App State making this a game. Great to see.
I thought it was only MACtion on weekdays. Looks like ESPN needs weekday content.
warner and espn are owned by disney
Warner is not owned by Disney.
Ode to Conference USA. It served us well, and was the better choice in 1994 compared to the WAC.
But itâs about to die, with the American taking six, the Sun Belt taking Southern Miss, Marshall and probably ODU and James Madison, and the MAC rumored to be taking Western Ky and Middle Tenn St.
That leaves UTEP, FIU and La Tech. Even if they add Liberty, UMass and New Mexico State, they donât have enough schools for a viable conference.
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So question who had the Sunbelt knifing CUSA in realignment bingo? Because I admit I did not have it.
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As long as UTEP, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, Western Kentucky, and FIU have nowhere to go, Conference USA will likely survive. (Though I think the chances of ODU leaving are less than 50/50, to be honest)
New Mexico State (independence sucks)
Jacksonville State (reportedly interested in the FBS jump)
Eastern Kentucky (was a finalist for the Sun Belt along with Coastal)
Chicago State non-FB
Liberty (?)
UMass FBO (?)
UConn FBO (?)
The Sun Belt may add a football requirement, so Arlington and Little Rock could be in play (although Arlington could go WAC and either/both could go Southland).
If the MAC starts eying MTSU and WKU, I may reconsider. I think they can find 2 or 3 programs, but 5 becomes a lot harder.
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I can see C-USA inviting FCS teams from Texas, destroying the WAC. Remember, you heard it from me first.
Thereâs a potential opportunity here for a strategic alliance between the WAC and Conference USA.
Some WAC programs want to be FBS and some FCS and this has the potential to cause some problems down the line.
One current member (UTEP) of Conference USA and one potential future member (NMSU) are squarely in the WACâs footprint.
So sent UTEP to the WAC but keep football, bring in NMSU football but keep everything else in the WAC. Down the road, members of the WAC that wants to become FBS will have a football home in Conference USA.
Basically, the result is two general conference with a shared football conference. Itâs been done elsewhere, with Missouri Valley and Summit League having a shared conference, and the A10+CAA.
The challenge there is that the WAC needs to keep enough FCS teams to stay viable, and Conference USA needs enough all-sports members to maintain their charter.
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I was thinking C-USA could invite Sam Houston, Stephen F Austin, Abilene Christian and some other FCS schools. This should make UTEP happy.
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He did in 1776 but not 1812. Needs a tiebreak.
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If those schools are interested in making the jump (and I think they are) inviting UTEP to the WAC would be a much more logical move. They could also pull in NMSU as a WAC Football member.
Thatâs less optimal than my plan, but itâs simpler and more likely.
I think theyâre going to be checking the temperature in the east first, though, and just let UTEP and maybe NMSU be outliers if they can.
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The problem with the WAC is that some want to make the jump, and some donât.
Itâs not clear there is a path for the conference to elevate even if it wants to.
Conference USA, meanwhile, already has the FBS charter.
I would, without hesitation, recommend any WAC school that wants to make the jump to accept an invite to the conference that is already FBS rather than embarking on a quest to make a barely-FCS conference into an FBS one.
That WAC-CUSA merger might be the best bet. Just turn CUSA into a football only conference. UTEP and LA Tech play in the WAC for other sports which helps lower costs for them. Then WKU, Mid Tenn, FIU can decide to maybe send their other sports to a different conference (ASUN?). Of course if WKU and MTSU leave for MAC, then its just FIU as the outlier.
Iâm not sure they keep their charter if they become football-only.
If they hold on to WKU and MTSU, Conference USA can probably grab enough non-FB and eastern FCS call-ups to stay viable. Which, if I am them, is what I try to do. For Jacksonville State, Eastern Kentucky, and Western Carolina (Missouri State?), itâs an opportunity for them to go FBS that theyâre probably never going to have again. I expect there are more. For non-FB, Chicago State needs a home and UALR/UTA might. Not sure where Liberty stands at the moment.
(Also, if I am Louisiana Tech, I try to make that work before rejoining the WAC â the WAC has some good travel for them but a some really awful travel too. If that canât work, then I look at ASUN, SoCon, or some other conference before the WAC).
Need to add PAC 12 to the bag holding list.
#GoCoogs!
I forgot Lamar is in the WAC too.
Pac 12 is part of The Alliance along with the Big 10 and the ACC. The Alliance is working against ESPN. I believe that Fox is the power behind the Alliance.
For advancing to FBS, I have pencilled in:
YES:
SFA
SHSU
ACU
NO:
Dixie
SUU
UVU
Tarleton
MAYBE:
Lamar
RGV (if they start a program)
The good news for Conference USA is that the YES are on the closer side of the conference.