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The problem with the OVC is that it really doesn't meet their football interests. I suppose they could just go Indy in football. Liberty, UConn, UMass, are already, so there would at least be a few other teams they could play every year. So...maybe?? The OVC is down members, so they'd probably love to have the two of them.Quote:
Originally Posted by XUGRAD80
I think that it’s soon going to be the time for many colleges to decide just why it is that they are playing football at all. Schools will decide if they want to be serious contenders for big time football and all that goes along with that, or just want to have a sport that the alumni and students can enjoy on saturdays in the fall. The OVC would give WKU and MTS several schools in their geographic area that are similar in size and scope…Eastern Kentucky U, Murray State, Austin Peay, Morehead State, Tennessee Tech, Tenn. St, Tenn-Martin are all within a few hours drive and are natural rivals. The OVC currently has 7 football playing members that compete for the conference championship. Adding MTS and WKU would raise that to 9, and if Morehead would decide to start offering scholarships again, it would be 10 full members for football.Quote:
Originally Posted by xubrew
LOL, everything old is new again.
This implies that you think the people making the decisions are rational people.Quote:
Originally Posted by XUGRAD80
In terms of football, there are a lot of schools wanting to move up to FBS and looking for ways to do it. Almost no one is looking to move down to FCS. The last team to do it was Idaho (I think). The idea is that FBS is the top level of football, and schools like the idea of doing what they do at the "top level." So, I don't think they any one is going to rationalize how they may be better off at the FCS level instead. The good FCS teams are wanting to move up. None of the bad FBS teams are wanting to move down.
I think the majority of conference realignment is irrational. Not all of it, but most of it. The thought process of "The SEC is adding teams!, so WE need to add teams!!" is not a rational thought process. The CUSA teams that left for the Sun Belt...WHY?? How are they any better off than they would have been had they just remained in CUSA??
When it comes to basketball, I think there are three levels. The P5/BE level, the regular multi-bid league level (A10, AAC, MWC, WCC), and the regular one bid league level.
In football, I think there are also three levels. P5, G5, FCS.
Unless a school has the chance to move "up" a level, or unless they have the chance to greatly increase their TV revenue as was the case with Texas and Oklahoma, there isn't much point to moving conferences. It's expensive exit fees, expensive entrance fees, and they land in a place that really isn't any different than the one they were previously at. A lot of schools have spent a lot of money to ultimately end up in leagues that weren't all that different than the ones they left. The new AAC will put most teams that came over from CUSA in a division where all the other teams in the division were CUSA members. So...how the hell is anything any different or any better??
If I were Middle or WKU, I think I'd collect all the exit fees, look at joining the OVC (which is on the same "level" that CUSA was), and then look for scheduling agreements with each other, Liberty, UConn, UMass, FIU, UTEP, and New Mexico State in football. That's potentially half the schedule right there.
This is something that most people probably don't care about seeing as how no one is really reading or posting in this thread anymore, but it amused the hell out of me....
The six CUSA schools that recently joined the AAC will be receiving $2 million per year in media revenue from the conference's ESPN deal. Keep in mind these are schools with football teams. The other eight schools are receiving $5 million a year. That's more than double what everyone else is getting!
The other thing that's amusing is that ESPN will pull out of this deal. It is almost guaranteed. They aren't going to fork over a billion dollars for that steaming pile of crap. They had it written into the contract that if UConn, Houston, Cincinnati, or UCF left (just ONE of them!) that they could back out of the deal. ALL FOUR LEFT!!! So, once ESPN backs out of this deal, and the AAC works out a new deal with ESPN (or whoever) will the six new schools from CUSA end up with any more money than what they were making before? They all ended up in the same league with the same teams making the same amount of money. The carousel has spun all the way around and is now back to where it started!!
When the 3 teams left the AAC, CUSA went to the AAC board and suggested a merger of sorts between the 2 leagues. The proposal was along the lines of setting up two divisions based on geography, East and West. I don’t know all the details, but that was the gist of the proposal. The AAC refused to consider it, then turned around and snatched up 6 schools from CUSA. The really ironic thing is that many of the current AAC schools were at one time in CUSA! So, it really didn’t accomplish much for many of them in the long run. I’m glad UC got out of there, and feel the same way for Central Florida and BYU. Houston? Who cares? But I sure do hope that AAC gives up on their “Power 6” mantra and just faces the fact that there are the haves and the have nots, and they are now definitely in the latter. And that ain’t gonna change in the foreseeable future…….of course I’m talking football here, basketball and the other sports are a separate animal.
CUSA has added Liberty and New Mexico State as full members, and UConn as a football only member. That at least gets them to seven full members assuming no one else looks to bolt.
I like the SoCon. Just as a fan I really like watching that league. I really hope CUSA doesn't raid the SoCon and dangle the FBS football carrot in front of ETSU, or Chattanooga, or Furman, or Wofford, or at the rate we're going...all four of them.
UConn to C-USA does not appear to be a thing just yet.
Despite what CUSA announced, UConn is apparently NOT joining as a football only member.
I don’t know why I’m laughing at this as much as I am. It is an all time classic ‘OOPS!!!!’
It is very likely that WKU and Middle Tennessee will announce they are joining the MAC before the end of this week.