If Texas State leaves...

[T-Dog]

Louisiana Tech isn't the far flung option they use to be. Been a lot of inroads made in the last several months.

With LaTech and Texas State gone, the entire Sun Belt West is drivable.

[spacemonkey]

I was hoping the Pac2 would pull some teams from the AAC and the Acc exploded and there was a reshuffling of teams and an AAC ACC leftovers would bring in App and JMU.

Something like this
Memphis
Wake
App
JMU
ODU
ECU
UNCC (Can take them or leave them)
UAB
USF
NAVY
ARMY

I think Wake gets left out of the next reshuffle.

I think JMU ODU and APP are in line for the next invite. I hope we somehow end up in a conference with JMU,ODU,ECU,APP after that I really don't care. Hopefully ECU doesn't want UNCC instead of App.

[AppWyo]

I think that the easiest solution is to get rid of divisions.

The divisions in the Sun Belt Conference are the only divisions that make any sense, because they are regional. Central and Eastern Time Zones. All the other conference divisions were not regional. I think they could get a school out of C-USA in that area fairly easily.

I get that. Didn’t say it the right move or one without issues. It’s just the easiest in terms of hoops that would have to be jumped through to get them back to even. The Sun Belt is the last conference with divisions so it would be an easy rationale to get rid of them.

The rationale to get rid of them would be easy because they are the last conference to have them, but they are the only conference to have divisions that actually make sense. All the other conferences had divisions that overlapped. Like in the ACC NC State and Wake were in one division and UNC-Ch and Duke were in the other. They had a Coastal Division and an Atlantic Division. It would have made more sense to have a North and South Division without overlap.

It all comes down to schools just doing what is in their best interests even if it seems to make no sense to everyone else. Conferences are doing the same. I am sure that Conference USA and The AAC would have chosen App and Georgia Southern had they had the chance to go back in time. At the time only the Sun Belt would touch them. It has profited the Sun Belt Conference greatly.

It is really interesting that all of these conferences are trying to create rivalries where none exist when they could have offered an invitation to App and Geogia Southern and had a rivalry that would have built up their conference.

[AppWyo]

I was hoping the Pac2 would pull some teams from the AAC and the Acc exploded and there was a reshuffling of teams and an AAC ACC leftovers would bring in App and JMU.

Something like this
Memphis
Wake
App
JMU
ODU
ECU
UNCC (Can take them or leave them)
UAB
USF
NAVY
ARMY

I think Wake gets left out of the next reshuffle.

I think JMU ODU and APP are in line for the next invite. I hope we somehow end up in a conference with JMU, ODU, ECU,APP after that I really don't care. Hopefully ECU doesn't want UNCC instead of App.

The above conference is too spread out to make anyone very happy in the long run. Other than JMU, ECU, UNC-C, Wake, why would App want to play Memphis, UAB, and especially USF? Navy and Army are just too far away. To me this conference is just chasing something shinny. You occasionally see their name in the news, but not very consistently. Georgia Southern is the school that App has the most history with and has a rivalry that will bring up any conference. I hardly know anyone who went to Memphis, UAB, USF, Annapolis, or Westpoint.

[proasu89]

Geography is out the window for now. It will only matter when everything blows up. Then it will matter to whoever can afford to field a football team or even have an athletic program. In the current landscape, we’re in no position to say “No Thanks” to a conference with an Army, Navy, or Memphis.

[BambooRdApp]

Geography is out the window for now. It will only matter when everything blows up. Then it will matter to whoever can afford to field a football team or even have an athletic program. In the current landscape, we’re in no position to say “No Thanks” to a conference with an Army, Navy, or Memphis.

Nor would I want us too ... unless the other teams are not very good.
I would take those three over ULM, ark st, Texas St (History but last year), at home or in the road any year. We would get more active and retired military showing up at games which is also a plus.

[BallantyneApp]

I was hoping the Pac2 would pull some teams from the AAC and the Acc exploded and there was a reshuffling of teams and an AAC ACC leftovers would bring in App and JMU.

Something like this
Memphis
Wake
App
JMU
ODU
ECU
UNCC (Can take them or leave them)
UAB
USF
NAVY
ARMY

I think Wake gets left out of the next reshuffle.

I think JMU ODU and APP are in line for the next invite. I hope we somehow end up in a conference with JMU, ODU, ECU,APP after that I really don't care. Hopefully ECU doesn't want UNCC instead of App.

The above conference is too spread out to make anyone very happy in the long run. Other than JMU, ECU, UNC-C, Wake, why would App want to play Memphis, UAB, and especially USF? Navy and Army are just too far away. To me this conference is just chasing something shinny. You occasionally see their name in the news, but not very consistently. Georgia Southern is the school that App has the most history with and has a rivalry that will bring up any conference. I hardly know anyone who went to Memphis, UAB, USF, Annapolis, or Westpoint.

You have to have at least 10 and probably minimum 12 teams to get a good tv deal. USF is probably on the short list for b12 Acc whatever. Uab is whatever to me and I don’t neccesarily think we need 2 teams in the Charlotte tv market either but if uncc was included it wouldn’t bother me.

The academies are probably the 2 biggest brands in g5 left. Everyone thinks the aac deal will crater if they lose Memphis and Tulane, but Navy is actually their most valuable property. No one gets an every other year “home” game vs notre dame.

If App ever gets to be in a conference like this we take it 10/10. Ga south is perma ooc.

[Saint3333]

May be in the minority, but I’m fine if we were in a position to make GS like WCU is now.

[AppWyo]

Geography does matter. I want to play teams that people I know and work with attended. I also want to be in a conference with schools that care about football. I also want to be in a conference with teams that I can drive to attend.

I read on a JMU message board that they were glad to leave the CAA because so many schools they played in the CAA did not care that JMU beat them.

[spacemonkey]

The thing about college athletics is it truly is an arm of the advertising/marketing dept. We need to be in a conference in 12 states if possible with the most recognizable name in that state that is willing to align with us. I hope the App/Georgia Southern alignment gets replaced with the App/JMU alignment. JMU is a more recognizable school to a higher number of the overall population. The one I always struggle with do we want aligned with ECU or Charlotte? I don't think you can have both and maybe neither. I think a 5 team alignment with ODU, Charlotte, ECU, JMU and App would be very beneficial for all 5 schools in a regional way.

I wish this was our conference because I really like basketball. Traveling fans for basketball would be much nicer with this conference and the tournament would be a lot of fun.
APP
Charlotte
Davidson
ECU
ETSU
ODU
JMU
VCU
Wofford
Furman
Winthrop
UNCG

,BUT FOOTBALL DRIVES THE BUS AND THE BRAND RECOGNITION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bootsy]

Are they looking again?

I had the same question. Has this been reported somewhere? Or are we just spitballing for fun?

[WASU 93]

Just my opinion. Football is driving the bus. The first option in today's market should be to find a football school. .. basketball is second. If you add a basketball school, it is not going to move the needle on getting more than one team in March madness....and doesn't drive revenue like football.

Agreed, and keep the divisions. A little sanity (that saves money and keeps rivalries) in a time of mass insanity is not a bad thing.

WKU would be the best choice.

Grabbing Belmont (I went to a game there this week, great arena, crowd of 500) to grab a market is an American/CUSA decision.

[Stonewall]

They turned down Mountain West I believe. I don’t see anyone else interested.

[AppSt94]

Not a fan of bringing in a private school.

[Tru2ASU]

Didn't they turn down the MWC in like September? Has this picked up steam agsin?

[Stonewall]

It was a few months back.

[BambooRdApp]

I think the new unsubstantiated rumor is the new PAC conference

[Stonewall]

That was circulating about the same time.

[spacemonkey]

The PAC 2 is starting to be rumored again.

[AppDub]

Geography does matter. I want to play teams that people I know and work with attended. I also want to be in a conference with schools that care about football. I also want to be in a conference with teams that I can drive to attend.

I read on a JMU message board that they were glad to leave the CAA because so many schools they played in the CAA did not care that JMU beat them.

It may matter to you, but does it matter to the people that have the t.v. money to pay out? Watching Cal versus UNC would make that answer a big fat no.