(06-24-2022 09:42 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 08:23 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  XII (Boise/USF)
MWC (UTEP)
AAC (FIU)

If FIU ever makes it on the invite list, something has gone terribly wrong for the AAC's fortunes

Or maybe right for CUSA's.

(06-24-2022 08:32 PM)inutech Wrote:  I don't see how there could be any question about this. On average we've improved even compared to last year's CUSA. Much less the MAC or 'belt.

When it comes to basketball, the SBC truly is the Belch.

Long way from the glory days of Lee Rose, Gene Bartow and J.D. Barnett

How much do Temple, ECU, etc. value Florida recruiting? If USF punches a ticket for the Big 12 then adding FIU will guarantee more members a game in Florida annually.

(06-24-2022 09:53 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:43 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  When you don't have good expansion prospects in your southern footprint, you move the footprint.

I said a few months ago when CUSA was scrambling for survival that its best move strategically would have been to (1) work with FIU to put the Panthers on a path toward football-only membership, and then (2) push the conference footprint into the upper Midwest and Dakotas with additions from the MVFC.

The conference won't be able to carve out any kind of identity if it remains rooted in Texas and the Southeast, where multiple P5 and G5 conferences already hold sway. IMHO CUSA's best expansion prospects are schools like Missouri State, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State and South Dakota State. None of those may be willing to come alone but some may be willing to come as a group.

I agree 105% with what you are saying.

if CUSA could have gone up the middle and built a bridge to the Dakotas with Central Oklahoma, Nebraska Omaha. Mo State they might have at least looked at CUSA for FB only. WKU/MT aren't too bad in that mix either with lower midwest locations.

Liberty has promise but they may be a big bag for the conference because they can't get into anywhere else. They have no rep in basketball and do not help the conference.

All these additions do for sure is keep CUSA ahead of WAC/ASUN and provide insurance to the NMSUs and Liberty's that it will at the very least be a FB scheduling arrangement if not a conference.

But we don't need any of them.

We have an extant conference. We have enough back up options to have an extant conference in the event of additional changes.

No, we aren't in great shape if the absolute worst happens, but that's true of everyone in all times in almost all contexts.

Another potential issue in the room. The new CFP agreement may require a minimum of 12 members for every conference to get its payout.

SEC (16)
AAC (14)
ACC (14)
B1G (14)
SBC (14)
MAC (12)
MWC (12)
PAC (12)
XII (12)
CUSA (9)

There is a real chance that CUSA will not be able to sign on with the new CFP agreement and if they don't have that nobody will join it.

This is not like it was 15 years ago when the MWC had 9 and the Big East was sitting at 8. If this payout is going to be a minimum of 30 million even for the G5 conferences they could very well cut CUSA out of it by requiring a minimum membership number.

If that number is not 12 but 14 you can kiss CUSA goodbye. PAC takes 2 from the XII. XII takes 2 each from MWC and AAC. MWC needs 4, AAC needs 2 and MAC needs 2 so CUSA is gone.

With this in mind and I'm CUSA I'm definitely trying to get back to 10 or 12 programs if I can as security to not be pushed out of the CFP agreement.

(06-24-2022 05:51 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  A repost from another thread I thought was worth looking at because many are assuming their is a deep reservoir of FCS/DII schools in the southern CUSA footprint ready to move up on a dime. It doesn't seem to be that many in all honesty.

How many public, low-mid major, non-HBCUs FCS programs are left in the footprint that have 10,000+ students?

FCS
Kennesaw St. (41,181) Cap: 8,318
Central Arkansas (11,487) Cap: 10,000
Eastern Kentucky (14,465) Cap: 20,000
Northwestern St. (11,081) Cap: 15,971
Western Carolina (12,243) Cap: 13,742
Chattanooga (11,638) Cap: 20,412
East Tennessee (17,296) Cap: 7,694
Tennessee Tech (10,054) Cap: 16,500
Lamar (16,191) Cap: 16,000
Tarleton St (13,996) Cap: 15,000
Stephen F. Austin (11,946) Cap: 14,575
TAMU-Commerce (12,385) Cap: 13,500

DII
West Georgia (13,733) Cap: 10,000
West Florida (12,850) Cap: 5,038
Valdosta St. (11,220) Cap: 11,249
Angelo St (10,477) Cap: 5,870
West Texas A&M (10,169) Cap: 8,500

The only FCS to CUSA transition candidates that meet both 10k enrollment and 15k stadium size are Eastern Kentucky, Northwestern St, Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech, Lamar and SFA. That is only 7 schools. With Northwestern St. and Lamar committed to a regional SLC they are effectively off the table.

EKU, Tarleton and SFA are pretty much about IT unless Kennesaw gets off its duff and builds a bigger FB stadium. CUSA has 9 at the moment and that makes 12 with EKU, Tarleton and SFA in the conference.

17 schools in the footprint have the 10k but at lot of them just barely. Only 5 of them have 13,000 students. The smallest MAC school by comparison is 15.5k (CMU).

The schools that have signed up for CUSA 4.0 so far were WAC/ASun FBS hopefuls; New Mexico St, Sam Houston St, Liberty, Jacksonville St. Others that didn't get the call up yet are SFA, Tarleton and Eastern Kentucky. Institutions that are already in poor geography with WAC or Atlantic Sun and might as well be in CUSA w/ an acceptable profile.

One thing all those schools have in common is that they average fewer than 9K in actual attendance and only five of them are above 8K. If you want schools that put fannies in the seats you have to look at the HBCU ranks.

(06-24-2022 09:57 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:53 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:43 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  When you don't have good expansion prospects in your southern footprint, you move the footprint.

I said a few months ago when CUSA was scrambling for survival that its best move strategically would have been to (1) work with FIU to put the Panthers on a path toward football-only membership, and then (2) push the conference footprint into the upper Midwest and Dakotas with additions from the MVFC.

The conference won't be able to carve out any kind of identity if it remains rooted in Texas and the Southeast, where multiple P5 and G5 conferences already hold sway. IMHO CUSA's best expansion prospects are schools like Missouri State, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State and South Dakota State. None of those may be willing to come alone but some may be willing to come as a group.

I agree 105% with what you are saying.

if CUSA could have gone up the middle and built a bridge to the Dakotas with Central Oklahoma, Nebraska Omaha. Mo State they might have at least looked at CUSA for FB only. WKU/MT aren't too bad in that mix either with lower midwest locations.

Liberty has promise but they may be a big bag for the conference because they can't get into anywhere else. They have no rep in basketball and do not help the conference.

All these additions do for sure is keep CUSA ahead of WAC/ASUN and provide insurance to the NMSUs and Liberty's that it will at the very least be a FB scheduling arrangement if not a conference.

But we don't need any of them.

We have an extant conference. We have enough back up options to have an extant conference in the event of additional changes.

No, we aren't in great shape if the absolute worst happens, but that's true of everyone in all times in almost all contexts.

CFP may require 12 members since everyone aside from CUSA has at least that many.

That is why I would get Tarleton in ASAP to at least get the membership level up to 10 in case they pull something like that.

(06-24-2022 09:43 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  When you don't have good expansion prospects in your southern footprint, you move the footprint.

I said a few months ago when CUSA was scrambling for survival that its best move strategically would have been to (1) work with FIU to put the Panthers on a path toward football-only membership, and then (2) push the conference footprint into the upper Midwest and Dakotas with additions from the MVFC.

The conference won't be able to carve out any kind of identity if it remains rooted in Texas and the Southeast, where multiple P5 and G5 conferences already hold sway. IMHO CUSA's best expansion prospects are schools like Missouri State, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State and South Dakota State. None of those may be willing to come alone but some may be willing to come as a group.

Northern Iowa and especially Indiana State’s budgets and overall financial backing are unrealistic for FBS. Those two also have plummeting enrollments in poor areas and Indiana St’s stadium is one of the most outdated venues in FCS. ISU has been trying to raise money to fix the stadium forever but they don’t have money or willing donors.

The only schools in this group with FBS willingness are North Dakota St, South Dakota St, & Missouri St. Missouri St was reported as not interested in C-USA at the time.

(06-24-2022 10:12 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:57 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:53 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:43 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  When you don't have good expansion prospects in your southern footprint, you move the footprint.

I said a few months ago when CUSA was scrambling for survival that its best move strategically would have been to (1) work with FIU to put the Panthers on a path toward football-only membership, and then (2) push the conference footprint into the upper Midwest and Dakotas with additions from the MVFC.

The conference won't be able to carve out any kind of identity if it remains rooted in Texas and the Southeast, where multiple P5 and G5 conferences already hold sway. IMHO CUSA's best expansion prospects are schools like Missouri State, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State and South Dakota State. None of those may be willing to come alone but some may be willing to come as a group.

I agree 105% with what you are saying.

if CUSA could have gone up the middle and built a bridge to the Dakotas with Central Oklahoma, Nebraska Omaha. Mo State they might have at least looked at CUSA for FB only. WKU/MT aren't too bad in that mix either with lower midwest locations.

Liberty has promise but they may be a big bag for the conference because they can't get into anywhere else. They have no rep in basketball and do not help the conference.

All these additions do for sure is keep CUSA ahead of WAC/ASUN and provide insurance to the NMSUs and Liberty's that it will at the very least be a FB scheduling arrangement if not a conference.

But we don't need any of them.

We have an extant conference. We have enough back up options to have an extant conference in the event of additional changes.

No, we aren't in great shape if the absolute worst happens, but that's true of everyone in all times in almost all contexts.

CFP may require 12 members since everyone aside from CUSA has at least that many.

That is why I would get Tarleton in ASAP to at least get the membership level up to 10 in case they pull something like that.

And they may require every conference to have a team with pink and green uniforms to get CFP money. Or a mascot based on a bird.

You're just brainstorming weird outlandish worst case scenarios.

There is no reason that they'd do anything like this. What would be the point? It doesn't make sense.

(06-24-2022 09:53 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:43 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  When you don't have good expansion prospects in your southern footprint, you move the footprint.

I said a few months ago when CUSA was scrambling for survival that its best move strategically would have been to (1) work with FIU to put the Panthers on a path toward football-only membership, and then (2) push the conference footprint into the upper Midwest and Dakotas with additions from the MVFC.

The conference won't be able to carve out any kind of identity if it remains rooted in Texas and the Southeast, where multiple P5 and G5 conferences already hold sway. IMHO CUSA's best expansion prospects are schools like Missouri State, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State and South Dakota State. None of those may be willing to come alone but some may be willing to come as a group.

I agree 105% with what you are saying.

if CUSA could have gone up the middle and built a bridge to the Dakotas with Central Oklahoma, Nebraska Omaha.

FB-only invitations to NDSU/SDSU is a good idea. Watering down the league with full invites to Nebraska-Omaha and Central Oklahoma is not a good idea, and Central Oklahoma is too far to be a bridge to NDSU/SDSU anyway.

(06-24-2022 08:06 PM)GoBuckeyes1047 Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 06:05 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  CUSA might be smart going to 12 with Tarleton (WAC), EKU (ASUN) and Chattanooga (OVC) since they are acceptable fill-ins and put more pressure on other WAC, ASUN and OVC schools to consider moving up to get out of their situations.

Chattanooga is in the SoCon, not the OVC. Also with the SoCon adding a $2 million exit fee, I'm not sure Chattanooga would leave for C-USA. Maybe SBC or MAC if offered (not likely), but I don't think they would for C-USA.

Chattanooga has already turned down the SBC. Not sure CUSA would have them near the top of the list. Personally would love to see them in CUSA.

(06-24-2022 10:35 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:53 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:43 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  When you don't have good expansion prospects in your southern footprint, you move the footprint.

I said a few months ago when CUSA was scrambling for survival that its best move strategically would have been to (1) work with FIU to put the Panthers on a path toward football-only membership, and then (2) push the conference footprint into the upper Midwest and Dakotas with additions from the MVFC.

The conference won't be able to carve out any kind of identity if it remains rooted in Texas and the Southeast, where multiple P5 and G5 conferences already hold sway. IMHO CUSA's best expansion prospects are schools like Missouri State, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State and South Dakota State. None of those may be willing to come alone but some may be willing to come as a group.

I agree 105% with what you are saying.

if CUSA could have gone up the middle and built a bridge to the Dakotas with Central Oklahoma, Nebraska Omaha.

FB-only invitations to NDSU/SDSU is a good idea. Watering down the league with full invites to Nebraska-Omaha and Central Oklahoma is not a good idea, and Central Oklahoma is too far to be a bridge to NDSU/SDSU anyway.

I'm not sure why Central Oklahoma and Nebraska Omaha are a bad idea if the goal is full memberships to the Dakotas because you need 8 full FBS members to be considered legally a FBS conference.

It would have also required Mo State as a stepping stone. As you mentioned Northern Iowa is very unlikely to go for it or would Illinois St. UMKC would do it. You would need some non-FBs to provide geographic continuity.

So unlikely to get that level of precise coordination. The coordination at this level is to pile in enough membership in one place to try to make it a FCS conference that could move up in 10 years like the WAC and ASUN tried.

(06-24-2022 10:32 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 10:12 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:57 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:53 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:43 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  When you don't have good expansion prospects in your southern footprint, you move the footprint.

I said a few months ago when CUSA was scrambling for survival that its best move strategically would have been to (1) work with FIU to put the Panthers on a path toward football-only membership, and then (2) push the conference footprint into the upper Midwest and Dakotas with additions from the MVFC.

The conference won't be able to carve out any kind of identity if it remains rooted in Texas and the Southeast, where multiple P5 and G5 conferences already hold sway. IMHO CUSA's best expansion prospects are schools like Missouri State, Indiana State, Illinois State, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State and South Dakota State. None of those may be willing to come alone but some may be willing to come as a group.

I agree 105% with what you are saying.

if CUSA could have gone up the middle and built a bridge to the Dakotas with Central Oklahoma, Nebraska Omaha. Mo State they might have at least looked at CUSA for FB only. WKU/MT aren't too bad in that mix either with lower midwest locations.

Liberty has promise but they may be a big bag for the conference because they can't get into anywhere else. They have no rep in basketball and do not help the conference.

All these additions do for sure is keep CUSA ahead of WAC/ASUN and provide insurance to the NMSUs and Liberty's that it will at the very least be a FB scheduling arrangement if not a conference.

But we don't need any of them.

We have an extant conference. We have enough back up options to have an extant conference in the event of additional changes.

No, we aren't in great shape if the absolute worst happens, but that's true of everyone in all times in almost all contexts.

CFP may require 12 members since everyone aside from CUSA has at least that many.

That is why I would get Tarleton in ASAP to at least get the membership level up to 10 in case they pull something like that.

And they may require every conference to have a team with pink and green uniforms to get CFP money. Or a mascot based on a bird.

You're just brainstorming weird outlandish worst case scenarios.

There is no reason that they'd do anything like this. What would be the point? It doesn't make sense.

Because the new CFP will have a lot of money on the line so they may up the standards for receiving it.

Its just another good reason for CUSA to get its membership back to a stable 12 teams than hangout by a thread at 9.

(06-24-2022 10:49 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 10:32 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 10:12 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:57 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 09:53 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  I agree 105% with what you are saying.

if CUSA could have gone up the middle and built a bridge to the Dakotas with Central Oklahoma, Nebraska Omaha. Mo State they might have at least looked at CUSA for FB only. WKU/MT aren't too bad in that mix either with lower midwest locations.

Liberty has promise but they may be a big bag for the conference because they can't get into anywhere else. They have no rep in basketball and do not help the conference.

All these additions do for sure is keep CUSA ahead of WAC/ASUN and provide insurance to the NMSUs and Liberty's that it will at the very least be a FB scheduling arrangement if not a conference.

But we don't need any of them.

We have an extant conference. We have enough back up options to have an extant conference in the event of additional changes.

No, we aren't in great shape if the absolute worst happens, but that's true of everyone in all times in almost all contexts.

CFP may require 12 members since everyone aside from CUSA has at least that many.

That is why I would get Tarleton in ASAP to at least get the membership level up to 10 in case they pull something like that.

And they may require every conference to have a team with pink and green uniforms to get CFP money. Or a mascot based on a bird.

You're just brainstorming weird outlandish worst case scenarios.

There is no reason that they'd do anything like this. What would be the point? It doesn't make sense.

Because the new CFP will have a lot of money on the line so they may up the standards for receiving it.

Its just another good reason for CUSA to get its membership back to a stable 12 teams than hangout by a thread at 9.

Right and make sure one of those teams has pink and green uniforms.

It's not another good reason to do anything, it's a weird fantasy. If the FBS schools want to stop sharing the pie, the cut off for that has nothing to do with the numbers of teams in the conference. They'd just keep it all for the P5 conferences. If the point is to split the pie fewer ways you wouldn't try to add more schools. It's all ridiculous.

Yes, UTC decided to stay in the SoCon... In 2013.

(06-24-2022 11:01 PM)THUNDERStruck73 Wrote:  Yes, UTC decided to stay in the SoCon... In 2013.

Yeah and think if they wouldn't move to the SBC in 2013 they certainly aren't entertaining a CUSA offer in 2023.

(06-24-2022 10:08 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  Another potential issue in the room. The new CFP agreement may require a minimum of 12 members for every conference to get its payout.

SEC (16)
AAC (14)
ACC (14)
B1G (14)
SBC (14)
MAC (12)
MWC (12)
PAC (12)
XII (12)
CUSA (9)

There is a real chance that CUSA will not be able to sign on with the new CFP agreement and if they don't have that nobody will join it.

This is not like it was 15 years ago when the MWC had 9 and the Big East was sitting at 8. If this payout is going to be a minimum of 30 million even for the G5 conferences they could very well cut CUSA out of it by requiring a minimum membership number.

If that number is not 12 but 14 you can kiss CUSA goodbye. PAC takes 2 from the XII. XII takes 2 each from MWC and AAC. MWC needs 4, AAC needs 2 and MAC needs 2 so CUSA is gone.

With this in mind and I'm CUSA I'm definitely trying to get back to 10 or 12 programs if I can as security to not be pushed out of the CFP agreement.

A postseason format I had been thinking about would make sense if C-USA was finished off or excluded. Whether 6+6 or 5+1+6 format for a 12 team CFP, entering towards the end of the season, either as a 12th or 13th game and presumably the week after Rivalry Week, the top 4 teams in each P5 conference would play in a conference championship semifinal with the 2 winners participating in their CCG while everyone else would their final scheduled conference game during the conference semis.

As for the G4 or G5 conferences, rather than conference championship games, they would compete in a 4 team playoff with the winner earning a bid into the CFP and potentially the runner-up if ranked ahead of a P5 champ in a 6+6 format. Not sure if their format would be top 4 G4 or G5 champs, top 3 champs + top at-large, or top 4 G5 teams. However, I think G4 or G5 conferences may still want a CCG prior during rivalry week, which could make scheduling difficult unless they decided to do a late season conference challenge (considered a bowl game for some), especially if G4, with incentives for the conference winners during the G4 or G5 semis.

(06-24-2022 10:10 PM)ken d Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 05:51 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  A repost from another thread I thought was worth looking at because many are assuming their is a deep reservoir of FCS/DII schools in the southern CUSA footprint ready to move up on a dime. It doesn't seem to be that many in all honesty.

How many public, low-mid major, non-HBCUs FCS programs are left in the footprint that have 10,000+ students?

FCS
Kennesaw St. (41,181) Cap: 8,318
Central Arkansas (11,487) Cap: 10,000
Eastern Kentucky (14,465) Cap: 20,000
Northwestern St. (11,081) Cap: 15,971
Western Carolina (12,243) Cap: 13,742
Chattanooga (11,638) Cap: 20,412
East Tennessee (17,296) Cap: 7,694
Tennessee Tech (10,054) Cap: 16,500
Lamar (16,191) Cap: 16,000
Tarleton St (13,996) Cap: 15,000
Stephen F. Austin (11,946) Cap: 14,575
TAMU-Commerce (12,385) Cap: 13,500

DII
West Georgia (13,733) Cap: 10,000
West Florida (12,850) Cap: 5,038
Valdosta St. (11,220) Cap: 11,249
Angelo St (10,477) Cap: 5,870
West Texas A&M (10,169) Cap: 8,500

The only FCS to CUSA transition candidates that meet both 10k enrollment and 15k stadium size are Eastern Kentucky, Northwestern St, Chattanooga, Tennessee Tech, Lamar and SFA. That is only 7 schools. With Northwestern St. and Lamar committed to a regional SLC they are effectively off the table.

EKU, Tarleton and SFA are pretty much about IT unless Kennesaw gets off its duff and builds a bigger FB stadium. CUSA has 9 at the moment and that makes 12 with EKU, Tarleton and SFA in the conference.

17 schools in the footprint have the 10k but at lot of them just barely. Only 5 of them have 13,000 students. The smallest MAC school by comparison is 15.5k (CMU).

The schools that have signed up for CUSA 4.0 so far were WAC/ASun FBS hopefuls; New Mexico St, Sam Houston St, Liberty, Jacksonville St. Others that didn't get the call up yet are SFA, Tarleton and Eastern Kentucky. Institutions that are already in poor geography with WAC or Atlantic Sun and might as well be in CUSA w/ an acceptable profile.

One thing all those schools have in common is that they average fewer than 9K in actual attendance and only five of them are above 8K. If you want schools that put fannies in the seats you have to look at the HBCU ranks.

I knew it would be bad but until I ran the numbers I didn't know it would be THAT bad.

Sadly some of the more attractive ones have also checked out on a FBS upgrade all together.

Chattanooga (rejected a rebuilding SBC)
Lamar (moved back to the SLC)
Central Arkansas (moved back to the SLC)
Stephen F. Austin (rejected CUSA last year)
Kennesaw St (not even sure about it)

2013 was a different era too before COLA and NIL. I can see why a lot of athletic departments are reluctant to move up in this environment.

HBCUs will bring the fans but at this current time no HBCU is in FBS. Pioneer League schools are also crossed of the list from moving up.

There is always a chance of course we go 7 years without any realignment which is about as long as we go without seeing a big move in FBS. CUSA can in the meantime work the phones with these 17 schools in the hope that one of them will say yes.

(06-24-2022 11:49 PM)GoBuckeyes1047 Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 10:08 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  Another potential issue in the room. The new CFP agreement may require a minimum of 12 members for every conference to get its payout.

SEC (16)
AAC (14)
ACC (14)
B1G (14)
SBC (14)
MAC (12)
MWC (12)
PAC (12)
XII (12)
CUSA (9)

There is a real chance that CUSA will not be able to sign on with the new CFP agreement and if they don't have that nobody will join it.

This is not like it was 15 years ago when the MWC had 9 and the Big East was sitting at 8. If this payout is going to be a minimum of 30 million even for the G5 conferences they could very well cut CUSA out of it by requiring a minimum membership number.

If that number is not 12 but 14 you can kiss CUSA goodbye. PAC takes 2 from the XII. XII takes 2 each from MWC and AAC. MWC needs 4, AAC needs 2 and MAC needs 2 so CUSA is gone.

With this in mind and I'm CUSA I'm definitely trying to get back to 10 or 12 programs if I can as security to not be pushed out of the CFP agreement.

A postseason format I had been thinking about would make sense if C-USA was finished off or excluded. Whether 6+6 or 5+1+6 format for a 12 team CFP, entering towards the end of the season, either as a 12th or 13th game and presumably the week after Rivalry Week, the top 4 teams in each P5 conference would play in a conference championship semifinal with the 2 winners participating in their CCG while everyone else would their final scheduled conference game during the conference semis.

As for the G4 or G5 conferences, rather than conference championship games, they would compete in a 4 team playoff with the winner earning a bid into the CFP and potentially the runner-up if ranked ahead of a P5 champ in a 6+6 format. Not sure if their format would be top 4 G4 or G5 champs, top 3 champs + top at-large, or top 4 G5 teams. However, I think G4 or G5 conferences may still want a CCG prior during rivalry week, which could make scheduling difficult unless they decided to do a late season conference challenge (considered a bowl game for some), especially if G4, with incentives for the conference winners during the G4 or G5 semis.

Do you think the SEC will be comfortable with CUSA earning a full CFP money cut at only 9 members?

I truly think some of the reason AAC voted to go to 14 was because its become the new normal for FBS conferences.

I can remember when they created the A5 voting structure University of Tennessee voiced displeasure over Middle Tennessee having the same voting rights.

This smells a lot like the WAC's final football days. Initially in 2010 they hung in but by 2013 they were finished when a few more surprise moves happened.

(06-24-2022 08:06 PM)GoBuckeyes1047 Wrote:  

(06-24-2022 06:05 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  CUSA might be smart going to 12 with Tarleton (WAC), EKU (ASUN) and Chattanooga (OVC) since they are acceptable fill-ins and put more pressure on other WAC, ASUN and OVC schools to consider moving up to get out of their situations.

Chattanooga is in the SoCon, not the OVC. Also with the SoCon adding a $2 million exit fee, I'm not sure Chattanooga would leave for C-USA. Maybe SBC or MAC if offered (not likely), but I don't think they would for C-USA.

Chattanooga wouldn't move to the SBC. Fortunately, we don't need them now. Chattanooga is probably a SoCon lifer (will stay in the SoCon no matter what)