https://www.texasfootball.com/article/2019/09/30/tarleton-state-set-to-move-to-division-i-in-2020?ref=article_preview_img

So can we consider our loss to them a D1 loss? Just to make me feel better about it?

This journey is wrought with peril. The travel budget issues will be crippling. Recruiting won't be easy.

Everyone should know that Tarleton will be lobbying the SLC in 3-5 years.

Ya that's gonna be a wicked travel schedule for football especially.

It'll cost them, but the relative cost to move from D2 to FCS is probably worth it.

I'm honestly not sure there's a point in playing below FCS football.

I'd have called the SWAC though about a scheduling deal first. The WAC is way out there.

TallTexan said:

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Ya that's gonna be a wicked travel schedule for football especially.

It'll cost them, but the relative cost to move from D2 to FCS is probably worth it.

I'm honestly not sure there's a point in playing below FCS football.

I'd have called the SWAC though about a scheduling deal first. The WAC is way out there.

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I doubt the SWAC would have interest. Besides, I believe this is strictly an interim step as Tarleton builds there case to join the SLC. I would have rather seen Tarleton join in PLACE of HBU and UIW. Let's face it, neither of those schools will ever be competitive long-term, despite HBU's nice little start in football. Ditch those two (HBU and UIW) and add Tarleton , split into two divisions.

Tarleton in the SLC wouldn't bother me. SFA in the SLC bothers me.

Tarleton is definitely in an interim spot right now. Doubt it'll be more than 3 or 4 years.

They can have our spot in the SLC.

I want to move up to a larger conference like the Sunbelt or Conference USA. Assuming the Big 12 falls apart as predicted and there end up being just 4 power conferences we need to make our move then shake up occurs in a few of years.

IF the SLC allows Tarleton to join in football only, if I were Ivey, I would begin to explore other opportunities for SFA basketball, and remain in the SLC for all other sports.

CertifiedAxeman98 said:

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They can have our spot in the SLC.

I want to move up to a larger conference like the Sunbelt or Conference USA. Assuming the Big 12 falls apart as predicted and there end up being just 4 power conferences we need to make our move then shake up occurs in a few of years.

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I agree. Would rather be in the Sunbelt but to excruciatingly frank that ain't happening any time soon. Unlike the SLC that will basically let ANYONE in the Sunbelt is a "little" more discriminating. To our disadvantage.

They (Texas St) ain't voting for SFA in the conference before Sam or Lamar. Sadly our options are almost zero outside of bolting the SLC with the 8 or 9 schools that actually belong. I've stated this before ... The "Great 8" or the "Tenacious Ten" could bolt all at once and probably get a waiver from the NCAA. That would take some real coordination. We are stuck. Plain and simple. C-USA ain't calling. Sunbelt ain't calling.

Oh. What I call the "Great 8" =
Central Arkansas
Lamar
McNeese
Nicholls
Northwestern St
Sam Houston
Southeastern La
Stephen F Austin

"We don't have the facilities, money or fan base to warrant anything to be honest. "

Exactly. Without that, talk of going to a higher mid major conference is an absolute pipe dream.

We are probably years away from a sun belt/cusa type conference. Basketball has to stay on track and football needs to get on track.

sfa17 said:

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We are probably years away from a sun belt/cusa type conference. Basketball has to stay on track and football needs to get on track.

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This. None of those conferences would even consider SFA if we left football in the FCS. We'd have to do a major overhaul on Homer Bryce Stadium or straight up build a new, FBS style stadium.
WRJ would need to be massively renovated as well to add a couple thousand seats.
And there's the issue of our horrid baseball facilities.

And yes, football would need to be consistently winning 7-9 games a season at minimum for us to even consider making the jump.

Even then, I'd much rather go to C-USA or the American conference than the Sunbelt. Half of the Sunbelt teams would be under .500 playing at the FCS level.

SFAJack_76 said:

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"We don't have the facilities, money or fan base to warrant anything to be honest. "

Exactly. Without that, talk of going to a higher mid major conference is an absolute pipe dream.

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There are only two universities (IMHO) that would be "candidates" to go to a mid-major.
SFA and Sam. We probably have the stronger fan base and stronger overall programs with the obvious exception of football. We (SFA board) should consider this a match play event between us and Sam. The investment in the WRJ is a good start. Getting Baseball and Soccer in shape would make us the obvious choice.

The trigger (in my estimation) would be UL Lafayette and Texas St leaving for a major conference. Texas St is almost at 38,000 students and ULL has reached a higher research category and the Lafayette MSA is almost 400,000 people. They have a real airport etc. Those dominoes "might" make us a candidate for the Sunbelt, if the conference wanted maintain any kind of presence in Texas. Rant over. Lol.

BigJack85 said:

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SFAJack_76 said:

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"We don't have the facilities, money or fan base to warrant anything to be honest. "

Exactly. Without that, talk of going to a higher mid major conference is an absolute pipe dream.

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There are only two universities (IMHO) that would be "candidates" to go to a mid-major.
SFA and Sam. We probably have the stronger fan base and stronger overall programs with the obvious exception of football. We (SFA board) should consider this a match play event between us and Sam. The investment in the WRJ is a good start. Getting Baseball and Soccer in shape would make us the obvious choice.

The trigger (in my estimation) would be UL Lafayette and Texas St leaving for a major conference. Texas St is almost at 38,000 students and ULL has reached a higher research category and the Lafayette MSA is almost 400,000 people. They have a real airport etc. Those dominoes "might" make us a candidate for the Sunbelt, if the conference wanted maintain any kind of presence in Texas. Rant over. Lol.

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Fan base makes a huge difference. Sam's got a better location being close to Houston, but if their fans don't show up, why would you want them in your conference?

For those that aren't aware, in 1986 when Southland Conference decided to expand the initial invite was to. 1) SWT and 2) SFA. Largely on the strength of Texas State's football success in D2 and SFA's success in basketball (women's and men's). Also, SFA had recently won a D2 National Championship in softball and tennis.

Sam Houston was not invited. SFA and SWT turned the tables on the SLC and insisted that it was a package deal that had to include Sammie. Sam had the same attendance issues then.

BigJack85 said:

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For those that aren't aware, in 1986 when Southland Conference decided to expand the initial invite was to. 1) SWT and 2) SFA. Largely on the strength of Texas State's football success in D2 and SFA's success in basketball (women's and men's). Also, SFA had recently won a D2 National Championship in softball and tennis.

Sam Houston was not invited. SFA and SWT turned the tables on the SLC and insisted that it was a package deal that had to include Sammie. Sam had the same attendance issues then.

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No good deed goes unpunished.

It's crazy how much better the schools were in the SLC we joined in 87 is than the SLC in 2019.

TallTexan said:

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It's crazy how much better the schools were in the SLC we joined in 87 is than the SLC in 2019.

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Part of my biggest *****. Why. Why on earth would you invite all three UIW, HBU and ACU. The only with any status is ACU.

As put to me on another message board...What else could the SLC have done?

ACU wasn't bad, but Tarleton and Commerce weren't ready to move up yet. The biggest hit came when the SLC let Texas State, UTSA, and UTA walk away..

cboothe09 said:

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As put to me on another message board...What else could the SLC have done?

ACU wasn't bad, but Tarleton and Commerce weren't ready to move up yet. The biggest hit came when the SLC let Texas State, UTSA, and UTA walk away..

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Added only ACU OR Tarleton.

My dream... Tarleton, Dixie St get together, UTRGV adds football. They grab HBU UIW ACU for football and A&M Corpus for beach volleyball. Rid us of road trips to Sharp Gymnasium.....

BigJack85 said:

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TallTexan said:

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It's crazy how much better the schools were in the SLC we joined in 87 is than the SLC in 2019.

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Part of my biggest *****. Why. Why on earth would you invite all three UIW, HBU and ACU. The only with any status is ACU.

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There was some under-the-table money exchanged to get UIW and HBU in. No other viable explanation for that lunacy.

BigJack85 said:

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Rid us of road trips to Sharp Gymnasium.....

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IDK. It's kind of fun playing in a 1960's jr. high gym. To their credit, they actually have two whole urinals in the bathroom.

SFA Jack Fanatic said:

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BigJack85 said:

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Rid us of road trips to Sharp Gymnasium.....

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IDK. It's kind of fun playing in a 1960's jr. high gym. To their credit, they actually have two whole urinals in the bathroom.

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Throwback to your Jr High days Ed?

cboothe09 said:

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As put to me on another message board...What else could the SLC have done?

ACU wasn't bad, but Tarleton and Commerce weren't ready to move up yet. The biggest hit came when the SLC let Texas State, UTSA, and UTA walk away..

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I think the SLC overreacted and just started grabbing schools so the would not shrink in size. The Big12 was smart to not just grab sub-par schools to fill their open spots. I see why the SLC they grabbed the schools they did. They replaced UTSA with UIW and replaced Texas State with ACU. They grabbed HUB thinking that it would capture a big city like Houston when they lost UTA and the DFW market. The SLC should have put in some requirements for schools like HBU where their facilities were not up to par. Sharp is the same as when I was a kid going there for basketball camp (restrooms included) they just took out the stage and put in seating.

I still believe that the Big12 will break up when their TV deal comes up and that there will be another big realignment. Hopefully, our football program will be rolling by then. If they add a few seats to get us up to 15K seats at Homer Bryce we could move up to a larger group of five type conference (sunbelt/CUSA). I hope Ivey is already planning for this. He will need to have a study done in the next couple years on the cost of moving up.

I believe that we will have a lot of the facilities needed to move up and I think we should move up with most if not all our programs.

If they wanted the Houston market, I feel like Texas Southern should have been the obvious play.

And you're right, the SLC should have required them to commit financially for new schools.

I agree that the SLC made a move just to make one. They grabbed for a foothold in Houston and San Antonio. I do think UIW has potential with the money the Benson family is pouring in.

There are few things I'm really intrigued by like Conference alignment. It is really interesting to me how some of these "marriages of convenience" like the SLC grabbing the private universities. Who really thought that they would bring any additional media attention? I have lived in Houston on and off for most of the previous 50 years.... I have noticed ZERO increase in media exposure with the addition of HBU. None. That includes print, tv and radio. If anything we (the Southland Conference) are looked at as being even more "bush league". It's a shame that legacy basketball conference alignments drive most of the behavior outside of the Power 5.