Sunbelt Might Add 11Th School For Football

ColoradoEagle · April 18, 2011

CUSA had two teams in the NCAA tournament where we've had one most years since UNT joined. They appeared in six bowl games last year where the SBC was in three. CUSA schools average just a hair less than 10k per football game more than SBC schools. They average almost 3k more per basketball game than the SBC; 2k more if you remove Memphis from the equation. They just got a $43 million contract with FSN, and I can't find any information about how much the SBC's is currently worth.

The SBC is coming along, especially in facilities, but the conference as a whole is not on the same level as CUSA. Now if you're talking strictly perception, I doubt your average joe sees much of any difference between CUSA and SBC, since most average joes are all about the big six conferences.

The main problem with the SBC is there are certain schools that underfund their programs either by choice or by lack of options. The smallest athletic budget at any CUSA school is $19.5m at Southern Miss. The smallest in the SBC are Louisiana-Monroe at $10.7 million, Louisiana-Lafayette at $12.3m and Arkansas State at $13.3m. We've been at about $17 million, and next year I'd imagine it'll be $24-25 million. You basically have NT, WKU, MTSU, FAU, and FIU pumping cash into athletics (all spending in the low to mid $20m range), and then it falls off a cliff from there.

Edit: Another thought is that the SBC is barely on TV compared with CUSA. An SBC basketball or football game on ESPN is an event, because it doesn't happen but half a dozen times a year for both sports combined. Hopefully that changes as ESPN attempts to put the screws to CUSA and the MWC via the SBC and MAC (or maybe WAC still instead of MAC?). Good timing on our contract being up for re-negotiation. It'd be great to see one of our games this year on ESPN2 or ESPNU. Bet that stadium is gonna look as amazing on TV as in person.

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wardly · April 18, 2011

CUSA had two teams in the NCAA tournament where we've had one most years since UNT joined. They appeared in six bowl games last year where the SBC was in three. CUSA schools average just a hair less than 10k per football game more than SBC schools. They average almost 3k more per basketball game than the SBC; 2k more if you remove Memphis from the equation. They just got a $43 million contract with FSN, and I can't find any information about how much the SBC's is currently worth.

The SBC is coming along, especially in facilities, but the conference as a whole is not on the same level as CUSA. Now if you're talking strictly perception, I doubt your average joe sees much of any difference between CUSA and SBC, since most average joes are all about the big six conferences.

The main problem with the SBC is there are certain schools that underfund their programs either by choice or by lack of options. The smallest athletic budget at any CUSA school is $19.5m at Southern Miss. The smallest in the SBC are Louisiana-Monroe at $10.7 million, Louisiana-Lafayette at $12.3m and Arkansas State at $13.3m. We've been at about $17 million, and next year I'd imagine it'll be $24-25 million. You basically have NT, WKU, MTSU, FAU, and FIU pumping cash into athletics (all spending in the low to mid $20m range), and then it falls off a cliff from there.

Edit: Another thought is that the SBC is barely on TV compared with CUSA. An SBC basketball or football game on ESPN is an event, because it doesn't happen but half a dozen times a year for both sports combined. Hopefully that changes as ESPN attempts to put the screws to CUSA and the MWC via the SBC and MAC (or maybe WAC still instead of MAC?). Good timing on our contract being up for re-negotiation. It'd be great to see one of our games this year on ESPN2 or ESPNU. Bet that stadium is gonna look as amazing on TV as in person.

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good post. if we add a team or 2, i think its got to be a 1aa moving up, especially if we grow south east. nmsu and la tech bring nothing to the table.

UNTcrazy727 · April 18, 2011

good post. if we add a team or 2, i think its got to be a 1aa moving up, especially if we grow south east. nmsu and la tech bring nothing to the table.

What does a FCS team bring that LA Tech doesn't?

wardly · April 18, 2011

What does a FCS team bring that LA Tech doesn't?

a new market, such as georgia. monroe is much larger thar ruston, and judging from la tech's attendance, few people from shreveport support the dogs. it just appears to me that we don't need another piss ant sports program in ne la. just an old man's opinion.

foutsrouts · April 18, 2011

a new market, such as georgia. monroe is much larger thar ruston, and judging from la tech's attendance, few people from shreveport support the dogs. it just appears to me that we don't need another piss ant sports program in ne la. just an old man's opinion.

I agree that a lot of it is just perception, and that this perception may vary depending on what part of the state you're from, but FWIW I think that LA Tech is generally considered the second best public school in Louisiana. At least that's what most of the LA people I know seem to think.

wardly · April 19, 2011

I agree that a lot of it is just perception, and that this perception may vary depending on what part of the state you're from, but FWIW I think that LA Tech is generally considered the second best public school in Louisiana. At least that's what most of the LA people I know seem to think.

i don't disagree, but they have a poor, underfunded athletic program with a small vocal fan base and little attendance at events. from a conference point of view, la. monroe serves the the same market. if we are going to expand,i would hope that we enter new states..i don't understand us not wanting to add strong 1aa programs. i may be wrong, but i think that ull and usa are only belt members that didn't move up from 1aa[i'm not sure about fau and fiu].at any rate, i would rather have a georgia or n.carolina 1aa program moving up rather than a school in the same rual louisiana area as an existing conference member.

shaft · April 19, 2011

One might want to read the Shreveport newspaper before they speculate on which team dominates the market.

wardly · April 20, 2011

One might want to read the Shreveport newspaper before they speculate on which team dominates the market.

i read shreveport times on line. to compare shreveport market vs monroe market is like 2 bald men fighting over a comb.i just don't see the need to have two conference members in such a small market if we can add members in states where we have no representation.again, just my opinion. in a perfect world ulm would drop back to southland conference and la tech join the belt, but i don't see that happening.