULaLa & Texas State are called up as many suggest, then our chances of getting the call go up exponentially. If South Alabama and Georgia State get the call up the ladder then we have practically no chance IMHO.

Everything is predicated by the direction that the Big XII takes. If they only take UH & BYU then not many dominoes will fall.

[phoenix]

I'm all for moving up, but I'd rather it not be the Sun Belt. In fact, is really like for them to invite us and us turn them down.

[LUGrad2000]

Our chances of moving up tot he Sun Belt are directly correlated to who would be leaving the league. If ULaLa & Texas State are called up as many suggest, then our chances of getting the call go up exponentially. If South Alabama and Georgia State get the call up the ladder then we have practically no chance IMHO.

Everything is predicated by the direction that the Big XII takes. If they only take UH & BYU then not many dominoes will fall.

Would Tx St. and ULL be going to the AAC or CUSA if the Big 12 expands by four?

[adam42381]

I'm all for moving up, but I'd rather it not be the Sun Belt. In fact, is really like for them to invite us and us turn them down.

That would be an asinine thing to do.

[rmiller1959]

If this is true, those dominoes are going to start falling a lot more quickly than anyone expected.

http://www.cbssports.com/college-footba ... 16-season/

[Sly Fox]

The Big XII could invite two now to be ready by 2017 season and then spend a year being wined & dined by the remaining candidates for two other slots. They are under no urgency to go to four right now. I would almost be shocked if four were announced in the next month. If UH gets the call right away, almost certainly then Rice slides up into AAC to replace them. I doubt CUSA would immediately fill that void.

LUGrad2000 - Very good question. They would most likely be headed to CUSA to rejoin old rivals. But if AAC gets hit hard with 3 or 4 defections then it becomes somewhat chaotic and offers everyone an opportunity to consider more regionalization among G5 leagues.