Are you happy your school is in CUSA right now?

Not really. I don't know that I would be estatic about any other G5 situation either.

I think if we were in the AAC we would be one of the teams left behind again if/when the remaining top teams there find exit paths. I feel like they have a lot of turmoil ahead between now and when the ACC gets picked apart.

I very much like the SBC in football and baseball, but basketball will forever be an afterthought there. That is fine for them, but not a great situation for WKU.

MWC is too far West and has a lot of potential volatility ahead.

The MAC is super stable, but perhaps a bit too complacent.

CUSA is fine. I am not thrilled about the potential of FCS adds outnumbering the established FBS programs (not there yet but the potential is there). Still not in love with the leadership of the league. Geography is meh but could be worse.


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I liked being a FBS Indy and wish we stayed Indy.

Lost interest in CUSA back in 2010 when Memphis, Tulsa and Houston left. Even worse now that UTSA and UNT are gone.

UTEP is destined to be in a bad conference due to its own inadequacies, so I hope utep makes its way into a western based conference with a presence in Texas. Whether that is the MWC or WAC.

For now, I am happy in CUSA. Liberty tried forever just to be in a conference so we are thrilled to be here. I wanted in the AAC, thought that has been weakened somewhat. Ultimately, the only reason I want in the AAC is it had four private schools already and we'd have local rivals in ECU, Charlotte, and Navy. That's my one issue, is having no local rivals in CUSA. It's amazing that somehow we ended up in a conference that did not have JMU, ODU, Marshall, Appalachian State, or Coastal Carolina. I think the AAC is the landing spot for us down the road, but things can change. If CUSA expansion teams turn out to be great, maybe I'll be fine staying long term.

(07-30-2023 09:43 PM)freshtop Wrote:  Not really. I don't know that I would be estatic about any other G5 situation either.

I think if we were in the AAC we would be one of the teams left behind again if/when the remaining top teams there find exit paths. I feel like they have a lot of turmoil ahead between now and when the ACC gets picked apart.

I very much like the SBC in football and baseball, but basketball will forever be an afterthought there. That is fine for them, but not a great situation for WKU.

MWC is too far West and has a lot of potential volatility ahead.

The MAC is super stable, but perhaps a bit too complacent.

CUSA is fine. I am not thrilled about the potential of FCS adds outnumbering the established FBS programs (not there yet but the potential is there). Still not in love with the leadership of the league. Geography is meh but could be worse.


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I think CUSA could surpass the SBC in football

(07-30-2023 10:13 PM)PredatorUTEP Wrote:  Lost interest in CUSA back in 2010 when Memphis, Tulsa and Houston left. Even worse now that UTSA and UNT are gone.

UTEP is destined to be in a bad conference due to its own inadequacies, so I hope utep makes its way into a western based conference with a presence in Texas. Whether that is the MWC or WAC.

The WAC is a FCS conference that is filled with teams that would give there leg to be in CUSA.

(07-30-2023 10:10 PM)Curtisc83 Wrote:  I liked being a FBS Indy and wish we stayed Indy.

That is a very unrealistic and fiscally detrimental "take".

"Love the one you're with"

---Stephen Stills, #14 hit, 1971

Yes, if your rating it against the SBC and MAC. Both of those leagues are less competitive in football and baseball, ahead of the MAC in baseball. Also CUSA is a stud in bowling. AAC would be a better league to play UAB and more money. Dont see JSU anywhere other than in a conference with teams who are now in the SBC or CUSA. Our market isnt big and our academics are not upper tier. So being realistic I like be in a conference with our group.

(07-30-2023 10:38 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  

(07-30-2023 10:10 PM)Curtisc83 Wrote:  I liked being a FBS Indy and wish we stayed Indy.

That is a very unrealistic and fiscally detrimental "take".

LU made it work. I see no reason that it couldn’t continue to do so. If we were talking about a public school I would agree Indy is bad news. I liked the exciting games on our Indy schedule. This years FB schedule is pretty disappointing. I realize that was because we had to cancel/move a bunch of games because we joined CUSA but it still sucks.

(07-30-2023 10:35 PM)jones682 Wrote:  

(07-30-2023 10:13 PM)PredatorUTEP Wrote:  Lost interest in CUSA back in 2010 when Memphis, Tulsa and Houston left. Even worse now that UTSA and UNT are gone.

UTEP is destined to be in a bad conference due to its own inadequacies, so I hope utep makes its way into a western based conference with a presence in Texas. Whether that is the MWC or WAC.

The WAC is a FCS conference that is filled with teams that would give there leg to be in CUSA.

Would still prefer to be in the WAC over CUSA. It's where utep belongs. CUSA is a glorified FCS conference at this point with geography terrible for utep.

I’d have preferred the SBC for better geography but here we are. It is certainly preferable to what we had before. The OVC was basketball first. Nothing wrong with that but that’s not us. Plus one school was allowed to play one fewer conference game.

Then we joined the ASUN. Commissioner Gumball had some crazy scheme to get the whole league into FBS. I didn’t believe it and was worried we’d get left behind if someone moved up. Glad we got promoted but hate it for EKU.

But the ASUN was still a mess. Half of them didn’t play football. The football side could barely get enough for a full league. Now they have that stupid WACSUN arrangement.

So I’m definitely glad to be here. I hope to heck we never add non-FB or FB-only members. Keep that hybrid crap in the minors where it belongs.

I am thrilled to be in CUSA. We are finally in an all sports conference and actually have one of our rivals in the conference with us.

(07-30-2023 10:48 PM)TOPSTRAIGHT Wrote:  "Love the one you're with"

---Stephen Stills, #14 hit, 1971

Ditto! That almost says it all. But, the song first proclaims "If you can't be with the one you Love; Love the one you're with!" So, there is that. In the case of Middle, we have shot ourselves in the foot on too many occasions to count. So for the foreseeable future, we are " Right Where We Belong!" Jesse Howard 2023? or "Stuck in the Middle With You!" Stealers Wheel #6 on US Billboard & #8 in UK 1972

I was happy in the beginning as I was looking forward to competing for conference championships. But as time goes by, that enthusiasm isn’t as strong. I’m still happy, just not as much. Hopefully the start of the season will bring renewed enthusiasm. I know this board is a small sampling, but if it is any indication of the feelings of the majority of fans, CUSA has no chance of being a successful conference. There is some glimmer of optimism by some, but it’s always quickly squashed by doom and gloom. Certainly don’t need the Belters periodically on here trashing the conference, there’s enough already here to carry out that job.

Many established member fans on here have checked out or maybe they checked out a long time ago. I don’t think this conference could do anything to make them happy. If you don’t have a glimmer of hope or confidence in yourself, it’s for certain nobody else will. I don’t know, but maybe it’s because of that, many new member fans haven’t even checked in. Some of their respective teams haven’t even played their first FBS game, and they already think they’re too good for CUSA. They’re already dreaming of some other conference that will come knocking on their door.

I really do think that CUSA can be a competitive and strong conference. Call me crazy, but I really do think that the 10 schools that will be CUSA can be one of the top G5 conferences. If that will or can happen is yet to be determined. Of course the obvious main thing is to win OOC games. But even if we do that, if we’re constantly bashing ourselves and knocking each other over trying to be the next school out the door, it’s not really going to matter. If you don’t want to be happy somewhere, you’ll never be happy there. No matter what the circumstances are.

(07-30-2023 10:35 PM)jones682 Wrote:  

(07-30-2023 10:13 PM)PredatorUTEP Wrote:  Lost interest in CUSA back in 2010 when Memphis, Tulsa and Houston left. Even worse now that UTSA and UNT are gone.

UTEP is destined to be in a bad conference due to its own inadequacies, so I hope utep makes its way into a western based conference with a presence in Texas. Whether that is the MWC or WAC.

The WAC is a FCS conference that is filled with teams that would give there leg to be in CUSA.

They aren’t going to be very successful playing on only one leg.

(07-31-2023 10:29 AM)3DogNight Wrote:  I was happy in the beginning as I was looking forward to competing for conference championships. But as time goes by, that enthusiasm isn’t as strong. I’m still happy, just not as much. Hopefully the start of the season will bring renewed enthusiasm. I know this board is a small sampling, but if it is any indication of the feelings of the majority of fans, CUSA has no chance of being a successful conference. There is some glimmer of optimism by some, but it’s always quickly squashed by doom and gloom. Certainly don’t need the Belters periodically on here trashing the conference, there’s enough already here to carry out that job.

Many established member fans on here have checked out or maybe they checked out a long time ago. I don’t think this conference could do anything to make them happy. If you don’t have a glimmer of hope or confidence in yourself, it’s for certain nobody else will. I don’t know, but maybe it’s because of that, many new member fans haven’t even checked in. Some of their respective teams haven’t even played their first FBS game, and they already think they’re too good for CUSA. They’re already dreaming of some other conference that will come knocking on their door.

I really do think that CUSA can be a competitive and strong conference. Call me crazy, but I really do think that the 10 schools that will be CUSA can be one of the top G5 conferences. If that will or can happen is yet to be determined. Of course the obvious main thing is to win OOC games. But even if we do that, if we’re constantly bashing ourselves and knocking each other over trying to be the next school out the door, it’s not really going to matter. If you don’t want to be happy somewhere, you’ll never be happy there. No matter what the circumstances are.

You are basing whether or not you are happy with CUSA on the posters from a message board? There are some great posters on here. There are also some that are bat-sh!t crazy. No one on these boards speaks for an entire fan base. I think you should base your CUSA feelings on how you feel, not on how others feel.

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion but---

A Utep poster wanting to go to the WAC?

A Liberty poster wanting to be Indy?

I don't understand these two views at all. SMH.

I agree with most of sstaedtler's point. I'm happy with where we are in CUSA, especially after we got turned down by both them & the Sun Belt 10 years ago, & thus having to argue our way into Independence. Independence was awesome at first, being in the same sphere as BYU, Army, & ND just by virtue of them being Independents, but it was clear that certain conferences (*ahem* ACC...) were starting to blacklist us & others for future schedules recently. Thus we needed a guaranteed schedule of games each year.

I do wish we were with closer geographical rivals, but seeing the AAC now, I'm not upset that we didn't get an invite there. Their most recent moves smell of CUSA's prior choice to pursue eyeballs over talent & money, so I foresee that conference taking a nosedive in the next 5-10 years, especially if 2-4 of Memphis, Tulane, SMU, &/or USF get nabbed.

This conference has one glaring weakness, & that's its standing in football, but it's one that our schools can fix, especially in OOC games. Basketball is going to be great if everyone coming in continues at the pace they've been moving recently (in KSU's case, that's this last year), & baseball should be fun.

Let's give this time, & I think it will all work out.