We should join the Sun Belt
- Thread starter Herd Insider
- Start date
We can’t win cusa, so how can we expect to win in the sun belt?
1. We recruit Florida extremely heavily. Zero Sun Belt teams located in Florida. We recruit Virginia heavily. Zero Sun Belt teams located in Virginia. We recruit Tennessee heavily. Zero Sun Belt teams from Tennessee.
2. More driveable away games? Troy is 670 miles away. Myrtle Beach is 450. Atlanta is 480. Statesboro, you ask? 560. Mufeeesboro, Charlotte and Bowling Green are all shorter drives from Huntington.
Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're using logic and reason. That crap ain't flying around here.
His post was almost completely false, though.
This will never happen, but the Sun Belt and CUSA should just trade teams (East in one conf, West in the other). Saves travel costs. You could probably work it out in a way that both end up about the same.
The problem with Sun Belt is that they have to play a good amount of mid week games as part of their ESPN deal. The upside is that I think every game is at least on ESPN +.
The problem with Sun Belt is that they have to play a good amount of mid week games as part of their ESPN deal. The upside is that I think every game is at least on ESPN +.
This. If the leagues and schools really want to maintain some semblance of D1 football, this needs to be done. We can't continue in this shitty league and dole out 3.2 million a year in travel expenses - at least that was the number thrown out on this board a while back.
FL recruiting is over rated. We recruited down there and the south way before we were in CUSA. JMO
So how many millions do we want to spend leaving CUSA and how many millions do we want to spend joining the Sunbelt? Also how many tournament shares do we want to give up by leaving CUSA?
A shakeup by both leagues could in effect make a situation where no one pays extit or entry fees, they just trade members - one for one. I know, it's easier said than done but makes a hell of a lot of sense. jmho.
Good points made by all. It will be interesting to see how MU decides its future. Sun Belt victories this weekend were indeed impressive. Big 12 schools must be scratching their collective heads.
Each year the NCAA gives each Conference a share or unit for each win in the tournament. The more wins, the more units. It then combines these units with those earned in the 6 previous tournaments for distribution each year.
If you leave a Conference, you no longer get any money from the tournament that was earned by that Conference. If you join a new Conference, you do not get any money for the years in which you were not a member.
I'm just saying it's not as easy as saying "lets join a new Conference".
IMO moving from where we are to the Sun Belt makes little sense. The MAC/SB/ C-USA all three are about the same. We play more sports than football and that move really helps us zero. It is what it is- Just enjoy the moment
I would not leave CUSA for the Sun Belt just for the sake of leaving... 1. They have to want us. 2. While the Sun Belt is better in football, right now, that has not always been and will not always be the case. (Everything in sports is cyclical)
What would be vastly more appealing would be if the schools that put effort/money into playing competitive football could form a league away from the bottom feeders... A straight up move, no thanks... But you give me the four best Sun Belt teams and drop the four worst CUSA teams and I am all ears.
New League East
1. Marshall
2. App State
3. Western Kentucky
4. FAU
5. FIU
6. Georgia Southern
7. Middle Tennessee
New League West
1. Arkansas State
2. Southern Miss
3. Louisiana Tech
4. Rice
5. Louisiana Lafayette
6. UAB
7. North Texas
What would be vastly more appealing would be if the schools that put effort/money into playing competitive football could form a league away from the bottom feeders... A straight up move, no thanks... But you give me the four best Sun Belt teams and drop the four worst CUSA teams and I am all ears.
New League East
1. Marshall
2. App State
3. Western Kentucky
4. FAU
5. FIU
6. Georgia Southern
7. Middle Tennessee
New League West
1. Arkansas State
2. Southern Miss
3. Louisiana Tech
4. Rice
5. Louisiana Lafayette
6. UAB
7. North Texas
I remember when threads like this began when literally any other conference had a good week of football.
Yep. But these days, we need to have a discussion as to whats best for Marshall's future. It's more than just about football. It's about trying to form a league that makes sense geographically, that cuts down on travel expenses, yet keeps some schools intact and still playing one another. We have no business flying all our teams to Texas 1-2 times a year, just like they don't need to fly here. In an era with less state funding, less university funds being pumped into athletics and an aging, shrinking fan base, Marshall needs to look at all options. It may be that CUSA is the best option, now and in the future. If thats the case, so be it. jmho
Yeah, but what is being suggested is one conference gets to load up on the best programs from each conference. Neither will want to be the one left with the rejects and under performers, so how does that get sorted out? Lawsuits, would be my guess.
Good point. I’d say it would be a long and drawn out process to determine who goes where. Not sure the
Not really sure a super league would fly, as you say, those left behind would attempt hold it up in court. That could take some time and major bucks. Which wouldn’t be worth it.
I still like the idea of an East - West split of the two leagues. That seems very doable geographically. Based on Rhino’s scenario, both would be well balanced as well.
The American Athletic Conference doesn't endorse your post.
Okay, and what is the future?
If the recent events haven't already shown that every school is out for itself then I don't know what will.
What does MU bring to the table that the Sun Belt doesn't already have?
Mind you, whatever you say, can't be said against MU in the future. See, one moment, MU should go and move up in the world and at the same time is forever stuck being in the worst conference in America.
You can't have it both ways whenever you feel it fits whatever mood you're in.
If MU had, lets say, the metro area and economy of Charlotte or a basketball team who routinely made runs in the NCAA tournament, maybe they'd have something. Academic-wise, MU is pretty solid, but how much does that factor into sports?
The fanbase is so fickle, even if MU did move up and joined the Sun Belt or even the AAC, to offset costs of leaving (because we all know how cheap some posters on here are) and joining a new conference, ticket prices may go up.
Do you think the average joe fan is going to want that?
...this fanbase is divided over hot dogs, I couldn't begin to imagine anythibg substantial like a conference shift.
Eh...after seeing supposedly strong football conferences, completely fold up shop and strong programs within those conferences say, "Yeah, I'm just not going to play football" over a pandemic, I don't see how/why they'd lift a finger at being left behind if some ambitious school tells them to piss up a rope and bolts for a new conference.
Notre Dame actually JOINED a conference for this season...ODU dropped out of ours, and EKU went independent for the season.
Its not like some of these schools didn't have options.
I think this pandemic has shown some conferences <cough> THE MAC, at heart, just want to fold.
While I'd prefer a better (in terms of regional) conference, all these types of questions, discussions, and answers (i'd hope) were had/held/made when MU left the MAC. C-USA was the answer then; but it was a much different perspective of why one would travel far and wide to get to an opponent, New Orleans, Memphis, Tulsa, Orlando... to name a few. Would have, should have, who knows. MU should have bolted C-USA when everyone else left, Sun Belt became better because of Appy State only, kind of like the MAC did because of MU years ago. Without Appy State, the SunBelt isn't a home for us any better than C-USA. The big mistake was not "recruiting" AppyState, regardless of the imbalance in numbers at that time. I don't like losing the two FL schools, it WILL matter over time. As mentioned elsewhere, the travel isn't really a big deal if a school is winning and has 20,000 or plus fans in regular attendance. Don't let this past weekend's results with the SunBelt fool you, they league is no better across the board than C-USA, maybe even less as solid. The whole issue can be remedied by C-USA casting off two really bad schools in Texas, Rice and UTEP; move to twelve and move on. I can suspect that the SunBelt has no vision of taking anyone out of C-USA except the two FL schools, Marshall and perhaps (yes) ODU.
I am for a hybrid league. The SB offers nothing and vice versa. The Belt and CUSA are basically one in the same, although right now, the Belt is hotter. We'll never be moving up, you can close that conversation unless you or someone else wants to take Chris Clines place - and thats the type of donor it will take. At this point, we just need to do the best we can. Win games, take care of our business, and see where the chips fall.
You're out of your mind. Sagarin:
2019:
Sun Belt: 60.26
C-USA: 57.55
2018:
Sun Belt: 58.61
C-USA: 57.43
And based on the first couple of weeks, the Sun Belt will finish ahead of C-USA for the third year in a row.
You mean like sending the teams to Texas Southern or UT Arlington, both in the Sun Belt? Maybe I'm missing something but how would we cut down on travel expenses by going to the Sun Belt? By going to Arkansas instead of Texas? Georgia instead of Florida? Louisiana instead of Mississippi?
Hell, in CUSA football we at least have one game the team buses to in WKU. In the Sun Belt they look to all be plane trips.
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I think some people just think the entire conference consists of App State and thats it.
I agree. The Sun Belt has some good schools in it, but overall, it isn't too much better than CUSA...at least not better to spend a bunch of money leaving CUSA and buying into it.
Sunbelt is better. Wish MU was in it as I think the fans would take to it better but, it won't happen.
I am advocating an eastern based league and a western based league by taking teams from each conference and forming two new leagues based on geography. See Rhinos post above. Something like that. It’s not hard to figure out geographically.
We don’t need to fly to Texas or La multiple times a year.
So, where did this thread go south when it went from, "Hey, I'm going to dictate 1 week of football during a depletion of major conferences and declare MU needs to jump to The Sun Belt" to advocating for a complete shakeup of teams in 2 conferences spanning from the east coast to the ass end of Texas?
Which is it? If you're Mike Hamrick, you'd have to figure through the clutter of legal issues pertaining to leaving/joining.
You'd also have to get other schools on board.
You'd also have to make a pitch to the fans to care about Georgia Southern more than Charlotte (Campbell nearly beat Georgia Southern on Saturday BTW).
Also, as I said, the ticket prices would probably go up to cover the cost of leaving at least some potential costs...
...the fans lose their minds over too much black on uniforms, absolutely zero chance they'll want to pony up the dough.
Finally, what schools in CUSA are actively trying to win? Seems like the culture is just hoping to win some games. Alright, FAU is about the only consistent one willing to spend money and win.
Its a struggle to get fans to show up at the game even when a team is trying because they're still butt hurt MU won the previous week when they predicted we wouldn't.
LA Tech actually had a good year last year, came to Huntington to nobody...why?
Good luck trying to get fans to care about anything less than ohio state or bama at this point.
TwolfHerdfan, maybe Gov. Jim can take Cline's place . . . if and when he ever settles up with all his creditors!!
These threads, which, in deed, start every time a G5 team not in CUSA has a nice week, are really tiresome.
you and I see this for what it is. Any realignment short of a new east/west configuration will never happen. The only reason I think this has a chance is due to the high cost of travel and wear and tear on a person. COVID has changed things
A nice week? The Sun Belt has had three nice seasons in a row compared to the C-USA barometer . . . "in deed" [sic].
Semantic arguments about which G5 conference we "need to get in" are ridiculous. All of these conferences are made up of the same #90 - #120, bottom tier, truthfully FCS, trash programs, with 1-2 exceptions per conference, per season.
Marshall should just focus on "not being trash."
Marshall should just focus on "not being trash."
Sadly, its a case of guilty by association. The glory days we keep puffing our chests about ended 18 years ago.
P5 Conferences all the way for Marshall as we sit in the Mid-Atlantic region perfectly between the SEC North, BIG 10 & Big 12 South and the ACC ! All it will take is the $$$$$$$$$$$ to phony up and we can be set! Look at all the big named schools within less than 3-5 hours drive time and that media market! So if you want to play and run with the big dogs better get a vision and get busy! I am already working on it privately so do not bother me with small minded taking two steps backward thinking! Call me crazy.....Like a country without a vision your dead and Marshall’s visionary’s are small minded so I believe what Rick Tolley believed that Marshall could compete one day with the big dogs and win. Some people did not appreciate that vision i fear and they have done everything to see that Marshall never achieves the same success as we had in the 90’s! Your Doc Holiday was thought to be the great recruiter of our day! But instead has languish with only one CUSA Championship! This year could be a breakout year once again with a QB who has the same winning mentality as Cato, Pennington, BL! Sure it has been 18 years
