WKU, MTSU, Jax St and Kennesaw would make a sensible East division core

Not necessarily a quality football add but they need to stabilize with divisons.

A 9 team CUSA as currently constituted for 2023 just isn't feasible long term

(10-07-2022 06:12 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 06:02 PM)Yosef181 Wrote:  Jacksonville State, Sam Houston State, Kennesaw State, FIU, Liberty. Maybe add Eastern Kentucky and Tarleton State...this all screams "FCS Conference."

WKU is about to find out how Marshall felt in 2014: the Thundering Herd went from sharing their division with UCF, ECU, Memphis, Southern Miss, and UAB in 2012 to sharing their division with MTSU, WKU, FAU, FIU, ODU, and UAB in 2014.

And most said the same about the SBC when in a short span they added FCS moveups AppSt, GaSo, TxST, Coastal Carolina and recent startups USA and GaSt as well as adding Idaho and NMsU for a short stint.

No one knows what the future holds. My guess is there is some more shuffling to occur and in 5 or 6 years, things may look entirely different for WKU but if not, we will continue playing and competing as best we can.

There could be a push to condense down to 8 FBS conferences at some point soon.

This way 6 of 8 get playoff spots. Particularly if the PAC goes under at some point.

(10-07-2022 06:01 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 05:30 PM)Poster Wrote:  You’re supposed to have at least 17,000 in attendance to move to FBS.

What's the over/under on the number of years this "rule" goes unenforced before it stops being cited

Well, the 6-schools-for-5-years rule was scrapped in 2011, and Ted Gumbart was still talking about it a couple of years ago as the basis for the 20-team-ASUN-split-into-two-leagues plan.

HEck, every once in a while somebody still thinks the 25000 seat stadium or the "if half your conference qualifies for I-A you can qualify as a confernence" rules are still around.

(10-07-2022 05:39 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  10 helps CUSA with the CFP payout on the next contract because they will no longer be the smallest conference (tied with PAC at 10).

How is this relevant? Nobody cares how much the conference makes, it's what the schools in the conference make that is important.

(10-07-2022 05:51 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  Good for CUSA to get to ten, .

Why?

(10-07-2022 06:25 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Not necessarily a quality football add but they need to stabilize with divisons.

A 9 team CUSA as currently constituted for 2023 just isn't feasible long term

What? Ten schools doesn't give you divisions (nor do divisions give you stability).


You guys are all 180° off on this. Plug in "bad" everywhere you say "good" on this topic

(10-07-2022 04:20 PM)Hootyhoo Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 03:53 PM)bullet Wrote:  KSU is simply not ready to do that. Their stadium is a nice little facility, emphasis on little. It only seats about 8,300. Given its narrow footprint, it would be a challenge to expand to 30,000 or even 20,000. Softball, baseball and basketball facilities are ok. They are at least relatively new. Probably a good enough size for CUSA. Fan support is fine for an FCS school, but anemic for FBS.

While they have 40,000 students and a good bit of on campus housing, it is on two campuses and still feels like a commuter campus. Its pretty dead on nights and weekends. Kids on campus often go home on weekends.

It was rumored a minute ago the land they own that used to be a brand smart could potentially be used for a 30k seat stadium. KSU is very commuter-y but I think a lot of why we launched football was to try and change that culture and give students a reason to be on/around campus on weekends.

Both campuses are pretty close to eachother. Even if you take out the Marrietta campus population, we're still a really big school.

Fan support is an issue. But this move keeps our rivalry with JSU intact. With our short history playing football, that's the only team on our schedule people really cared about. Hopefully being FBS means we can get some home and homes with southern and state. Our game at state is one of the highest attended in their stadium. And it was more black and gold than blue and white in there. Having that game regularly could help keep fans engaged for both teams.

5th 3rd is so new its hard to imagine building a whole new stadium. At the same time, the front is real close to Busbee Dr. and the back is close to the steep incline to the lake which can't be more than 150 ft. or so away.

(10-07-2022 05:13 PM)PeteTheChop Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 04:05 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Judy should be up for Commissioner of the Year at the rate she's going.

She'll keep her job longer than Gorgeous George keeps his

Judy’s Cinderella comeback is the best story in college athletics.

Marketz....gotta love Marketz.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

This is a prime opportunity for the OVC to finish off the ASUN once and for all. It may not have gotten UIndy, but it gain regain what it lost (Austin Peay) and gain new more regional territories (Central Arkansas, North Alabama). There's no going back for Eastern Kentucky. The lawsuit between them and the OVC will be a knock down drag out fight, and their best hope is that the C-USA picks them up as member #11 or #12 (which I think they will be).

(10-07-2022 06:48 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 04:20 PM)Hootyhoo Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 03:53 PM)bullet Wrote:  KSU is simply not ready to do that. Their stadium is a nice little facility, emphasis on little. It only seats about 8,300. Given its narrow footprint, it would be a challenge to expand to 30,000 or even 20,000. Softball, baseball and basketball facilities are ok. They are at least relatively new. Probably a good enough size for CUSA. Fan support is fine for an FCS school, but anemic for FBS.

While they have 40,000 students and a good bit of on campus housing, it is on two campuses and still feels like a commuter campus. Its pretty dead on nights and weekends. Kids on campus often go home on weekends.

It was rumored a minute ago the land they own that used to be a brand smart could potentially be used for a 30k seat stadium. KSU is very commuter-y but I think a lot of why we launched football was to try and change that culture and give students a reason to be on/around campus on weekends.

Both campuses are pretty close to eachother. Even if you take out the Marrietta campus population, we're still a really big school.

Fan support is an issue. But this move keeps our rivalry with JSU intact. With our short history playing football, that's the only team on our schedule people really cared about. Hopefully being FBS means we can get some home and homes with southern and state. Our game at state is one of the highest attended in their stadium. And it was more black and gold than blue and white in there. Having that game regularly could help keep fans engaged for both teams.

5th 3rd is so new its hard to imagine building a whole new stadium. At the same time, the front is real close to Busbee Dr. and the back is close to the steep incline to the lake which can't be more than 150 ft. or so away.

I thought Fifth Third Bank Stadium followed the model where the venue was built to factor future expansion (so it could "readily" do so if/when needed). But even doubling the size of it would make it a speck in D1, if the venue was even designed to be capable of such growth. I'd imagine they'd have to convert the standing decks adjacent to the press box into something, run a small deck along the visitor side, and fill in the one end zone. But you're probably not doubling up the capacity just by that, though.

What the conference layout looks like with Kennesaw St included.



CUSA, AAC, SBC, MWC layouts together

I’m not sure why so many people want to herald Judy as some sort of champion or hero in this story. Her poor leadership cost the league 9 members. For the 5 left behind, the schools that are coming in to fill the holes aren’t exactly ones they are thrilled to be playing.

If C-USA 3.0 was a modest beachfront home, what she’s rebuilt with C-USA 4.0 is more akin to a shack.

(10-07-2022 05:38 PM)Hootyhoo Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 05:28 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 05:11 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  Wow, that will really raise the prestige and profile of CUSA.

If it happens, I will have to congratulate CUSA.

I think the opposite.

I'm pretty sure you two are on the same page. I think that emoji was meant to convey sarcasm.

Indeed.

(10-08-2022 06:16 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I’m not sure why so many people want to herald Judy as some sort of champion or hero in this story. Her poor leadership cost the league 9 members. For the 5 left behind, the schools that are coming in to fill the holes aren’t exactly ones they are thrilled to be playing.

If C-USA 3.0 was a modest beachfront home, what she’s rebuilt with C-USA 4.0 is more akin to a shack.

Although I'm not going to try to defend all of Commissioner McLeod's decisions over the years, I don't believe there's a single thing any commish could have done to prevent those 6 from going to the AAC. From the getgo, that was always their goal. CUSA has always been the stepping stone, through multiple commissioners. Her predecessor and the schools at that time are the ones who pissed off ESPN which set in motion further departures down the road.

It may not be the easiest job, but if Kennesaw State were to begin work soon, an expansion could be ready for the 2024 season. Perhaps double deck the north and south end zones before the 2023 season, then do the east and west stands between the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

(10-08-2022 05:56 AM)dawgonit Wrote:  

What the conference layout looks like with Kennesaw St included.

That actually makes sense if you add Tarleton State and Eastern Kentucky. You'd end up with a geographically tight East division, and only FIU on an island.

East:
Kennesaw State
Liberty
Eastern Kentucky
Western Kentucky
Jacksonville State
Middle Tennessee State

West:
Sam Houston State
Tarleton State
Louisiana Tech
Texas at El Paso
New Mexico State
Florida International


The East would be an FBS version of the Atlantic Sun (Kennesaw State, Liberty, Eastern Kentucky, and Jacksonville State are all from there).

The West would be an FBS version of the WAC (Sam Houston State, Tarleton State, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech, and Texas at El Paso are all from there).

(10-07-2022 06:12 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 06:02 PM)Yosef181 Wrote:  Jacksonville State, Sam Houston State, Kennesaw State, FIU, Liberty. Maybe add Eastern Kentucky and Tarleton State...this all screams "FCS Conference."

WKU is about to find out how Marshall felt in 2014: the Thundering Herd went from sharing their division with UCF, ECU, Memphis, Southern Miss, and UAB in 2012 to sharing their division with MTSU, WKU, FAU, FIU, ODU, and UAB in 2014.

And most said the same about the SBC when in a short span they added FCS moveups AppSt, GaSo, TxST, Coastal Carolina and recent startups USA and GaSt as well as adding Idaho and NMsU for a short stint.

No one knows what the future holds. My guess is there is some more shuffling to occur and in 5 or 6 years, things may look entirely different for WKU but if not, we will continue playing and competing as best we can.

App State, Ga. Southern, Coastal, JMU, further back WKU, and even further back Marshall all came in with high success in FCS AND strong fan support. They've all fared well. The others came without one or both of those things going for them.

This is why I expect Jax State to do well (both success and fan support) and SHSU and KSU to struggle.

EDIT: Liberty came in as a success in FBS along with big fan/financial support. Low and behold, they're successful. Startups struggled for a long time, lacking both a long history of winning and fan support.

(10-07-2022 06:25 PM)solohawks Wrote:  WKU, MTSU, Jax St and Kennesaw would make a sensible East division core

Not necessarily a quality football add but they need to stabilize with divisons.

A 9 team CUSA as currently constituted for 2023 just isn't feasible long term

Kennesaw State in just 7 years of FCS football was 63-18.

(10-08-2022 08:52 AM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 06:12 PM)WKUApollo Wrote:  

(10-07-2022 06:02 PM)Yosef181 Wrote:  Jacksonville State, Sam Houston State, Kennesaw State, FIU, Liberty. Maybe add Eastern Kentucky and Tarleton State...this all screams "FCS Conference."

WKU is about to find out how Marshall felt in 2014: the Thundering Herd went from sharing their division with UCF, ECU, Memphis, Southern Miss, and UAB in 2012 to sharing their division with MTSU, WKU, FAU, FIU, ODU, and UAB in 2014.

And most said the same about the SBC when in a short span they added FCS moveups AppSt, GaSo, TxST, Coastal Carolina and recent startups USA and GaSt as well as adding Idaho and NMsU for a short stint.

No one knows what the future holds. My guess is there is some more shuffling to occur and in 5 or 6 years, things may look entirely different for WKU but if not, we will continue playing and competing as best we can.

App State, Ga. Southern, Coastal, JMU, further back WKU, and even further back Marshall all came in with high success in FCS AND strong fan support. They've all fared well. The others came without one or both of those things going for them.

This is why I expect Jax State to do well (both success and fan support) and SHSU and KSU to struggle.

EDIT: Liberty came in as a success in FBS along with big fan/financial support. Low and behold, they're successful. Startups struggled for a long time, lacking both a long history of winning and fan support.

CCU only averaged about 8,000 fans at the height of their success in the FCS… and they never made it past the Quarterfinals. Pump the breaks on including “Coastal” on your list there, pal. Including them in a group with App State and GaSouthern is revisionist history.

C-USA 2025
North
Liberty
N.C. A&T
EKU
WKU
MTSU
Kennesaw St.
Jacksonville St.
South
N.M. State
UTEP
Sam Houston St.
La. Tech
Missouri St.
Jackson St.
FIU

(10-08-2022 07:59 AM)Yosef181 Wrote:  That actually makes sense if you add Tarleton State and Eastern Kentucky. You'd end up with a geographically tight East division, and only FIU on an island.

East:
Kennesaw State
Liberty
Eastern Kentucky
Western Kentucky
Jacksonville State
Middle Tennessee State

West:
Sam Houston State
Tarleton State
Louisiana Tech
Texas at El Paso
New Mexico State
Florida International

Would TAMU-Tarleton be a better choice than Stephen F. Austin? That seems debatable.

Not a fan at all of Judy bringing in EKU. It may help the Colonels considering the OVC’s survival issues, but talk about a program with a low ceiling. See no scenario where a school in Richmond, Kentucky would be anything other than a football bottom-feeder in the current iteration of C-USA

Also, FIU to the C-USA West = Mizzou to the SEC East

#StepchildTreatment