Because App State's average attendance is 113% of their capacity? When they renovated, they added seats and drew up plans for further expansion to go FBS later.

I believe (I could be totally wrong on this) that JMU (who's at 100% capacity) is stuck with a small stands on one side of the field after their last renovation because a building is in the way of making it as big as the other side? Anyone got some insight on that?

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1897-1898 | 1900-06 | 1926-27 | 1929-30 | 1939 | 1942

Not "stuck" so much as a question of viability. They would have to build one of those pre-fabricated base stands with the infrastructure to "hoist" a tiered stand above that base like they do for MLS stadiums. They'd see only a very small increase in seating from what's already there, and it would be costly and time-consuming to do. A deck above the endzone stand would get better results (and is possible to do).

I love this place.

Thanks!

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1897-1898 | 1900-06 | 1926-27 | 1929-30 | 1939 | 1942

Slow to the punch, but still timely: C-USA determines their basketball tournament venues for '13 and '14. Coincidence on which schools got them?

Part of me wonders if UTEP were approached to join the MWC and renew some of those old rivalries, would they?

Memphis had previously been awarded those tournaments, but CUSA decided to yank it from Memphis, due to University of Memphis departing for Big East.

Tulsa had been mentioned as a suitable replacement, having an urban setting with a decent arena, and being somewhat central to the CUSA members.

UTEP ? Hmmmm.... hardly a central location (about as un-central as you can get).

But best attendance in C-USA after Memphis.

C-USA teams don't travel well, outside of Memphis fans.

So put the tourney where there are more and better local fans, who have shown in the past they will watch non-UTEP tourney games.

Yeah, because Memphis was clobbering everyone and half the league is ridiculously far away.

If they put it in NOLA Arena, they'd do fine. Everyone likes traveling to New Orleans.

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1897-1898 | 1900-06 | 1926-27 | 1929-30 | 1939 | 1942

Where does Tulane play ?
Is "NOLa Arena" the home of the home of the NBA team (Hornets / Bobcats, whatever) ?

New Orleans is a good location.
CUSA has Dallas (well, Denton) too, if that is considered North Texas territory, or would Reunion Arena / American Airlines Arena be hosting the Big XII ?

Tulane plays in a horrendously old on-campus gym. Plans to raze and rebuilt it though.

New Orleans Arena (Sorry, NOLA is a habit from living down there) is where the Hornets play. It actually has a lockerroom for Tulane. When they designed it, Tulane was good. Then they axed their program for four years during a point-shaving scandal (everyone was cleared, but the President overreacted). and by the time NOA opened, they sucked.

They'd occasionally play at NOA, like a game or two. Beat LSU there, for example.

Dallas is a "good location" but the basketball fan base of the C-USA isn't what it was before Louisville, Cincy and national contenders bolted. If you put in NOLA in March, you'll get spring breaker students due to open container laws.

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1897-1898 | 1900-06 | 1926-27 | 1929-30 | 1939 | 1942

Blog article out of Hattiesburg with comments from USM AD who says that C-USA is still looking at some expansion possibilities.Link at http://blogs.hattiesburgamerican.com/so ... -to-expand

Don't know what to make of this....

Could be just a bunch of blah, blah, blah....

I think the CUSA office would be smart to spend some time doing their "due diligenece" on some potential candidates, however.

A few scenarios....
1) Big 5 conferences expand at expense of Big East. Big East could come after CUSA teams like ECU, etc. CUSA would then be in "replacement mode".
2) MWC needs to expand to 12, 14, etc. and through their alliance with CUSA shifts UTEP and (Tulsa ?) over. CUSA would be in replacement mode.

The list of schools attractive to the Big 5 seem limited to:
Boise, BYU (They could be a pair if PAC wanted togo to 14 and add Boise to North, BYU to South - I see this as very unlikely).
They could be a pair as part of a Big XII expansion to 14, with Boise / BYU put into division with ISU, KU, KSU, OU, OSU

Notre Dame, UConn, Rutgers (to ACC or Big Ten)

Louisville (to Big XII)
Cincinnati (not so attractive, but if you needed a bridge to Louisville, West Virginia, they could get SOME consideration).

Just about every scenario will deplete the Big East.
So the Big East FB replacement candidates may include (but not limited to):
UMass
Army
CUSA members
CAA move-ups from FCS (probably not, but maybe Villanova).

It would behoove CUSA to prepare for this sort of thing.

Some real good points.

Figure that if the ACC were to expand with UConn and Rutgers, if ND were officially out of the mix, then the Big East is in replacement more. If Louisville and even a 2nd Big East school left for the Big 12, then it means the Big East needs new schools as well. And where is the Big East going to turn? CUSA. So CUSA won't be hurt much by bringing in schools early.

With the CUSA/MWC alliance seemingly dead, it's worth looking at UTEP. Problem is...if you're UTEP, and you see that the MWC is now in a position where are a conference, they have lost all the schools that put them clearly above CUSA...is it worth even considering the MWC? Not to mention, the MWC has only Idaho and NMSU in the footprint to "recruit". CUSA has many more options so they might be in a better position when it comes to expansion. And say UTEP joined the MWC...and then lets just say (albeit a long shot) that the MWC lost 1-2 schools to a Big 5 conference (or even Big East)...all of a sudden UTEP might be in a tough spot, ala Denver, where they moved only to have their conference take a huge hit.

Good thing about CUSA is that they seem open to FCS upgrades, so they have a huge pool to chose from. There is much to be said that adding say, JMU and Delaware, might actually be more help than say, adding more Sun Belt schools. With the eastern region so splintered between Big Ten, ACC, Big East, etc...there is something to be said that having Delaware, JMU, ODU, Marshall, ECU and Charlotte in the same conference, could build something solid. Not ACC/BE level, but respectable.

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You state that the MWC - CUSA alliance may be effectively dead.
I can't argue the point.
I'm not sure exactly what the "alliance concept was / is"...

Maybe they decided not to get into a tug-of-war over the Texas schools.

I also thought possibly they thought they could line up one of the better bowls to perrenially host the MWC Champ vs. the CUSA Champ
(maybe the Fiesta, if they lost the Big XII).... I think right now they face off in the Liberty Bowl, which is likely to move to Big East with U of Memphis....
this concept may or may not be viable anymore.

Apparently we're going to have more details about who the 6 "blessed bowls" are later this week, and also whether each bowl is free to invite whomever,
or if some slots will be reserved for top-ranked teams to be assigned by the selection committee.
I think Freaked posted something saying that meeting was taking place this week.
The outcome of that will be HUGE as regards the opportunities for mid-major teams.

It's doubtful that there will be many opportunities for "mid-majors". They'll take the top 12 ranked teams unless they have to bump any for the ACC, Big 12, Big 10, Pac-12 or SEC champs.

There's a way where the BE could add a full member from CUSA over another western only. If ACC went to a 14/15 w/ ND. BE would be at 13/17. They add a CUSA school as a full member, CUSA adds MTSU or whoever.

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