shaft

Pssst. The Powers That Be have already kicked the Big East out. For the next 12 years the systems works likes this. Playoff Level: Teams ranked 1-4 Big Bowl + Accesse Bowls: Rose (PAC 12 + Big Ten, Sugar (SEC + Big 12), Orange (ACC), Fiestia, Cotton, Georgia Which means any given year there will be 3 at large slots in access bowls with one of those 3 slots going to the highest ranking team from the Group of Five (Big East, MWC, CUSA, MAC, SBC) Bowl Level: Approximately 28 bowls that all have contractual obligations to the various conferences.

As we close out our run in the Belt, I think we can take a look at for what it was. The SBC gave us a D1 home, when we wouldn't have fit anywhere else. It gave us a place to grow and adjust to D1. The Big West was a failure and didn't prepare for D1 after our years in fcs obscurity. The SBC gave us a taste of success that we wouldn't have found anywhere else, which in turn sparked the movement to take our facilities to the level they are now. Say what you want about the Belt, the first 4 years were special and they are the reason we have a new stadium, and an administration that cares about atheletics.

If for some reason the math doesn't work for 8/2 conference games (but I think it does, it's just not a clean rotation every 5th year) you could have a 8/3 set up with 1 OOC or simply no out if division games. And yes, the Big East voted to kick Temple out for sucking.

What's wrong with an 18 team conference/association. They could have a semi final playoff, they could sell to a network. 2 divisions of 9 with 8 divisional games (4 home, 4 away), 2 non-divisional conference games (1 home, 1 away), 2 OOC. And if worse came to worse CUSA could kick the little guys out ( like the Big East did to Temple a few years ago.)

D1 won't split because: 1. Politics. Too many state legislatures and congressmen would have to be involved and agree to let the NCAA to split. 2. Money. The money doesn't get better for the PAC-12 if there is not an SBC. 3. Semi-pro scheduling. The mid-tier and bottom tier power conferences schools wouldn't want to give up their scheduling options. Without an NFL like revenue sharing devices schools won't want to give up scheduling extra home games.

Why So you think CUSA would say no to SMU, Houston, UCF, USF, and Memphis because they have Charolette and ODU?

If the MWC adds BYU, SDSU, and Boise they would only need UTEP to get to 14. If you are the MWC why add any Central Time Zone schools?

There is one major flaw in the original post, no one In Texas thinks any school is a girls volleyball school.

I posted this on a different thread,but I think I'm on to something.

A Big East implosion would be awesome. Rutgers to the Big Ten (+4) takes a lot of money out of the BE tv deal. Maryland to the Big Ten creates a hole in the ACC for UCONN. Boise and SDSU are rethinking the MWC with BYU. The Big 12 may make a play for Louisville and Cincy before the ACC gets greedy and goes for 16. The MWC may want UTEP to go to 14. That leaves CUSA to take back Houston, SMU, USF, UCF, Memphis to go to 18. Navy stays independent and Temple goes back to the MAC. And there is one less conference for the BCS access group to pay money to.

Does anyone else enjoy the irony of a thread titled Misery Loves Company is hijacked by Cougking and GL2greatness.

UNT's record versus the Sun Belt schools over the last 12 seasons. MTSU 7-5 ULL 6-6 ULM 5-7 ASU 4-8 WKY 4-2 FAU 3-6 Troy 2-8 FIU 2-7 USA 1-0 Idaho 4-0 NMSU 4-0 USU 2-0

I wouldn't read too much into the ULM budget. Monroe and their bottom of the barrel budget have been one of the worst program in the FBS for over a decade. This is their first bowl, their only winning season in 12 years. The idea that we should own ULM because we have a bigger budget doesn't add up. We're 5-7 against ULM for our SBC tenure. UNT is doing the right things to elevate the program. Our program started over last season, the problem is the six SBC bowl bound teams were already a step ahead of us last year.

"The shy is falling! We are not beating bowl teams in the second year of a rebuilding process! I repeat the sky is falling!"

No bowl for you. What don't you understand?

Yeah, we lost and ended any hope of a bowl this season but look who else put their season on the line. Marshall beats Houston, ends U of H's shot at a bowl. Rice betas SMU, SMU's bowl hopes are on the line against Tulsa next week. Utah State upsets LA Tech, cost LA Tech the WAC title.

For the people who say change it up, If there is really nothing left to play for why not bench every senior? If it's only about seeing what we can do, why not only focus on the future? I say pay to win. And that means playing your game.

Where is anyone getting this CUSA champ plays in the Heart of Dallas Bowl (aka the fake cotton bowl game)? CUSA currently has tie-ins with Liberty, Hawaii, Armed Forces, Beefy O'Brady, Military, New Orleans, and Heart of Dallas. The Liberty bowl traditionally get's the first pick and the rest of the CUSA bowl bids are awarded by the bowls, with geography & drawing power has the major decission point like post mid-major bowls. And yes the CUSA champ now has a shot at the Cotton, Fiesta, and Chic-fil-a, bowls. That's the whole point of the highest ranked "group of 5" having access to the "access" bowls.

Let's review this thread for a second. Everyone hates UTSA, but loves San Antonio and trains. Oh, and everyone poops.

Awesome, so now CUSA, MWC, and SBC have access to what was once the Big East's auto-berth. San Diego State & Boise have to re-thinking their move to the Big East. Even more incredilble is UNT has a shot at the Cotton Bowl. So if we have this right each year we get a championship game, two semi-final games, and four big bowls (2 contract, 2 access), and then 30 or so regular bowls (all contract).

Troy's win over Navy brings them to the door step of bowl eligiblity. There is a very real chance the Belt ends up with 6 bowl eligible teams, 7 if UNT plays lights out the next two games. With teams like Wake Forest, Iowa, Iowa State, and Missouri on the bubble there is a good chance all 6 SBC teams could go bowling. There is no question this is the SBC's best season ever.

I hope we play UTSA during Fiesta and Tulane during Mardi Gras, but we won't. UNT is taking over SMU's CUSA schedule, and UTSA is taking over Houston's so we will play UTSA in mid-October. And our every other year trips to El Paso, Houston, San Antonio, Tulsa, New Orleans, and eventually Ruston will all be better than any Big West or Sun Belt trips we made over the last twenty years. (Except for maybe Lafayette, because I love me some fried turkey.)

So Michigan and Delware don't hate each other?

By that logic we could also hire Sean Peyton.

One of the common themes this season fas been we're a better team, but the SBC is having it's best season ever. So mw question for the board is how much better is the Belt? They are on the verge of having 5 bowl eligible teams.