[jimflamesfan]

The odu writer for the Virginia Pilot said that LU once offered CUSA $24 million to join about 10 years ago. I believe we offered the Sunbelt the same and still neither would take us at the time. I don't think the Big 12 would let LU buy their way in.

[ballcoach15]

We are completive with P5 schools now on the field of play in . Not sure about
We're not at P5 level with ticket sales.

[cruzan_flame13]

The odu writer for the Virginia Pilot said that LU once offered CUSA $24 million to join about 10 years ago. I believe we offered the Sunbelt the same and still neither would take us at the time. I don't think the Big 12 would let LU buy their way in.

College football is not the same as it was 10 years ago. One shouldn't compare then to now in any way. Also, LU is not the same as it was back then either, and CUSA's ego from that time has been diminished to what it is now. Things may have been different now than what it currently is now if they would've accepted LU, but we will never know. On a side note, I thought it was interesting that a writer from The Athletic called LU a 'sleeping giant.' No other school has and will likely will not do a quick transformation like what LU has done in the past 15 years. This might seem crazy, but why take one mile like mostly everyone (talking about athletic program) has done when you have a chance to take three? Anyway, if LU continue taking it one step at a time, I'll support it . Lets make some noise in CUSA .

[tyndal23]

The odu writer for the Virginia Pilot said that LU once offered CUSA $24 million to join about 10 years ago. I believe we offered the Sunbelt the same and still neither would take us at the time. I don't think the Big 12 would let LU buy their way in.

SB and CUSA ( full of broke schools ) feared our $ and didn’t want to try and keep up - Along with some vitriol by a few Presidents. Big 12 just let in BYU - so arguing bias is out. It comes down to $ - period. Future tv revenue or cold hard cash. I would argue LU has a higher ceiling with national tv appeal than any G5 currently remaining. So the risk is minimal 10 years from now that LU doesn’t pull its weight after paying in $400 million. No other school ( maybe SMU and Big 12 already has enough Texas schools ) would be able to make such a pitch.

[tyndal23]

The odu writer for the Virginia Pilot said that LU once offered CUSA $24 million to join about 10 years ago. I believe we offered the Sunbelt the same and still neither would take us at the time. I don't think the Big 12 would let LU buy their way in.

SB and CUSA ( full of broke schools ) feared our $ and didn’t want to try and keep up - Along with some vitriol by a few Presidents. Big 12 just let in BYU - so arguing bias is out. It comes down to $ - period. Future tv revenue or cold hard cash. I would argue LU has a higher ceiling with national tv appeal than any G5 currently remaining. So the risk is minimal 10 years from now that LU doesn’t pull its weight after paying in $400 million. No other school ( maybe SMU and Big 12 already has enough Texas schools ) would be able to make such a pitch.

And while I was at it, I would let ACC know we are making that pitch to Big 12 and have a smaller/shorter buy in number to offer to give them much needed revenue while they suffer through their next 14 years. Maybe I would commit to same number but at half the time - but I think that while geographically it fits, much riskier investment. I don’t see 2 Power Conferences, but could see 3 - and right now it’s Big 12 in 3rd...Either way - make em say NO. Worst case - we get some media buzz.

[tyndal23]

The odu writer for the Virginia Pilot said that LU once offered CUSA $24 million to join about 10 years ago. I believe we offered the Sunbelt the same and still neither would take us at the time. I don't think the Big 12 would let LU buy their way in.

SB and CUSA ( full of broke schools ) feared our $ and didn’t want to try and keep up - Along with some vitriol by a few Presidents. Big 12 just let in BYU - so arguing bias is out. It comes down to $ - period. Future tv revenue or cold hard cash. I would argue LU has a higher ceiling with national tv appeal than any G5 currently remaining. So the risk is minimal 10 years from now that LU doesn’t pull its weight after paying in $400 million. No other school ( maybe SMU and Big 12 already has enough Texas schools ) would be able to make such a pitch.

And while I was at it, I would let ACC know we are making that pitch to Big 12 and have a smaller/shorter buy in number to offer to give them much needed revenue while they suffer through their next 14 years. Maybe I would commit to same number but at half the time - but I think that while geographically it fits, much riskier investment. I don’t see 2 Power Conferences, but could see 3 - and right now it’s Big 12 in 3rd...Either way - make em say NO. Worst case - we get some media buzz.

And one more caveat, we offer to produce all our home content - apparently that is a big expense based on the PAC 12 drama...and we keep a big portion only when ND visits during first 5 years of scheduling

[cruzan_flame13]

The odu writer for the Virginia Pilot said that LU once offered CUSA $24 million to join about 10 years ago. I believe we offered the Sunbelt the same and still neither would take us at the time. I don't think the Big 12 would let LU buy their way in.

SB and CUSA ( full of broke schools ) feared our $ and didn’t want to try and keep up - Along with some vitriol by a few Presidents. Big 12 just let in BYU - so arguing bias is out. It comes down to $ - period. Future tv revenue or cold hard cash. I would argue LU has a higher ceiling with national tv appeal than any G5 currently remaining. So the risk is minimal 10 years from now that LU doesn’t pull its weight after paying in $400 million. No other school ( maybe SMU and Big 12 already has enough Texas schools ) would be able to make such a pitch.

And while I was at it, I would let ACC know we are making that pitch to Big 12 and have a smaller/shorter buy in number to offer to give them much needed revenue while they suffer through their next 14 years. Maybe I would commit to same number but at half the time - but I think that while geographically it fits, much riskier investment. I don’t see 2 Power Conferences, but could see 3 - and right now it’s Big 12 in 3rd...Either way - make em say NO. Worst case - we get some media buzz.

Coach Dot had a similar idea/request that she mentioned on the flames central podcast about a year ago before we became part of CUSA. Imagined if she shared that on this forum; folks would call her crazy .

[tyndal23]

We are completive with P5 schools now on the field of play in . Not sure about
We're not at P5 level with ticket sales.

Agreed BC, and ironically the first program to see the biggest boost in recruiting would be Hoops. Big 12 is now arguably #1 league top to bottom and new Commish is determined to make it permanent. LU location to east coast benefits the most.

[Ill flame]

That's because it is crazy but "crazy" has been the norm since LU was founded. Personally I would rather take that $400 million and at least double the on campus population over the next decade. I can remember a time when everyone thought the big 12 was going to get poached by the pac 12 and/or ACC but it never happened. The Big 12 is trying to undercut the other two conferences as best they can to ensure long term stability but if they can't do that what's stopping them from getting poached again? We don't know who the third best P5 is going to be 10 years from now so it would seem like a big risk to pay a huge amount of money to a conference that might eventually become the next AAC. If that happens would the next P5 on our wishlist also demand a huge buy in? This LUO money won't last forever. Big state schools keep gaining marketshare in that area.

Honestly if we somehow bought off a P5 I wouldn't complain, I'm just playing devils advocate. There will be more opportunities to join a P5 down the road so I prefer to think about more realistic paths to achieve that goal.

[tyndal23]

That's because it is crazy but "crazy" has been the norm since LU was founded. Personally I would rather take that $400 million and at least double the on campus population over the next decade. I can remember a time when everyone thought the big 12 was going to get poached by the pac 12 and/or ACC but it never happened. The Big 12 is trying to undercut the other two conferences as best they can to ensure long term stability but if they can't do that what's stopping them from getting poached again? We don't know who the third best P5 is going to be 10 years from now so it would seem like a big risk to pay a huge amount of money to a conference that might eventually become the next AAC. If that happens would the next P5 on our wishlist also demand a huge buy in? This LUO money won't last forever. Big state schools keep gaining marketshare in that area.

Honestly if we somehow bought off a P5 I wouldn't complain, I'm just playing devils advocate. There will be more opportunities to join a P5 down the road so I prefer to think about more realistic paths to achieve that goal.

Lay out the map. How do we surpass over the next 10 years ( for example ) G5 schools ( Memphis, SDSU,USF, ECU,SMU, Temple,Tulane, Rice,UNLV,Boise St.,Charlotte, UConn, etc.
when the P5 are shrinking down to 4-3 or doomsday even 2. We don’t have the TV market OR recruiting market to even surpass Kennesaw St down the road taking the G5 “earn your way route” , ALL we have at this junction is “cash” and the rest is a fancy business plan ( that even I could sale along with a check ). This is the window - now or never. Best case is beat out SDSU if ASU decides to hold out for Big 10 due to last weeks sudden AAU status. I am not claiming to try and beat out any current P5 - simply out maneuver any G5 in the next few weeks/months. Big 12 is on the come for new revenue in all shapes and sizes , ACC is desperate for cash, make LU cash a topic of conversation at the very least....

[prototype]

Mark my words....

Within 5 years we will be in a big conference. They won't be able to ignore the numbers our school would bring to table and national audience. 26K graduates in one year... With those numbers not going anywhere...

[Ill flame]

Lay out the map. How do we surpass over the next 10 years ( for example ) G5 schools ( Memphis, SDSU,USF, ECU,SMU, Temple,Tulane, Rice,UNLV,Boise St.,Charlotte, UConn, etc.
when the P5 are shrinking down to 4-3 or doomsday even 2. We don’t have the TV market OR recruiting market to even surpass Kennesaw St down the road taking the G5 “earn your way route” , ALL we have at this junction is “cash” and the rest is a fancy business plan ( that even I could sale along with a check ). This is the window - now or never. Best case is beat out SDSU if ASU decides to hold out for Big 10 due to last weeks sudden AAU status. I am not claiming to try and beat out any current P5 - simply out maneuver any G5 in the next few weeks/months. Big 12 is on the come for new revenue in all shapes and sizes , ACC is desperate for cash, make LU cash a topic of conversation at the very least....

Where are the other P5s going? No PAC 12 team has jumped at the big 12s offer yet so I'm not convinced that will anytime soon and if they dont, i doubt the big 12 adds a G5. The B1G adding more pac 12 teams seems inevitable but not anytime soon for various reasons. As long as ESPN is having their financial issues the SEC isn't adding anyone because there's no more money in it for them. Just look at the 8 vs 9 conference game debate. The ACC has that GOR until 2036 so they are stable for awhile no matter what the reports say.

If no pac 12 teams jump to the big 12 I think realignment is more or less done outside of the pac 12 potentially backfilling until the B1G tv deal is almost up in 2029. That buys us at least 5 years to establish ourselves as one of the top G5s in all sports, hopefully gain R2 status, grow the fanbase and continue to shed the bad reputation from a certain previous president. Not every conference prioritizes TV markets, if we establish ourselves as enough of a brand to get more eyeballs than the other G5s then why wouldn't P5s be interested? A lot has changed for us in the last 5 years, you might be suprised how much things could change for us in that time.

[Purple Haize]

Our fanbase isn't anywhere near P5 levels which is obviously the issue but athletically I think we could transition to that level very quickly as soon as a hypothetical announcement is made. We are already paying P5 salaries to our coaches/AD, mostly have P5 caliber facilities, near P5 levels of support staff and obviously we are in a great position to fix deficiencies quicker than any other G5s. The big 12 probably understands the importance of athletic success over markets better than anyone but that doesn't mean they will overlook our small fanbase even if we wrote a low 9 figure check.

Big 12 needs to watch vid of the BYU game last year. We would be able to fill the stadium for B12 opponents.

Why not aim for the SEC. The stadium would be filled if LU was in the SEC. I’m sure that would Impress them

[Purple Haize]

Mark my words....

Within 5 years we will be in a big conference. They won't be able to ignore the numbers our school would bring to table and national audience. 26K graduates in one year... With those numbers not going anywhere...

This is LU’s Try Out period until the next realignment. It’s ‘put up or shut up’ time.

[flameshaw]

Another thing that I have not seen mentioned, NIL. I do not believe that our fans have the wherewithal or desire to compete with these big schools in this area. Until we do, all this conference talk is just that, talk.

[TH Spangler]

Another thing that I have not seen mentioned, NIL. I do not believe that our fans have the wherewithal or desire to compete with these big schools in this area. Until we do, all this conference talk is just that, talk.

I've been reading that not all the current P5s have the NIL wherewithal or desire to compete with their peers. And some pretty respectable sources are saying they will be kicked out P5.

[LUOrange]

I'm not opposed to the idea of "buying our way" into a P5, but definitely not for an outrageous sum like $400 million. That kind of money is better spent on academics, buildings, scholarships, charity, and mission trips so that we be that Christian university that has a high academic reputation while simultaneously focusing on "how many folks we can educate vs how many we reject" aka Training Champions for Christ. Not to mention that the conference realignment market is still way too unstable to be parting ways with such an exorbitant amount of money. So as much as it sucks, it'll probably pay to be patient right now.

[AATL]

And while I was at it, I would let ACC know we are making that pitch to Big 12 and have a smaller/shorter buy in number to offer to give them much needed revenue while they suffer through their next 14 years. Maybe I would commit to same number but at half the time - but I think that while geographically it fits, much riskier investment. I don’t see 2 Power Conferences, but could see 3 - and right now it’s Big 12 in 3rd...Either way - make em say NO. Worst case - we get some media buzz.

Perhaps this is the educator in me, but I'm not sure the media buzz surrounding an institution of higher education that is trying to spend $400m to join a new athletic conference is a good thing.

[cruzan_flame13]

I'm not opposed to the idea of "buying our way" into a P5, but definitely not for an outrageous sum like $400 million. That kind of money is better spent on academics, buildings, scholarships, charity, and mission trips so that we be that Christian university that has a high academic reputation while simultaneously focusing on "how many folks we can educate vs how many we reject" aka Training Champions for Christ. Not to mention that the conference realignment market is still way too unstable to be parting ways with such an exorbitant amount of money. So as much as it sucks, it'll probably pay to be patient right now.

This is more important; I'll agree with that. I believe is why Costin is here in the first place. As I stated before, he made a lot of improvements with CSU in less than five years. Imagine what he can do here at LU at that time and how that can translate in to the athletic side of things.

[tyndal23]

Lay out the map. How do we surpass over the next 10 years ( for example ) G5 schools ( Memphis, SDSU,USF, ECU,SMU, Temple,Tulane, Rice,UNLV,Boise St.,Charlotte, UConn, etc.
when the P5 are shrinking down to 4-3 or doomsday even 2. We don’t have the TV market OR recruiting market to even surpass Kennesaw St down the road taking the G5 “earn your way route” , ALL we have at this junction is “cash” and the rest is a fancy business plan ( that even I could sale along with a check ). This is the window - now or never. Best case is beat out SDSU if ASU decides to hold out for Big 10 due to last weeks sudden AAU status. I am not claiming to try and beat out any current P5 - simply out maneuver any G5 in the next few weeks/months. Big 12 is on the come for new revenue in all shapes and sizes , ACC is desperate for cash, make LU cash a topic of conversation at the very least....

Where are the other P5s going? No PAC 12 team has jumped at the big 12s offer yet so I'm not convinced that will anytime soon and if they dont, i doubt the big 12 adds a G5. The B1G adding more pac 12 teams seems inevitable but not anytime soon for various reasons. As long as ESPN is having their financial issues the SEC isn't adding anyone because there's no more money in it for them. Just look at the 8 vs 9 conference game debate. The ACC has that GOR until 2036 so they are stable for awhile no matter what the reports say.

If no pac 12 teams jump to the big 12 I think realignment is more or less done outside of the pac 12 potentially backfilling until the B1G tv deal is almost up in 2029. That buys us at least 5 years to establish ourselves as one of the top G5s in all sports, hopefully gain R2 status, grow the fanbase and continue to shed the bad reputation from a certain previous president. Not every conference prioritizes TV markets, if we establish ourselves as enough of a brand to get more eyeballs than the other G5s then why wouldn't P5s be interested? A lot has changed for us in the last 5 years, you might be suprised how much things could change for us in that time.

They are “waiting” on the tv deal numbers to be presented from the PAC Commish, once that happens - it will take about 5 minutes to lose 6-8 schools. Believe me, I don’t want that to happen, it is the worst case for LU, but unfortunately - 99% chance it will. 4 to Big 12, 2-4 to Big 10 ( and yes Big 10 will take UW and Oregon immediately and probably also Cal and Stanford ).

[JK37]

@tyndal23 how much money do you think LU has to throw at this? Do you have a cap on how much LU should spend on this? If so, what is it?

[Purple Haize]

@tyndal23 how much money do you think LU has to throw at this? Do you have a cap on how much LU should spend on this? If so, what is it?

Name it and claim it Brother! Jesus wants you to be wealthy and healthy! All you need is mustard seed size Faith!

[jmclaughlin]

@tyndal23 how much money do you think LU has to throw at this? Do you have a cap on how much LU should spend on this? If so, what is it?

Name it and claim it Brother! Jesus wants you to be wealthy and healthy! All you need is mustard seed size Faith!

Amen. Sell the prayer towels for $19.99 +S&H

[tyndal23]

@tyndal23 how much money do you think LU has to throw at this? Do you have a cap on how much LU should spend on this? If so, what is it?

Name it and claim it Brother! Jesus wants you to be wealthy and healthy! All you need is mustard seed size Faith!

Amen. Sell the prayer towels for $19.99 +S&H

Scroll up. I already gave the numbers. They were probably slightly less than it would take to be accepted, but in essence “pay in” one team share annually for a decade, ( in today’s dollars ) combine that to a full share they would pay a UConn and it is net 2 team share for a decade to the Conference. ( that is serious and heated debate among Presidents and maybe even a no brainer ). Now go back a decade and look at P5 revenue and project revenue 10 years out. Now do the same for CUSA or any G5. The question becomes how can we afford not to ? G5 will be FCS by 2036 when ACC GOR turns over. Now PH feel free to come back with actual numbers like LU annual income, percentage breakdowns, forecasting, budget increases, facilities increases required over and above the annual “pay in”. Add in any LU owned business/real estate/mall revenue that 40k for home games adds along with the enrollment bump it would add. ( or just do a one liner that only you laugh at )...

[Purple Haize]

@tyndal23 how much money do you think LU has to throw at this? Do you have a cap on how much LU should spend on this? If so, what is it?

Name it and claim it Brother! Jesus wants you to be wealthy and healthy! All you need is mustard seed size Faith!

Amen. Sell the prayer towels for $19.99 +S&H

Or send in a Faith Offering along with a prayer request that will be taken and sprinkled with Holy Water from the James River.
It worked for ORU s