Marshall's move to C-USA

[eulesseagle]

http://www.dailymail.com/news/Sports/2006063010/

[Arkstfan]

Of course there are a few missing facts there.

CUSA racked up major NCAA units before the Big East raided. The check Marshall got includes 5 units from Marquette's Final Four appearance and another five from Louisville's.

Also of great use to Marshall is the fact that they didn't get their TV contract renegotiated after the defections. ESPN agreed to honor it despite the league losing Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, Marquette, and DePaul. No big deal until you stop and realize most of their TV value has come from basketball. That of course doesn't mean the contract will be renewed at those numbers.

As to the football scheduling they glossed over the fact that Tennessee had agreed to come in before they left the MAC and Big 12 member Kansas State came in as well.

It's not CUSA membership causing that. Rather it has been television. Marshall has three final rankings since 1999 and a 5-2 bowl record (six of those appearances under MAC negotiated deals). Marshall is a school TV is willing to carry but would rather they play someone Joe Fan has heard of, TV offers incentives to name teams to make these sorts of trips. The question is will TV continue to do that now that Marshall is threatening to look like a CUSA also-ran? Personally I'd bet Central Florida and Tulsa find more benefit from TV's scheduling help than Marshall will, unless Marshall bounces back.

[eulesseagle]

ArkstFan--

You bring up some good points but miss the main point.

1. C-USA schools are able to receive more money from the various revenues of TV & bowl games. The public is, probably, more familiar with the school in C-USA than SBC.

2. C-USA schools get more revenue because of the quality of teams in FB and BB. When the #1 SBC school has to play the #4 C-USA team in the N.O. bowl what does that tell you about the strength of the conference and the number of teams they are able to supply to the "plethora" of bowl games??

3. SBC schools do not have the opportunity to share in the wealth of the success of the other SBC schools because .... how can I say this politely.....this conference su@@@!! The SBC is lucky to have at least one team, much less two with a winning record in football by the end of December. In BB the SBC just gets one invititation to the "Big Dance" and the SBC has never advanced past the first round.

Marshall was 4-7 last year and 6-6 the year before "but" they get all the revenue sharing just like Baylor does in the Big 12. You think Baylor wants to leave the Big 12??? or Northwestern leave the Big 10???

The point is that a better conference will bring in additional revenue from everyone who is successful in your conference. That is why it is important for UNT, especiallly, to get out of the SBC!!!

[GreenEddieNT]

ArkstFan--

You bring up some good points but miss the main point.

1.  C-USA schools are able to receive more money from the various revenues of  TV & bowl games.  The public is, probably, more familiar with the school in C-USA than SBC. 

2.  C-USA schools get more revenue because of the quality of teams in FB and BB.  When the #1 SBC school has to play the #4 C-USA team in the N.O. bowl what does that tell you about the strength of the conference and the number of teams they are able to supply to the "plethora" of bowl games??

3.  SBC schools do not have the opportunity to share in the wealth of the success of the other SBC schools because .... how can I say this politely.....this conference su@@@!!  The SBC is lucky to have at least one team, much less two with a winning record in football by the end of December.  In BB the SBC just gets one invititation to the "Big Dance" and the SBC has never advanced past the first round.

Marshall was 4-7 last year and 6-6 the year before "but" they get all the revenue sharing just like Baylor does in the Big 12.  You think Baylor wants to leave the Big 12??? or Northwestern leave the Big 10???

The point is that a better conference will bring in additional revenue from everyone who is successful in your conference.  That is why it is important for UNT, especiallly, to get out of the SBC!!!

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Even without counting the checks that CUSA pays to its members, we'd make a lot more money in CUSA just from the fact that CUSA teams would draw more fans to Fouts and the Super Pit than Sun Belt teams do. Also CUSA teams have better facilities, larger fan bases, more tradition, are better known, etc...I mean it goes beyond just a money issue. You are judged by the schools that you're associated with. Our stature in the eyes of the world would go up several notches just from wearing the CUSA patch on our uniforms. That's why we have to do whatever it takes to get there. Fire Darrel Dickey and build that stadium now.

[LoveMG]

That's why we have to do whatever it takes to get there.  Fire Darrel Dickey and build that stadium now.

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right on!!!!!

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

ArkstFan--

The point is that a better conference will bring in additional revenue from everyone who is successful in your conference.  That is why it is important for UNT, especiallly, to get out of the SBC!!!

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Which highlites the point I tried to make in another thread about how tragic the SMU vote and effort was to keep us out of the SWC. Our history and status would likely be much different today had we succeeded and we needed only one more vote for admission.

---SMU shot us down and convinced TCU and Baylor to join them. We needed 7 votes for us, we got 6. UT and Arkansas really supported our admission..

[Arkstfan]

No you missed the point.

#1. CUSA revenue is heavily based on NCAA Tournament units earned by schools that have left. Over the next few years that money goes away.

#2. The bulk of CUSA TV revenue comes from a contract signed before five major television markets became former markets. ESPN Sports (which for those not paying attention is now the arm that handles all sports programming for ABC, there actually isn't an ABC Sports any more) was willing to let that contract stand because they were basically a conspirator in the ACC raid of the Big East and heavily influenced who the Big East selected from CUSA, renegotiating would have caused ESPN problems. There is no guarantee that money remains in the next TV deal.

#3. According to an article earlier in the year in the same paper you linked to, CUSA LOST over a half million dollars on its bowl appearances last year.

For years CUSA and the WAC stood alone between the BCS schools and the rest of I-A in revenue. Today it is CUSA and the MWC but UNLESS something improves, within 5 years CUSA revenue will have dipped in the WAC/MAC/Sun Belt revenue neighborhood and will join us in looking at how well the MWC is doing financially.