BePcr07---In my scenario Idaho would be cut loose and forced to be independent or drop to the FCS.

ncaanopaawaa2000--Yeah, I know I left UT-A and UALR out. They would potentially be in that Western Conference but I think it would be best to leave them out since N Texas already gives the league a presence in the Dallas/Ft Worth metroplex and UALR has absolutely no intentions of adding football EVER.

You are posting suggested designs that look thoughtful, rational, and would make sense. Stop it! It goes against the grain of what the real decision-makers continuously do.

The thing is, even a 14 school conference would get 857k per school. If I picked the best 14 schools from those you listed, I will get a much better TV contract that will more than make up for the 143k I lost by being a 14 school conference instead of a 12 school conference. Travel is nice in your alignment and it would probably be best for non football sports, but since football is the big money maker here, decisions are made based on what's best for them.

CBSSports blog article discussing C-USA realignment situation at http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootbal ... sion-pause

another article stating of no expansion plans for C-USA in the short term:

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/06/broderi ... ear-future

It seems that the sun belt had a application in hand from liberty.

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Good find, just basically reporting what we know/assumed.

CUSA will hold at 14 for now until UNCC/WKU fully join the league then discuss moving to 16 with JMU, ArkSt, ULL, and ULM (no chance, should have said UMass).

Sun Belt is holding out hope that JMU gets all primed and ready to make the jump only to be turned down by CUSA and settle on the SBC so they don't have to take Liberty. Tthe flaw in that thought process is that the MAC may also be interested in JMU and 1 or 2 others fb only upgrade candidates like UDel.

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June 30th is the deadline to finalize conference membership with the NCAA, but you don't hear a lot of rumblings on new realignment.

I think we've heard one report abou the MAC possibly wanting to get back to even numbers and de-hybridizing UMass.
I could see "the American" adding them for all sports, and then looking for a 14th FB only (Army, although they seem disinterested.... JMU ?).
Doing this would allow moving UCF, USF to west and move Cincy to East for FB (Cincy supposedly unhappy wiht Western Division).

CUSA seemed to expand to 14 as a knee-jerk reaction to being picked-apart continuously the last 2 years by the Big east (American).
12 might be the preferred number,
but 14 keeps you out of crisis mode when someone raids you.
I think since the ACC has settled down, the Big XII has few good options, and hence has settled down, and the American has also settled down,
so CUSA can chill at their current 14.

MWC seems stable and unlikely to do anything unless BYU wants to return.

So in the final analysis right now, there is one hole in the SBC, and maybe some potential for slight movement in the MAC / American.

Article out of Hampton Roads discussing C-USA realignment situation at http://hamptonroads.com/2013/06/cusa-no ... ealignment

From that article:


So, ODU has at least 15 alumni/boosters who can toss out $200,000 EACH at the drop of a hat. Must be nice.

I think they could be a sleeping giant. The questions I have about their longevity are their relationships with schools like UVA, VT, and ECU...who could hot-shot them in a hurry and toss them into obscurity.

As of today July 1, 2013, I wonder if there will be division format play for all other sports (differing from football) within C-USA. If so, will it be East/West or American/National. If so, which ones will belong to which?

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No word on that yet, I think there's some tension between the new/old members in the middle on that one, mainly USM/UAB.

I'm thinking they just move to a round robin plus a home/home with a "rival"
2013- UTEP/UTSA, UNT/Tulsa, Rice/Tulane, LA Tech/MTSU, SoMiss/UAB, FAU/FIU, ECU/UNCC, ODU/Marshall
2014- UTEP/UTSA, UNT/Rice, MTSU/WKU, USM/UAB, FAU/FIU, and some combo of LATech/UNCC/ODU/Marshall I guess...
2015- If they add Ark St and UMass you'd have LA Tech/Ark St, Marshall/UMass, and ODU/UNCC

But if they did divisions here'd be what they'd have to do assuming no stupid zipper.

2012 West - UTEP, Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane
2013 West - UTEP, UTSA, Rice, UNT, Tulsa, LA Tech, Tulane + USM bball
2014 West - UTEP, UTSA, Rice, UNT, LA Tech, So Miss, UAB

2012 East - Memphis, SoMiss, UAB, UCF, ECU, Marshall
2013 East - MTSU, SoMiss(fb only), UAB, FAU, FIU, ECU, Marshall, + ODU/UNCC (non-fb)
2014 East - MTSU, WKU, FAU, FIU, ODU, Marshall + UNCC(non-fb)
2015 East - MTSU, WKU, FAU, FIU, UNCC, ODU, Marshall

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Fan of the Big 12 Conference, the Mountain West Conference and...

Nice preview so far. But what would happen if the American searches another school (in case Navy won't plan to join in 2015 or if the conferences needs a CCG so badly and early in 2014), will one more Sun Belt school plan to jump-shift to C-USA, or will C-USA plan to have James Madison? That's if the Sun Belt plans to have either Liberty.

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Florida State Seminoles fan for life (mostly on football, basketball and baseball)! 2011-12 ACC men's basketball conference tournament champions; 2012, 2013 & 2014 ACC football Atlantic Division champions; 2012, 2013 & 2014 ACC football regular season champions; 2012, 2013 & 2014 ACC football conference bowl tournament champions; 2014 NCAA D-I FBS BCS national champions!

If C-USA needs one more school I think it will be Arkansas St over James Madison unless Old Dominion has some serious sway in the voting I don't know about. The Texas schools want schools in proximity to them but not necessarily within the Lone Star State; UAB will lobby for a western add in order to move into the easier East Division, and LA Tech will not want an instate competitor which likely takes UL Lafayette out of the running. Schools like Middle Tennessee and WKU would probably be inclined to vote in favor of an expansion candidate that makes travel within their division easier and a move that pushes UAB into the East would do that.

Unless James Madison falls within D.C.'s television market I don't think their case is a whole lot stronger that Arkansas St.

I suspect ODU will fight hard for JMU, but JMU might have a Marshall problem.

As for Arkansas State...I hope with Memphis being gone, the guys from Jonesboro can spread their wings a bit.

MF'n eastern independent politics...