Now that CUSA may be settling on 10 schools for football, it raises a couple questions for me.

1. I assume no divisions?? If so, do we play 8 league games or can we play nine league games?

2. If divisions, how would that even be laid out?

Other leagues have had 10 teams, most recently the SBC but I don't recall how they did it. If I remember correctly, they didn't have divisions, played 8 league games and just rolled with it.

No way we do 9 conference games. That can't happen. Not for this conference.


SB had "divisions" and the champs played in their CCG. In the olden WAC (early 2000s) we were just grouped into two general groups who didn't ever miss playing each other and then you rotated through the other half on who you didn't play in football in a given year. I'd assume something closer to the later option with best 2 records in CCG.

no point in having divisions with 10 teams

Yes they kind of had "divisions". It does cut down on travel a little bit--depending on which sport and how many regular season games they decide to play. If FB played eight games-- the team you would "miss" would rotate among a pool of the farthest away teams IMHO.

Some BIG quotes in today's news are about the 10 vs 12 teams debate.

Vannini-- " Multiple sources throughout the conference said the league DOESN'T expect to get back to fourteen teams, and it may NOT rush to twelve either".

C-USA Board chair Caboni-- "We think and our new media partners think 10 is a good place to be. There is a possibility of 12, but it has to be the right 12. Institutional strength and geography matter there".

(10-14-2022 05:47 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  Some BIG quotes in today's news are about the 10 vs 12 teams debate.

Vannini-- " Multiple sources throughout the conference said the league DOESN'T expect to get back to fourteen teams, and it may NOT rush to twelve either".

C-USA Board chair Caboni-- "We think and our new media partners think 10 is a good place to be. There is a possibility of 12, but it has to be the right 12. Institutional strength and geography matter there".

Almost sounds like the media contract is a done deal.

I like the idea of north/south divisions. I don’t like the idea of east/west divisions. The north/south is clean and visually makes sense. The problem is, it benefits the compact north, while leaving a far flung south division. An east/west split is complicated because it would split some very close central competitors. Regardless, we’ll play almost everyone annually. But, it’s not that big of a deal. Keepin’ us all together will work fine too. I do hope we get 11 and 12 within this year so they can come in 2024 also.

WELCOME ABOARD OWLS!!!

(10-14-2022 06:06 PM)army56mike Wrote:  I like the idea of north/south divisions. I don’t like the idea of east/west divisions. The north/south is clean and visually makes sense. The problem is, it benefits the compact north, while leaving a far flung south division. An east/west split is complicated because it would split some very close central competitors. Regardless, we’ll play almost everyone annually. But, it’s not that big of a deal. Keepin’ us all together will work fine too. I do hope we get 11 and 12 within this year so they can come in 2024 also.

WELCOME ABOARD OWLS!!!

The only sport where you might want divisions is football to set up a championship game. The N/S split isn't a bad idea. But even with an eight game schedule you'd only be skipping one opponent a year.

For basketball I assume we will do the full 18 game season. Baseball would be 27 or 30 if you wanted to double up on someone.

(10-14-2022 06:06 PM)army56mike Wrote:  I like the idea of north/south divisions. I don’t like the idea of east/west divisions. The north/south is clean and visually makes sense.

No way.

You can't make UTEP/NMSU and FIU share a division. Or anyone else share a division with that combination.

It'd be just as good to just pick "never miss them" partners and rotate the non-played team through the other 8.

It's weird that none of this is "as clean" as round robin.

Better for basketball, that's where you'd almost surely do travel partners. Liberty/FIU aren't close but would most likely be paired. I guess you could do JSU/FIU and Liberty with KSU instead.

For baseball I bet it looks like this season. Play everyone with one partner to play twice (NMSU/SHSU, Tech/DBU, etc).

(10-14-2022 06:03 PM)roundsound Wrote:  

(10-14-2022 05:47 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  Some BIG quotes in today's news are about the 10 vs 12 teams debate.

Vannini-- " Multiple sources throughout the conference said the league DOESN'T expect to get back to fourteen teams, and it may NOT rush to twelve either".

C-USA Board chair Caboni-- "We think and our new media partners think 10 is a good place to be. There is a possibility of 12, but it has to be the right 12. Institutional strength and geography matter there".

Almost sounds like the media contract is a done deal.

(10-14-2022 06:06 PM)army56mike Wrote:  I like the idea of north/south divisions. I don’t like the idea of east/west divisions. The north/south is clean and visually makes sense. The problem is, it benefits the compact north, while leaving a far flung south division. An east/west split is complicated because it would split some very close central competitors. Regardless, we’ll play almost everyone annually. But, it’s not that big of a deal. Keepin’ us all together will work fine too. I do hope we get 11 and 12 within this year so they can come in 2024 also.

WELCOME ABOARD OWLS!!!

Not trying to disagree, army56mike, but it seems pretty clear from the Vannini and Caboni quotes above that 12 will not come soon and a smaller possibility it may not come at all--especially till BIG dominoes fall from above. NOBODY else is coming in 2024 IMO-- unless something really crazy happens.

Why do people keep putting divisions in quotes? The Sun Belt did have actual divisions once the rule changed and no longer required 12 teams in order to have divisions/stage a CCG.

(10-14-2022 08:17 PM)space orange Wrote:  Why do people keep putting divisions in quotes? The Sun Belt did have actual divisions once the rule changed and no longer required 12 teams in order to have divisions/stage a CCG.

Because while they were technically divisions that allowed them to hold a CCG under those old rules, when you play all but one team, there isn't very much division between your divisions.

It's not meant to be pejorative. The rules were the rules and they had divisional champs and all. No negative connotation intended.

But that model wouldn't do much for this group. Partly because the rules have improved and mostly because there would be very little geographic advantage anyway. And no sets of rivalry/fan interest/history beyond a couple of pairings.

But, sure. The SB had two divisions.

(10-14-2022 06:42 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(10-14-2022 06:06 PM)army56mike Wrote:  I like the idea of north/south divisions. I don’t like the idea of east/west divisions. The north/south is clean and visually makes sense.

No way.

You can't make UTEP/NMSU and FIU share a division. Or anyone else share a division with that combination.

It'd be just as good to just pick "never miss them" partners and rotate the non-played tram through the other 8.

It's weird that none of this is "as clean" as round robin.

Better for basketball, that's where you'd almost surely do travel partners. Liberty/FIU aren't close but would most likely be paired. I guess you could do JSU/FIU and Liberty with KSU instead.

For baseball I bet it looks like this season. Play everyone with one partner to play twice (NMSU/SHSU, Tech/DBU, etc).

Why would you split JSU/KSU and create two traveling opportunities? or should I say 4?

I think the divisions should be 4 - 6 but only used for scheduling purposes.

NMSU
UTEP
SHSU
LT

Everyone else.


Have the two teams with the best records meet in the championship game.

(10-15-2022 08:13 AM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(10-14-2022 06:42 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(10-14-2022 06:06 PM)army56mike Wrote:  I like the idea of north/south divisions. I don’t like the idea of east/west divisions. The north/south is clean and visually makes sense.

No way.

You can't make UTEP/NMSU and FIU share a division. Or anyone else share a division with that combination.

It'd be just as good to just pick "never miss them" partners and rotate the non-played tram through the other 8.

It's weird that none of this is "as clean" as round robin.

Better for basketball, that's where you'd almost surely do travel partners. Liberty/FIU aren't close but would most likely be paired. I guess you could do JSU/FIU and Liberty with KSU instead.

For baseball I bet it looks like this season. Play everyone with one partner to play twice (NMSU/SHSU, Tech/DBU, etc).

Why would you split JSU/KSU and create two traveling opportunities? or should I say 4?

I wouldn't.

But you could.

(10-15-2022 10:00 AM)JCMiner Wrote:  I think the divisions should be 4 - 6 but only used for scheduling purposes.

NMSU
UTEP
SHSU
LT

Everyone else.


Have the two teams with the best records meet in the championship game.

I don't know that playing UTEP/NMSU would mean so much to SHSU/Tech that you couldn't just do pairs that always played with a bigger rotation through the rest of the conference on who you miss.

(10-15-2022 08:13 AM)Gemofthehills Wrote:  

(10-14-2022 06:42 PM)inutech Wrote:  

(10-14-2022 06:06 PM)army56mike Wrote:  I like the idea of north/south divisions. I don’t like the idea of east/west divisions. The north/south is clean and visually makes sense.

No way.

You can't make UTEP/NMSU and FIU share a division. Or anyone else share a division with that combination.

It'd be just as good to just pick "never miss them" partners and rotate the non-played tram through the other 8.

It's weird that none of this is "as clean" as round robin.

Better for basketball, that's where you'd almost surely do travel partners. Liberty/FIU aren't close but would most likely be paired. I guess you could do JSU/FIU and Liberty with KSU instead.

For baseball I bet it looks like this season. Play everyone with one partner to play twice (NMSU/SHSU, Tech/DBU, etc).

Why would you split JSU/KSU and create two traveling opportunities? or should I say 4?

Even IF we have divisions and even IF KSU and JSU end up in seperate divisions, that doesn't mean you couldn't play annually in the way of a permanent cross division rival like Bama/Tennessee, UGA/Auburn etc.

(10-15-2022 10:07 AM)inutech Wrote:  

(10-15-2022 10:00 AM)JCMiner Wrote:  I think the divisions should be 4 - 6 but only used for scheduling purposes.

NMSU
UTEP
SHSU
LT

Everyone else.


Have the two teams with the best records meet in the championship game.

I don't know that playing UTEP/NMSU would mean so much to SHSU/Tech that you couldn't just do pairs that always played with a bigger rotation through the rest of the conference on who you miss.

That probably makes more sense than having permanent cross over rivals like I mentioned above, but it does leave FIU and Liberty as the odd pairing.

(10-15-2022 10:30 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(10-15-2022 10:07 AM)inutech Wrote:  

(10-15-2022 10:00 AM)JCMiner Wrote:  I think the divisions should be 4 - 6 but only used for scheduling purposes.

NMSU
UTEP
SHSU
LT

Everyone else.


Have the two teams with the best records meet in the championship game.

I don't know that playing UTEP/NMSU would mean so much to SHSU/Tech that you couldn't just do pairs that always played with a bigger rotation through the rest of the conference on who you miss.

That probably makes more sense than having permanent cross over rivals like I mentioned above, but it does leave FIU and Liberty as the odd pairing.

It does but with ten schools it's less about the "rivalry" being a big deal (although it is with UTEP/NMSU, WKU/MTSU, and apparently JSU/KSU) and more about just having a system.

You are making sure they play every year but you're only really keeping them from missing each other twice over 18 years. I don't think CUSA will look the same in 18 years.

So from that point of view you could pretend you're rotating through the whole conference, and just set the real rivals to miss each other near the end of the rotation, when you can pretty much expect to have scraped the scheduling system anyway.

(10-15-2022 10:51 AM)inutech Wrote:  

(10-15-2022 10:30 AM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  

(10-15-2022 10:07 AM)inutech Wrote:  

(10-15-2022 10:00 AM)JCMiner Wrote:  I think the divisions should be 4 - 6 but only used for scheduling purposes.

NMSU
UTEP
SHSU
LT

Everyone else.


Have the two teams with the best records meet in the championship game.

I don't know that playing UTEP/NMSU would mean so much to SHSU/Tech that you couldn't just do pairs that always played with a bigger rotation through the rest of the conference on who you miss.

That probably makes more sense than having permanent cross over rivals like I mentioned above, but it does leave FIU and Liberty as the odd pairing.

It does but with ten schools it's less about the "rivalry" being a big deal (although it is with UTEP/NMSU, WKU/MTSU, and apparently JSU/KSU) and more about just having a system.

You are making sure they play every year but you're only really keeping them from missing each other twice over 18 years. I don't think CUSA will look the same in 18 years.

So from that point of view you could pretend you're rotating through the whole conference, and just set the real rivals to miss each other near the end of the rotation, when you can pretty much expect to have scraped the scheduling system anyway.

I'd be surprised if CUSA looks the same in eight years, I said that initially in jest, but after thinking about it, CUSA has never gone longer than eight years without realignment. The conference didn't lose any members inside the first eleven years, but added Houston, ECU, Army and TCU, then went unchanged from 2005 to 2012 and again from 2014 to 2021(with the exception of UAB's brief shuttering).

At any rate I think the pairings could be a good system, FIU and Liberty are just the only two that don't really benefit, but with both on relative islands, there's not much that can be done. It's not like Tech and SHSU would benefit nearly as much as MT/WKU and UTEP/NMSU.