Just for fun, which conference would you rather us go to? C-USA or the Sunbelt. Just running through Twitter both seem to the current rumors right now. Doesn't seem many people believe we will be staying in the WAC or FCS for too much longer.
THIS IS THE WAC
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Last: 13 days ago by SFAXE93
I think we missed this ship but going CUSA makes much better sense in several ways. Sunbelt is now sitting at 14 members and amazingly it's wider in geography than CUSA (at least from Nacogdoches). The level of schools in the CUSA are solid in basketball and don't have a huge football presence to catch up to.
In short, going to a league that is looking like FBS lite compared to the Sunbelt which is looking like what CUSA is now seems the easier transition if we had a choice.
In short, going to a league that is looking like FBS lite compared to the Sunbelt which is looking like what CUSA is now seems the easier transition if we had a choice.
nacluth said:
Ivey's letter looks more like a "we want to go too" letter than a "we wouldn't have left" letter.
I agree Probably would have loved to have had an invite.
Let's be real. Having Sam go FBS before us hurts. It's like we're a cut below the pumpkin heads. We will have an FBS plan in place before the end of 2022. I don't doubt it. We've got solid facilities in basketball, volleyball and soccer. Elevate SFA may end up helping us revive Homer Bryce. Make it FBS capable. I would guess the stadium could be updated for $6-$8 million. Fieldhouse probably double that. About what was cobbled together for Loddie Naymola. It's doable. Eminently. I think we are on that train in a year or two.
I don't think C-USA is done with their invites. But I think it's gonna be at the end of the season before we hear anything else about it.
ABILENE CHRISTIAN
CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
DIXIE STATE
GRAND CANYON
INCARNATE WORD
LAMAR
MCNEESE STATE
SEATTLE
SOUTHERN UTAH
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
TARLETON
TEXAS - RIO GRANDE VALLEY
UTAH VALLEY
FOOTBALL
ABILENE CHRISTIAN
DIXIE STATE
INCARNATE WORD
LAMAR
MCNEESE STATE
SOUTHERN UTAH
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
TARLETON
TEXAS - RIO GRANDE VALLEY (?)
CALIFORNIA BAPTIST
DIXIE STATE
GRAND CANYON
INCARNATE WORD
LAMAR
MCNEESE STATE
SEATTLE
SOUTHERN UTAH
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
TARLETON
TEXAS - RIO GRANDE VALLEY
UTAH VALLEY
FOOTBALL
ABILENE CHRISTIAN
DIXIE STATE
INCARNATE WORD
LAMAR
MCNEESE STATE
SOUTHERN UTAH
STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
TARLETON
TEXAS - RIO GRANDE VALLEY (?)
"History has no rubbish heap." Louis Blake Duff
Right now GCU is the only plus in that conference. It's just more travel than the Southland with hopefully better leadership.
SUU is a net plus. They're ahead of us in KenPom right now.nacluth said:
Right now GCU is the only plus in that conference. It's just more travel than the Southland with hopefully better leadership.
Between us, ACU, SUU, and GCU, that's something decent to build off of.
If anything, watching Sam pass us up my entice a few big donors to open their wallets.BigJack85 said:
Let's be real. Having Sam go FBS before us hurts. It's like we're a cut below the pumpkin heads. We will have an FBS plan in place before the end of 2022. I don't doubt it. We've got solid facilities in basketball, volleyball and soccer. Elevate SFA may end up helping us revive Homer Bryce. Make it FBS capable. I would guess the stadium could be updated for $6-$8 million. Fieldhouse probably double that. About what was cobbled together for Loddie Naymola. It's doable. Eminently. I think we are on that train in a year or two.
SUU did win the Big Sky in a very odd COVID year schedulewise. Besides last year, they haven't been better than 7th in a bad league in a decade. Maybe they continue their success.
nacluth said:
Right now GCU is the only plus in that conference. It's just more travel than the Southland with hopefully better leadership.
I'm pretty down. I do see lists of upside. Our SW corner will be SFA Tarleton and ACU. I think we've got enough schools that want to make the move that it will be done. Maybe not exactly as planned but in time. I'm not sure CUSA is any kind of panacea
Of the two? CUSA is about to get a mega pay day in exit fees and personally, I'd rather play Sam, NMSU, LA Tech, and UTEP regularly than TX State, ULL, & ULM.SFA_03 said:
Just for fun, which conference would you rather us go to? C-USA or the Sunbelt. Just running through Twitter both seem to the current rumors right now. Doesn't seem many people believe we will be staying in the WAC or FCS for too much longer.
Basketball is a bit better though I wish Liberty had decided they didn't want in. Can't stand them, don't even want to play them. A 10 team conference of Utep, NMSU, LA Tech, Sam, SFA in the West and JSU, Chattanooga, Missouri St, Murray St, and FIU.
That's a mostly contiguous league and a hell of a basketball conference.
TallTexan said:Of the two? CUSA is about to get a mega pay day in exit fees and personally, I'd rather play Sam, NMSU, LA Tech, and UTEP regularly than TX State, ULL, & ULM.SFA_03 said:
Just for fun, which conference would you rather us go to? C-USA or the Sunbelt. Just running through Twitter both seem to the current rumors right now. Doesn't seem many people believe we will be staying in the WAC or FCS for too much longer.
Basketball is a bit better though I wish Liberty had decided they didn't want in. Can't stand them, don't even want to play them. A 10 team conference of Utep, NMSU, LA Tech, Sam, SFA in the West and JSU, Chattanooga, Missouri St, Murray St, and FIU.
That's a mostly contiguous league and a hell of a basketball conference.
The WAC still has cards to play. I'm convinced that Seattle CBU and/or Denver are headed to the WCC. That would free up space for a more aggressive WAC. I don't believe it is a stretch or audacious to consider Idaho a solid addition to the FBS WAC. A western WAC of Idaho Southern Utah Utah Tech GCU UVU UNC would have geographic synergy and solid esthetics
"History has no rubbish heap." Louis Blake Duff
Watching McNeese and Nicholls in Lake Charles is making me excited for that road trip to south Vegas. I wonder if they'll have gumbo in the press box again?
You think Idaho is game to try that move again?BigJack85 said:TallTexan said:Of the two? CUSA is about to get a mega pay day in exit fees and personally, I'd rather play Sam, NMSU, LA Tech, and UTEP regularly than TX State, ULL, & ULM.SFA_03 said:
Just for fun, which conference would you rather us go to? C-USA or the Sunbelt. Just running through Twitter both seem to the current rumors right now. Doesn't seem many people believe we will be staying in the WAC or FCS for too much longer.
Basketball is a bit better though I wish Liberty had decided they didn't want in. Can't stand them, don't even want to play them. A 10 team conference of Utep, NMSU, LA Tech, Sam, SFA in the West and JSU, Chattanooga, Missouri St, Murray St, and FIU.
That's a mostly contiguous league and a hell of a basketball conference.
The WAC still has cards to play. I'm convinced that Seattle CBU and/or Denver are headed to the WCC. That would free up space for a more aggressive WAC. I don't believe it is a stretch or audacious to consider Idaho a solid addition to the FBS WAC. A western WAC of Idaho Southern Utah Utah Tech GCU UVU UNC would have geographic synergy and solid esthetics
I personally would rather keep it a more Southwestern League. But if CUSA doesn't need us right now, if the WAC still wants to be on an FBS trajectory and a basketball power, it's gonna need public 5 years plans on how they're gonna get everyone to those levels.
Just spitballing here, this would be my plan for each for the conference.
FBS:
Basketball:
And just generally, we need a shared conference brain trust. Regular meetings on building better gameday environments led by GCU/CBU, fundraising workshops led by Ivey. OOC scheduling meetings to share coaching contacts.
We might be foes on the field, but we're all gonna have to be aligned off of it.
FBS:
- Average 7500k in attendance year 1(increase 10% per year)
- Each school needs to submit a plan to match LA Tech's operating expense budget in year 5. 23 mil is their overall budget, but need a metric that doesn't count athletic scholarship cost so it's comparable school to school.
- Scheduling requirements(Atleast one FBS and no more than one D2)
- TV Production Requirements. Need to look like FBS schools.
- Infrastructure requirements(Need to work towards FBS level stadiums) For any school that intends to transition
Basketball:
- Minimum of 2k average attendance. Schools should aim to increase 10% for year for five years or 75% capacity if already fairly full. Aim for 1500 mimimum for WBB.
- Conference Challenge Scheduling(Big Sky, CUSA, who knows) but we need D1 games on schedules.
- League Scheduling Liason to help get games. IE, working with OOC games to get folks on swings. IE, say SDSU scheduling SFA, Tarleton, & ACU on a roadtrip.
- Rule requiring post season participation if invited/ eligible.
- TV Production Requirements
And just generally, we need a shared conference brain trust. Regular meetings on building better gameday environments led by GCU/CBU, fundraising workshops led by Ivey. OOC scheduling meetings to share coaching contacts.
We might be foes on the field, but we're all gonna have to be aligned off of it.
It might just be me, but Eric Schmid has not looked as impressive this year as last year. His decision making snd accuracy seem to have taken a hit from last year. Against Dixie State they didn't need him to be good but he barely completed over 50% of his passes and threw only 1 td to 1 pick. SHSU is just so loaded that it doesn't seem to matter but still…
I guess UIW heard us talking s*** and is currently whipping SLU.
TallTexan said:
Just spitballing here, this would be my plan for each for the conference.
FBS:
- Average 7500k in attendance year 1(increase 10% per year)
- Each school needs to submit a plan to match LA Tech's operating expense budget in year 5. 23 mil is their overall budget, but need a metric that doesn't count athletic scholarship cost so it's comparable school to school.
- Scheduling requirements(Atleast one FBS and no more than one D2)
- TV Production Requirements. Need to look like FBS schools.
- Infrastructure requirements(Need to work towards FBS level stadiums) For any school that intends to transition
Basketball:
- Minimum of 2k average attendance. Schools should aim to increase 10% for year for five years or 75% capacity if already fairly full. Aim for 1500 mimimum for WBB.
- Conference Challenge Scheduling(Big Sky, CUSA, who knows) but we need D1 games on schedules.
- League Scheduling Liason to help get games. IE, working with OOC games to get folks on swings. IE, say SDSU scheduling SFA, Tarleton, & ACU on a roadtrip.
- Rule requiring post season participation if invited/ eligible.
- TV Production Requirements
And just generally, we need a shared conference brain trust. Regular meetings on building better gameday environments led by GCU/CBU, fundraising workshops led by Ivey. OOC scheduling meetings to share coaching contacts.
We might be foes on the field, but we're all gonna have to be aligned off of it.
All can reach these metrics but UIW. Great detail. Excellent plan
They better have made UIW sign an improvement plan in blood before they voted them in.
BREAKING: Seattle University has suspended men’s basketball coach Jim Hayford, pending an investigation, after he reportedly used the "N-word" on multiple occasions.@GoodmanHoops has details: https://t.co/NStGhDC1gI pic.twitter.com/S88erfQv1G
— Bally Sports (@BallySports) November 7, 2021
Disagree. No way we are ready, and Ivey knows that better than anyone.BigJack85 said:nacluth said:
Ivey's letter looks more like a "we want to go too" letter than a "we wouldn't have left" letter.
I agree Probably would have loved to have had an invite.
I believe the move by Sam is a real case of FOMO. They have, or should have, significantly more resources than us, but no way are they ready for FBS football. The defending national champions had an attendance of 5,004 yesterday. Texas HS football draws better than that. Hate the end of the rivalry, but they made the decision. Enjoy those trips to FIU. We would be glad to play them again after the 2022 BOTPW, for the usual FBS to an FCS team guarantee. Might even give them a deal and only expect $350k. But $500k is better.
SFAJack_76 said:Disagree. No way we are ready, and Ivey knows that better than anyone.BigJack85 said:nacluth said:
Ivey's letter looks more like a "we want to go too" letter than a "we wouldn't have left" letter.
I agree Probably would have loved to have had an invite.
I believe the move by Sam is a real case of FOMO. They have, or should have, significantly more resources than us, but no way are they ready for FBS football. The defending national champions had an attendance of 5,004 yesterday. Texas HS football draws better than that. Hate the end of the rivalry, but they made the decision. Enjoy those trips to FIU. We would be glad to play them again after the 2022 BOTPW, for the usual FBS to an FCS team guarantee. Might even give them a deal and only expect $350k. But $500k is better.
I agree, 76. No way are we ready, and neither is Prison Tech. What's the old saying? "Their eyes are bigger than their stomach".
And that car dealer major donor of theirs had better start selling lot more cars, and fast.TallTexan said:
They better have made UIW sign an improvement plan in blood before they voted them in.
SFAJack_76 said:
Disagree. No way we are ready, and Ivey knows that better than anyone.
I completely agree that we're not ready. It's a terrible time to make a conference move, but we are missing out.
Sam's gambling that a move up will break them out of the regional school model into a national known quantity. We're gambling that the WAC isn't going to be another 25 years of the Southland.
We don't have the money or facilities to make the jump because it takes a boatload of cash we don't have. Being a low major school also keeps you from making a boatload of cash. I think Ivey is committed to making us a strong midmajor school but that doesn't mean we don't have FOMO too.
nacluth said:SFAJack_76 said:
Disagree. No way we are ready, and Ivey knows that better than anyone.
I completely agree that we're not ready. It's a terrible time to make a conference move, but we are missing out.
Sam's gambling that a move up will break them out of the regional school model into a national known quantity. We're gambling that the WAC isn't going to be another 25 years of the Southland.
We don't have the money or facilities to make the jump because it takes a boatload of cash we don't have. Being a low major school also keeps you from making a boatload of cash. I think Ivey is committed to making us a strong midmajor school but that doesn't mean we don't have FOMO too.
You speak the truth. We will be ready soon IMHO. I would guess that we have been aligning donors and resources for a Homer Bryce redux in the next 3-5 years. We literally have to make this move or risk being little brother for a long time. Think about being little brother.
Sources: McNeese opts to remain in the Southland Conference 👉https://t.co/eu8oIf40hh pic.twitter.com/8WnnfVklr6
— CollegeAD (@collegead) November 9, 2021
SFAJack_76 said:Sources: McNeese opts to remain in the Southland Conference 👉https://t.co/eu8oIf40hh pic.twitter.com/8WnnfVklr6
— CollegeAD (@collegead) November 9, 2021
Surprised. A little. They would have been a nice addition.
Looks like they're trying to make a play for something better and closer.
Sounds like the SLC bought them. Word is that starting in 2023, and for the next four years, McNeese will host both men's and women's basketball tournaments, and baseball and softball championships. Also, they have first right of refusal on those tournaments indefinitely.
The rest of the schools get … ?
The rest of the schools get … ?
SFAJack_76 said:
Sounds like the SLC bought them. Word is that starting in 2023, and for the next four years, McNeese will host both men's and women's basketball tournaments, and baseball and softball championships. Also, they have first right of refusal on those tournaments indefinitely.
The rest of the schools get … ?
Wow. Wow. That's interesting. The SLC is desperate. Frankly if we add UIW it's the same desperation. How about an out of the box approach? Similar to what the Sunbelt has done.
Find schools that have unique market features, fan bases that show up and commitment to football and basketball. For my money (not much) I would consider offering Central Oklahoma and WTAM a hand up. They fit into the WAC geography cleanly. They both have above par facilities.
The only downside is the transition period. But, in the end you end up with is a solid conference with committed schools.
I think it would depend on the ability to get a waiver on the number of teams required for an auto bid.BigJack85 said:SFAJack_76 said:
Sounds like the SLC bought them. Word is that starting in 2023, and for the next four years, McNeese will host both men's and women's basketball tournaments, and baseball and softball championships. Also, they have first right of refusal on those tournaments indefinitely.
The rest of the schools get … ?
Wow. Wow. That's interesting. The SLC is desperate. Frankly if we add UIW it's the same desperation. How about an out of the box approach. Similar to what the Sunbelt has done.
Find schools that have unique market features, fan bases that show up and commitment to football and basketball. For my money (not much) I would consider offering Central Oklahoma and WTAM a hand up. They fit into the WAC geography cleanly. They both have above par facilities.
The only downside is the transition period. But, in the end you end up with is a solid conference with committed schools.
But I'd rather take a chance on either than get burned by UIW again.
SFAJack_76 said:
Sounds like the SLC bought them. Word is that starting in 2023, and for the next four years, McNeese will host both men's and women's basketball tournaments, and baseball and softball championships. Also, they have first right of refusal on those tournaments indefinitely.
The rest of the schools get … ?
If all of that is true, it shows what kinds of sleazy activities go on the smoke-filled back rooms in conference headquarters.
And McNeese would have had to wait a LONG time before becoming competitive and winning any kinds WAC titles. Their chances of winning soon in the SLC are much, much better.
The rest of the schools get some comped rooms at the Golden Nugget and don't have to add ETBU to keep the conference afloat.SFAJack_76 said:
Sounds like the SLC bought them. Word is that starting in 2023, and for the next four years, McNeese will host both men's and women's basketball tournaments, and baseball and softball championships. Also, they have first right of refusal on those tournaments indefinitely.
The rest of the schools get … ?
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