MeanGreen61

Posted on the muts board by SpaceRaider. Sun Belt Talking Points > Posted by Ted Hutton at 9:35 AM Well, the Sun Belt kicked off the football season with its media days Monday and Tuesday in New Orleans. The ADs met Monday, and here is the talking points list they were given by commish Wright Waters: BELT ON RISE 1 - We are closing the gap on other conferences. Case in point: we went 4-3 against CUSA in football including the New Orleans Bowl win, and we had 2 teams in NCAA Men’s Basketball post-season play while they had 1 (only Memphis). CUSA did not have anyone in the NIT. Even more dramatic in women’s basketball CUSA – 1 in NCAA, 1 in WNIT. SBC 2 in NCAA, 2 in WNIT. 2 - Our television exposure continues to increase – this year we will have 4 regular season football games on ESPN2, the most in the conference’s seven year history of football. Our regional network continues to expand, and we will have at least 30 football games reaching over 20 million homes. We also had a 6-week baseball/softball live television package last year for the first time and our web casts continue to improve in both number and quality. 3 - We have had two teams in a bowl game in two of the last three years, and we are currently exploring the possibility of a second guaranteed bowl game. 4 - We are achieving success on the field while also doing it the right way in the classroom. Nearly 1,500 Sun Belt student-athletes were honored for achieving a grade point average of 3.0 or better in 2006-2007. Furthermore, Sun Belt schools combined to have more than 650 student-athletes land on the Commissioner's List, which honors all student-athletes recording a 3.5 GPA or better. Also, 12 member schools are currently graduating its student athletes at a rate higher than their school’s student body. 5 - Facility improvement in football either has occurred or will occur on every campus: ASU, ULM, and MTSU – have installed state of the art synthetic playing surface FAU – future includes a new stadium FIU – will be in a new stadium in 2008 ULL – have new indoor practice facility, only the second one in the state of Louisiana North Texas – new athletic offices and plans for renovation of football stadium Troy – state of the art stadium completed a few years ago raised the bar for everyone WKU – major stadium renovations under way 6 - Home Games in 2007 against Memphis, SMU, Minnesota, South Florida, Maryland, Ohio, Tulsa, Virginia, Navy, Oklahoma State (every major conference except SEC, Pac 10, MWC, WAC) 7 - WKU enters the league giving everyone 4 home and 4 away every year in 2009. WKU playing IA football enhances rivalries in other sports. 8 - Attendance shows huge improvement: 2001 - 4 schools fewer than 10K average attendance. In 2006 - 4 schools over 20Kin average attendance. Average up 5K from 2001. MORE MARKETING I did talk with The Suit earlier this week. He didn't have the numbers with him, but said season ticket sales are up over last year, boosted by the tie-in with the UF game. (Tickets to the game in Gainesville will only be made available to season ticket holders). Angelos also said FAU will be working with an ad agency this season to try and boost sales. "We are trying to convert awareness into action, into having people buy tickets and show up at the games. This will add to our repertoire, and give us more of an advertising campaign than we have it the past," Angelos said. We'll see. FAU has a history of ticket sales initiatives that have failed to translate into butts in seats. With Minnesota and South Florida coming to town, in addition to Belt foes, this is the most attractive home schedule ever for the Owls and should hopefully make it an easier sell. Later...

Let 'um play in their sand box. Why copy what they're doin' ?

Sun Belt negotiating for second bowl game By ADAM SPARKS sparks@dnj.com — Adam Sparks, (615) 278-5167 NEW ORLEANS — Recall the finger-crossing MTSU fans had to endure last winter while they waited for their chance at an at-large bowl bid? The Sun Belt is trying to avoid such anxiety in future seasons by securing a guaranteed spot in a second bowl for conference members. Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters addressed the subject of a second automatic bowl tie-in at the conference's athletic directors meeting this weekend and again at Tuesday's Sun Belt Football Media Days. Currently, the New Orleans Bowl awards one bid to the Sun Belt for the league's only automatic bowl slot. "The No. 1 question I get at these things is, 'Well, is there going to be a second bowl?'" Waters said. "... We're committed to making it work. We've just got to find a way to make it work." Waters said the Sun Belt has been approached by three existing bowls about establishing an automatic bid for a Sun Belt team, and one bowl is currently in negotiations with the Sun Belt. Waters would not identify any of those prospective bowls. However, some likely candidates include the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, N.M. and the Papa Johns Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. All existing Division I-A bowls currently have conference tie-ins except the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego. However, Waters said some bowl contracts could expire or be abandoned soon. "There are all kinds of dynamics. One is that conferences are paying for bowls, and their resources are drying up in some instances," Waters said. "Will they continue to support those games? All of the bowls, except the Poinsettia Bowl, are contracted for two teams. Should one of those conferences lose their contract, then we are financially prepared to inherit that responsibility. "Of course, a second option is to start a bowl. And then a third option is do what we did last year and make sure our seven-win teams are in position to take advantage of the rules." MTSU earned an at-large bid to the Motor City Bowl last season, assuming a spot intended for a Big Ten team. However, the Big Ten could not fill the slot with a bowl-eligible team, and MTSU took advantage of a new rule that says teams with a winning record overrule 6-6 teams for at-large bowl bids. MTSU athletic director Chris Massaro said such good fortune is not guaranteed every year. "We were an at-large team and went to a great bowl, but you don't want to put yourself in that position every year," Massaro said. "If there were another 7-5 team, would we have gotten the bid? I don't know." The Sun Belt will not secure a second bowl tie-in this season. A bowl contract for the 2008 season would be the earliest movement for Sun Belt in either creating a new bowl or securing a spot in an existing bowl. Waters said he prefers the latter. "We have a limited staff in our office, so I would rather work with an existing bowl," Waters said. "It's more expensive to do that, but to make bowls work financially you need people working at them 12 months a year. We just don't have the staff to run 19 championships and 70 TV games and certify 4,500 student-athletes and still produce an event of that magnitude." Massaro also recognized the cost of buying an annual automatic bowl bid or creating a bowl. "You have to subsidize the bowl, so there's an economic factor where I think the conference cost would be $1.1 million to operate a (new) bowl game," Massaro said. "So you'd have to go to the (host) city and then go to another conference and say, 'Do you want to pay half.' Then you try to get sponsorships and you can reduce it down. It could be a fairly significant investment as a league, but I think it's one we could be ready to take on. Filling a bowl is no longer an issue for the Sun Belt." The Sun Belt has put a second team in a bowl in two of the previous three years. Before MTSU in last season's Motor City Bowl, Troy played in the now-extinct Silicon Valley Classic in 2004. Waters said a second bowl tie-in for the Sun Belt is inevitable. The only questions are when, where and with whom. "If it was only a financial decision, then we would do nothing and leave things the way they are," Waters said. "But from a recruiting standpoint, and especially with Western Kentucky coming into the league in 2009 to give us nine teams, it's important that we secure that guaranteed spot for each year."

From a DMN article. Alexander to return: Josh Alexander, a senior tackle who missed the end of the 2005 season and all of 2006 with a knee injury, will be back with the Mean Green this fall. "He is looking a lot better," Dodge said. "I feel pretty good about getting a chance to see what he can do at the beginning of two-a-days." The return of Alexander would bolster an area where UNT lacks experience. Redshirt freshman Matt Menard and sophomore Robert Peachey are projected to start at left and right tackle, respectively, in the Mean Green's new spread offense. Alexander did not allow a sack while starting six of the nine games he played in 2005 before suffering the injury.

Dallas Morning News blog. LINK http://colleges.beloblog.com/archives/2007...ion_of_unt.html

Palm Beach Post blurb - 2nd Sun Belt bowl will be in the SOUTHEAST Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said the league will likely have a second bowl affiliation by the time Western Kentucky joins the league in 2009. That will be a positive step. The Sun Belt has put two teams in bowls in the last three years, but those teams were shipped out to distant locations , making it difficult for fans. Troy went the Silicon Valley Bowl in 2005 and Middle Tennessee played in the Motor City Bowl in Detroit last season, but the Sun Belt’s second bowl game will be in the Southeast, making it easier for fans to attend.

Nope Section E were not $100.00 if you were renewing early in that section. You could lock in 2006 prices by renewing and paying your donation in full by March 28th.

Football: UNT picked to finish seventh in SBC Sun Belt coaches tab Troy as preseason No. 1 08:08 AM CDT on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer NEW ORLEANS — Todd Dodge never cared much about preseason polls when his team was at the top of them during his time at Southlake Carroll. That attitude won’t change now that Dodge is at North Texas, which will open the first season of his tenure with the Mean Green as a decided underdog in the Sun Belt Conference race. UNT was picked to finish seventh out of the eight teams in the league when the Preseason Sun Belt Poll was released on Monday during the opening session of the conference’s annual media days. UNT ranked just ahead of Florida International, which finished 0-12 last season. Troy received five of the eight first-place votes and was picked to win the conference title in the poll of the league’s head coaches. “We are not going to put a whole lot of stock in it,” Dodge said. “It will not change the way we prepare our team or what our expectations are. … If one of my players brought it up, I would not shy away from the fact that we need to understand that our expectations are to finish a lot higher than seventh in the conference.” Most preseason projections have the Mean Green finishing near the bottom of the Sun Belt in its first season under Dodge, who is installing new offensive and defensive philosophies. UNT will run the spread this season after nine years in a run-based attack and will also use a 4-3 defense after a season in the 3-4. UNT senior defensive end Jeremiah Chapman believes the Mean Green will adapt quickly to Dodge’s philosophy and exceed expectations. UNT returns 10 starters on defense and also has a few key starters back on offense, including former national rushing champion Jamario Thomas. “I am not too worried about the preseason poll,” said Chapman, UNT’s player representative at media days. “Most times when you look back, those polls do not come close to how the standings end up. It can definitely be used as motivation. You work hard all summer and then see that people think that you are going to finish close to last. It gives us something to prove.” Dodge and Troy head coach Larry Blakeney both said preseason polls often are a reflection of what happened the previous season instead of an indication of a team’s potential in the upcoming year. The Sun Belt’s poll was no different. Troy was picked to win the Sun Belt championship after finishing in a tie with Middle Tennessee for the league title at 6-1 last season. The Trojans won the head-to-head matchup and went on to beat Rice in the New Orleans Bowl. “I thought we would be picked to win it,” Blakeney said. “That has been the policy down through the years. If you win it, the coaches pick you to win it the next year and give you that bull’s-eye on your back.” MTSU was picked to finish second behind Troy, but didn’t receive a first-place vote. Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe and Florida Atlantic were each picked to finish first by one of the league’s coaches. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com .

Either side of section E ? I've heard that E is gettin' pretty full.

Posted on the Sun Belt board by SpaceRaider Sun Belt negotiating for second bowl NEW ORLEANS -- Sun Belt Conference commissioner Wright Waters confirmed today that the league is in talks to secure a second automatic bowl tie-in. Waters said the Sun Belt has been approached by three bowls, and that one bowl is currently in negotiations with the league. He did not identify those prospective bowls at Sun Belt Media Days. Such possible candidates could be the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., Papa Johns Bowl in Birmingham, Ala. or New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, N.M. All Division I-A bowls except the Poinsettia Bowl have conference tie-ins, however Waters said some of those contracts could expire or be abandoned soon based on cost to conferences. No second bowl tie-in will be contracted to the Sun Belt for the 2007 season.

They have a new coach.

This story originally published on BlueRaiderZone.com Sun Belt-The Toughest Conference to Predict By Jay Brantley Posted Jul 23, 2007 With the release of the Sun Belt preseason poll, the question remains, "Is the Sun Belt the toughest conference race to predict?". With the Sun Belt Media Days taking place in New Orleans this week most Sun Belt fans are really starting to focus on the upcoming season. Every year brings optimism within the Sun Belt. Every fan feels that their team can take the conference championship and they have good reason to believe in their team. In the six short years that the Sun Belt has sponsored football, six different teams (of the current eight teams in the conference) can lay claim to a share of the conference championship. North Texas has won 3 outright championships and they have been the most dominating team overall, but they have certainly slipped off the Sun Belt mountain top in the past couple of years. North Texas also split the championship in 2001 with Middle Tennessee. Middle Tennessee also claimed a share of the championship in 2006 with Troy. In 2005 Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Louisiana-Monroe finished in a three-way tie for the championship. The only two current teams in the Sun Belt who have not won a share of the championship are Florida Atlantic and Florida International. They happen to be the two newest members of the Sun Belt as well. In 2006 Middle Tennessee was picked to finish sixth. They exceeded all expectations and ended in a tie for first place and a berth in the Motor City Bowl. This year Troy is the overwhelming favorite, but if recent history is any indication, there is a good chance that it will be another Sun Belt team making their way to the New Orleans Bowl. It is evident by the recently released coaches poll that even the coaches have no idea who will be the superior team this year. After placing Troy as number one, it was clear the coaches didn’t know who to select next. Middle Tennessee was selected 2nd, but they received no first place votes. Three other teams received first place votes; Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe, and Florida Atlantic. These teams were picked to finish 3rd, 4th, and 6th respectively. The saying “On any given Saturday” truly applies to the Sun Belt race. It is this balance that makes the Sun Belt race the most exciting conference race in all of college football. Unlike other conferences, there is not a clear upper echelon and clear bottom feeders. This is a conference that can be won by any team. When someone tells you that their team will win the Sun Belt, don’t laugh. Anything is possible in the Sun Belt conference. Talk about this story on the BlueRaiderZone.com forums.

Football season ticket purchases increased 40.5% and contributions to the Mean Green Club rose by 24.1% since Dodge's arrival. In the first half of 2007, season ticket purchases totaled $245,616, up from $174,789 from April 1, 2006, through the 2006 season. Contributions to the support fund for athletic scholarships in that same period went from $296,240 to $367,492. Divide $245,616 by $80 (price of a season ticket in Section E) = looks like a minimum of around 3,100 season tickets sold to date.

Todd Dodge left a successful high school coaching career to take over the football program at the University of North Texas. Since his arrival, season ticket purchases have increased over 40% and contributions to the Mean Green Club rose by 24%. Football season ticket purchases increased 40.5% and contributions to the Mean Green Club rose by 24.1% since Dodge's arrival. In the first half of 2007, season ticket purchases totaled $245,616, up from $174,789 from April 1, 2006, through the 2006 season. Contributions to the support fund for athletic scholarships in that same period went from $296,240 to $367,492. USA TODAY ARTICLE http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/foo...xas-dodge_N.htm

Sun Belt Media Day Central http://www.sunbeltsports.org/ViewArticle.d...;ATCLID=1096791 2007 Preseason Sun Belt Poll As voted on by the league’s eight head coaches. First place votes in parentheses. 1. Troy (5), Points: 59 2. Middle Tennessee, 44 3. Arkansas State (1), 43 T4 Louisiana-Lafayette, 37 T4 Louisiana-Monroe (1), 37 6. Florida Atlantic (1), 36 7. North Texas, 22 8. Florida International, 10 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Omar Haugabook (Troy, QB) Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Tyrell Johnson (Arkansas State, S)

"It ain't where ya start that counts, it's where ya finish"

A whole new look Meda Days mark start of new era in UNT football 09:22 PM CDT on Sunday, July 22, 2007 Brett Vito/Staff Writer A year ago, North Texas was talking about returning to the form of its best seasons under former head coach Darrell Dickey when Sun Belt Conference Media Days kicked off in New Orleans. To say a lot has changed for the Mean Green since would be an understatement. Dickey was fired in November, opening the way for a new era at UNT under head coach Todd Dodge, who will appear at his first media day beginning this morning at the Hilton New Orleans. The league will unveil its preseason All-Conference Team and the Preseason Coaches Poll today. The event is just one more sign that a season of change is just around the corner for the Mean Green. UNT will be under the direction of a new head coach for the first time in nearly a decade after nine seasons under Dickey. The Mean Green will have a new look under Dodge, and not just because of the spread offense he is installing this season. UNT is also dramatically changing the look of its uniform. UNT is switching to a white helmet after wearing green helmets the last several seasons. "We looked at a number of different combinations," UNT athletic director Rick Villarreal said. "A kelly green helmet wasn't a good complementary piece." The white helmet is the first part of UNT's new uniform the athletic department has unveiled. Villarreal said UNT would continue to unveil parts of the uniform leading up to the Mean Green Kickoff Cookout at 7 p.m. on Aug. 4 at the Mean Green Athletic Center. The athletic department will have the entire home and away uniform for fans to see at the event. UNT's new uniform appears as if it will closely resemble what Dodge's teams wore at Carroll during their run to three straight Class 5A state titles the last three seasons. "Some people will draw parallels to the Southlake Carroll uniforms," Villarreal said. "The colors are the same with green and white, so it's a natural comparison to make." The question heading into media days is if Dodge can have the same level of success he had at Carroll at UNT, which finished 5-18 the last two seasons combined. UNT will use a spread offense under Dodge after depending largely on a running attack that produced a pair of national rushing champions under Dickey. Most preseason publications have picked UNT to finish near the bottom of the Sun Belt standings while adapting to a new system. The last of those preseason projections will be unveiled today, when the Sun Belt's coaches pick the favorite for the league title just days before the league's teams open practice. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

Agree.

Full DRC story Hearne WR Rucker commits to UNT 09:34 AM CDT on Sunday, July 22, 2007 By Brett Vito/Staff Writer North Texas continued to load up on wide receivers for its 2008 recruiting class on Saturday, when Hearne standout Forrest Rucker orally committed to play for the Mean Green. Rucker (6-5, 207) is the fourth wide receiver to commit to become a member of UNT’s 2008 class. The Mean Green signed six wide receivers in new head coach Todd Dodge’s first recruiting class in February. Oral commitments are non-binding. The first day recruits can sign national letters of intent is Feb. 6. Rucker was named a second-team Class 2A All-State selection by the Texas Sports Writers Association last season. He was also a first-team All-District 26-2A pick as a tight end as a junior. Rucker said Baylor, Missouri and Texas A&M also offered him a scholarship, while several other programs had shown interest. Rucker decided to pass on those offers after attending the Mean Green’s one-day camp for incoming seniors on Saturday at the Mean Green Athletic Center. “I went to a three-day camp at North Texas in the middle of June,” Rucker said. “They told me that I had good size and speed. They sent me the scholarship papers to me after that. I committed after I went to camp today.” Rucker is the 10th player to commit to the Mean Green for 2008. All 10 players are from Texas. Rucker became familiar with UNT while playing at Hearne, where former Mean Green receiver Broderick McGrew is the receivers coach. Rucker also said familiarity was a factor in his decision. When Rucker arrives at UNT, he will become teammates with Sam Roberson, one of his former district rivals who signed with the Mean Green in February. Roberson played at Somerville, which is also a member of District 26-2A. Rucker is also friends with Kenny Barrett, a wide receiver from Mart who has also committed to play for UNT beginning in 2008. Rucker spent part of his high school career as a tight end before moving to receiver later on. UNT recruited Rucker as an outside receiver, where he expects to have plenty of opportunities to catch passes in the spread offense being implemented by Dodge. His best time in the 40-yard dash is 4.57 seconds. “There are going to be a whole lot of passes in this offense,” Rucker said. “This is the type of offense I like.” BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

DRC - UNT gets wide receiver committment 10:56 PM CDT on Saturday, July 21, 2007 Hearne wide receiver Forrest Rucker said Saturday that he has orally committed to North Texas. Rucker (6-5, 207) was named second-team Class 2A All-State by the Texas Sports Writers Association last season and was also a first-team All-District 26-2A pick. Oral commitments are non-binding. The first day a recruit in the class of 2008 can sign a national letter of intent is Feb. 6. Brett Vito

UNT committment list http://rivals100.rivals.com/commitlist.asp...&School=163 UNT's committment list shows Forrest Rucker, 6'5, 198, 4.56, Heane WR as our #10 cimmittment. http://rivals100.rivals.com/viewprospect.a...mp;pr_key=62095

GOOD ! They predicted a pony win last year.

Riley Dodge to play at NT Clay Byington Issue date: 7/19/07 Section: SPORTS The NT football team has been receiving numerous commitments since naming Todd Dodge head coach, and on June 29 they received the first commitment from a Texas top 100 prospect: the head coach's son, Riley Dodge. Just days after being named the new NT football coach, Todd Dodge coached Southlake Carroll High School to its third consecutive undefeated Texas 5A State Championship. Riley Dodge, who will be a senior this season, played a major role for his father's team as a junior in winning 5A Offensive Player of the Year, becoming the fifth straight Southlake quarterback to receive the award. Riley ended the season with 5,303 total yards and 67 total touchdowns. "It's really exciting that he's decided to come here," said NT Athletics Director Rick Villarreal. "Talent is always appreciated." After visiting the University of Texas at Austin in February for what is called junior days, Riley decided that was where he wanted to play his college ball. His father Todd played quarterback for the Longhorns in the mid-'80s, lettering from 1982-85. He currently ranks ninth on the Longhorns' list for career passing yards. His son was looking to follow in Todd's footsteps when he orally committed to Texas, but has since decided to come to Denton and play for the Mean Green. "He's coming to play for his father, and that's always something special," Villarreal said. "I think the fact that he decided to come to UNT when other programs were giving him a fair look speaks volumes of what the program has come to." Woody Wilson, senior quarterback, said he is excited about watching Riley play at NT. He said he believes the father-son connection will benefit Riley. "Once it comes to football, they are both competitors," Wilson said. " I think this system is going to help him grow and mature." Wilson said that he's heard nothing but good things about Riley as an athlete, and he expects Riley to have tremendous work ethic. "I would expect it [work ethic] from him because his father is a good man and a good coach," Wilson said. "He passed it down to his son."

Season-ticket sales still short of UCF's goal The Knights have sold a record 20,000 tickets but are still 4,300 off their mark. Kyle Hightower | Sentinel Staff Writer July 13, 2007 There's good news and bad news at UCF regarding football season-ticket sales. The bad news is that despite a new stadium, the Knights still are about 4,300 tickets shy of their season-ticket goal of 25,000. The good news is that sales have passed 20,000, meaning UCF has set a school record. Last season UCF sold 15,244 season tickets, meaning this season's total is an increase of just over 5,000. In 2005, UCF had sold 9,872 season tickets. Nearly 300 new season tickets have been sold in the past two weeks, and school officials are encouraged after selling out the section they had designated for full-time faculty members. Last season UCF was fourth in Conference USA in season-ticket sales behind UTEP, Memphis and Southern Miss. The Miners and Tigers sold just over 21,000 apiece, and Southern Miss was just over 18,000. UCF Athletic Director Keith Tribble said the goal is to be in a position to at least come close to sellout status (45,000) for each of the Knights' six home games in 2007. "To reach this goal will speak volumes about the growth and outlook for the UCF football program in addition to shedding light on just how powerful our fan base can be," he said. In addition to traditional advertising methods such as radio spots and billboards, the athletic department has turned to the Web for sales help. This week, UCF unveiled a student-specific Web site -- Knighttickets.com -- that will allow students to purchase season tickets as well as put their name in a lottery for the individual-game allotment of 12,000 student tickets. In other football-related news, Tribble told the Sentinel that despite a report in the Tampa Tribune last week, the UCF-USF series isn't necessarily dead after the last scheduled game in 2008. C-USA won't force USF to play UCF -- or any other league team -- in 2009, which was part of the Bulls' exit agreement with the league when it left for the Big East. "Although we are two years away, it is doubtful we would require a one-game series that wouldn't be returned," C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky told the Tribune. But Tribble said UCF Executive Associate AD David Chambers has been in contact with USF to express UCF's interest in resuming the series in 2011. "USF has indicated that they will take it under consideration," Tribble said. Even with USF out of any immediate plans, Tribble said UCF's scheduling wouldn't take that much of a hit. "Our scheduling philosophy does not change much as we continue to look at playing two opponents from BCS automatic-qualifier conferences and two opponents from non-automatic-qualifier conferences [each season]," he said.

FWIW Off season realignment stuff. Thread from the Muts board high lighting an Arkstfan post & thread from the ASU board. Muts board thread http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?S=349#S=349&a...88&T=734344 ASU board thread http://www.arkst.com/board/index.php?topic=30143.0 Arkstafan post It will happen like this. In CUSA Eight schools are going to get sick and tired of four schools bellyaching and sniffing about how great they would be if the lowly state schools would use the same academic standards they use. Four schools are going to get sick of being the only ones really serious about basketball. Meanwhile in the Sun Belt Denver will move to a more western conference. UNO will be unable to fund Sun Belt caliber athletics and move elsewhere. UALR and USA seeing the Sun Belt roster is now 2 non-football and 9 football will hedge their bets and move elsewhere as well. (a new alliance of some Mid-Con and Southland non-football schools maybe?). Eventually A group of dissatisfied CUSA schools will talk about breaking away to form a new league but realize that the new NCAA structure makes forming a new I-A conference nearly impossible. They will realize that the CUSA TV contracts and bowl contracts are coming up for renewal and will contact the Sun Belt and cut a deal to join, while at the same time some current Sun Belt schools will prefer to align with the schools remaining in CUSA and will cross-over to join them. La.Tech will get to leave the WAC and join one of the two "new" leagues.