Sun Belt Conference Is Coming On...

ParksAndRecRick · October 16, 2007

We all know how GRAND the Commissioner has been. And, here is something I hope he can pull off in the future...

...Troy RIGHT NOW is a Top 25 program. No question in my mind. We have many Belt programs ready to flourish BIG TIME including our own Mean Green!

If we don't have another Bowl tie-in, we need to have the Commissioner the power to take our Number One (in future years) and move them to another Bowl or bring a ranked team to New Orleans.

I believe we will have a 10-2 or 11-1 team in the Belt very soon.... If you look what happens when the come to Belt Stadiums, the results are clear! The Belt can play football!!!!

You gugs who know more about this type thing...is it possible some day that all Division I conferences can be B.C.S. Conferences? I was just wondering.

Big game for the Mean Green Saturday! Remember that Troy is a Top 25 program RIGHT NOW!

Go Green! Go Sun Belt!

Edited October 16, 2007 by ParksAndRecRick

stebo · October 17, 2007

Hey Rick,

Two years ago the non-BCS schools became BCS schools. All 11 conferences are now BCS conference schools. Now, the big 6 have auto bids to the BCS bowls; but there is an entry point every year for the non-BCS schools. Instead of having the BCS Bowls rotate the Natl Championship, they added a new game called the Natl Championship game the the non-auto-qualifiers have a shot at a rotating bowl every year. So far, the BCS "bubble" has been busted both years. And both years, the non-auto qualifying team won their BCS bowl game. Two years ago it was Utah that beat a pretty lousy Pitt. Their coach was promptly hired away by Florida. Last year, Boise State beat OU in the Fiesta Bowl on a last minute trick play. It was absolutely splendid.

Soooo - technically speaking, all 11 FBS Conferences (formerly IA) are now "BCS" schools. 6 of the 11 have an auto bid for their champion regardless of ranking. In order to bust the bubble, a member of the non-auto-qualifiying conference must meet a set of criteria... like being ranked in the top 12 of BCS standings, etc... It basically means that we would have to go unbeaten as well as win their conference. That is not really fair but it is better then it used to be (Ask Tulane - they went undefeated a few years back and got left out of the big money bowls). A Big 12 school can have 2,3, even 4 losses - win their conference - and still go, as long as they win their conference. So far, this year - Hawaii is the only school that has a shot at busting the bubble - but they have a pretty good shot at it. Then again, there are quite a few teams losing and we could POSSIBLY get a second team in this year (not likely, but not mathematically impossible)

In addition to getting a little bit of validity, we all have a much bigger piece of the pie. We used to get "hush money" - it was a stipend. We all get a share of the BCS money now. Even the little ole Sun Belt - and since there are less of us, we get more because we have less teams to split our amount with. In addition - we also get a second share of the big money if ANY of the other non-auto bid conferences get a team in. Last year, when Boise got in - we actually got an extra $87K at North Texas as a result of it. Boise got about $3 million. The new BCS game for teams from the WAC, MWC, Belt, CUSA, and MAC doesn't pay the same amount as the others but it is sure a lot more then ANY of our previous bowl payouts that we had access to. So it is all about the auto-bid and non-auto-bid now. So I guess the question really needs to be, "Will the BCS system ever have an auto-bid" for all BCS conferences?" I think that will come with time. Especially if the qualifying team each year continues to win... and tickets sell.... and ratings hold strong... Two seasons into the new system and things are looking good. The only people that do not have access to the BCS Bowl system are the IA Indies minus Notre Dame. So, schools like Army and Navy could go undefeated and still not be invited to a BCS Bowl..

CMJ · October 17, 2007

Utah was actually 3 years ago and they got into the Fiesta under the old system where it was practically impossible for a non BCS league to get in.

ParksAndRecRick · October 17, 2007

Stebo,

Thanks for the update pal. See ya soon!

Rick

chrisfisher · October 17, 2007

We all know how GRAND the Commissioner has been. And, here is something I hope he can pull off in the future...
...Troy RIGHT NOW is a Top 25 program. No question in my mind. We have many Belt programs ready to flourish BIG TIME including our own Mean Green!
If we don't have another Bowl tie-in, we need to have the Commissioner the power to take our Number One (in future years) and move them to another Bowl or bring a ranked team to New Orleans.
I believe we will have a 10-2 or 11-1 team in the Belt very soon.... If you look what happens when the come to Belt Stadiums, the results are clear! The Belt can play football!!!!
You gugs who know more about this type thing...is it possible some day that all Division I conferences can be B.C.S. Conferences? I was just wondering.
Big game for the Mean Green Saturday! Remember that Troy is a Top 25 program RIGHT NOW!
Go Green! Go Sun Belt!

I agree and share your excitement about the SBC. I have seen major momentum build over the past 3 seasons. Unfortunately that momentum has been with other Belt teams, as when I arrived at UNT, we went on our losing steaks. I am really hopeful that Dodge will turn that around. Anyway, in terms of football, I think the SBC is very close to CUSA (though they have the upper hand in Basketball). The SBC has made major MONUMENTAL strides in its short football history. Like the SBC commish said, when this football thing started out, he could only ask, "Will this even work?" Now he asks, "How far can we take this?"

GreenTiger_OriginalAcct · October 17, 2007

I think the funniest thing I have heard this week are the complaints about South Florida and Wake Forest being so high in the standings. People are actually complaining that these are not traditional powerhouses and asking why are they that highly ranked. Both of these schools are in BCS conferences!!! The NCAA$ hypocrisy never ends.

akriesman · October 17, 2007

I think the funniest thing I have heard this week are the complaints about South Florida and Wake Forest being so high in the standings. People are actually complaining that these are not traditional powerhouses and asking why are they that highly ranked. Both of these schools are in BCS conferences!!! The NCAA$ hypocrisy never ends.

Traditional powerhouses are having to share more of their money, and the schools and their fans don't like it.

It was funny listening to Mike Reiner on The Ticket yesterday going off about all the "directional" schools in 1A (i.e. South Florida, Central Florida). What is so bad about a directional school ? How is that worse than a technical school (Tech's) or an agriculture and marine school (A&M's).

Times change. Eventually, I can see the private schools having to form their own league. They won't be able to compete with the larger state schools as time goes on.

untbowler · October 17, 2007

I think overall the sun Belt is doing great in all sports right now, with the exception of Football, although it is improving greatly on a yearly basis.

Sun Belt will get there it will just take some more time. FAU, MTSU, Troy, and UNT will be leading the pack, with WKU following close behind for a nother year or 2 and then they will be neck and neck for a 5 - Team race every year.

UNTLifer · October 17, 2007

I think overall the sun Belt is doing great in all sports right now, with the exception of Football, although it is improving greatly on a yearly basis.
Sun Belt will get there it will just take some more time. FAU, MTSU, Troy, and UNT will be leading the pack, with WKU following close behind for a nother year or 2 and then they will be neck and neck for a 5 - Team race every year.

I would add Arkansas State to that list. The only schools that seem to continually struggle are ULM, ULL and FIU.

chrisfisher · October 17, 2007

Traditional powerhouses are having to share more of their money, and the schools and their fans don't like it.
It was funny listening to Mike Reiner on The Ticket yesterday going off about all the "directional" schools in 1A (i.e. South Florida, Central Florida). What is so bad about a directional school ? How is that worse than a technical school (Tech's) or an agriculture and marine school (A&M's).
Times change. Eventually, I can see the private schools having to form their own league. They won't be able to compete with the larger state schools as time goes on.

And they forget that even some power house school are directional names....Take USC, for example... University of Southern California....

My friends and I do joke about schools with long ass names that involve a direction plus a state, tech, and a lengthy mascot name... like The University of Southcentral Eastern Illinois State Fighting Red Gophers The MUTS may fall into this category...

Edited October 17, 2007 by chrisfisher

Cr1028 · October 17, 2007

And they forget that even some power house school are directional names....Take USC, for example... University of Southern California....
My friends and I do joke about schools with long ass names that involve a direction plus a state, tech, and a lengthy mascot name... like The University of Southcentral Eastern Illinois State Fighting Red Gophers The MUTS may fall into this category...

You mean like the SCLSU Mud Dogs?

MeanMag · October 17, 2007

You mean like the SCLSU Mud Dogs?

something more along the lines of soutwest texas state san marcos bobcats.

adman · October 17, 2007

or an agriculture and marine school (A&M's).

Not to be a picker of nits but I think the "M" in A&M stands for Mechanical.

greenminer · October 17, 2007

I've never in my life heard of the M in A&M standing for marine. I suppose you might see it somewhere with a sizeable pond?

...but College Station? Definitely mechanical.

UNTflyer · October 17, 2007

...is it possible some day that all Division I conferences can be B.C.S. Conferences?

All Div-I conferences are BCS conferences. They just don't all get automatic bids. It's how they eliminate half of Div-I from competition.

CMJ · October 17, 2007

Times change. Eventually, I can see the private schools having to form their own league. They won't be able to compete with the larger state schools as time goes on.

You really don't think Miami, Notre Dame & USC won't be able to compete? They are all privates - and I don't see any of them as being irrelevant any time soon.

(No, not even Notre Dame)

For that matter, I believe the #3 Boston College Eagles are private.

Not to mention all the private powerhouses in basketball. You're not gonna get the ACC to toss out Duke anytime soon - even though they don't even try to compete in football.