Forget about Conf USA comparision to the WMC or MAC, is the Sun Belt chances of getting a BCS bid better than Conf USA.

With Troy State heading to top 20 and Florida Atlantic beating Hawaii, what would happen to the national perception if the Sun Belt was the first non BCS conference to receive a BCS bid?

the Sun Belt was the first I-A conference to send its champion to a bowl game with a losing record?

If Troy manages to finish the season with no more than two losses (South Carolina, LSU), they would have a decent chance of a Top 25 ranking...also, let's no forget that the Fresno State bandwagon (2001) was spurred with early victories over two teams (Oregon State and Wisconsin) that subsequently finished with losing seasons...

Mr Ouija, you may be correct. However at this point of the season, Sun Belt has won a game over a top 25 team and Conf USA has not.

After watching the game last night, not sure how may Conf USA teams could be Troy. Louisville? maybe Memphis? ditto TCU? at home Southern Miss? ditto

Florida Atlantic has a great coach and will continue to improve. Lots of resources and probably more than most of Conf USA schools. If they get the new dome statdium built, they will exceed most Conf USA schools.

If I were Conf USA would worry less about the new Big East and more about my own back door and the Sun Belt?

Joedadi,
If you follow all the fuss with Alabama and US Congress legal grip with the NCAA, who knows what the heck is going to happen.

Alabama is correct that the NCAA does not have a grip on issues and goes strong after one area and could care less on the other.

The NCAA held strong on the 12 team conference rule for football champiionship game (very stupid), yet took Alabama to the cleaners. At the same time it cant seem to keep any team from moving up to 1A.

Not sure the attendance rule of the NCAA is going to have any future impacts.

Sun Belt should be OK.

If I were Conf USA would not throw stones on attendance when living in glass house.

Joedadi, my comments on attendance did not state that Conf USA was in danger of falling below the NCAA rule.

I don't have much respect in the 15 thousand rule and think the standard should be much higher for BCS members.

Attendance is key for a school and group of schools in conferences because attendance more that anything else is the benefit to the overall financial health of the school and/or conference.

The NCAA can make any rule, the bottom line is how many schools can keep the budgets in the black or have other methods to keep financially healthy.

If the non BCS conferences get more BCS access and share more of the money, it will not help unless the attendance of those schools improve to 40 thousand plus on average. Some schools may survive such as Wake and Duke due to the large TV contract by the ACC. This however is very fluid and could change with the next contract.

The other threads on BE expansion are only for our interest on this board and really do not see the BE expanding.

Conf USA will most likely not need to expand and Sun Belt should not need additionaly teams in the immediate future. Unless Tulane decided to drop football or another current school, the conference should remain with its current 12 for the next few years.

In the next few years it will not be the NCAA who decides what team plays major football. It will be which schools can afford to play and attendance is key to support major college football.

I will stick by the U of Alabama and the NCAA just does not have grip on major college sports. Although its unlikely, there is always the possibility of the 6 BCS conferences leaving the NCAA.

With pressure to pay players and small schools wanting to share the revenue, the BCS schools are in for a ruff ride in the next few years.

The non BCS schools really looked good this weekend.

The WAC is the best non BCS conference so far this season.

I really hope that Boise State or Fresno State goes undefeated and makes the BCS.

This would be a big blow to the MWC if the WAC gets a BCS bid first. Utah is looking good however is the only school in that conference that could make the BCS. The Wac is looking like a potential two team race for BCS bid.

Things could get very interesting by the end of the season.

Southern Miss of C-USA just beat Nebraska on the road. Maybe Nebraska is down a bit, and a new coach is there installing the west coast offense.
But Nebraska is Nebraska, and teams that beat them draw notice.
Watch out for Memphis also. Coach West has a good team. Joe Lee Dunn has their defense getting a lot of notice.