A new and better FBS thread

[MWC]

CUSA is flat out a FCS level conference. The competition is not good. The play is sloppy. I've watched some of those games and MVFC play is often better.

I think some people here are clinging onto it as a chance to move, and then move again later. First, its a false hope, CUSA won't be inviting us, they have a candidate pool in their own geography already. And yes, they would absolutely take SFA and Tarleton over us due to geography and school demographics. They also have no desire to expand right now, it would reduce their revenue per school. Second, we would not get a quick exit elsewhere, it might actually be harder to move to MWC in 3 years than if we stay put. Third, no team from that conference will get a sniff of the CFP ... they have 5 teams ranked Sagarin 130 or below. At best you are looking at low tier toilet bowls for postseason. Fourth, midweek games suck, and they have a whole month of those.

Beyond all of that ... the PAC/MWC fallout has not settled yet, and there could be real openings there within this next year. And even MAC is better and looks open to expansion. Why anyone would advocate for CUSA blows my mind. Its desperation to gain a label, instead of looking for the best long term home.

I have no idea how the Pac 2/MW thing will play out. However, there are enough schools west of the Rockies to fill a viable conference. I don't think the relegation plan is the path going forward. Schools are simply not going to vote to make less money.

However, If you go somewhere as football only that is just 4 conference away games. You would not have to be in a region to make that work. You could go to any conference that wanted a football only program. Though the MW the MW and AAC do have football only schools, it seems unlikely they would add another. But you never know. The whole idea behind the relegation plan was to keep olympic sports regional. You don't have to join CUSA to be FBS for football but you might need to be creative.

[NDSU92]

CUSA is flat out a FCS level conference. The competition is not good. The play is sloppy. I've watched some of those games and MVFC play is often better.

I think some people here are clinging onto it as a chance to move, and then move again later. First, its a false hope, CUSA won't be inviting us, they have a candidate pool in their own geography already. And yes, they would absolutely take SFA and Tarleton over us due to geography and school demographics. They also have no desire to expand right now, it would reduce their revenue per school. Second, we would not get a quick exit elsewhere, it might actually be harder to move to MWC in 3 years than if we stay put. Third, no team from that conference will get a sniff of the CFP ... they have 5 teams ranked Sagarin 130 or below. At best you are looking at low tier toilet bowls for postseason. Fourth, midweek games suck, and they have a whole month of those.

Beyond all of that ... the PAC/MWC fallout has not settled yet, and there could be real openings there within this next year. And even MAC is better and looks open to expansion. Why anyone would advocate for CUSA blows my mind. Its desperation to gain a label, instead of looking for the best long term home.

I don’t disagree that it’s an FCS level conference. But there are people who say that it would be a step down in competition. This year that is demonstrably false. The problem is the trajectory of the conference, which does not look good but that remains to be seen.

I didn’t say we should go to CUSA or that they’ll invite us. But I will say, if the reason why the valley is the better conference is because of NDSU and SDSU, that doesn’t provide us very much benefit lol

[BigHorns]

I don’t disagree that it’s an FCS level conference. But there are people who say that it would be a step down in competition. This year that is demonstrably false. The problem is the trajectory of the conference, which does not look good but that remains to be seen.

I didn’t say we should go to CUSA or that they’ll invite us. But I will say, if the reason why the valley is the better conference is because of NDSU and SDSU, that doesn’t provide us very much benefit lol

If anything, we will see that Sagarin rating fall further.

SHSU is 0-5
JSU's wins are over teams that don't have FBS wins.
Kennesaw is going to make them better when they join?

CUSA is a 5th tier bottom scraping South East conference.
In that region, and in those same markets, you have SEC, ACC, AAC, SBC above them.
An example: In Atlanta market, the pecking order is: UGA, Georgia Tech, Georgia Southern, Georgia St, and now Kennesaw at the bottom.
Another : In Alabama, the order goes Alabama, Auburn, UAB, Troy, South Alabama, and now Jacksonville St.

The leftovers like FIU, La Tech, and MTSU scraped together what they could just to exist.

It could be argued labeling CUSA G5 is almost the same as labeling PAC-2 a P5 conference.

[Sun Bison]

Would it be too much to say that FCS is basically MVFC and Big Sky? Why not merge, trim the fat, and start applying for FBS (Big Missouri Conference, Missouri Mountain Conference)?

Again, I still maintain that NDSU is going to be stuck in FCS in perpetuity until there is a MAJOR change in college football or until Minnesota and Wisconsin get a couple D1 football programs outside of the Gophers and Badgers.

[BigHorns]

Would it be too much to say that FCS is basically MVFC and Big Sky? Why not merge, trim the fat, and start applying for FBS (Big Missouri Conference, Missouri Mountain Conference)?

Again, I still maintain that NDSU is going to be stuck in FCS in perpetuity until there is a MAJOR change in college football or until Minnesota and Wisconsin get a couple D1 football programs outside of the Gophers and Badgers.

Top half of MVFC combined with top half of Big Sky would be a very competitive G5 conference. The rest of FCS is more average. It's a bit of a travesty honestly that Kennesaw (1-5, Sagarin 191) is moving up. They just lost to freakin Tennessee St. and Tennessee Tech. Only win is over Tusculum. All about the markets, which is silly too, when its the 5th tier team in that market.

Would be tough to get a new conference in the door though. FBS monopoly is tightening thru the CFP, it's why you see schools like Army, UMass, and UConn looking to join an existing conference. When it's all done, Notre Dame may be the only "independent" left, and they aren't truly Indy as an ACC affiliate.

[Hammerhead]

With the current NCAA rules, conferences can't move up. Teams can only move up if they are invited into an existing FBS conference.

Would it be too much to say that FCS is basically MVFC and Big Sky? Why not merge, trim the fat, and start applying for FBS (Big Missouri Conference, Missouri Mountain Conference)?

Again, I still maintain that NDSU is going to be stuck in FCS in perpetuity until there is a MAJOR change in college football or until Minnesota and Wisconsin get a couple D1 football programs outside of the Gophers and Badgers.

[taper]

With the current NCAA rules, conferences can't move up. Teams can only move up if they are invited into an existing FBS conference.

How many times do we have to go over this? That's a blatant anti-trust violation that Liberty has already called their bluff on. It'll take time to get bowl tie-ins and CFP access, but if the move ups start winning they'll come. If they don't win they don't belong in FBS so it's a moot point.

[BigHorns]

How many times do we have to go over this? That's a blatant anti-trust violation that Liberty has already called their bluff on. It'll take time to get bowl tie-ins and CFP access, but if the move ups start winning they'll come. If they don't win they don't belong in FBS so it's a moot point.

Liberty was a unique case and used the religious persecution angle. No other school has been approved on a waiver. Could get lucky with one or two schools, but a whole conference is unlikely. Hard to prove antitrust, and even if let in, can’t force other schools/conferences to schedule games against you. Liberty spent many many millions to put a schedule together before they decided Indy wasn’t viable long term. Could end up feeling like the SWAC or Ivy League even if it succeeded without CFP access.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sport...nce/713957001/

For a public college president to (deny) a school as a member of a conference based on religious mission is illegal. It would be like opposing a school because it’s a historically black institution.

Still a chance PAC/MWC opens a door, and that would be the best path.

[56BISON73]

How many times do we have to go over this? That's a blatant anti-trust violation that Liberty has already called their bluff on. It'll take time to get bowl tie-ins and CFP access, but if the move ups start winning they'll come. If they don't win they don't belong in FBS so it's a moot point.

Liberty isnt a conference. Plus Liberty had a war chest and a religious angle.

[TAILG8R]

The University of Washington and the other nine outgoing members of the Pac-12 have struck back at Oregon State and Washington State in a series of briefs and motions filed on Monday and obtained by The Athletic.

If you have access to The Athletic - link

On Monday, UW filed a motion to intervene in the litigation between Washington State and Oregon State and the Pac-12 conference, arguing that it is involved in the lawsuit but its interests are not adequately represented by any existing party.

If granted, UW would then ask Whitman County (Wash.) Superior Court to grant a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

The nine outgoing Pac-12 schools filed a brief to support UW and support its motion to dismiss. They also said they’ve entered into a mediation process with WSU and OSU that is currently ongoing and scheduled through October.