(02-12-2018 08:12 AM)BKTopper Wrote:  UAB, Marshall, WKU, MT, F_U's, ODU. Plus appst, gaso, gast. Nice 10 member conference. But bring along FGCU, Belmont, Evansville, Charlotte (oly only) as quality basketball adds. Then you add 2 football only schools: Army and UMass. Now THAT'S insane.

Why? Why would we basically create the same thing we have now just with different teams?

The Florida schools are going to have to show me more than one season to prove to me they are truly committed - and neither still seem to give a crap about basketball. Georgia St is an albatross for football. Ga Southern is now starting to realize it's not as easy as they thought it was going to be. And App State is abysmal in basketball.

If you look at this league arrangement just for one year it's pretty good. Ga State actually made a bowl. The Florida schools did well in football. The league would rank 8th in RPI in basketball. But extend it out the last three years and see what it looks like. The RPI for this as a league would be 15th, 19th and 16th over the previous three years. That looks pretty much exactly like what we already have.

If Selig, Stewart, and Massaro (and I might even throw Ingram in there) are going to get together and make this happen they need to create the best possible mix of schools who are committed and dedicated to football and basketball. I would say pick one between Ga Southern and App State but not both. Both are historically cellar dwellers in basketball and there is no reason to add that much risk to a new league. Same for FIU and FAU. Pick the breadwinner. Both aren't needed. Add back in La Tech. And probably Southern Miss. Or perhaps steal Ohio from the MAC, which is possible if you are selling competing for the Access Bowl and at-large bids by putting the right mix of schools together. Even with Norfolk to Ruston some degree of geographical symmetry is retained. If you are looking for basketball only members then and only then would you consider Georgia State. GSU and Belmont would be good basketball only members (though I'm not convinced it would be necessary). In fact, I would say adding basketball only schools wouldn't add much benefit in relation to revenue sharing.