Demise of UAB football is a blow to Conference USA

[Harry]

Alabama-Birmingham officials are expected to announce this week that they will shutter their football program, USA Today and Sports Illustrated reported on Sunday. If true, it will be a blow to Conference USA, and as such, a blow for Old Dominion’s football program.

UAB would be forced to withdraw from the conference, which requires schools to play football.

First-year coach Bill Clark, who guided UAB to a 6-6 record this season and bowl eligibility, will have his contract bought out and athletic director Brian Mackin will be fired as part of a reorganization of the athletic department.

UAB’s football program has struggled over the years, but the school is a large, urban university in a state that is football crazy.

Birmingham is the nation’s 43rd-largest TV market.

Read more: http://www.hamptonroads.com/2014/11/demise-uab-football-blow-conference-usa-and-thus-blow-old-dominion

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

UAB's demise is good. We need four or five more C-USA schools to fold as well...or, leave the conference.

[untjim1995]

ULM--you're on notice from the folks in Baton Rouge...monkey see, monkey do...La Tech will support LSU in every way on this, too.

[MeanGreenTexan]

ULM--you're on notice from the folks in Baton Rouge...monkey see, monkey do...La Tech will support LSU in every way on this, too.

Why would LSU have anything to say about what happens at ULM? Not the same University system.

[817Fan]

Would their players be immediately eligible to play elsewhere?

[Army of Dad]

Would their players be immediately eligible to play elsewhere?

Probably since this kind of feels like when a school has postseason ban for the rest of a players eligibility.

[Coffee and TV]

Never played Alabama either...

Say what you will about Texas, at least they play the teams in their system and don't hold them back.

[Cerebus]

Say what you will about Texas, at least they play the teams in their system and don't hold them back.

Actually in the 70s after they had used public money to build their athletic programs UT and aTm pushed laws through the state legislature that made it illegal to use state money to fund athletic programs.

They no longer needed it, and it cut off competition.

[UNTFan23]

With UAB having been a West Division school, I don't understand why James Madison is a popular choice as I have seen it mentioned several times. If we were to go with another school on the east coast, it would mean a school like MTSU or Western Kentucky would have to move into the West which I doubt either school wants to a multitude of reasons.

[Cerebus]

With UAB having been a West Division school, I don't understand why James Madison is a popular choice as I have seen it mentioned several times. If we were to go with another school on the east coast, it would mean a school like MTSU or Western Kentucky would have to move into the West which I doubt either school wants to a multitude of reasons.

Lazy journalism.

UAB was in the eastern division last year so many expect a school to be replaced there.

Those that do seem to know they were headed for the West next year don't know WKU and MTSU are adamantly opposed to moving.

[Harry]

With UAB having been a West Division school, I don't understand why James Madison is a popular choice as I have seen it mentioned several times. If we were to go with another school on the east coast, it would mean a school like MTSU or Western Kentucky would have to move into the West which I doubt either school wants to a multitude of reasons.

It's their funding and facilities. The may have the best facilities in FCS. But their TV market blows (178 out of 210 in Neilson). Moving up would mean they would have to add sports for title IX compliance and that would increase their costs. They have been sitting on the fence on moving up but could be a consideration for C-USA.

[Cerebus]

If you are wondering why Liberty, Jerry Fallwell's university, is being discussed: Money

They already spend $20 million a year (for comparison LaTech's budget is ~18.5, ULL's is ~18.1, ArkSt is ~16.8) and have said they could spend much, much more if needed.

I don't doubt they could raise enough money to be the top budget in CUSA if that was required of them for admission.

ETA:

Budgets from a few years ago when teams were trying to get into the SBC.

School Revenue

---

Liberty University #147 – $19,437,572

Appalachian State #155 – $17,896,884

Lamar University #203 – $13,382,246

Jacksonville State #239 – $11,336,115

Georgia Southern #243 – $11,207,617

Sam Houston State #263 – $10,533,280

Edited December 1, 2014 by Cerebus

[oldguystudent]

Liberty, Jerry Fallwell's university

Oh God.

[Cerebus]

Oh God.

(I feel good about this gif, tens of people worldwide will get the reference, TENS.)

[UNTFan23]

If you are wondering why Liberty, Jerry Fallwell's university, is being discussed: Money

They already spend $20 million a year (for comparison LaTech's budget is ~18.5, ULL's is ~18.1, ArkSt is ~16.8) and have said they could spend much, much more if needed.

I don't doubt they could raise enough money to be the top budget in CUSA if that was required of them for admission.

ETA:

Budgets from a few years ago when teams were trying to get into the SBC.

School Revenue

---

Liberty University #147 – $19,437,572

Appalachian State #155 – $17,896,884

Lamar University #203 – $13,382,246

Jacksonville State #239 – $11,336,115

Georgia Southern #243 – $11,207,617

Sam Houston State #263 – $10,533,280

How many votes does it take to accept a new member into the conference -- 50%? I think the barrier could end up being MTSU/WKU even though those two schools love to hate each other.

[SilverEagle]

(I feel good about this gif, tens of people worldwide will get the reference, TENS.)

Wow! I'm one of ten. I really feel special...........

[UNTFan23]

(I feel good about this gif, tens of people worldwide will get the reference, TENS.)

[oldguystudent]

(I feel good about this gif, tens of people worldwide will get the reference, TENS.)

I actually considered using that, but thought better of it as it might resurrect John Denver from the GMG.com dead.

[Arkstfan]

To add a team will require 9 affirmative votes.

I don't see UAB as anything but a local disaster.

On a national basis, every so often (roughly every 8-10 years) someone gets antsy and starts wanting to make rules to make it harder to FBS to cull the herd. UAB dropping gives everyone a chance to counter that by simply saying "the market takes care of itself look at UAB." The Blazers getting hosed could end up being beneficial to the G5 schools.

Within CUSA, one thing Harry and I have discussed often over the years with realignment is how each round weakens a conference. The replacements are rarely as good as what left but even worse is that realignment allows the weaker parts of a league to become stuck sediment. You can't fix that without blowing a league up and starting over.

UAB is sort of the weird case of weird cases. They didn't even have athletics until 1978 (their president is an alum and graduated two years before they added sports). When they added football it was as a Division III program. As soon as they started, the NCAA banned Division I schools from playing Division II and III football (Division III was upset about schools like Dayton bringing kids in for visits when hoops was playing a name opponent). With few non-scholie FCS to play, they opted to become a scholarship program and figured they could go all the way to FBS for similar cost.

When they announced for FBS, there was a real struggle within CUSA because a number of members did not want to add them in football and the eventual compromise was to force them to play 1996, 1997, and 1998 as an independent before allowing them into CUSA football.

[SilverEagle]

If you are wondering why Liberty, Jerry Fallwell's university, is being discussed: Money

They already spend $20 million a year (for comparison LaTech's budget is ~18.5, ULL's is ~18.1, ArkSt is ~16.8) and have said they could spend much, much more if needed.

I don't doubt they could raise enough money to be the top budget in CUSA if that was required of them for admission.

ETA:

Budgets from a few years ago when teams were trying to get into the SBC.

School Revenue

---

Liberty University #147 – $19,437,572

Appalachian State #155 – $17,896,884

Lamar University #203 – $13,382,246

Jacksonville State #239 – $11,336,115

Georgia Southern #243 – $11,207,617

Sam Houston State #263 – $10,533,280

Well Holy Hayden Fry! It's finally become clear how we should proceed.

We just get some dynamic would-be evangelist (or theater arts student), complete with pompadour

to regularly go on TV and emotionally tell everyone that our athletic program is doing the Lord's work, and BAM! our athletic department coffers will get...... heavenly.

Instead of calling our spring game a "spring game", we could call it a revival.

[Cerebus]

Instead of calling our spring game a "spring game", we could call it a revival.

I'm getting desperate enough to try it. Isn't Benny Hinn just down the street in Grapevine?

[SilverEagle]

I'm getting desperate enough to try it. Isn't Benny Hinn just down the street in Grapevine?

.....and people roll their eyes every time I talk about how we don't have enough (or any) showmanship on game day. Here it is folks. Those poor dimwitted people just dig deep into their pockets over stuff like this.

On a side note. That guy hires some really impressive shills.

[MeanGreenTexan]

Benny Hinn for DC?

Looks like he can really teach how to hit people with authority. Might have to take a pay cut though.

[MCMLXXX]

We should add Army as football only and put them in the west like Navy in the AAC.

[MeanGreenTexan]

We should add Army as football only and put them in the west like Navy in the AAC.

Do you know where Army's campus is located? This makes no sense.