MeanGreen61

The Mean Green dilemma 1. In the Sun Belt & many fans wanta be somewhere else. 2. CUSA doesn't want us & we'd really like to be there. 3. WAC (rated higher than CUSA) wants us & we won't say yes.

Experts from article Sun Belt, anyone? The fact is, USM and its fans had better do everything in their power to make Conference USA strong and viable. Otherwise, the next thing you know, USM will be in the Sun Belt Conference. The hard fact that a lot of those sipping the black-and-gold Kool-Aid willfully overlook is that demographically, USM has nothing to offer the Big East, or any other of the Big Six, the leagues that make up the BCS bowls. Even if you include the Gulf Coast, the USM market lags way, way behind that of any other school that is often mentioned in any talk of Big East expansion. And it is market share - the population of a school's given area - that has driven conference alignment in the past, and it will continue to drive it in the future. As far as market share goes, not to mention several other criteria, Southern Miss has far more in common with Arkansas State and Troy of the Sun Belt than it does with C-USA brethren Memphis, UCF and Houston. The truth, whether the Golden Eagle faithful want to admit it or not, is that if C-USA dissolves in the next realignment, USM is going to find itself on the outside looking in, and hoping for an invitation to the Sun Belt Conference. USM NEEDS CUSA TO BE SUCCESSFUL http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/apps/pb.../807030321/1050

FWIW another 2008 preview. NORTH TEXAS PREVIEW http://www.collegesports-fans.com/football...as-preview.html

Post by Jediwarrior in a Big East expansion thread on the WAC board. If true, wierd that Benson keeps bringing up North Texas. Jedi doesn't seem to be too happy with Benson's alledged comment Don't know. The great visionary, Karl Benson said during a Hawaii interview yesterday that...North Texas has a standing invitation to join the WAC. Just awesome.. Scroll down http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=451&f=2368&t=2645016

Posted on the muts board by Space Raider. 2nd half of article refers to ECU concerns with CUSA travel costs. East Carolina University athletic director Terry Holland is also well aware of the affect that travel costs will have on his program. At the Division-I level, a large portion of the expenses are budgeted to travel. The programs must pay for airfare, lodging, bus rides, and meals, all of which have increased over the last year. ARTICLE http://www.wdnweb.com/articles/2008/07/04/...ts/sports01.txt

Correct.

#56 Ball State http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/0...state/#more-955 Who is No. 55?: Bobby Ross coached at two A.C.C. schools; this university is the one he did not lead to the national championship.

UNT at #7 TOP TEN NCAA FOOTBALL LOGOS (NON BCS EDITION) http://thelebsports.com/football/top-ten-c...-bcs-edition/48

Actually the Sun Belt topped CUSA and the MAC in PROFIT MAC $924,812 CUSA &1,061,258 Sun Belt $1,823,543 NCAA Analysis Of Excess Bowl Revenue & Expense By Conference http://www.ncaa.org/wps/wcm/connect/resour...pdf?MOD=AJPERES

Many more of these threads & I may be convinced to join those who just elect to move on.

Yep, another off-season alignment posted by West is Best on the CUSA board. When The Dust Settles... with realingment what will the conferences look like? PAC 12 South USC UCLA Stanford Cal UA ASU North Oregon OSU WSU UW Utah CU Big 10 East UM MSU OSU PSU Ind Purdue West UW UM Iowa NU UILL Nebraska ACC No Change Big 12 South UT TAMU Baylor TT Arkansas Air Force North OSU OU KU KSU UM ISU SEC West LSU MSU UM Bama Auburn Houston East Tenn Vandy UGA Fla USC UK Big East North Cuse Cincy Rutgers Conn Pitt Temple South WVU UL USF UCF ECU UM Mountain West East BYU CSU Wyo UNM BSU NMSU West SDSU UNLV FSU UNR Hawaii SJSU CUSA West TCU SMU Tulsa UTEP Rice UNT Tulane East LaTech USM UAB FAU FIU Troy MTSU MAC Marshall replaces Temple WKU joins as 14 team Sunbelt drops to old 1AA status

#57 Nevada http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/0...evada/#more-954 Who is No. 56?: This university’s 2007 bowl appearance was the program’s first since 1996.

#58 Rutgers http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/0...utgers/#respond Who is No. 58?: The first of three teams in the F.B.S. whose coach, though active, has been elected to the College Football Hall of Fame.

7. Troy @ Ohio State 6. SMU @ Navy 5. Florida Atlantic @ Michigan State 2. North Texas @ Rice Here’s a game I’d pay the price of admission for. I was hoping for a New Mexico State/North Texas game earlier this year when both teams had an opening on the slate, but most fans of high-octane passing attacks will settle for this. Neither of these two teams are that great right now. North Texas struggled to stop anybody and had the worst defense in the nation by far, I don’t care what the stats say regarding total defense. Okay, maybe not. Perhaps it was Rice with the worst defense in the nation. Either way, it doesn’t matter because these omnipotent passers of potency (Chase Clement and Giovanni Vizza/Riley Dodge) should have their way with two pass defenses that don’t even have a prayer. North Texas ranked 18th in passing offense and lit up multiple Sun Belt teams. Rice’s was actually better statistically (15th) even though the Mean Green passing game may have gotten more publicity. Basically, if you like passing and points, this game may shatter the records. If you thought the 74-62 scoring fest of Navy and North Texas was fun (to at least read about, tough to watch it), this game could be even better Top Ten Underrated Non-Conference Games http://inthebleachers.net/non-bcs-conferen...nference-games/

From the Muts board. NORTH TEXAS http://thenationalchampionshipissue.blogsp...scheduling.html SCHEDULING REPORT http://thenationalchampionshipissue.blogsp...report-who.html

Slow time so.............. North Texas is the only team to go undefeated in conference play in the short history of the Sun Belt. That was accomplished 3 times. North Texas is the only team to win the conference championship outright in the short history of the Sun Belt. This was accomplished 3 times North Texas is the only Sun belt team to appear in more than one New Orleans bowl game in the short history of the Sun Belt. North Texas has appeared in 4 New Orleans Bowl games. Memphis of CUSA has appeared in more New Orleans Bowl games that any other Sun Belt member. Arkansas State 1, Troy 1, FAU 1. Troy is the only Sun belt team to play in 2 different bowls in the short history of the Sun Belt. New Orleans Bowl and Silicon Valley Bowl. Florida International is the only Sun belt team that hasn't won or shared the football championship in the short history of the Sun Belt. Sun Belt Champions http://www.collegefootballpoll.com/champions_sunbelt.html

Off the muts board. Billboards, radio ads and television spots will start airing this month as Florida Atlantic hopes to cash in on the success of its football team. "This is our most aggressive campaign ever," said Dexter Lamont, FAU assistant athletic director for marketing. ARTICLE http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/college...,0,499408.story

#59 Miami (Ohio) http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/0...-ohio/#more-952 Who is No. 58?: This program has won 26 games over the past three seasons; it won 27 from 1995-2004.

With UNT being loaded with young receivers, SMU is a no brainer if he wants to play early.

EXPANSION CANDIDATE POLL http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=303913

#60 Northwestern http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/3...stern/#more-951 Who is No. 59?: This program’s illustrious list of past coaches includes Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Earl Blaik, Sid Gillman and Ara Parseghian.

Tech's former WAC mates & kissin' cousins (Tulsa, SMU, Rice, UTEP) haven't schedule them in football or men's basketball since leaving the WAC. Apparently they don't want a home and home with them either. Actually Tech hasn't played ANYONE from CUSA in football since the EWAC teams left CUSA teams have played numerous regular season games with Belt teams. 8 games schedule for this season, 7 games in '07, 5 games in '06 and 3 games in '05.

#61 Southern Mississippi http://thequad.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/2...sippi/#more-949 Who is No. 60?: As we hit the halfway point, we at the Countdown would like to thank our loyal reader(s) for their continued support. Team No. 60 lost 34 straight games from 1979-82, an F.B.S. record.

Tulsa, Rice, Houston are more to my liking. We recruit Oklahoma & the Houston area.

"Interest in 16 team league is growing" Thread from the CUSA board http://ncaabbs.com/showthread.php?tid=303796