Marshall looking to bolt C-USA?

Coach Bill Lewis · June 14, 2016

Marshall writer is indicating a lot of regret over C-USA membership and indicating they wished thy would have stayed in MAC.

http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/ma...bc507.html

VideoEagle · June 14, 2016

Boy is it the off season. The writer is very, very selective in his comparisons. Yes, last year CUSA was forth in the group of five, but the year or two before it was higher - second I believe to the MWC. The MAC TV contract was lower than CUSAs from 2004 until NEXT season. So 11 years of higher contracts by around $1 million a year is worse than 2 years of $600,00 less? I wonder if Chuck Landon passed college math? Or can he even balance his own check book?

UNTexas · June 14, 2016

Of course they want to bolt. CUSA isn't the same conference it was a couple years ago.

NTXCoog · June 14, 2016

Marshall can complain, but they did nothing in CUSA prior to teams leaving to the AAC. 40-57 (41%) with only 2 seasons >=.500, both 7-6. Only once did they have a winning conference record.

Maybe if Marshall carried their weight prior to the split, CUSA's reputation might be better. While Marshall looks good now, them having little success until after the split only fuels the perception, true or not, that they're only winning now because the conference is weaker.

TreeFiddy · June 14, 2016

42 minutes ago, VideoEagle said:

Boy is it the off season. The writer is very, very selective in his comparisons. Yes, last year CUSA was forth in the group of five, but the year or two before it was higher - second I believe to the MWC. The MAC TV contract was lower than CUSAs from 2004 until NEXT season. So 11 years of higher contracts by around $1 million a year is worse than 2 years of $600,00 less? I wonder if Chuck Landon passed college math? Or can he even balance his own check book?

And it was only because Marshall shat the bed against WKU that our conference champ didn't go to a BCS bowl and possibly end up rated as the #1 conference that year.

Edited June 14, 2016 by TreeFiddy

ColoradoEagle · June 14, 2016

CUSA is a conference in transition with a lot more potential upside than the MAC. It feels like several schools are trying to find their footing (eg. NT), and will contribute more in the coming years. Now maybe the MAC is always ranked better in football and basketball in the future...I don't know. I do know that there is no upward movement with that conference, though. They will be in the exact same place 30 years from now that they are today.

forevereagle · June 14, 2016

51 minutes ago, UNTexas said:

Of course they want to bolt. CUSA isn't the same conference it was a couple years ago.

Aren't we looking to bolt? Every school in the conference would be gone in a minute if the opportunity presented itself.

GrandGreen · June 14, 2016

Every school wants to better themselves, and sport writers have to stir the pot. CUSA tried to placate ECU and Marshall by expanding in their region, but if they think the Mac a better fit, they should go for it. There is little loyalty to any conference, it is now all about the individual teams.

Frankly, I don't think there is any substantial difference between any of the G5's. CUSA's group of teams has as much potential as any of them. The AA conference has higher budgets but there are plenty of weak teams in that league. That is IMO the only G5 conference that NT could move to significantly improve their status.

TreeFiddy · June 14, 2016

2 hours ago, forevereagle said:

Aren't we looking to bolt? Every school in the conference would be gone in a minute if the opportunity presented itself.

President Smatresk, you have a call on line 1 from Karl Benson.

southsideguy · June 14, 2016

1 hour ago, TreeFiddy said:

President Smatresk, you have a call on line 1 from Karl Benson.

that is not funny !!!!! lol

Arkstfan · June 15, 2016

9 hours ago, TreeFiddy said:

And it was only because Marshall shat the bed against WKU that our conference champ didn't go to a BCS bowl and possibly end up rated as the #1 conference that year.

Marshall went into the WKU game rated 24th, that same poll had Boise State rated 23rd. Marshall lost and dropped out but Boise won and moved up to 22nd they seemed hell bent to punish Marshall for playing four cruddy non-conference games and one of them being a late replacement didn't seem to sway them.

The MAC would be a better league with 10 than 12. Too many schools aren't committed. I've said for years that I wished AState would recruit the midwest more, even before the upgrades we've done we were ahead of most MAC schools in facilities and few shell out much for salaries.

TreeFiddy · June 15, 2016

Hard to say what would have happened. Marshall would have been undefeated and if I recall I think Boise had 2 losses at the time.

It would not have been hard to envision Marshall getting the access slot with a win in the championship game. I am of the opinion that they would have gotten in, but they lost before they got the chance.

It would have been sweet satisfaction to earn the top slot right out of the gate. It would have flown in the face of those that assumed the MWC and AAC would dominate.

However, as I mentioned previously, Marshall failed to deliver when they had the opportunity. Much like UNT did late that year against UT-SA.

untjim1995 · June 15, 2016

Marshall really does belong in the MAC. They are regionally closer to those schools and have a history with them. They don't need to be in a conference with teams in Texas or Louisiana. Same with ODU, Charlotte, WKU, FAU, and FIU.

Aquila_Viridis · June 16, 2016

12 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

Marshall really does belong in the MAC. They are regionally closer to those schools and have a history with them. They don't need to be in a conference with teams in Texas or Louisiana. Same with ODU, Charlotte, WKU, FAU, and FIU.

We need to be with one of the Miami schools, not both. OD and Charlotte are large metros; we should stary with them. But OD is spending a lot more than us; must be addressed. If we could have a steady group then there could be controls among the group to avoid breakaways on budget.

untjim1995 · June 16, 2016

12 hours ago, Aquila_Viridis said:

We need to be with one of the Miami schools, not both. OD and Charlotte are large metros; we should stary with them. But OD is spending a lot more than us; must be addressed. If we could have a steady group then there could be controls among the group to avoid breakaways on budget.

The problem is that absolutely no one in Texas cares one lick about F_U, Charlotte, or ODU. And vice versa. Plus, it costs too much to travel to play them. You get nothing when they come here. At least playing UTEP, UTSA, La Tech, and other regional competition brings people here when we play them. ULL and Arky State brought people back in the SBC days, as well. Texas State would, as well.

Aldo · June 16, 2016

Don't sleep on FAU

UNTLifer · June 16, 2016

The topic of this thread is misleading. Not one official from Marshall University was quoted. This is just the wishes of this sportswriter.

North Texas Shep · June 16, 2016

Who doesn't want to bolt? All the teams want to be in a better conference. I am happy with the Texas opponents and I hope no matter what happens with conference realignment, we are grouped with other Texas schools. Dolla, dolla bills, y'all. All it is about.

UNTLifer · June 16, 2016

My point is the topic is misleading. Marshall has not vocalized they want to leave just one of their beat writers. We all want to move up and better our position. I think that is a given

untjim1995 · June 16, 2016

The big question that UNT's administration probably has no idea about is if the program will get the support it gets now if the lower G5s are officially relegated to being a non-FBS team by the college football powers.

Most of their media already want the schism to occur, as do their fanbases, who get strung along for season ticket packages featuring OOC games against non-power teams in both the G5 and FCS.

I would love to see us higher up in the G5s, but reality just doesn't really mesh with that. The MWC has no Texas teams, but it has a lot of options that are ahead of us on that list if they were going to expand over here, whether it was with Tech, Baylor, and TCU or UTEP, Rice, and UTSA. The AAC has their local team in SMU already and that ends the discussion right there, as well as also having UH. If they ever added another Texas market, it would certainly be one of the Big XII Texas leftovers or UTSA. Of course, if UTSA ever left, Texas State would fill in ASAP for them, which would be just as well for the rest of CUSA right now.

The Big XII is your next realignment domino--either thru expansion or thru destruction (or both)--that will fall within the next decade, causing more upheaval. When the Big XII gets complete with its plans, which will be no later than 2025, that should be when the Power Leagues make their official move forward.

I think that as long as we are playing conference teams in the state and region, even if its lower, we will be ok.