Which conference would you move to?

61,162 Views | 416 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by SFASawmillGuy
PurpleOut
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Staff
I started a Twitter poll out of curiosity, if we had to the opportunity to leave the Southland for either the Sun Belt, WAC, Atlantic Sun, or Missouri Valley...which would you choose?



I know some of you aren't on Twitter, so feel free to share your opinion here and discuss.
nacluth
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Cool. I would love to be the outlier in the conference and play in the Valley, but realistically, I think we would be a great fit in the Sun Belt. I honestly believe that with SFA in the Sun Belt for basketball would make it likely a two bid league.
TallTexan
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nacluth said:

Cool. I would love to be the outlier in the conference and play in the Valley, but realistically, I think we would be a great fit in the Sun Belt. I honestly believe that with SFA in the Sun Belt for basketball would make it likely a two bid league.
Sunbelt & CUSA have attendance problems for games. And that's because they're each spread across three geographic areas. Multiple people have floated splitting them into two or 3 separate geographic leagues, which I think would be ideal & an excellent chance for SFA to move up.

Currently our NET, attendance, & basketball success suggest that we could hang with CUSA.

Sunbelt is marginally better than our current league, but would be an improvement nonetheless. So out of the 4, I'd take that.
nacluth
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From Corpus to Conway is 664 miles which is the longest commute of the Southland. SFA is basically the most centrally located Southland school. That commute which is small for most other conferences gets us to about half of the MVC. WAC or C-USA commutes would be more than all the MVC. Just food for thought.
BigJack85
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I'd like to see us in the C-USA. Better fit in my opinion. I would be SHOCKED if C-USA indicated interest I believe we would have to make a considerable commitment to football.... that I don't think we can afford. Could be wrong.

If the Atlantic Sun reformed with an "Eastern" wing I would be interested. Anything to be released from the likes of HBU, UIW, AMCC and UNO.
TallTexan
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nacluth said:

From Corpus to Conway is 664 miles which is the longest commute of the Southland. SFA is basically the most centrally located Southland school. That commute which is small for most other conferences gets us to about half of the MVC. WAC or C-USA commutes would be more than all the MVC. Just food for thought.


True, but with CUSA atleast casual fans know the teams.

But we'd have to be willing to invest some more in football. Not like we'd have to be good at it, not many of their teams are.
nacluth
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Yeah C-USA is a football conference so people know the teams. I don't think we come close in football to matching the league. Despite my feelings about the late 80's teams, SFA is not a football school. I know that there are way more football fans than basketball, but our program historically is mediocre.

The Valley is a basketball first/football second conference. They typically rank around the top 10 in basketball while CUSA is more like middle of the pack. Since Creighton and Wichita State left, it's taken a step back these last couple years, but has shown itself to be a solid stepping stone up.

For me it's a near term fit. If we want CUSA we have to get so much better at football. I guess I don't have that same kind of hope.
TallTexan
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Is MVC multi-bid?
nacluth
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Not this year, but they are in the conversation every year. They have been in the past plenty, and I believe got three in one year.
TallTexan
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For CUSA, we either have to get better at football, or so good at basketball that it doesn't matter. Like regular sweet 16 good.

I think that paired with a regular playoff contender on football would make us an attractive prospect for multiple conferences.

And tbh, if Carthel can't turn this football ship around, no one can.
CertifiedAxeman98
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I have come to the conclusion that SFA is a Mid-Major team playing in a low major conference. The Southland was a mid-major conference but because of conference realignment and probably lack of good leadership the conference has slid down to a low major conference especially in basketball.

I see mid-major conferences with tv deals and the Southland schools have to go out and get your own deal (often behind paywalls). The league is not strong enough to get a conference wide deal done.

I also see it in the quality of the refs they get. You have guys that look like they just finished reffing a youth rec league game come in and be way over their head (I want the refs from the Drexel game back if they didn't go to another conference already). I am sure that coaches/schools would be willing to pay more for better refs or more training and accountability for the refs.

The conference has not done anything to mandate the level of facilities it wants in the conference and let schools in with extremely sub-par facilities in the conference without any requirement to upgrade over time. HBU should have been required to upgrade their basketball gym within 5 years of being in the conference. McNeese's new basketball facility is a great example of what should have been required of HBU.

Schools like Nicholls will continue to have a revolving door of coaches. Paying a head coach $95K a year will continue have coaches getting JUCO's in to do well enough to get a better paying job and then leave without any real commitment to long-term success.

We need to be a mi-major in a mid-major conference again. Being the big fish in a small pond is getting boring.
BigJack85
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CertifiedAxeman98 said:

I have come to the conclusion that SFA is a Mid-Major team playing in a low major conference. The Southland was a mid-major conference but because of conference realignment and probably lack of good leadership the conference has slid down to a low major conference especially in basketball.

I see mid-major conferences with tv deals and the Southland schools have to go out and get your own deal (often behind paywalls). The league is not strong enough to get a conference wide deal done.

I also see it in the quality of the refs they get. You have guys that look like they just finished reffing a youth rec league game come in and be way over their head (I want the refs from the Drexel game back if they didn't go to another conference already). I am sure that coaches/schools would be willing to pay more for better refs or more training and accountability for the refs.

The conference has not done anything to mandate the level of facilities it wants in the conference and let schools in with extremely sub-par facilities in the conference without any requirement to upgrade over time. HBU should have been required to upgrade their basketball gym within 5 years of being in the conference. McNeese's new basketball facility is a great example of what should have been required of HBU.

Schools like Nicholls will continue to have a revolving door of coaches. Paying a head coach $95K a year will continue have coaches getting JUCO's in to do well enough to get a better paying job and then leave without any real commitment to long-term success.

We need to be a mi-major in a mid-major conference again. Being the big fish in a small pond is getting boring.


Well put. I couldn't agree more . Measures of financial investment , student interest and institutional commitment suggest that only SFA and Sam Houston are true mid-majors.
SFASawmillGuy
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Lets just go to the Big 12. We already having a winning record in basketball against them the past couple of years.
TallTexan
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SFA_03 said:

Lets just go to the Big 12. We already having a winning record in basketball against them the past couple of years.


We'd be a better value than Texas imo. Scored more points against Baylor in football, winning streak against Baylor in basketball, and secure the East Texas market that A&M abandoned for them.
TallTexan
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BigJack85 said:

CertifiedAxeman98 said:

I have come to the conclusion that SFA is a Mid-Major team playing in a low major conference. The Southland was a mid-major conference but because of conference realignment and probably lack of good leadership the conference has slid down to a low major conference especially in basketball.

I see mid-major conferences with tv deals and the Southland schools have to go out and get your own deal (often behind paywalls). The league is not strong enough to get a conference wide deal done.

I also see it in the quality of the refs they get. You have guys that look like they just finished reffing a youth rec league game come in and be way over their head (I want the refs from the Drexel game back if they didn't go to another conference already). I am sure that coaches/schools would be willing to pay more for better refs or more training and accountability for the refs.

The conference has not done anything to mandate the level of facilities it wants in the conference and let schools in with extremely sub-par facilities in the conference without any requirement to upgrade over time. HBU should have been required to upgrade their basketball gym within 5 years of being in the conference. McNeese's new basketball facility is a great example of what should have been required of HBU.

Schools like Nicholls will continue to have a revolving door of coaches. Paying a head coach $95K a year will continue have coaches getting JUCO's in to do well enough to get a better paying job and then leave without any real commitment to long-term success.

We need to be a mi-major in a mid-major conference again. Being the big fish in a small pond is getting boring.


Well put. I couldn't agree more . Measures of financial investment , student interest and institutional commitment suggest that only SFA and Sam Houston are true mid-majors.


Money wise, yes for Sam, but from a fan support standpoint they're built for the Southland.

SFAJack_76
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Sam and SFA will be in the same conference, whatever it is, for many, many years.
TallTexan
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SFAJack_76 said:

Sam and SFA will be in the same conference, whatever it is, for many, many years.


I think we'll still play each other, but if SFA gets a better conference invite, it's unlikely it'd be extended to Sam as well. They averaged 1100 fans last season for their best basketball team in a decade & football fans only show up for BOTPW.

As much as my Sam family hates to hear it, they're just not in the same tier anymore when it comes to potential realignment.
SFAJack_76
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Interesting ...
SFAXE93
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Isn't that the Tarleton State intro into the conference?

Oh and the traveling and places they will go.

"History has no rubbish heap." Louis Blake Duff
TallTexan
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SFAXE93 said:

Isn't that the Tarleton State intro into the conference?

Oh and the traveling and places they will go.




Yes that's Tarleton's conference. I wonder what's up.
nacluth
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Is someone jumping ship?
SFAJack_76
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nacluth
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Does this mean that we're playing a D1 school this weekend?
TallTexan
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Does this mean Commerce isn't far behind?
SFAJack_76
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And, this.
cboothe09
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I was cool with the WAC a little while ago, depending on how they built the conference...Now I'm not so sure...High travel costs and I feel like a step down in competition in football
SFA Jack Fanatic
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The WAC is already wacked out as far as travel is concerned. I don't see how some of their smaller schools can afford it.

BTW, they're targeting teams (plural) in the SLC??
nacluth
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They can have HBU and Incarnate Word so both conferences will be better.
SFA Jack Fanatic
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nacluth said:

They can have HBU and Incarnate Word so both conferences will be better.

I second that motion!
SFASawmillGuy
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nacluth said:

They can have HBU and Incarnate Word so both conferences will be better.


I mean, don't look now but HBU is ranked #5 in the FCS rankings this week.
Before you say, I know there's a trillion asterisks next to that but still.
nacluth
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Oh I think any Southland team can have good years and bad years, and congrats to HBU for putting it together this year. I think as a total sports program they are not in the same league as most SLC schools...except that they are.
TallTexan
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nacluth said:

Oh I think any Southland team can have good years and bad years, and congrats to HBU for putting it together this year. I think as a total sports program they are not in the same league as most SLC schools...except that they are.


If we could ditch those two that would certainly be something amazing.

Who else could they be targeting? Doesn't feel like ACU would want the travel.

Targeting Southland teams they must feel that they have Tarleton on board to not jump ship at the first opportunity.
cboothe09
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If they have Tarleton, they are locking in on the Texas schools. I don't think they want to spread even further east in Louisiana or Arkansas...

That said, if we were to go for the WAC, I thought the best group to go would be SFA, Sam, ACU, and either UCA or McNeese. I feel like all the Louisiana schools will stay together as they should. I even feel like Incarnate Word is doing enough to maybe find a good spot somewhere. HBU needs time in DII to build up facilities...
TallTexan
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I really want to know what the WACs plans are.

Build a football conference and then split it off? Move to football and drop non football members?

Who knows?
TallTexan
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Interestingly the WAC tried a pod system back in the late 90s with 4 teams per POD.

That'd look really interesting with SFA, Sam, ACU, and Tarleton as the Texas pod.

They'd need several other teams to fill out 4 pods but it could be highly interesting.
 
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