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Post by northalaspectator on Jan 29, 2020 21:11:58 GMT -6
He mentioned State schools that played football. I assume he was talking about State Pubic Schools not private schools. That would eliminate those in the Big South Conference.
So what’s left
North Alabama Kennesaw State Jacksonville State Tennessee Tech Austin Peay UT - Martin Tennessee State Western Carolina UT - Chattanooga Central Arkansas Southeast Louisiana Nicholas State McNeese State Northwestern State Alabama A&M Alabama State
For these schools less than a 5 hour bus ride to play one another Kennesaw State North Alabama Jacksonville State Alabama A&M UT-Chattanooga Tennessee Tech Austin Peay
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Post by brandon on Jan 29, 2020 22:02:36 GMT -6
I think the plan hinges on whether they can convince some football schools (notice he said “state schools”) to drop their current conferences and come on board with the UAC. If we take him at his word, that those other six schools will be state schools, I guess that leaves out the Big South football schools. They’re all private. If this isn’t about blowing up the Big South and absorbing its remains, that does create the problem of adding a new D1 conference to the overall total. The NCAA would have to create another spot in the various playoffs for the UAC’s autobid. How much of a problem that would be remains to be seen. If the Big South football schools were all shut out of the UAC, I’m not sure they would meet the NCAA guidelines for an autobid with just 5 schools. What would happen at that point? Would a few of them just shut down football? Could Monmouth and Hampton find other football conferences, go independent, or end up being associates of the UAC? There are still so many questions, but that video from Gumbart at least shed some light on things. Presumably, if a school left the SoCon for the UAC, Campbell would more than likely join the SoCon. I have a sneaky suspicion that Charlston Southern and Gardner Webb will be in the Pioneer before long. That may be the catalyst behind this whole deal. (The Big South would be forced to drop football)
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Post by brandon on Jan 29, 2020 22:18:23 GMT -6
He mentioned State schools that played football. I assume he was talking about State Pubic Schools not private schools. That would eliminate those in the Big South Conference. So what’s left North Alabama Kennesaw State Jacksonville State Tennessee Tech Austin Peay UT - Martin Tennessee State Western Carolina UT - Chattanooga Central Arkansas Southeast Louisiana Nicholas State McNeese State Northwestern State Alabama A&M Alabama State For these schools less than a 5 hour bus ride to play one another Kennesaw State North Alabama Jacksonville State Alabama A&M UT-Chattanooga Tennessee Tech Austin Peay I think this can play several different ways, I also think you can rule out A&M and Alabama State. Especially after what happened this year. That being said, Tarleton State is entering a situation, the Southland is too full for them, so they roll the dice and take a WAC invite. Tarleton along with most of the Southland want each other, but someone has to go... That brings me to Nichols St and SE Louisiana. Not too far for the presumptive UAC footprint. Also, if we are speculating Chattanooga and JSU, along with UNA, its kinda natural. (And yes, I think UNA moving up may have set this in motion) In order to make this be the best it can be, you have to add strong football schools, Austin Peay, is getting better and better. No way they want left out for what has turned out to be a 1 bid OVC. Tennessee Tech, may be in the deal, but for some reason, I dont feel it. Could be wrong. I think down the road, West Florida will join. Making SE Louisiana and Nichols more feasible. I'm not going to rule out EKU either. Especially if JSU and Austin Peay join. Chattanooga helps with that as well. My idea is (north to South EKU Austin Peay Chattanooga UNA JSU KSU SE Louisiana Nichols St Just my final list.
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Post by unafied on Jan 30, 2020 8:01:24 GMT -6
After sleeping on this, I woke up thinking that this whole plan is just so crazy, it might have a chance to work.
Let's say in the coming decade, there is a potential split of D1 football into three tiers. I think there has been enough chatter about it that it's at least something being looked at (and the NCAA can't stop the "Power 5" from leaving if they want to, anyway). You'd have the Power 5 at the top, a middle tier of the remaining FBS conferences and the top FCS schools, and finally a third tier that would contain the non-scholarship teams and anyone else that simply can't compete with the upper two tiers. Where does the Big South fit in that? The OVC? The SoCon? All three of those conferences have schools, most of them private, that will simply never compete for a championship. Heck, since Appalachian State and Georgia Southern moved up, Jacksonville State is the only one from those three conferences to come anywhere close to playoff success. The ones that struggle would definitely benefit being in this theoretical "1-AAA", whether they keep giving scholarships or not. Many of them would possibly take the chance to stop offering scholarships, I'd imagine.
With the domination of FCS by the MVFC, CAA, and Big Sky, there definitely needs to be a southeastern "power" conference to help pull up all the schools down here. They say that competition makes everyone better, right? Playing Gardner-Webb will certainly not help us get to where we can stay on the field with North Dakota State.
Of course, it all comes down to money. Can this UAC offer these schools, most of them that have been in their current conferences for decades, a chance to make more money or at least save on their current expenses? I would at least assume ticket sales and fan engagement would be better playing the teams Brandon mentioned versus Charleston Southerns of the world. And I'm not sure how TV dollars go in FCS, if we get any at all, but I'm sure the perks would be better in this middle tier vs. the bottom tier. Basketball wouldn't exactly have any traditional powers, but I'm not sure it would be a negative impact.
So - I'm still skeptical this will go like Gumbart plans, or if that happens he will somehow have control over a hypothetical southeastern power conference. But I don't think it's impossible we could see some major conference shifting in the next five years. If the "split" happens, it will be a certainty.
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Post by una04 on Jan 30, 2020 9:53:26 GMT -6
Stupid question after trying to read all of this and make sense of what they are doing. Everyone keeps throwing out JSU and now Alabama A&M and Alabama State, why wouldn’t Samford be considered?
I could see an 8 team league as follows:
Kennesaw State UNA JSU Austin Peay Tenn Tech Chattanooga Samford East Tenn State
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Post by unafied on Jan 30, 2020 10:26:03 GMT -6
Stupid question after trying to read all of this and make sense of what they are doing. Everyone keeps throwing out JSU and now Alabama A&M and Alabama State, why wouldn’t Samford be considered? I could see an 8 team league as follows: Kennesaw State UNA JSU Austin Peay Tenn Tech Chattanooga Samford East Tenn State On my part, it's just speculation. The commissioner said we and Kennesaw would be in an 8-team league that would be made up of "football playing state schools". Samford is private, so that might exclude them, but who knows? I think the only facts we have are that the ASUN is looking for football schools, and that there are southern teams who would seem to fit well in this new conference. Every team on your list other than Samford is a state school and might be interested, but I guess we have no way of knowing right now. Hopefully the idea of an FCS "SEC" type conference can bring all these schools together. I wouldn't say the odds are high, but they probably aren't zero, either.
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Post by brandon on Jan 30, 2020 13:03:32 GMT -6
Just by past observation
JSU basically hates the OVC, but they cant get a SoCon invite, or FBS.
EKU want to be around other good football schools, the SoCon ain't going to Kentucky. Why not follow JSU?
Austin Peay is trying to build a great football program, like JSU, they need to be around other similar state schools with football. EKU and JSU, schools that Austin Peay aspires to be like. Not to mention, UNA and Austin Peay are pier institutions.
Chattanooga, (I dont use UT, they should just be called Chattanooga) has flirted with joining the OVC or FBS in the past. They must have something against the SoCon or they wouldn't have even thought about the OVC. Not to mention, UNA, JSU, and KSU would be tremendously easy trips for their fans. JSU has turned into their biggest rival and UNA would be natural.
SE Louisiana and Nichols St are the eastern most schools in Louisiana and would fit in well with the schools mentioned.
All in all, with UNA and KSU, there would be good rivalries all around, and easy trips. Not to mention top 3 FCS conference. Would automatically be stronger than current SoCon, OVC and probably Southland.
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Post by brandon on Jan 30, 2020 17:07:13 GMT -6
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Post by northalaspectator on Jan 30, 2020 23:15:09 GMT -6
Possibly could here something in June of this year or by Christmas. Probably in 2021
It’s beginning to look like:
1. Kennesaw State 2. North Alabama 3. Jacksonville State 4. UT-Chattanooga 5. Central Arkansas 6. Southeast Louisiana 7. Nicholas State 8. Western Illinois
Or Possibly Southern Illinois Missouri State Alabama A&M Alabama State
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Post by lions09 on Jan 31, 2020 0:24:17 GMT -6
Possibly could here something in June of this year or by Christmas. Probably in 2021 It’s beginning to look like: 1. Kennesaw State 2. North Alabama 3. Jacksonville State 4. UT-Chattanooga 5. Central Arkansas 6. Southeast Louisiana 7. Nicholas State 8. Western Illinois Or Possibly Southern Illinois Missouri State Alabama A&M Alabama StateGrapevine mentioned these as possible.
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Post by northalaspectator on Jan 31, 2020 6:15:46 GMT -6
After everything is set up to meet the requirements of the NCAA. Besides Kennesaw State transferring over to the United Athletic Conference (temporarily name) the most logical choice would be for Lipscomb to transfer over.
Also the Conference Name most likely would be changed. What about the Mid-Southern Athletic Conference. (MSAC).
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Post by brandon on Jan 31, 2020 7:32:11 GMT -6
After everything is set up to meet the requirements of the NCAA. Besides Kennesaw State transferring over to the United Athletic Conference (temporarily name) the most logical choice would be for Lipscomb to transfer over. Also the Conference Name most likely would be changed. What about the Mid-Southern Athletic Conference. (MSAC). The way I understand it is, the UAC will be all football playing, state funded public schools. That takes Lipscomb out. It does however, if North Florida or FGCU or both, decided to start football, provide a home for them, plenty of room because of only having 8. It was mention that they would not take schools that would put any particular conference in jeopardy, and he say 8, but the real number is 7. So by that, I would think the biggest number would come from the Southland, Southland possibilities Central Arkansas All 4 Louisiana schools. OVC JSU Tenn Tech Tenn Martin Austin Peay Tenn State SoCon Chattanooga ETSU Western Carolina Also, Western Illinois has considered moving to the OVC, that would open up 1 more OVC option without putting them in a bad spot. Campbell would likely get a SoCon invite, leaving them with an extra to give, but I think Chattanooga would be the only SoCon school considered. I dont think anyone in the SWAC would do it, for multiple reasons. But if it happened, I would rather have Bama St, or if A&M would fire that tool of a coach.
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Post by northalaspectator on Jan 31, 2020 7:58:12 GMT -6
Currently I’m talking his word at 8. What about Bellarmine? Are they going have to travel to Florida and New Jersey. This is a new multi conference not a football only conference. Need 10 schools for basketball. Why not Lipscomb be a traveler partner for Bellarmine
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Post by brandon on Jan 31, 2020 8:26:15 GMT -6
Currently I’m talking his word at 8. What about Bellarmine? Are they going have to travel to Florida and New Jersey. This is a new multi conference not a football only conference. Need 10 schools for basketball. Why not Lipscomb be a traveler partner for Bellarmine UAC will be a multi sport conference, but all members will play football. Bellarmine will be in the ASUN. I didn't mean to sound like the UAC would be 7, it will start with 8. All 8 football schools. UNA, KSU + 6 more. The 7 is for conferences to have AQ spots in any NCAA tournament. In the video he put out, he cleared it up, at first, it sounded like Liberty, UNA and Bellarmine would all be in the UAC, in fact, it would just be UNA and KSU. I dont know who the ASUN will get to make a 12 team conference, but I would imagine they will look to the North East to give NJIT, Liberty and Bellarmine closer conference mates. Probably a few good D2 schools with a D1 school or 2. I'm not worried about that, I'm concerned about who will be in the UAC...
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Post by northalaspectator on Jan 31, 2020 8:53:04 GMT -6
Currently I’m talking his word at 8. What about Bellarmine? Are they going have to travel to Florida and New Jersey. This is a new multi conference not a football only conference. Need 10 schools for basketball. Why not Lipscomb be a traveler partner for Bellarmine UAC will be a multi sport conference, but all members will play football. Bellarmine will be in the ASUN. I didn't mean to sound like the UAC would be 7, it will start with 8. All 8 football schools. UNA, KSU + 6 more. The 7 is for conferences to have AQ spots in any NCAA tournament. In the video he put out, he cleared it up, at first, it sounded like Liberty, UNA and Bellarmine would all be in the UAC, in fact, it would just be UNA and KSU. I dont know who the ASUN will get to make a 12 team conference, but I would imagine they will look to the North East to give NJIT, Liberty and Bellarmine closer conference mates. Probably a few good D2 schools with a D1 school or 2. I'm not worried about that, I'm concerned about who will be in the UAC... I know it was originally mentioned as the ASUN having two divisions for basketball, even with divisions only one auto bid. I don’t think that North Alabama or any of the other playing football schools would vote to be in a conference where there would only be 14 conference games for basketball if it could be avoided. He also mentioned that the Conferences (plural) could have an alliance in sports in needed.
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