[thepostman]

Yeah. That's true. Prohibits sex of any kind.

With that said the school isn't shy about their stance.

[rmiller1959]

So if I'm reading things correctly, the fact that people of the opposite sex at BYU can display public affection toward one another but same-sex students can't is the reason their Honor Code is deemed discriminatory. I'm probably oversimplifying the issue, but what a test for this proud and successful institution.

http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college ... ious-issue

[ballcoach15]

A school's stance on homosexuals should not have any bearing on conferences or even athletics.

[Sly Fox]

And yet ...

It looks like this is going to be a two-team announcement and those teams are likely Houston & Cincy. The AAC likely will pull two teams up from CUSA who may just stand pat. We'd love for them to look for two more schools but even then it'd e a long shot.

[rmiller1959]

And yet ...

It looks like this is going to be a two-team announcement and those teams are likely Houston & Cincy. The AAC likely will pull two teams up from CUSA who may just stand pat. We'd love for them to look for two more schools but even then it'd e a long shot.

It sure looks that way, but we've seen things change before. In one day, the Big 12 went from standing pat to expansion with two to four teams. We'll see once it gets closer to October. Who knows? They may be blown away by the presentations these schools give and decide to add more than two:

http://www.espn.com/college-football/st ... -expansion

[Purple Haize]

Houston and CIncy don't impress me much. Despite the political pressure I just think BYU would be a huge get all around for the Big 12. It's a know name brand. More so than CIncy. BUT WVU needs a travel partner.....which is why they should trade WVU to the B1G for Nebraska!!!

[alabama24]

I think the B1G requires libraries and classes and stuff. Sorry WVU.

And shoes.

[Purple Haize]

I think the B1G requires libraries and classes and stuff. Sorry WVU.

And shoes.

Oh. Well forget it then. We're screwed

[rmiller1959]

I think the B1G requires libraries and classes and stuff. Sorry WVU.

And shoes.

Although I shouldn't laugh - one of my dearest friends is a metadata librarian at WVU, and their library was just selected the most beautiful in the state of West Virginia!

[alabama24]

their library was just selected the most beautiful in the state of West Virginia!

Yeah, but it's a short list... (Says the guy from Alabama. )

[JK37]

I was about to say, it's a bit of a pot-kettle thing for an Alabama guy to be talking about libraries and shoes!

Trade WVU for Nebraska = wow, what a pipe dream.

[Purple Haize]

I was about to say, it's a bit of a pot-kettle thing for an Alabama guy to be talking about libraries and shoes!

Trade WVU for Nebraska = wow, what a pipe dream.

A man can dream can't he? I just have never seen Nebraska as a fit in The B1G and WVU is a horrible fit in the Big 12. So why not have a perfect fit for the Big 12 return to the fold and welcome a better fit for the B1G?!?

[JK37]

I happen to think Nebraska is a fantastic for for the B1G.

[Purple Haize]

I happen to think Nebraska is a fantastic for for the B1G.

Well you are wrong. Obviously.

[Cider Jim]

I think the B1G requires libraries and classes and stuff. Sorry WVU.

And shoes.

Keep up the WVU bashing!

[Sly Fox]

Nebraska made a great deal of sense when the B1G was looking to expand but so did Missouri & Kansas.

All of the chatter I am hearing is that IF the Big XII expands it is going to be Houston & Cincy with everyone else a distant candidate. It doesn't appear that BYU has the support these days for entry. Then again, that is not a new development. They have been passed over before in the last round of expansion discussions when TCU was invited to the party instead.

If the two teams from AAC are gone to the Big XII, it will be very interesting to see how the AAC reacts. The departures would drop the league down to 9 members + Navy in football. It is possible that they could stand pat because of the rule change that allows them to have a championship with less than 12 members. But the more likely scenario would be for them to dip down the G5 food chain and grab a pair of teams. They could take two possible routes to fill those holes:

• 1. Pull up two teams from either C-USA or beyond (likely Marshall. Rice or Southern Miss)
  2. Pull up one team and add UMass as a football associate to go alongside Navy

Option #1 appears to be where the AAC folks are leaning and they could possibly make a move in rapid fashion since they allegedly have been talking with possible targets already. Keep in mind that not much due diligence is necessary considering these are the same candidates they looked at it when they picked ECU, Tulane & Tulsa in the last wave of realignment.

If you are wondering if dominoes could fall far enough to impact us, this is where you will be watching things very closely. If CUSA loses one or two teams of the ones I mentioned above, they will have a very small pool of schools of possible back-fill: Texas State, JMU, Missouri State, NMSU and Liberty. If for instance say Southern Miss and Rice were gone, there would be no incentive for other Sun Belt schools with the exception of isolated Texas State to pay the entry & exit fees required to make the move. JMU appears less compelled to make the leap today than they were a year or so ago. Missouri State would be a stretch to C-USA considering the state of their football program but could be an option. NMSU would come in an instant if invited but considering the geography involved and the low upside of the school, it appears unlikely. That leaves us in a surprisingly strong position based on our budget, geography and ability to act quickly.

I know some of you are laughing right now but I will simply tell you this is not just crazy hypotheticals. I am hearing that we are legitimate candidate for CUSA from sources here in Texas and beyond. Some of these sources at large state schools seem puzzled that our name is coming up and wanted to know from me what was going on in Lynchburg that was impressing their school's administrators.

Just as a reminder, this is one of those "If you gave a Moose a Muffin" scenarios. A number of things have to occur for things to line up in our favor as identified above. But it does give us a reasonable amount of FBS hope at a time when frankly it was in short supply up intil this current situation.

[alabama24]

From your lips to God's ears.

[VAGolf]

Sly, most of what you said seems congruent with what I've heard but there was one thing that jumped out: UMass. Is the AAC really considering adding them as an associate member? The last I heard is that their football program is in shambles and the MAC doesn't even want them. If they're going to add an associate member, wouldn't Army make more sense?

Also, I know Wichita State has been considering adding football and they want to jump right into FBS. Would they be a realistic option for the AAC and if so, does that hurt our chances?

[Sly Fox]

UMass wasn't unwanted by MAC, it just wasn't wanted as a football associate. They were given full invitation but chose to keep their hoops & olympic sports in the A-10 and then the football was sent packing by MACtion. Allegedly UConn is lobbying for some fellow teams in Northeast and UMass & Army both fit the bill. But neither is a likely scenario for a number of reasons.

Wichita State has beebn passed over by the big boys for not having football through this whole realignment process the past few years, They have done exploratory work to see what it would take to step up to FBS. But they would be years and years away from making it happen. So I wouldn't consider that to be a legitimate concern at this stage. Two years from now it might be a different story. That's why this is a fortuitous time from our perspective.

[ballcoach15]

It's never good to add non football schools to a conference.

[TH Spangler]

NMSU would come in an instant if invited but considering the geography involved and the low upside of the school, it appears unlikely. That leaves us in a surprisingly strong position based on our budget, geography and ability to act quickly.

How would a UTEP move to the Mountain West Conference affect this?
http://krod.com/rumors-flying-that-utep ... onference/

[Sly Fox]

Not at all. Keep in mind that is an El Paso radio guy suggesting this ludicrous sentence:

However, if the Miners do leave CUSA for the MWC, then the Aggies would line up as a perfect replacement for them in CUSA.

The reason why the Miners are willing to eat a ton of money in exit & entrance fees is because they are on an island in CUSA way outside the footprint. The Aggies would be worse.



And keep in mind that under not even the longest of stretches could anyone consider UTSA or UNT to be rivals of UTEP. If Rice is gonzo, UTEP loses its last possible "rival". Most of their old WAC rivals are now in MWC.

I feel bad for UTEP getting left behind in the shuffle. El Paso may be closer to Cali than Houston but that community really does support the program surprisingly well.

[LUGrad2000]

Looking at that CUSA map, we fit really well from a geographic standpoint.

[TIMSCAR20]

I'm very familiar with that map over the past 2 years. I have yet to make a trip to El Paso mainly because it is just too far away. 3 years ago they actually hosted the CUSA Basketball tournament. The past 2 years we have been in Birmingham thankfully. Liberty's geography would fit perfectly in CUSA.

[TH Spangler]

If UTEP stays would a NMSU add be considered by CUSA, as travel partner for them?