(11-01-2021 02:19 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:13 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 01:56 PM)orangefan Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 01:48 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 01:40 PM)Curtisc83 Wrote:  No such thing a a FBS FB only conference.

That's because noone has done it yet.

They would not have standing in the CFP, but they still could have a title and standings and scheduling.

The CFP is free to recognize and negotiate with a football only conference. The major status lost from not being an FBS conference as defined under NCAA rules is a loss of voting rights as an FBS conference in NCAA matters. Under NCAA rules, it may also be prohibited from having a CCG, as the CCG is an exception to the 12 game schedule limit available only to an NCAA recognized conference. But a bunch of football independents could certainly form a non profit corporation, hire officials, organize a league schedule and make contracts with TV services, bowl games and the CFP.

I was just thinking about this and it's an interesting point.

Not sure if I buy that the other CFP members would agree to having C-USA be recognized as a football-only conference without being an NCAA-compliant FBS conference in practicality, but it's at least something that C-USA could put out there on the table.

If LA Tech, UTEP, NMSU, FIU, Liberty, UConn, and UMass all played football under the CUSA banner, even if that's all CUSA sponsored, I think it would be hard for the CFP to kick them out of the current agreement

They could choose to leave them out of future agreements, but that would be difficult and it would be easier just to treat them as the continuation of the previous CUSA

And if Army comes along you have 8. If you don't have a ccg, you don't have to do a round robin, so you could do it with 5 or 6 conference games. That might sell Army and UConn.

(11-01-2021 02:27 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:19 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:13 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 01:56 PM)orangefan Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 01:48 PM)bullet Wrote:  That's because noone has done it yet.

They would not have standing in the CFP, but they still could have a title and standings and scheduling.

The CFP is free to recognize and negotiate with a football only conference. The major status lost from not being an FBS conference as defined under NCAA rules is a loss of voting rights as an FBS conference in NCAA matters. Under NCAA rules, it may also be prohibited from having a CCG, as the CCG is an exception to the 12 game schedule limit available only to an NCAA recognized conference. But a bunch of football independents could certainly form a non profit corporation, hire officials, organize a league schedule and make contracts with TV services, bowl games and the CFP.

I was just thinking about this and it's an interesting point.

Not sure if I buy that the other CFP members would agree to having C-USA be recognized as a football-only conference without being an NCAA-compliant FBS conference in practicality, but it's at least something that C-USA could put out there on the table.

If LA Tech, UTEP, NMSU, FIU, Liberty, UConn, and UMass all played football under the CUSA banner, even if that's all CUSA sponsored, I think it would be hard for the CFP to kick them out of the current agreement

They could choose to leave them out of future agreements, but that would be difficult and it would be easier just to treat them as the continuation of the previous CUSA

And if Army comes along you have 8. If you don't have a ccg, you don't have to do a round robin, so you could do it with 5 or 6 conference games. That might sell Army and UConn.

Army has told the AAC to pound sand for years, with a real chance they could have tipped things to get AFA to join and have all 3 academies in a league together, why on earth would they sign up for that?

Yeah I don't think you need Army anyways. 7 guarantees everyone 3 home and 3 away

An A-Sun/C-USA merger makes a ton of sense.

Both the WAC and ASun expanded prior to the Texas/Oklahoma move, building their FCS portfolios, with the intention to move the FBS together.

The WAC is free to sponsor FBS once they have 8 full-time members who play FBS football. (The A-Sun is as well, but their members can't get to FBS without an invite from an FBS conference. The WAC/ASun have been working together on FCS football now, with 7 combined members in an FCS football-only conference, which is allowed. So the likely path before Texas/OU, was in a few years when everyone is ready, thered' be one year of a 16-team WAC featuring 8 ASun affiliate members. Then the ASun could just sponsor FBS the next season).

Well, now the WAC/ASun wouldn't necessarily NEED to to do that. A C-USA/ASun merger would give the ASun a path to FBS by like 2026-27.

C-USA will survive. It's still more valuable to the remaining teams than any reasonable alternative. It probably needs a name change to get rid of at least some of the stigma of failure, though.

If MTSU & WKU don't get an invite to the MAC, then add NMSU and call up the 4 most ready & willing of the schools below. If those 2 schools do move to the MAC, then add NMSU and call of 6 of the most ready & willing FCS programs.

Possible FCS promotions:
Chattanooga
Florida A&M*
EKU
Jacksonville State
Kennesaw State
Missouri State
Sam Houston State
Stephen F. Austin

NDSU and SDSU get mentioned a lot, but I think that just spreads a struggling conference too thin. The remainers plus the above would create two good regional (relatively fan-friendly) groups for a 10-team league that plays a 9-game schedule in order to provide whatever media partner(s) with as much inventory as possible.

I don't think Liberty's a possibility. Either Liberty isn't interested, or C-USA doesn't want their baggage. Either way, I think they're unlikely to join/be invited.

*I know they're seldom mentioned in this round, but they tried to make the move once as an indy. Surely they could make a go of it if they're part of a conference.

(11-01-2021 02:35 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:27 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:19 PM)solohawks Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 02:13 PM)Frank the Tank Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 01:56 PM)orangefan Wrote:  The CFP is free to recognize and negotiate with a football only conference. The major status lost from not being an FBS conference as defined under NCAA rules is a loss of voting rights as an FBS conference in NCAA matters. Under NCAA rules, it may also be prohibited from having a CCG, as the CCG is an exception to the 12 game schedule limit available only to an NCAA recognized conference. But a bunch of football independents could certainly form a non profit corporation, hire officials, organize a league schedule and make contracts with TV services, bowl games and the CFP.

I was just thinking about this and it's an interesting point.

Not sure if I buy that the other CFP members would agree to having C-USA be recognized as a football-only conference without being an NCAA-compliant FBS conference in practicality, but it's at least something that C-USA could put out there on the table.

If LA Tech, UTEP, NMSU, FIU, Liberty, UConn, and UMass all played football under the CUSA banner, even if that's all CUSA sponsored, I think it would be hard for the CFP to kick them out of the current agreement

They could choose to leave them out of future agreements, but that would be difficult and it would be easier just to treat them as the continuation of the previous CUSA

And if Army comes along you have 8. If you don't have a ccg, you don't have to do a round robin, so you could do it with 5 or 6 conference games. That might sell Army and UConn.

Army has told the AAC to pound sand for years, with a real chance they could have tipped things to get AFA to join and have all 3 academies in a league together, why on earth would they sign up for that?

CFP money (if the rest of the conferences play along). They probably will play 4 or 5 games against that group anyway. Alternate bowl to the Ft. Worth Bowl.

It starts by bringing ESPN back to the negotiation table by reminding them that Memphis, SMU, Central Florida, Tulsa, Tulane, East Carolina, Houston, Rice, UAB, Southern Miss, and Marshall and former commissioner, Britton Banowsky, are no longer in the league or will be part of the league that supported stabbing ESPN in the back on a contract that resulted in a lawsuit in 2011.

The only player still in CUSA at that time and now is UTEP, who has changed presidents since then and has not tried to flake out on the conference after screwing ESPN.

The league needs to make it possible to have a competitive media package. That's not possible when ESPN refuses to talk to you.

(11-01-2021 01:49 PM)Huan Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 01:44 PM)GreenFreakUAB Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 01:37 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(11-01-2021 01:33 PM)GreenFreakUAB Wrote:  ...hopefully not a big deal starting another thread, but - just wondering about the scenarios available for C-USA teams left (and YES, I DO want to see ALL of them land in the best available spot... I've noted elsewhere that we UAB fans know all too well how it feels to have our program kneecapped, and it's not a good feeling...)

Of course, cobbling together a new C-USA could work, and whatever 'exit fees' from the departing schools would be collected, whatever that sum would be (who knows for sure, but no doubt it's a big option, in addition to retaining the autobid deal, however that works for C-USA). The biggest 'long-term' question is what sort of media deal could this scenario garner? The current C-USA deal is a pretty big chunk of the reason schools are leaving...

The next option would be the MWC for LaTech and UTEP - something tells me this may be the endgame for these two - hopefully a great deal for both - great media package, established conference, etc... Again, if Boise and...San Diego St? Air Force? ...vamoose for the BIG XII, the MWC will (most likely) want to add a few back... as to FIU, this scenario would most likely see them going Indy, or, more likely, to the A-SUN.

A third option is LaTech/UTEP to the WAC... this may work, if the WAC would give them some incentive... as to the C-USA autobid, not sure if that would 'merge' with the WAC (who also has an autobid, I believe)... but the advantage of this move would be LaTech and UTEP should be the lead dawgs/miners by a good bit, and the remainder of the conference could build up to their level. The unknown would be again the media deal, and along with possibly 'waiving' the C-USA exit fees that COULD be collected if they just stay/rebuild C-USA, this option seems the least 'lucrative', long-term... (FIU situation is the same as the last option).

Well, I guess there are no surprising scenarios here, but bottom line, just hoping that it works out for all parties... and if they decide to hang out in C-USA and collect exit fees, good on 'em (I'd probably do that too) - the exiting teams knew they were to be on the hook for that by making a move, so... that's that.

I think a merger with ASUN would be best. Then UTEP, LT, FIU are in the same conference as Liberty. ASUN could take CUSA name and have an FCS football conference and maybe do a 6 team FBS conference with those 4 and NMSU and UMass as football only. They could do TV and bowl deals even if they couldn't still be a G5 without more members. And the 4 FBS schools could move if something better comes along.

...yeah, I should have noted "WAC and/or ASUN" - of the two, it would seem like the ASUN could work for all three, whereas I don't see FIU to the WAC - although weirder things have happened. If they can get the NCAA to work with them, I think a WAC/ASUN merger into the 'frame' of C-USA would be the best thing, but you would have to whittle down three conference commissioners/admins/support to one, which could be a big issue... I worked for a company that was born by merging three regional companies together into a national company... it worked ok, but it took a decade or more to 'streamline' it (i.e., eliminate the redundant positions from the three companies).

what would the ASUN or the WAC get from a merger?
why merger rather than just buy out a few selected programs?

...looks like the option you noted is the path chosen by C-USA... it is almost a no-brainer to not cash in on whatever fees are due - although someone noted that the exiting schools could make some 'home-and-home' series with C-USA schools for future years, in 'lieu' of a 'total fees in cash' deal... which may bode well for C-USA as a whole, in that it would have future years set, thus 'stabilize' things a bit during the FCS-to-FBS transitions for the 'call-ups'...