App State to the Sun Belt

[Saint3333]

78 is right. The western members want numbers for future votes but also don't want to add any Southland conference members, bad blood from the last split.

The current balance of power in the Belt resides in the west with Ark St., ULL, ULM, and the two non-football schools. WKU is trying not to step on any toes for now. GA St and Texas St. don't get votes yet. If the Belt were to add App and GSU and WKU stays you now have a block of eastern votes in App, GSU, GA. St, WKU, USA, and Troy that can trump whatever the western schools want from a football perspective. For App to get an invite the current members have to agree to what extent to add NMSU to appease the western members.

So the options are:

A: football only by which the conference takes the worst asset of the university

or

B: add a great basketball and solid baseball program, but it requires a flight for every olympic sports team in the conference

Neither option is ideal.

I wish Missouri St. was ready for moving to the FBS that would solve all this.

[firemoose]

I don't think a decision has been made on that front. Unfortunately, wrestling is a dying sport at the D1 level with only about 75 schools still sponsoring the sport. When I was at ASU in the late 60s and early 70s, wrestling was, along with baseball, our most successful men's sport.

Unfortunately what has hurt wrestling the most recently is having it dropped as an Olympic sport. That one shocked me a bit since it's been there since the beginning but it really hurts wrestling since those athletes now only have conference wins and the NCAA's to shoot for, unless you count things like the WWE, which I don't. The highest you could go was the Olympics and now that's being removed. That will hurt the sport.

[ASUGoose]

78 is right. The western members want numbers for future votes but also don't want to add any Southland conference members, bad blood from the last split.

The current balance of power in the Belt resides in the west with Ark St., ULL, ULM, and the two non-football schools. WKU is trying not to step on any toes for now. GA St and Texas St. don't get votes yet. If the Belt were to add App and GSU and WKU stays you now have a block of eastern votes in App, GSU, GA. St, WKU, USA, and Troy that can trump whatever the western schools want from a football perspective. For App to get an invite the current members have to agree to what extent to add NMSU to appease the western members.

So the options are:

A: football only by which the conference takes the worst asset of the university

or

B: add a great basketball and solid baseball program, but it requires a flight for every olympic sports team in the conference

Neither option is ideal.

I wish Missouri St. was ready for moving to the FBS that would solve all this.

You wouldn't need a flight for Men's and Women's Golf. No need to travel that far unless for a conference championship which rotates on a yearly basis by host school. Only 1 trip out there each required for every 12 years...

[Yosef84]

If the disagreement comes when discussing the western schools, why not just go ahead and announce invites for App and GaSo? If/when NMSU gets voted in, have another presser.

Every day the announcement is delayed is a squandered recruiting advantage.

That's completely an App/GSU issue and the SunBelt presidents couldn't care less about our recruiting issues. They also don't care how long the fans have waited or how badly we want it. They want to role this out in an orderly fashion. I also agree completely with the comment above about "leverage."

[hapapp]

VMI is a former SoCon all-sports member that is a member for wrestling only.

[Dmanuhone]

http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20 ... y=obinsite

[GlassOnion]

Thats part of Benson's press conference. Why they are trying to spin it as him "defending" the FCS additions I have no clue, because thats not how I heard it.

[proasu89]

Thats part of Benson's press conference. Why they are trying to spin it as him "defending" the FCS additions I have no clue, because thats not how I heard it.

It could be because that article is from a Louisiana paper and it seems to me that at least one, if not both of the LA schools are not happy with having to take move ups. Therefore it appears as if Benson is trying to sell us.

[Saint3333]

Newsflash ULL fans every team that was in the Sun Belt from 1998 until now, except you, was pulled from the FCS. If you don't like it maybe you should have performed better against those "inferior" programs the past 20 years and it would be you, not LA Tech, in CUSA (which in 2015 by the way has 8 of its 14 members being former FCS teams).

The Belt has three options: NMSU, Idaho, and FCS programs with potential.

[AppinVA]

Newsflash ULL fans every team that was in the Sun Belt from 1998 until now, except you, was pulled from the FCS. If you don't like it maybe you should have performed better against those "inferior" programs the past 20 years and it would be you, not LA Tech, in CUSA (which in 2015 by the way has 8 of its 14 members being former FCS teams).

The Belt has three options: NMSU, Idaho, and FCS programs with potential.

Some of them seem more interested in the guarantee on the box than the quality product we offer.

[Gonzo]

Newsflash ULL fans every team that was in the Sun Belt from 1998 until now, except you, was pulled from the FCS. If you don't like it maybe you should have performed better against those "inferior" programs the past 20 years and it would be you, not LA Tech, in CUSA (which in 2015 by the way has 8 of its 14 members being former FCS teams).

The Belt has three options: NMSU, Idaho, and FCS programs with potential.

Some of them seem more interested in the guarantee on the box than the quality product we offer.

You could get a good look at an FBS conference addition by sticking your head up a bull's ass but wouldn't you rather just take an athletic director's word for it?

[Maddog1956]

It could be because that article is from a Louisiana paper and it seems to me that at least one, if not both of the LA schools are not happy with having to take move ups. Therefore it appears as if Benson is trying to sell us.

That's how it sounds, but I can't believe it is their real issue due to the fact that none of these schools are "major programs" themselves. Not to put the SB or any of the schools down but they are really just another dot on the map when it comes to sports. Not to pat our self on the back, but I would guess that APPState got more national press out of our back2back2back then any of these other schools have received for anything sport wise. They are pretty much stack up with where the SB as a whole is. Again not to put them down but there are important conferences and there are those that are not.

In general, a conference should help all the teams in the conference improve. Schools that are not generally known for bball for example will pick up players if there is at least a few good bball programs in the conference (i.e. Davidson). Football is the same way, take a conference not known for football and all the teams football programs have a chance of improving (i.e. APP).

Having made that statement and with the "playoff" coming down the road and the money to be made in football, I think Benson knows they need to improve their football presents in the world. Adding APP and GS I think would do just that. While we are FCS I think it would be hard for any of the SB schools to seriously state that they have much more football potential then APP or GS. I think with a bigger stage, more money and more scholarships we would just improve, hopefully bringing the SB up with us.

What I really see as going on behind the curtain (and yes this is a SWAG) is that the Bball schools don't want to lose important in a better football conference (i.e, Big East). Football is a major money sport and "money talks". With the playoff and everything else it looks like the football potential for a "big show" in the non-major conference might even improve.

So long story short, Benson sees the need for the Sun Belt to pick up football school and go to a playoff, the bball schools see that as only making them less important in the Conference.

Or in other words, Benson sees reality and the bballs schools don't.