(04-25-2015 09:14 PM)rbostic218 Wrote:  Missouri St?????? All those options to choose from and you Arkst fans still pushing them.

Not pushing. We are just making it clear, that if they choose to pursue FBS, we are going to support them.

(04-26-2015 02:12 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(04-25-2015 10:03 PM)chargeradio Wrote:  

(04-25-2015 08:18 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Sun Belt could still get 2 new schools for football in the future.

UTA
UALR

http://www.fox16.com/story/d/story/after...GM-pDZp0HQ

There is big support for UALR to bring football back. Not saying they are. Just saying there seems to be a lot of support for them. UALR used to have a team when they were Little Rock Junior College and won the Little Rose Bowl.

As like I said, Sun Belt do not need to sit on their butts. Sun Belt is acting like WAC, and they need to expand to survive.

I could also see the WAC bring back football if Grand Canyon U. and Utah Valley starts up football, bring back New Mexico State and Idaho. Lure San Jose State back in with UNLV so that MWC can lure BYU back full. Offer Western Illinois, North Dakota State, South Dakota State, South Dakota, Youngstown State and North Dakota full sports membership. That would put all their sports in the same conference, and also invite the MVFC for a football merger. This would give Missouri State, Northern Iowa and others a home until they can get a full sport invite in other conferences.

This means that Sun Belt can add schools like Lamar, Missouri State to the west, and work on theeast side.

How can Grand Canyon and Utah Valley go FBS without a conference invite? Besides, GCU isn't much bigger than Wake Forest, and GCU is 1-2 generations away from having a meaningful alumni base.

If the WAC starts football, it will be at the FCS level. If Utah Valley had added that instead of men's soccer, it would have likely happened already, so the Big Sky could go on a "diet" and 16 programs between the WAC and Big Sky all in the actual western United States would have access to two automatic bids, and the 14 FCS programs would have two automatic bids between them as well.

Big Sky - North Dakota, Montana, Montana State, Idaho State, Idaho*, Seattle*, Eastern Washington, Portland State (football only: UC Davis)
WAC - Bakersfield*, Sacramento State, Utah Valley, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Weber State, Southern Utah, New Mexico State*, (football only: Cal Poly)

*non-FCS member

UTPA and Chicago State would be independent, and UMKC would still be in the Summit. Grand Canyon would be in Division II begging the Big West for an invite.

According to by-laws, they are already in a FBS conference as non-football schools. They would be like South Alabama before they got football. Big West is another FBS conference before they dropped football. I think Southland, Southern, CAA and MVC all had teams that went to bowl games in the past.

Once you fall below 8 FBS members for two years the grace period expires and you are not an FBS league. You don't get "ghost man" membership in FBS saving your spot.

(04-26-2015 12:12 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-25-2015 09:14 PM)rbostic218 Wrote:  Missouri St?????? All those options to choose from and you Arkst fans still pushing them.

Not pushing. We are just making it clear, that if they choose to pursue FBS, we are going to support them.

Are they located in springfield? Its would be worth taking them to have the excuse to visit that bass pro every 2 years.

(04-25-2015 01:32 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 05:52 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 05:39 PM)HarborPointe Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 04:17 PM)Cajunman02 Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 04:16 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  La. Tech will be blocking them.

Same university system. It is not in their best interest to block them in CUSA meetings.

I do wonder how much that would factor in if it came down to it. Whenever the name thing comes up, Tech folks always say they can't push the issue because everybody in the system has to play nice. OTOH, keeping any opposition on the down-low wouldn't be tough. Tech could say one thing publicly & the exact opposite when not on the record.

You wonder how much sway does Texas State have in the Sun Belt to keep Lamar, Sam Houston State and SFA from joining the conference? Those schools are in their system.

They don't need any sway. Arkansas State and Louisiana aren't going to support either unless they make significant progress.

This...I support a legitimate look at Sam Houston State if there's a real opening and desire....but it has been made abundantly clear that no Southland team is going to get a sniff from the Belt so long as Arkansas State and ULL have anything to say about it.

(04-26-2015 01:26 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-25-2015 01:32 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 05:52 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 05:39 PM)HarborPointe Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 04:17 PM)Cajunman02 Wrote:  Same university system. It is not in their best interest to block them in CUSA meetings.

I do wonder how much that would factor in if it came down to it. Whenever the name thing comes up, Tech folks always say they can't push the issue because everybody in the system has to play nice. OTOH, keeping any opposition on the down-low wouldn't be tough. Tech could say one thing publicly & the exact opposite when not on the record.

You wonder how much sway does Texas State have in the Sun Belt to keep Lamar, Sam Houston State and SFA from joining the conference? Those schools are in their system.

They don't need any sway. Arkansas State and Louisiana aren't going to support either unless they make significant progress.

This...I support a legitimate look at Sam Houston State if there's a real opening and desire....but it has been made abundantly clear that no Southland team is going to get a sniff from the Belt so long as Arkansas State and ULL have anything to say about it.

Sam had weak attendance while being a top FCS. A Texas team not drawing for good football is always a red flag, facilities and budget aren't in line. Lamar hasn't played good football and their facilities and budget aren't in line.

You can't say never on either but so far neither is taking steps to be taken seriously.

(04-26-2015 05:36 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 01:26 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-25-2015 01:32 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 05:52 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 05:39 PM)HarborPointe Wrote:  I do wonder how much that would factor in if it came down to it. Whenever the name thing comes up, Tech folks always say they can't push the issue because everybody in the system has to play nice. OTOH, keeping any opposition on the down-low wouldn't be tough. Tech could say one thing publicly & the exact opposite when not on the record.

You wonder how much sway does Texas State have in the Sun Belt to keep Lamar, Sam Houston State and SFA from joining the conference? Those schools are in their system.

They don't need any sway. Arkansas State and Louisiana aren't going to support either unless they make significant progress.

This...I support a legitimate look at Sam Houston State if there's a real opening and desire....but it has been made abundantly clear that no Southland team is going to get a sniff from the Belt so long as Arkansas State and ULL have anything to say about it.

Sam had weak attendance while being a top FCS. A Texas team not drawing for good football is always a red flag, facilities and budget aren't in line. Lamar hasn't played good football and their facilities and budget aren't in line.

You can't say never on either but so far neither is taking steps to be taken seriously.

Lamar was taken a step to be FBS. They went 8-4 last year in football. They missed out on a playoff spot. Lamar was brought together by Barry Switzer and Billy Tubbs, both former coaches at OU. So, Lamar being like a Big 12 teams and Larry Coker a former Miami, Florida championship coach could bring FBS experience into the Sun Belt. Even North Alabama had a former SEC coach in Terry Bowden who wanted into the Belt as well from D2. Having those types of winning coaches at your helm in the lower levels could help the image of the schools for them to move up.

Lamar's FBS aspirations ended in 1989 when they disbanded the football program. They brought it back in 2010, but football was unsustainable in the past; there's no indication they'd have the support for FBS football in the future.

(04-26-2015 09:21 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  Lamar's FBS aspirations ended in 1989 when they disbanded the football program. They brought it back in 2010, but football was unsustainable in the past; there's no indication they'd have the support for FBS football in the future.

Lamar simply isn't going to be looked at by the Belt. As much as I hate to say it, Liberty would get in before Lamar.

Some of it isn't their fault. They are in Texas, but they are in Beaumont. Its not a big area or particularly fast growing.

Some of it that Lamar can fix, by winning, facilities, and fan support. As of yet, they've really not shown much.

And then there are the institutional/history problems. Lamar had football and dumped it. Lamar was also a member of the Sun Belt, but elected to leave the conference.

(04-26-2015 05:36 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 01:26 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-25-2015 01:32 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 05:52 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 05:39 PM)HarborPointe Wrote:  I do wonder how much that would factor in if it came down to it. Whenever the name thing comes up, Tech folks always say they can't push the issue because everybody in the system has to play nice. OTOH, keeping any opposition on the down-low wouldn't be tough. Tech could say one thing publicly & the exact opposite when not on the record.

You wonder how much sway does Texas State have in the Sun Belt to keep Lamar, Sam Houston State and SFA from joining the conference? Those schools are in their system.

They don't need any sway. Arkansas State and Louisiana aren't going to support either unless they make significant progress.

This...I support a legitimate look at Sam Houston State if there's a real opening and desire....but it has been made abundantly clear that no Southland team is going to get a sniff from the Belt so long as Arkansas State and ULL have anything to say about it.

Sam had weak attendance while being a top FCS. A Texas team not drawing for good football is always a red flag, facilities and budget aren't in line. Lamar hasn't played good football and their facilities and budget aren't in line.

You can't say never on either but so far neither is taking steps to be taken seriously.

Do you have to take steps when realignment Chef Karl Benson contacts every school with even scant FBS potential?

It's the belt'.......UL-Monroe is a low standard for a school to meet. Academically and budget wise.

Baylor and TCU??? They can play Arkansas Tech in C-USA

(04-26-2015 11:13 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 05:36 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 01:26 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-25-2015 01:32 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 05:52 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  You wonder how much sway does Texas State have in the Sun Belt to keep Lamar, Sam Houston State and SFA from joining the conference? Those schools are in their system.

They don't need any sway. Arkansas State and Louisiana aren't going to support either unless they make significant progress.

This...I support a legitimate look at Sam Houston State if there's a real opening and desire....but it has been made abundantly clear that no Southland team is going to get a sniff from the Belt so long as Arkansas State and ULL have anything to say about it.

Sam had weak attendance while being a top FCS. A Texas team not drawing for good football is always a red flag, facilities and budget aren't in line. Lamar hasn't played good football and their facilities and budget aren't in line.

You can't say never on either but so far neither is taking steps to be taken seriously.

Do you have to take steps when realignment Chef Karl Benson contacts every school with even scant FBS potential?

It's the belt'.......UL-Monroe is a low standard for a school to meet. Academically and budget wise.

ULM was brought in football only, they were needed to get to the then NCAA minimum of 6 schools which did not have to be full members. Only when the NCAA mandated 8 football schools as full members did ULM get a spot. What you do to live another day is not equal to what you do when you don't have compelling pressure to expand.

NMSU would like full membership, the required 9 votes aren't there.
Jacksonville State has never obtained the needed votes.
Liberty has never obtained the needed votes.
EKU has never obtained the votes.

All four arguably have a superior resume to Lamar.

Please don't confuse expansion for survival with expansion for enhancement.

(04-26-2015 11:41 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 11:13 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 05:36 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 01:26 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-25-2015 01:32 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  They don't need any sway. Arkansas State and Louisiana aren't going to support either unless they make significant progress.

This...I support a legitimate look at Sam Houston State if there's a real opening and desire....but it has been made abundantly clear that no Southland team is going to get a sniff from the Belt so long as Arkansas State and ULL have anything to say about it.

Sam had weak attendance while being a top FCS. A Texas team not drawing for good football is always a red flag, facilities and budget aren't in line. Lamar hasn't played good football and their facilities and budget aren't in line.

You can't say never on either but so far neither is taking steps to be taken seriously.

Do you have to take steps when realignment Chef Karl Benson contacts every school with even scant FBS potential?

It's the belt'.......UL-Monroe is a low standard for a school to meet. Academically and budget wise.

ULM was brought in football only, they were needed to get to the then NCAA minimum of 6 schools which did not have to be full members. Only when the NCAA mandated 8 football schools as full members did ULM get a spot. What you do to live another day is not equal to what you do when you don't have compelling pressure to expand.

NMSU would like full membership, the required 9 votes aren't there.
Jacksonville State has never obtained the needed votes.
Liberty has never obtained the needed votes.
EKU has never obtained the votes.

All four arguably have a superior resume to Lamar.

Please don't confuse expansion for survival with expansion for enhancement.

The only school in that list that has an athletic reputation is NMSU.

The others have no reputation in athletics and not the academics of Lamar. Lamar has hosted Baylor in their stadium before and can be upgraded to 28,000 seats.

Sam Houston St at least has 20,000 students. EKU is 15,000, Jax St is 9,000. Liberty main campus is 13,800.

(04-26-2015 09:58 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 09:21 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  Lamar's FBS aspirations ended in 1989 when they disbanded the football program. They brought it back in 2010, but football was unsustainable in the past; there's no indication they'd have the support for FBS football in the future.

Lamar simply isn't going to be looked at by the Belt. As much as I hate to say it, Liberty would get in before Lamar.

Some of it isn't their fault. They are in Texas, but they are in Beaumont. Its not a big area or particularly fast growing.

Some of it that Lamar can fix, by winning, facilities, and fan support. As of yet, they've really not shown much.

And then there are the institutional/history problems. Lamar had football and dumped it. Lamar was also a member of the Sun Belt, but elected to leave the conference.

Old Dominion dropped football and brought it back. Look where they ended up at?

I got Coker mixed up. He is at UTSA not, Lamar.

Can't blame fans not showing up to the games when you play teams like IW, Texas College, Mississippi College and Houston Baptist. Not big name schools.

Do not add the University of Louisiana at Lafayette ULL the sister and companion school of the University of Louisiana at Monroe ULM. Five schools have advanced from the Sunbelt to CUSA over them. There major problems are low annual athletic budget,poor small city market and lowly tier two academics. Also their athletic facilities are not first class. It is a regional school where all the students go home on weekends to surrounding Acadia. I would add Georgia State,Arkansas State or a Texas school first. You already have a tier one academic university in CUSA in Louisiana Louisiana Tech!

(04-27-2015 04:39 AM)Savacool Wrote:  Do not add the University of Louisiana at Lafayette ULL the sister and companion school of the University of Louisiana at Monroe ULM. Five schools have advanced from the Sunbelt to CUSA over them. There major problems are low annual athletic budget,poor small city market and lowly tier two academics. Also their athletic facilities are not first class. It is a regional school where all the students go home on weekends to surrounding Acadia. I would add Georgia State,Arkansas State or a Texas school first. You already have a tier one academic university in CUSA in Louisiana Louisiana Tech!

Your lies, as usual are too many to count. Seek help man.....this has truly become comical.......

(04-26-2015 11:13 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 05:36 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-26-2015 01:26 PM)Tom in Lazybrook Wrote:  

(04-25-2015 01:32 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-24-2015 05:52 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  You wonder how much sway does Texas State have in the Sun Belt to keep Lamar, Sam Houston State and SFA from joining the conference? Those schools are in their system.

They don't need any sway. Arkansas State and Louisiana aren't going to support either unless they make significant progress.

This...I support a legitimate look at Sam Houston State if there's a real opening and desire....but it has been made abundantly clear that no Southland team is going to get a sniff from the Belt so long as Arkansas State and ULL have anything to say about it.

Sam had weak attendance while being a top FCS. A Texas team not drawing for good football is always a red flag, facilities and budget aren't in line. Lamar hasn't played good football and their facilities and budget aren't in line.

You can't say never on either but so far neither is taking steps to be taken seriously.

Do you have to take steps when realignment Chef Karl Benson contacts every school with even scant FBS potential?

It's the belt'.......UL-Monroe is a low standard for a school to meet. Academically and budget wise.

Maybe but they are going to be a solid G5 in football as are most of the teams in the belt.

In fact i expect the belt to produce some of the very best football teams in G5 year in and year out. AppSt, GaSo, A-State, and ULL, should be among the very best G5 teams every year, with USA, TxSt, and ULM very solid.

Not sure about Idaho, or NMSU, or their upside program, GaSt.

(04-27-2015 12:13 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  The only school in that list that has an athletic reputation is NMSU.

The others have no reputation in athletics and not the academics of Lamar. Lamar has hosted Baylor in their stadium before and can be upgraded to 28,000 seats.

Sam Houston St at least has 20,000 students. EKU is 15,000, Jax St is 9,000. Liberty main campus is 13,800.

Lamar hosted Baylor in 1981, the NCAA still controlled TV rights. Completely different era.

Operative word on Lamar's stadium is "can". It can be upgraded. So far Lamar hasn't brought construction equipment to the site nor announced funding is in place.

Arkansas State "can" build a second $7 million suite complex on the east side of the stadium but doesn't have any active plans to do so.

I am a strong believer that there is an education bubble and it is going to pop. When that happens the more dependent a school is on fees and the transfer of university auxillary funds the greater the risk their athletics are not sustainable at current levels.

The demographics tell us the number of college age kids is going to decline for a few years. State funding is not going to keep pace with inflation and the loan situation is screaming for a revamp.

If a school is one of the several having its bond rating downgraded in the past few years, be concerned, if a school is not holding steady or growing enrollment and athletics is heavily funded by the school, they should be carefully looked at.

People think it is unfair that UAB will get the boot for dropping football but CUSA has a few schools getting 65% or more of athletic funding from the school and/or students, if the bubble burst is worse thant I expect, that is a serious danger zone if you can't keep enrollment up. Thus, UAB could be the canary in the mine and if you keep UAB, you could face the question again.

(04-27-2015 08:06 AM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(04-27-2015 12:13 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  The only school in that list that has an athletic reputation is NMSU.

The others have no reputation in athletics and not the academics of Lamar. Lamar has hosted Baylor in their stadium before and can be upgraded to 28,000 seats.

Sam Houston St at least has 20,000 students. EKU is 15,000, Jax St is 9,000. Liberty main campus is 13,800.

Lamar hosted Baylor in 1981, the NCAA still controlled TV rights. Completely different era.

Operative word on Lamar's stadium is "can". It can be upgraded. So far Lamar hasn't brought construction equipment to the site nor announced funding is in place.

Arkansas State "can" build a second $7 million suite complex on the east side of the stadium but doesn't have any active plans to do so.

I am a strong believer that there is an education bubble and it is going to pop. When that happens the more dependent a school is on fees and the transfer of university auxillary funds the greater the risk their athletics are not sustainable at current levels.

The demographics tell us the number of college age kids is going to decline for a few years. State funding is not going to keep pace with inflation and the loan situation is screaming for a revamp.

If a school is one of the several having its bond rating downgraded in the past few years, be concerned, if a school is not holding steady or growing enrollment and athletics is heavily funded by the school, they should be carefully looked at.

People think it is unfair that UAB will get the boot for dropping football but CUSA has a few schools getting 65% or more of athletic funding from the school and/or students, if the bubble burst is worse thant I expect, that is a serious danger zone if you can't keep enrollment up. Thus, UAB could be the canary in the mine and if you keep UAB, you could face the question again.

That's true, C-USA does have a few schools with that level of subsidy as does the SBC and the MAC is loaded with schools getting those kind of subsidies. UMass, often the topic of expansion by the SBC and C-USA, has one of the highest rates of subsidy. The MWC only has one that I can see with that kind of subsidy and the AAC has one just under that mark.

If a low rate of subsidy becomes extremely important, the SBC and C-USA could probably arrange for one 12 school conference with reasonable rates.

(04-27-2015 05:28 AM)swampbear Wrote:  

(04-27-2015 04:39 AM)Savacool Wrote:  Do not add the University of Louisiana at Lafayette ULL the sister and companion school of the University of Louisiana at Monroe ULM. Five schools have advanced from the Sunbelt to CUSA over them. There major problems are low annual athletic budget,poor small city market and lowly tier two academics. Also their athletic facilities are not first class. It is a regional school where all the students go home on weekends to surrounding Acadia. I would add Georgia State,Arkansas State or a Texas school first. You already have a tier one academic university in CUSA in Louisiana Louisiana Tech!

Your lies, as usual are too many to count. Seek help man.....this has truly become comical.......

Based on the support ULL fans have shown for the New Orleans Bowl, could ULL carry a C-USA basketball championship tournament in New Orleans? That would be a central, destination city for many C-USA schools and an attractive venue for fans. It would be ironic if C-USA brought on ULL, and then had the basketball tournament in an AAC school's city.

(04-27-2015 09:35 AM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(04-27-2015 05:28 AM)swampbear Wrote:  

(04-27-2015 04:39 AM)Savacool Wrote:  Do not add the University of Louisiana at Lafayette ULL the sister and companion school of the University of Louisiana at Monroe ULM. Five schools have advanced from the Sunbelt to CUSA over them. There major problems are low annual athletic budget,poor small city market and lowly tier two academics. Also their athletic facilities are not first class. It is a regional school where all the students go home on weekends to surrounding Acadia. I would add Georgia State,Arkansas State or a Texas school first. You already have a tier one academic university in CUSA in Louisiana Louisiana Tech!

Your lies, as usual are too many to count. Seek help man.....this has truly become comical.......

Based on the support ULL fans have shown for the New Orleans Bowl, could ULL carry a C-USA basketball championship tournament in New Orleans? That would be a central, destination city for many C-USA schools and an attractive venue for fans. It would be ironic if C-USA brought on ULL, and then had the basketball tournament in an AAC school's city.

Unfortunately NO, The Sun Belt tournament was in New Orleans this year and even with ULM and ULL being the 3rd and 4th seed attendance was terrible.