For Cajuns, conference alignment a matter of timing

[Harry]

When conference realignment was in full-fledged zaniness a couple of years back, UL — its facilities aging, its athletic budget not nearly as high as many NCAA Division I football programs — didn't feel especially ready to make a jump out of the Sun Belt Conference.

Conference USA — which wound up adding former Sun Belt members North Texas, Middle Tennessee, Florida Atlantic and Florida International, and as of Tuesday will add ex-SBC member Western Kentucky to its roster as well — didn't give the Ragin' Cajuns much of a sniff.

But now UL's budget has climbed to the $18-plus million range, and the school is in the early stages of a $115 million athletic facilities masterplan intended to produce major renovation to its football, baseball and track-and-field/soccer facilities, among others.

And the nationwide movement that was once frantic has come to almost a screeching halt, something at least one Ragin' Cajuns leader doesn't necessarily see as a bad thing.

Read more: http://www.theadvertiser.com/story/sports/college/ul/2014/06/27/cajuns-conference-alignment-matter-timing/11555017/

[emmitt01]

They just had a player taken #10 in the NBA draft.

Apparently player development CAN be done.

[UNT90]

There.

Not here.

[Daddy Dumpsalot]

Please no.

[ChristopherRyanWilkes]

Their athletics have been awesome this year. NCAA tourney,bowl win,ranked #1 in baseball pre-college world series.

Edited July 1, 2014 by ChristopherRyanWilkes

[greenminer]

There athletics have been awesome this year. NCAA tourney,bowl win,ranked #1 in baseball pre-college world series.

Lafayette, what I've heard, is an incredible gameday atmosphere too.

I just don't understand why people think they'd be a lousy addition. IMO, they make much more sense than the F?Us.

[MeanGreenGlory]

Lafayette, what I've heard, is an incredible gameday atmosphere too.

I just don't understand why people think they'd be a lousy addition. IMO, they make much more sense than the F?Us.

True. But our conference mates really wanted the Florida market and recruiting pipeline.

[Ben Gooding]

They make far more sense than compared to ODU & Charlotte. I understand wanting the CUSA brand in Fl, but ODU n Char make no sense considering A State and ULL is left to dry in the belt.

[MeanGreenGlory]

They make far more sense than compared to ODU & Charlotte. I understand wanting the CUSA brand in Fl, but ODU n Char make no sense considering A State and ULL is left to dry in the belt.

I agree 100% that ULL should have been added over some of the other schools, but you have to remember that CUSA was trying to please Eastern Carolina at the time to keep them in the conference. They were also looking at TV markets and the fact that we had two Louisiana teams at the time (La. Tech and Tulane). Given those three criteria, ODU and Chatolette made more "sense."

Hindsight - ULL would have been a far better fit.

[Ben Gooding]

Yeah, all of that sounds reasonable. But the conference had to have at least an idea that ECU and Tulane were crossings T's & dotting I's in preparation to depart. I also don't understand why a conference would try to please one particular team. It just seems like the conference dropped the ball. Adding A-State & ULL and never adding ODU & Char would have made the conference far more competitive and the perception wouldn't have had such a significant drop in perception. It is what it is and nothing to do about it now, but CUSA administrators really messed up.

[Eagle1855]

Charlotte and ODU represent significantly larger TV markets than Lafayette (#24 and #43 respectively, vs #123). Which may not matter as much for Big State U (which generally already benefit from significant interest in multiple surrounding larger markets), but it is a consideration for lesser-known/followed programs (like us).

College football has gone ape-sh!t for TV money, so the moves make sense even with ECU's defection.

But I'm with everyone else: If it was just about the quality of program, the support of the fanbase, and the game-day atmosphere -- I'm taking ULL over every new addition to C-USA that isn't us.

[DeepGreen]

Look for ULL to be a nice addition to the AAC. Too much going ULL's way. Tulane will be give in on the addition.

[Eagle1855]

Look for ULL to be a nice addition to the AAC. Too much going ULL's way. Tulane will be give in on the addition.

Why? They really don't bring anything to the table that isn't already satisfied by Tulane (and Houston). And they offer absolutely nothing in the way of prestige, in any capacity. Tulane will look at their addition the same way SMU views us.

[greenminer]

Why? They really don't bring anything to the table that isn't already satisfied by Tulane (and Houston). And they offer absolutely nothing in the way of prestige, in any capacity. Tulane will look at their addition the same way SMU views us.

Isn't Tulane a private school? Does that matter?

[Ben Gooding]

Not really.

[untjim1995]

Isn't Tulane a private school? Does that matter?

It matters when Tulane can lord it over them when fighting over recruits and media in Louisiana (See SMU versus UNT forever). ULL ain't going to the AAC--maybe to CUSA, but nowhere higher. They are just like almost every other CUSA and SBC school right now--if you have a market that is sizable and don't have another team to split it with, then the AAC or the MWC might look your way. Otherwise, we all are staying put for a while. Teams like Southern Miss, Marshall, Western Kentucky, Arkansas State, Troy, South Alabama, ULL, La Tech, and ULM are pretty much stuck where they are as we move forward because they have no TV market to sell. Teams like Rice, UNT, UTSA, Texas State, Middle Tennessee, F_U, Georgia State, Charlotte, and Old Dominion provide the market size that TV wants, but they either share with other schools in conferences higher up the foodchain or the big AQ powers control those media markets already (Houston, DFW, San Antonio, Austin, Nashville, Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, and wahtever markets ODU serves).

UTEP is the one who stands out as the most potential to move out west, just because they have El Paso all to themselves. UTSA will try to sell that same thing to other conferences about San Antonio, but its clear that they don't have the market to themselves like UTEP does. I still think the MWC will scoop up Texas markets in the next few years--could be UTEP, Rice, UTSA, or us, in some combo. I guess we will see how it goes...

[greenit]

I doubt astate ever sees CUSA and when CUSA added WKU, the public word on the street at the time was that WKU and NMSU were the next two in line. Not sure if that has changed since.

[DeepGreen]

Cajuns are on a roll. Multiple championships, or at the very least, top tier programs. Increasing FB stadium capacity to over 40K and they will have no problem filling it for home games. Great tailgating, etc. They remind me of Eastern Carolina. Tulane won't have half the football crowds that ULL will have.

[Eagle1855]

Cajuns are on a roll. Multiple championships, or at the very least, top tier programs. Increasing FB stadium capacity to over 40K and they will have no problem filling it for home games. Great tailgating, etc. They remind me of Eastern Carolina. Tulane won't have half the football crowds that ULL will have.

I agree... but since when does that matter in conference realignment? It's all about markets. I'm not trying to be contentious, but every single realignment move has been a strategic play by a given conference to secure a new market. In this sense, ULL brings nothing to the AAC. And never will.

Just as we will never be invited to the AAC. Even if we eclipse SMU in every single measurable for a decade.

Edited July 2, 2014 by Eagle1855

[VideoEagle]

I agree... but since when does that matter in conference realignment? It's all about markets. I'm not trying to be contentious, but every single realignment move has been a strategic play by a given conference to secure a new market. In this sense, ULL brings nothing to the AAC. And never will.

Just as we will never be invited to the AAC. Even if we eclipse SMU in every single measurable for a decade.

The interesting thing is to the regional sports networks like Fox, it's NOT about markets anymore. Far more important is how loyal are your fans. Will they change TV providers is the games are not on the air? Do they watch the broadcasts loyally and support the advertisers? In that regard, the Cajuns with their rabid fans actually ARE more valuable than Tulane. When you move from the P5 to the G5, it's a different game the networks are playing. The conferences don't appear to have paid attention to this important detail and instead focused on.

This is also why IF NT can build a loyal, rabid fan base we will become more valuable to the networks than SMU. Please note the words "loyal" and "rabid" which unfortunately doesn't discribe enough of our fans!