Alabama-Birmingham Dropping Football

[BisonKent]

UAB, currently a Conference USA member, looks like will be the first FBS school to drop football since Pacific in the early 1990s. I feel bad for UAB as they just overcame a number of losing seasons and finished .500 at 6-6 to be bowl eligiable this year.

Here is a link to a Sports Illustrated story on this: http://www.si.com/college-football/2014/11/30/alabama-birmingham-shuts-down-football-program-fires-athletic-director

For those asking about what is the membership like in CUSA, this year with UAB included, they had 13 schools. Charlotte was to join next year to be their 14th school for football (as well as all-other sports).

Here is a link to a map of the current conference layout:

http://www.conferenceusa.com/ot/c-usa-members.html

The football divisions are the East & West. Here are the current layouts of those divisions:
East Division

Florida Atlantic
Owls

Florida International
Golden Panthers

Marshall
Thundering Herd

Middle Tennessee
Blue Raiders

Old Dominion
Monarchs

UAB
Blazers

Western Kentucky
Hilltoppers

West Division

Louisiana Tech
Bulldogs

North Texas
Mean Green

Rice
Owls

Southern Miss
Golden Eagles

UTEP
Miners

UTSA
Roadrunners

Just looking at the conference make-up, this is becoming a conference requiring football so I would imagine that the remainder of the conference will drop UAB and likely look to the Sun Belt to get another full member to get to 14 football playing schools. I would imagine New Mexico State might be the pick as the need a West Division team (as Las Cruces is just 30-40 miles from El Paso) with Charlotte being added to the East.

I would think the Sun Belt would lose that member due to this and then would need to add another school.

[Tatanka]

so long, Missouri state! /purple?

[coldspot]

ndsu to cusa!!!!!!!!!!!! Pump it upppppppsdlkfjsdlkfja

[marenlee]

A lot of talk out there about the university in Tuscaloosa blocking UAB from improving facilities and building an on-campus stadium. Just all talk I have seen on boards. Kinda like what we heard about UNO dropping football and wrestling.

[onbison09]

I really hope CUSA gets Georgia Southern. Just say no to Georgia State.

[onbison09]

so long, Missouri state! /purple?
I dunno. CUSA is kinda meh basketball wise. Definitely not the Valley. Kinda outside of footprint.

[NovaBison]

Good to see another "bottom feeder" FBS school dropping football! They had no business being in the FBS in the first place, I hope others follow their lead.

[marenlee]

Well it's officially official. Here's from the point of view from a football player live tweeting the cancelling of the program. Plus a video clip of supporters giving the university president hell. Sad situation.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/12/2/7322021/uab-football-announcement-timothy-alexander-watts

[THEsocalledfan]

Well it's officially official. Here's from the point of view from a football player live tweeting the cancelling of the program. Plus a video clip of supporters giving the university president hell. Sad situation.

http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2014/12/2/7322021/uab-football-announcement-timothy-alexander-watts

Love the part about not having the money, but unwilling to show the numbers. Stay classy pres.

[marenlee]

Here's an article from ESPN. I'm surprised they published it considering their SEC overlords. It gives some insight into how politics may have played a large role in hampering the development of the program and why it eventually was shut down.

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/104283/uab-football-program-cant-outrun-past-escape-shadow-of-alabama?ex_cid=espnapi_public

[Bison bison]

The state should have intervened and required Alabama and UAB to play.

[HerdBot]

Crazy situation. Could be an opportunity to snag a transafer like Bryan Shepherd

[ndsubison1]

look for und to pick up some transfers

[unbison]

Crazy situation. Could be an opportunity to snag a transafer like Bryan Shepherd

That fits your footprint?

[56BISON73]

That fits your footprint?

:eeek::eeek::eeek::D

[HerdBot]

That fits your footprint?

The occasional transfer doesn't have a footprint. I couldn't think of a safer transfer than a guy whose team shut down.

[Hammersmith]

And it's back. Faced with intense public backlash, a giant spotlight on the mess that is the Alabama BoT, and the impending expulsion from CUSA, the UAB president reversed his decision today. Planning for a return of FB in 2016.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/06/ray_watts_blinked_his_wrecking.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/cusa/2015/06/01/uab-blazers-football-reinstated-ray-watts-bill-clark/28326971/

[gumby013]

And it's back. Faced with intense public backlash, a giant spotlight on the mess that is the Alabama BoT, and the impending expulsion from CUSA, the UAB president reversed his decision today. Planning for a return of FB in 2016.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/06/ray_watts_blinked_his_wrecking.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/cusa/2015/06/01/uab-blazers-football-reinstated-ray-watts-bill-clark/28326971/

Congrats to UAB for being the first team ever to give themselves the death penalty.

[EndZoneQB]

And it's back. Faced with intense public backlash, a giant spotlight on the mess that is the Alabama BoT, and the impending expulsion from CUSA, the UAB president reversed his decision today. Planning for a return of FB in 2016.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2015/06/ray_watts_blinked_his_wrecking.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/cusa/2015/06/01/uab-blazers-football-reinstated-ray-watts-bill-clark/28326971/

One has to wonder if this was all a plan behind the scenes. They knew they were getting screwed but weren't getting the attention...this move certainly gave them the spotlight...and the spotlight on the problem, no?

[Hammersmith]

One has to wonder if this was all a plan behind the scenes. They knew they were getting screwed but weren't getting the attention...this move certainly gave them the spotlight...and the spotlight on the problem, no?

Uhh, no. The president is a dead man walking, and this fiasco cost them many millions of dollars as well as killing any on-the-field momentum they had recently built up.