CUSA got raided and this is what remains...
- Thread starter dawgstudent
- Start date
Memphis finally getting the attention they've claimed to deserve for decades.
Sucks to be a Mustard Buzzard today. Must be feeling like the fat kid getting picked last for dodgeball.
Sucks to be a Mustard Buzzard today. Must be feeling like the fat kid getting picked last for dodgeball.
Lol what? Did you drop these? *****
USM and Marshall are rumored to be joining the Sun Belt. If that happens, USM is arguably in a better position than Memphis. As for the AAC, if 10 of your teams used to be in C-USA, doesn’t that just make you... C-USA?
USM and Marshall are rumored to be joining the Sun Belt. If that happens, USM is arguably in a better position than Memphis. As for the AAC, if 10 of your teams used to be in C-USA, doesn’t that just make you... C-USA?
The CUSA home office sold out the conference for the sake of TX. But USM is headed Sunbelt. It's close to done. La Tech is who I feel bad for.
Remaining CUSA members to the B12. By the time that would happen, a handful of B12 members will have left.
I hope USM doesn't go to the Sunbelt. Last year I wouldn't have cared, but since I have a son playing in the Sunbelt so I do. USM will never have a decent program again. They've gotten so far behind in facilities & fan support it's ridiculous.
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Sho nuff. I'd say Mountain West is in the best position of any in the G5, especially if you are still counting Big 12 as P5. However, they will eventually get raided by the Pac-12 so who knows, depends on who they raid, could be the Big 12 or some combination thereof.
But at least the Sun Belt will be stable. The AAC and CUSA will not be. It will be the best thing USM (and La Tech) ever did, stop chasing stars and get stable. Will contend for conference championships too.
Lowkey the Sun Belt has been the second best G5 after the American.
LaTech and USM in the Sun Belt would be a massive win for all parties involved. Besides adding two serviceable football programs, they'd save a ton on travel costs with ULM, ULL, and USA right there.
View attachment 22448
LaTech and USM in the Sun Belt would be a massive win for all parties involved. Besides adding two serviceable football programs, they'd save a ton on travel costs with ULM, ULL, and USA right there.
View attachment 22448
I mean... The AAC was already made up almost entirely of former CUSA members.
Now that you mention it though, when this whole realignment wraps up, the SEC, the Big Ten, and maybe the Pac-12 could be the only conferences to never have a former C-USA member.
Supposedly, the SB is going to extend offers to Marshall, Old Dominion, James Madison and USM.
CUSA will fold and La Tech, WKU, MTSU, and FIU turn out to be the final realignment losers.
I know the 10 fans thing is a meme but if USM joined the Sun Belt w/ Marshall today we'd have top 3 attendance..... with a 1-6 team after the worst decade in program history. And #3 in the league in overall ticket sales.
When I see comments about fan support from State and Ole Miss fans I think they're trying to compare us to SEC schools instead of our peer programs in C-USA and the Sun Belt where we compare rather favorably.
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It's pure politics. They make sense geographically and bring competitive football, basketball, and baseball.
There's a ton of bad blood between them and ULL/ULM. They've refused to play ULM and rarely play ULL because of a superiority complex. Their fans are starting to warm up a little to the Sun Belt but in the past it would have caused an uproar in Ruston. Couple that with having enemies already in the league and it gets hard to see them in the Sun Belt. Personally, I'd like to see 14 with USM, Marshall, LaTech, and either JMU or WKU added.
There's a ton of bad blood between them and ULL/ULM. They've refused to play ULM and rarely play ULL because of a superiority complex. Their fans are starting to warm up a little to the Sun Belt but in the past it would have caused an uproar in Ruston. Couple that with having enemies already in the league and it gets hard to see them in the Sun Belt. Personally, I'd like to see 14 with USM, Marshall, LaTech, and either JMU or WKU added.
I'm not sure that CUSA folding is automatic. It could invite some FCS teams (Sam Houston, Jacksonville St, North Carolina A&T, UNA, etc.) or the conference could go non-football and those remaining teams could go independent until/unless they get scooped up. Don't underestimate the value of an automatic NCAA tourney bid.
USM is going to the Sun-Belt and I think that will be a much better place. Conference USA is just gross.
Here's what needs to happen to Conference USA:
-USM, Marshall, Florida (whatever it is) and Louisiana Tech to the Sun-Belt
-UTEP to the Mountain West
-Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky to the MAC
-NO clue about ODU
Conference USA needs to cease to exist.
Here's what needs to happen to Conference USA:
-USM, Marshall, Florida (whatever it is) and Louisiana Tech to the Sun-Belt
-UTEP to the Mountain West
-Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky to the MAC
-NO clue about ODU
Conference USA needs to cease to exist.
Wonder if they just went a little outside the box, and adopted a 'play everybody' type mentality. Just keep the 8 remaining, play a round robin, crown a champion that way. But start a concerted effort to play P5 teams, and just do it on the road. Get some paydays, etc. They might only have 4 home games per year, but who cares, their stadiums don't hold that many anyway.
Of course, they have to fend off the Sun Belt first. If those 3 above fall I'm not sure what you do. Go independent I guess. Seems others like Liberty are doing alright I guess.
I don't know if the folding is automatic either but the ASUN & WAC have plans to play FBS football.
And I would not be surprised to see UTEP return to the WAC and join old rivals New Mexico State.
And I would not be surprised to see UTEP return to the WAC and join old rivals New Mexico State.
Going in independent has worked well for schools like BYU, Army and Notre Dame. Those schools are able to recruit well enough to maintain talent, and attractive matchups for P5 schools in their non conference games. Army, being a service academy is fully funded by Uncle Sam and can recruit cadets all around the county this way. They are also recruiting cadets who do not play football with these games. Liberty also seems to be doing well.
I don't think teams like UCONN, UMASS and New Mexico State really benefit from it because they are just terrible. It works for some and not others, and I doubt the remaining CUSA schools will want to test the indy waters.
I don't think teams like UCONN, UMASS and New Mexico State really benefit from it because they are just terrible. It works for some and not others, and I doubt the remaining CUSA schools will want to test the indy waters.
ASUN WACUSA sounds like a great name for an anime villain or a low level G5 conference.
Yep. Lots of bad blood. Louisiana Tech is more likely to go to the WAC or ASUN when those conferences decide to go FBS.
USM does not really care about football anymore. Now a days they get pumped up about indigenous peoples flag ceremonies and Covid shot vaccine mandates.
If the Sunbelt can add USM and Mid Tenn then all they need is a Florida Team and they have the most desirable footprint of any G5 Conference for Football. It is effectively the same TV footprint as the SEC. It would be a win/win for USM and the Sun Belt. The SunBelt in the future will be pushing on the AAC for top G5. The Southeast is where Sports is still growing and Universities are still heavily investing in their Sports programs.
In fact, USM is the only football member that has existed through the entire existence of Conference USA since UAB shut their football program down for a few years.
Didn’t realize until tonight that App State calls their stadium the rock. USM may have another Iowa on their hands.
CUSA sent a proposal for merging to the AAC and SB a few weeks back. Both those conferences said no thanks, but we will take your schools.
Now the media is catching up with pack reporting and it looks like Marshall, ODU, USM and JMU are heading to the Sun Belt.
So basically all that’s left of CUSA will be UTEP, MTSU, WKU, FIU and La Tech.
WKU, MTSU and FIU left the Sun Belt for CUSA, so the current sentiment is the Sun Belt will not take them back. Maybe the MAC saves WKU and MT.
I guess CUSA could offer Liberty, UMass, UConn and NM State to get to 9 teams. Honestly, all those teams would probably be better off dropping back to FCS.
Now the media is catching up with pack reporting and it looks like Marshall, ODU, USM and JMU are heading to the Sun Belt.
So basically all that’s left of CUSA will be UTEP, MTSU, WKU, FIU and La Tech.
WKU, MTSU and FIU left the Sun Belt for CUSA, so the current sentiment is the Sun Belt will not take them back. Maybe the MAC saves WKU and MT.
I guess CUSA could offer Liberty, UMass, UConn and NM State to get to 9 teams. Honestly, all those teams would probably be better off dropping back to FCS.
I have no interest in disparaging Southern. I have a lot of respect for the program and have a lot of friends who went there. But I gotta ask: what is the argument that puts Southern in a better position than Memphis in any way?
UConn isn't leaving the Big East in basketball. They might do some kind of football-only membership for CUSA, but they left the American with the specific reason to increase their SOS and Revenue for basketball.
Speaking of revenue, a lot of you are saying X should move to FCS, but the loss in revenue would be a killer for those programs, especially the independent programs. Currently, that pool of independent teams don't have to share their media or bowl revenue with anybody. Even if, say, UMass sells its media rights to FloSports for $900,00 (I made that number up), that's higher than its share of what FloSports is paying for the Colonial Athletic Association's entire portfolio, $4.5 Million spread across 10-14 teams (I didn't make that number up). Also, being an FBS team means they can command higher rates for travelling for road games.
Here's a breakdown of some of UMass's payouts to be a road team:
https://www.masslive.com/umassfootb...s-whos-paying-the-minutemen-and-how-much.html
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