More Talk of CUSA Demise

[Wag Tag]

25 minutes ago, dawgxas said:

Why would North Texas want to merge with the Sunbelt when they left the Sunbelt and moved up to CUSA?

Tech has turned down the Sunbelt 3 times over the years. Initially when the Sunbelt formed in 1996. ULL has been mad over that ever since. Does ULL have some decent programs? Yes Baseball and Softball.

Tech is the flagship school in the University of Louisiana system by far the best academics, most selective, highest test scores, highest grad and retention rate, Highest Salary among graduates and the only Tier 1 school in the UL system. ULL has more students Yes; they are considerably more people in Acadiana than North Louisiana.

BTW CUSA academics are superior to Sunbelt too. 8 tier 1 schools vs 2 tier 1 schools. That makes a difference among the presidents and Tech’s president is the chair of CUSA Board of Directors.

I haven’t seen any rational pro merger posts yet that would change the mind of those in charge

$$$$ saved. 

[wardly]

Unless football season is cancelled I doubt there will be enough financial pressure on G5 programs to consider realignment. Perhaps another solution is for CUSA to cherry pick the SBC and add 2 to 4 programs which would increase divisional play and reduce travel expenses. For example, if you had 16 programs you could play 7 divisional opponents, 3 out of conference, and have 2 permanent opponents from the other division similar to SEC. That would eliminate games like ODU playing UTEP.

[GrayEagle]

2 hours ago, wardly said:

Unless football season is cancelled I doubt there will be enough financial pressure on G5 programs to consider realignment. Perhaps another solution is for CUSA to cherry pick the SBC and add 2 to 4 programs which would increase divisional play and reduce travel expenses. For example, if you had 16 programs you could play 7 divisional opponents, 3 out of conference, and have 2 permanent opponents from the other division similar to SEC. That would eliminate games like ODU playing UTEP.

That would be great if CUSA wasn't already at 14 teams.  Further, those 14 teams are too scattered for even that number to be workable unless you are a P5 university.  

If CUSA could dispose of four teams and cherry pick Louisiana, Arkansas State, Troy and Appalachian State they would certainly improve the quality of Conference USA football.  However, that might also lower the quality of basketball, especially if Western Kentucky were one of the eliminated teams.

What I would prefer to see is the two conferences divided on an east/west basis with UL-Monroe returning to the FCS.  CUSA would keep the seven schools currently comprising the Western Division and add Louisiana, Texas State, Arkansas State, Troy and South Alabama.  You might even take New Mexico State instead of South Alabama which would give you more strength in basketball and football and a basketball travel partner with UTEP.  However, selfishly that would mean that we would play La Tech every third year roughly and also place Louisiana and La Tech in the same division.

I don't like 16 team conferences and the only ones that I remember is the failed WAC and the old Southern Conference that eventually broke up.  Even the P5s stop at 14.

 

Edited June 6, 2020 by GrayEagle

[wardly]

3 hours ago, GrayEagle said:

That would be great if CUSA wasn't already at 14 teams.  Further, those 14 teams are too scattered for even that number to be workable unless you are a P5 university.  

If CUSA could dispose of four teams and cherry pick Louisiana, Arkansas State, Troy and Appalachian State they would certainly improve the quality of Conference USA football.  However, that might also lower the quality of basketball, especially if Western Kentucky were one of the eliminated teams.

What I would prefer to see is the two conferences divided on an east/west basis with UL-Monroe returning to the FCS.  CUSA would keep the seven schools currently comprising the Western Division and add Louisiana, Texas State, Arkansas State, Troy and South Alabama.  You might even take New Mexico State instead of South Alabama which would give you more strength in basketball and football and a basketball travel partner with UTEP.  However, selfishly that would mean that we would play La Tech every third year roughly and also place Louisiana and La Tech in the same division.

I don't like 16 team conferences and the only ones that I remember is the failed WAC and the old Southern Conference that eventually broke up.  Even the P5s stop at 14.

 

I agree. However there appears to be zero interest in a merger/realignment on CUSA/SBC by any decision maker so perhaps another way to reduce travel expenses is by expansion. If you could increase interdivision play and reduce crossover games you might have an opportunity to economize. It was a different time when the WAC expanded to 16 programs, and if some P5 card shuffling occurs in 2025 then you could see 4 major conferences, not 5, when the smoke clears. At 77 I hope I am around to see it.

[untjim1995]

If the SBC and CUSA don't want to reorganize, that's a mistake. 

But, if I were the CUSA commish, this is what I would do:

Invite Ga Southern, App State, ULL, and Ark State. That would give each division 9 teams. Then, I'd only play divisional games in conference play, never anything cross-divisional. That gives each team 8 conference games that are no further than a 2.5 hour flight. For us, we would play UTEP, UTSA, Rice, La Tech, Ark State, ULL, USM, and UAB. Then, you play the CUSA championship game on a neutral site, like the MAC does, say in New Orleans or St. Louis against the Eastern champ.

You get away from 2 games against teams it makes no sense to play in a conference setup, where no fans from your school care about the other division and their fans don't come to your stadium beyond 50 parents or die hard fans. Rivalries are easier to build if you play the same teams every year and they aren't far away.

The more I look at this setup, the more I like it.

[wardly]

1 hour ago, untjim1995 said:

If the SBC and CUSA don't want to reorganize, that's a mistake. 

But, if I were the CUSA commish, this is what I would do:

Invite Ga Southern, App State, ULL, and Ark State. That would give each division 9 teams. Then, I'd only play divisional games in conference play, never anything cross-divisional. That gives each team 8 conference games that are no further than a 2.5 hour flight. For us, we would play UTEP, UTSA, Rice, La Tech, Ark State, ULL, USM, and UAB. Then, you play the CUSA championship game on a neutral site, like the MAC does, say in New Orleans or St. Louis against the Eastern champ.

You get away from 2 games against teams it makes no sense to play in a conference setup, where no fans from your school care about the other division and their fans don't come to your stadium beyond 50 parents or die hard fans. Rivalries are easier to build if you play the same teams every year and they aren't far away.

The more I look at this setup, the more I like it.

But no decision makers do.

[Stix]

10 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

If the SBC and CUSA don't want to reorganize, that's a mistake. 

But, if I were the CUSA commish, this is what I would do:

Invite Ga Southern, App State, ULL, and Ark State. That would give each division 9 teams. Then, I'd only play divisional games in conference play, never anything cross-divisional. That gives each team 8 conference games that are no further than a 2.5 hour flight. For us, we would play UTEP, UTSA, Rice, La Tech, Ark State, ULL, USM, and UAB. Then, you play the CUSA championship game on a neutral site, like the MAC does, say in New Orleans or St. Louis against the Eastern champ.

You get away from 2 games against teams it makes no sense to play in a conference setup, where no fans from your school care about the other division and their fans don't come to your stadium beyond 50 parents or die hard fans. Rivalries are easier to build if you play the same teams every year and they aren't far away.

The more I look at this setup, the more I like it.

+1 for suggesting 9 team divisions - like 2 conferences in one!

[GrandGreen]

14 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

If the SBC and CUSA don't want to reorganize, that's a mistake. 

But, if I were the CUSA commish, this is what I would do:

Invite Ga Southern, App State, ULL, and Ark State. That would give each division 9 teams. Then, I'd only play divisional games in conference play, never anything cross-divisional. That gives each team 8 conference games that are no further than a 2.5 hour flight. For us, we would play UTEP, UTSA, Rice, La Tech, Ark State, ULL, USM, and UAB. Then, you play the CUSA championship game on a neutral site, like the MAC does, say in New Orleans or St. Louis against the Eastern champ.

You get away from 2 games against teams it makes no sense to play in a conference setup, where no fans from your school care about the other division and their fans don't come to your stadium beyond 50 parents or die hard fans. Rivalries are easier to build if you play the same teams every year and they aren't far away.

The more I look at this setup, the more I like it.

14 teams are too many.  The last thing CUSA needs is more teams.  Better to just swap East and Middle America teams and come up with two separate regional leagues. Then add a couple of teams, but no more.   9 teams is a optimal conference size.  

[untjim1995]

12 hours ago, GrandGreen said:

14 teams are too many.  The last thing CUSA needs is more teams.  Better to just swap East and Middle America teams and come up with two separate regional leagues. Then add a couple of teams, but no more.   9 teams is a optimal conference size.  

That’s what I am advocating. And have those two divisions play each other in a championship game. The West and East don’t play each other but it’s taking the best of the SBC and adding them to CUSA while cutting down on travel still.