[QUOTE=LastMinuteman;361381]Yeah, Iâd hit the tailgating scene for football games. Rafterâs and The Hangar are the best pub options but theyâre both on the same street as the football stadium and packed on gamedays.
Re: stadium issues, I wouldnât say thatâs whatâs stopping us from going to the MAC. Almost all MAC stadiums are between 24k to 30k capacity. Our stadium seats 17k, but Iâm pretty sure we could get it to 25k just by filling in the north and south ends of the stadium. The thing is, none of the MAC programs actually average more than 20k attendance, and only 4 average more than 17k, so there isnât much enthusiasm here to pour millions of dollars into stadium upgrades we donât really need to play MAC football. Up until Ball Stateâs recent run, Iâd have said it was almost a lateral move from where we are in the top conference of FCS. Plus Iâm not sure we could get football-only status. Even if we could, once weâre in FBS they could change their minds and then weâd be screwed like Temple may be in 2010, with nowhere else to go.
We need a conference at least on the MW/CUSA level. If the A10 wasnât so weighed down with small timers, weâd have the core of that with UMass, Temple and Charlotte. Grab a couple more between New York and Miami and we could get by playing each other twice a season if we had to. But weâd have to cut other members loose, and I donât think the A10 has it in them to do it, especially while weâre outnumbered by the Catholics.[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=amnesiac;366011]That is a good thread, [B]the sun belt would be a good opportunity eventually for our football program[/B], not so good for bball.
[/QUOTE]
:huh::ohmy: Please tell me youâre not serious. The only thing that the Sun Belt might help us in is baseball, and that might be a stretch. It will be the end for most other athletic programs. The champion of that conference is most always the only team that goes to a bowl game, and currently Troy is the only team in the conference with a winning record. Iâm NOT kidding when I say this: I would rather play in the SoCon for all sports than in the Sun Belt. If weâre going to kill our basketball program by moving to a crappy conference just for football, then letâs go to one where we have some local football games and get to play for a title instead of, at best, going to the New Orleans Bowl.
Hereâs a total ifs and buts/candy and nuts type prediction, but I looked into my crystal ball and this is what I saw:
The next shakeup will be HUGE. It will not be because the Big East splits, or because Arkansas wants to join the Big XII. These things will happen because of the shakeup. The BCS will fall, and a playoff system will be established. The new format calls for a 16 team playoff, with any conferences having 12 members and a conference championship being granted an automatic qualifier. This causes the BCS conferences that have fewer than 12 members (Big East with 8, Big Ten with 11, Pac-10 with 10) and in the mayhem Arkansas goes to the Big XII (who kicks Baylor out for sucking at everything) giving Clemson their lifelong dream of being in the SEC. The ACC picks UConn out of the Big East, forcing them to find 5 members to receive an automatic bid. They force their hand on Villanova, who goes FBS to stay in, and also bring in Memphis, ECU, Charlotte, and Temple. Most of the smaller FBS conferences merge with each other to form new conferences, forming the college football landscape seen below.
[QUOTE=thelew1014;366034]Hereâs a total ifs and buts/candy and nuts type prediction, but I looked into my crystal ball and this is what I saw:
The next shakeup will be HUGE. It will not be because the Big East splits, or because Arkansas wants to join the Big XII. These things will happen because of the shakeup. The BCS will fall, and a playoff system will be established. The new format calls for a 16 team playoff, with any conferences having 12 members and a conference championship being granted an automatic qualifier. This causes the BCS conferences that have fewer than 12 members (Big East with 8, Big Ten with 11, Pac-10 with 10) and in the mayhem Arkansas goes to the Big XII (who kicks Baylor out for sucking at everything) giving Clemson their lifelong dream of being in the SEC. The ACC picks UConn out of the Big East, forcing them to find 5 members to receive an automatic bid. They force their hand on Villanova, who goes FBS to stay in, and also bring in Memphis, ECU, Charlotte, and Temple. Most of the smaller FBS conferences merge with each other to form new conferences, forming the college football landscape seen below.
Edit: Definitely intended the cursor to be on Charlotte, not ACC. Sorry for my blasphemy.[/QUOTE]
I like most of what you have with the exception of Temple. The Big East has already booted them out for their bad football program, so Iâm not so sure theyâll be welcomed back. Central Florida is a better bet. They have an up and coming program, a nice media market, and another conference presence in Florida.
If Arkansas leaves for the Big 12, Clemson, FSU, and Miami will all be vying to get into the SEC. Not sure who will win that battle, as it may come down to who the other schools want to keep out more than who they want to let in.
[QUOTE=X-49er;366042]I like most of what you have with the exception of Temple. The Big East has already booted them out for their bad football program, so Iâm not so sure theyâll be welcomed back. Central Florida is a better bet. They have an up and coming program, a nice media market, and another conference presence in Florida.
If Arkansas leaves for the Big 12, Clemson, FSU, and Miami will all be vying to get into the SEC. Not sure who will win that battle, as it may come down to who the other schools want to keep out more than who they want to let in.[/QUOTE]
Temple basketball>UCF basketball. Lone reason the Owls go Big East.
I like most of what you have with the exception of Temple. The Big East has already booted them out for their bad football program, so I'm not so sure they'll be welcomed back.
[QUOTE=gotLutz;366063]Not to mention Villanova. Two Philly schools?[/QUOTE]
Imagine the rivalry potential⌠the battle of the schools who got in because they play some decent basketball and can claim to have a football teamâŚ
but I see those two getting in over some of the other possible schools because the powers that be in the BE want to remain competitive as a basketball conference as well. The fact of the matter is that if my off-the-wall idea were to actually happen, the Big East has to add five schools or lose its status as a football âpowerâ. The basketball teams will bolt, and so the BE will be looking for teams that have good basketball and the potential to be mediocre in football.
If Arkansas leaves for the Big 12, Clemson, FSU, and Miami will all be vying to get into the SEC. Not sure who will win that battle, as it may come down to who the other schools want to keep out more than who they want to let in.
Any chance the SEC decides to become even bigger and take all 3 schools? I'm sure they would love to add the 2 Florida schools, which means they would also add Clemson or even another school in order to keep both football divisions of equal number.
IF they only added one of these schools, my guess is FSU.
[QUOTE=Over40NINER;366084]Any chance the SEC decides to become even bigger and take all 3 schools? Iâm sure they would love to add the 2 Florida schools, which means they would also add Clemson or even another school in order to keep both football divisions of equal number.
IF they only added one of these schools, my guess is FSU.[/QUOTE]
FSU wouldnât go SEC. They enjoy being able to compete in their conference without having to try too hard. Why would they join a conference where they would go from arguably the best program (historically) to middle-of-the-pack at best?
The Big East doesnât do multiple members in the same market. Thatâs the only reason Marquette and DePaul got into the Big East instead of Xavier, they already had Cincinnati. Theyâre the anti-MAC when it comes to markets. Temple only has a shot if Villanova sticks with the basketball schools. If Villanova goes with the football schools, then St. Josephâs goes with Xavier to Old Big East, because Temple isnât Catholic. Likewise, FBS talk at UMass reignited when BC moved to the ACC, because it opened the door a crack for us when they vacated the market. Still some other stuff holding that door closed, unfortunately.
I think some dominoâs may fall soon though-> A number of ND folks Iâve talked to are finally realizing their independent football model doesnât work -> Itâs not the coach after 13 yrs.
Secondly, the SEC doesnât want to add any teams. They have 12, the magical # and are successful in all sports. I seriously doubt UF wants Miami or FSU in their conference, because it would hurt their recruiting. Why add an instate school from an inferior conference?
Well we canât stay in the A-10 once we become 1-A. However, they should let us play in the Colonial while we are 1-AA with the rest of the Atlantic 10 schools, but once we move up we need to be on the rise quickly and bball needs to be peaking and we can eye the Big EAST!!!
[QUOTE=Ruckus42;366125]Well we canât stay in the A-10 once we become 1-A. However, they should let us play in the Colonial while we are 1-AA with the rest of the Atlantic 10 schools, but once we move up we need to be on the rise quickly and bball needs to be peaking and we can eye the Big EAST!!![/QUOTE]
Colonial has 14 1-AA schools. Not a chance theyâre letting us make 15.
[QUOTE=thelew1014;366061]Temple basketball>UCF basketball. Lone reason the Owls go Big East.[/QUOTE]
South Florida did not get into the Big East because of basketball.
Temple Basketball > USF football
But that did not keep South Florida out, it did not get Temple in, and I donât think it will keep Central Florida out. Football is king, as we have found out.
If, or hopefully when, the NCAA sets up a football playoff, the entire conference landscape could change again. What will they require when it comes to automatic qualifiers? Will conference championship games still be held?
The conferences want the money that comes from those title games, but there is a HUGE and bigger pot of money to come from the TV rights to the playoff. If you have an 16 or 32 team playoff, the conference title games hurt the teams that will go to playoffs and the at-large teams will get more rest. Itâs also a Saturday that the playoff games need to be played on because of pending exams. Anyways, my point is, if the title games eventually go by the wayside what will be the need for 12-team conferences that dominate the landscape now? I think you might see a shift back to 8-10 team conferences which would likely benefit us so long as we get in one that would receive and automatic bid.
South Florida did not get into the Big East because of basketball.
Temple Basketball > USF football
But that did not keep South Florida out, it did not get Temple in, and I donât think it will keep Central Florida out. Football is king, as we have found out.
If, or hopefully when, the NCAA sets up a football playoff, the entire conference landscape could change again. What will they require when it comes to automatic qualifiers? Will conference championship games still be held?
The conferences want the money that comes from those title games, but there is a HUGE and bigger pot of money to come from the TV rights to the playoff. If you have an 16 or 32 team playoff, the conference title games hurt the teams that will go to playoffs and the at-large teams will get more rest. Itâs also a Saturday that the playoff games need to be played on because of pending exams. Anyways, my point is, if the title games eventually go by the wayside what will be the need for 12-team conferences that dominate the landscape now? I think you might see a shift back to 8-10 team conferences which would likely benefit us so long as we get in one that would receive and automatic bid.
football playoffs are never coming.
12 team leagues are here to stay and the future.
Despite what Obama wants, the college presidents decide
Lets just assume nothing changes on the National Level (in other words no playoff), because the presidents donât think itâs broke so no one wants to change it.
We stay FCS for more then 4 years:
-We join the Big South. I believe they are the only regional FCS conference that will take us football only. The CAA would take us football only but has too many teams already and the SoCon will not take us as football only.
We move to FBS in 4 years:
-No FCS will let us play 4 years knowing that the last 2 we will have FBS talent coming in. We will struggle to get anyone at FCS to play us out-of-conference, and we will have to play independent for all 4 years. There is an outside shot that our fellow A-10 schools in the CAA will grace us with games but I would be surprised if we get anywhere near a game with App or Davidson.
-When we move to FBS we will play in the Sunbelt as football only. CUSA is shifting west and would take Ark. St. and/or Troy before us, because they donât care about basketball in that conference outside of Memphis. Our best bet to join CUSA is to have the Big East expand to 12 in the next 8 years and take multiple teams from CUSA east. Will we want to play in whats left of CUSA after that?
-The BE is a pipe dream at this point. They wonât look at us TILL we play several years at FBS or build and fill a 60,000 seat stadium. Which ever of those come first.
[QUOTE=metro;366160]football playoffs are never coming.
12 team leagues are here to stay and the future.
Despite what Obama wants, the college presidents decide[/QUOTE]
Oh ye of little faith. I agree that Obama wonât have much influence, I just think Texas/USC/Alabama or Florida loser will start stirring the pot enough to make it happen. If enough teams continue to get screwed out a shot at the title, they will scream for change. Itâs the worst system in ALL of sport at determining a âchampionâ. The Presidentâs claiming that a playoff will interfere with exams is BS. I-AA has a playoff, and they work it just fine. The playoff can happen, and so can the meaningless bowl games during the playoffs. More money for everyone, because the playoffs will be a cash cow. They are running out of bogus excuses, and the internal heat is starting to build also.
