Is this it?

[Deano]

Is GSU ready? I thought that they were a couple of years away? The same question about Jacksonville St?

GSU swears they are ready, student fees have been raised and they are in the middle of a stadium renovation which they swear will be complete by the 2014 year, and they have all of the confidence in the world. I just hope they don't get an invitation before we do.

[MAD Doctor]

Move along...Nothing to see here.

[appgrad]

But CUSA also has UNCC, ODU, MTSU, and Marshall which is much more regional than what exists in the SBC.

Time will tell, I guess. I do believe that we need to get to an FBS conference regardless. I just wonder if the admin thinks likewise.

Everyone was pretty sure that we were CUSA bound 6-9 months ago. Are we setting ourselves up for disappointment again?

With the exception of UNCC - it's not that big of a difference - Georgia State is closer than ODU, WKU is about the same distance as MTSU. Add Georgia Southern, and we get a natural rivalry there. Marshall is about 30-60 miles closer than all of those. Negligible.

Ideally - CUSA would be a great fit - but unless we know that invite's coming, we aren't in a position to be picky.

[Gonzo]

Can we stop talking about CUSA? They have not and will not invite any school that's not in the middle of a major market. They passed on us in the spring for a football fetus in the same state 7 months ago and Cobb's App State whoring tour and alumni/media pitch didn't work.

Charlie MUST see this. It's SBC or MAC. Sunbelt fans are convinced App and GaSo are the next additions. If the Sunbelt leaves us out again: A. Cobb screwed up or B. We are an institution incapable of moving to the FBS.

It's do or die time for Charlie. Whether its justified completely or not, his seat is already getting warm after the Coach Moore debacle. As I've said for months now, my opinion of Cobb is entirely dependent on his ability to get us into an FBS conference.

[appgrad]

You're probably right - and more importantly, CUSA will be at 14 teams AFTER their next round of departures. Sun Belt sits at 10, and probably wants to have a conference title game to get some prime time exposure that last week of the season. Plus - it will cut down on travel costs, and open the door for more money games, for all schools if they only have to play 8 conference games vs. 9

That is the fit - Cobb needs to recognize that and focus all efforts on getting there. No more wishful thinking. Close the deal.

[Yosef]

You're probably right - and more importantly, CUSA will be at 14 teams AFTER their next round of departures. Sun Belt sits at 10, and probably wants to have a conference title game to get some prime time exposure that last week of the season. Plus - it will cut down on travel costs, and open the door for more money games, for all schools if they only have to play 8 conference games vs. 9

That is the fit - Cobb needs to recognize that and focus all efforts on getting there. No more wishful thinking. Close the deal.

I believe the Sunbelt is sitting at 8 football playing teams, not 10.

[MAD Doctor]

Ready or not, GaSo is campaigning as hard or harder than we are for the FBS. The important thing is to nail down an FBS invite. Everything could, and probably will be shuffled again when the SEC, Big 10, or Big XII decide to go shopping again. They are in control.
I wasn't happy about the Sun Belt in the beginning, but all CUSA cares about is market size (UNCC didn't even have a team and they were invited) and while I also am intrigued by the MAC, they apparently have no desire to look further south than Delaware or possibly JMU. It would have been nice to start out in CUSA or even the Big East, but as long as we secure a spot in the FBS, we can prove ourselves and always move up in time.

[appgrad]

You're probably right - and more importantly, CUSA will be at 14 teams AFTER their next round of departures. Sun Belt sits at 10, and probably wants to have a conference title game to get some prime time exposure that last week of the season. Plus - it will cut down on travel costs, and open the door for more money games, for all schools if they only have to play 8 conference games vs. 9

That is the fit - Cobb needs to recognize that and focus all efforts on getting there. No more wishful thinking. Close the deal.

I believe the Sunbelt is sitting at 8 football playing teams, not 10.

Ooops - my mistake - I was counting the non-football schools, UALR and UT-Arlington. You are correct. We'd get them to 10 with GA Southern. It'd be nice if we could talk them into taking JMU as well, and let the Western schools fill in the last spot.