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Post by brandon on Apr 11, 2021 10:25:10 GMT -6
Looks like the North/South divisions will be the ASUN setup going forward...
North
Liberty, Bellarmine, EKU, Lipscomb, UCA, North Alabama
South
JSU, KSU, JU, UNF, Stetson, FGCU
We know we are trying to get 2 more... Chattanooga is looking more promising.
I actually think we go to 16 and have 8 school divisions. The question is when and who...
I would actually like to add Chattanooga and JSU to the north and pick up a couple of Louisiana schools to add to the south or West Florida...
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Post by unafied on Apr 11, 2021 18:05:15 GMT -6
Not wild about the idea of sharing a division with Liberty, since they seem to be so good in, well, everything.
If we do end up in a division opposite JSU, I hope some provision is made to have a permanent crossover opponent. Would be a shame to have years where we don’t play them in some sports.
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Post by northalaspectator on Apr 11, 2021 18:35:25 GMT -6
What would be the possibility of a Merger between the ASUN and the Southland. (The Southland could be losing another to the WAC.)
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Post by unafied on Apr 12, 2021 7:59:01 GMT -6
What would be the possibility of a Merger between the ASUN and the Southland. (The Southland could be losing another to the WAC.) I've seen that discussed. One problem for the ASUN, as I see it, is that Gumbart has talked himself into a proverbial corner. He sold this idea of being the premier southern FCS conference. And the Louisiana schools aren't BAD pickups necessarily, at least for football. But I think a lot of people will see it as the ASUN taking the scraps from that conference. Now, most of the general public won't know or care, so perhaps it's not a big deal. Of course, there are other problems with that: 1.) Are those schools financially stable enough to be good options? 2.) How does UCA feel about it, since they wanted out of the Southland? Not a good idea to piss off a school you just brought in. And 3.) Gumbart has said he doesn't want to be the reason another conference goes under the minimum number of teams. Now I guess you could argue that if another school goes to the WAC they will already be under the minimum, so the ASUN won't be the direct cause of their demise. But the ASUN would still be the one hammering the nail in the coffin. So it's potentially two bad "looks" rolled into one. I personally have my doubts the Southland will survive long-term, and wouldn't mind having a school or two from Louisiana. But I'm just personally not interested in bringing in all 4 of the LA schools, and certainly don't want either of the remaining Texas schools.
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Post by brandon on Apr 12, 2021 11:50:35 GMT -6
I think leaving the Louisiana schools was the hardest part for UCA.
As far as invites to the ASUN, the Southland can still survive as a non football conference. Keep the LA schools in the Southland but play football in the ASUN. The. Two Texas schools can go indy...
I would not mind the ASUN theoretically getting Chattanooga and West Florida as full members and the 4 Louisiana schools for football only...
EKU UCA UNA JSU KSU Chatty UWF SELA NW ST Nichols McNeese
I think thats a premier football conference.
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Post by unafied on Apr 12, 2021 13:55:16 GMT -6
I think leaving the Louisiana schools was the hardest part for UCA. As far as invites to the ASUN, the Southland can still survive as a non football conference. Keep the LA schools in the Southland but play football in the ASUN. The. Two Texas schools can go indy... I would not mind the ASUN theoretically getting Chattanooga and West Florida as full members and the 4 Louisiana schools for football only... EKU UCA UNA JSU KSU Chatty UWF SELA NW ST Nichols McNeese I think thats a premier football conference. Ok, I can agree with that. I believe the Southland has 2 non-football schools, so even if Incarnate Word leaves for the WAC, they would still have 7 total schools for other sports. It could survive as a non-football conference in that scenario. I'd be fine with bringing the LA schools as associates if that were to happen. Houston Baptist would be the only football team out in the cold in that situation.
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Post by unalions on Apr 13, 2021 15:55:15 GMT -6
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Post by unafied on Apr 13, 2021 18:16:45 GMT -6
I don’t know, but I’ll take this opportunity to rant again about something I’m pretty sure I’ve ranted about on this board before, and that’s the fact that we don’t do enough promotion in the Huntsville area. While UAH *is* still D2, and not our competition athletically, we really should be promoting our brand and the fact that we are D1 over there. I drove through Saturday and saw a billboard for UA on 565, but didn’t see one for UNA. Why not do a marketing campaign about how we are the University of ALL of North Alabama? Plaster billboards all over Huntsville, Decatur, heck even the smaller cities like Fort Payne and Scottsboro. I’d also like to see us play “home” games over there every now and then. If nothing else, tap into what’s no doubt a large alumni base that might find it easier to go to the VBC for a basketball game than to drive back to Florence on a Tuesday night. UAH likely will be D1 at some point in the future, and when that day comes, we need to have an established brand and image if a kid is trying to decide between us or staying at home. Anyway, thanks for listening to my Ted Talk.
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Post by roaringsince96 on Apr 13, 2021 20:16:26 GMT -6
I doubt the University of Alabama will allow UAH to get any bigger.
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Post by unalions on Apr 14, 2021 8:35:20 GMT -6
I doubt the University of Alabama will allow UAH to get any bigger. They are already have more students than UNA and JSU.
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Post by tuna85 on Apr 14, 2021 12:33:35 GMT -6
I don’t know, but I’ll take this opportunity to rant again about something I’m pretty sure I’ve ranted about on this board before, and that’s the fact that we don’t do enough promotion in the Huntsville area. While UAH *is* still D2, and not our competition athletically, we really should be promoting our brand and the fact that we are D1 over there. I drove through Saturday and saw a billboard for UA on 565, but didn’t see one for UNA. Why not do a marketing campaign about how we are the University of ALL of North Alabama? Plaster billboards all over Huntsville, Decatur, heck even the smaller cities like Fort Payne and Scottsboro. I’d also like to see us play “home” games over there every now and then. If nothing else, tap into what’s no doubt a large alumni base that might find it easier to go to the VBC for a basketball game than to drive back to Florence on a Tuesday night. UAH likely will be D1 at some point in the future, and when that day comes, we need to have an established brand and image if a kid is trying to decide between us or staying at home. Anyway, thanks for listening to my Ted Talk. Spot on!
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Post by tuna85 on Apr 14, 2021 12:43:55 GMT -6
I doubt the University of Alabama will allow UAH to get any bigger. Well, UAT has allowed them to grow this far. I don't think the Alabama system would have any problem with a Division 1 Olympic sports UAH. Part of the new land development includes new sports arenas. I also don't see UAT having a problem with UAH having football as long as it is FCS. If the UA System looks long term at the growth of the system, as opposed to UAT football, they may well think it to their overall benefit to eventually have FBS football in the largest city in the state. One never knows.
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Post by roaringsince96 on Apr 14, 2021 20:31:23 GMT -6
Some of my best memories are beating UAH in their home arena in basketball. UNA had a large crowd and everyone chanting I said it’s great to be a UNA Lion on the way out....good times. The guard from Australia hit a three and off to overtime we went.
I should have said growth as in sports. Alabama isn’t going to share the spotlight...see UAB football. I think UAH is a great D2 level athletic program. I wish they had a D2 football program when we were D2.
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Post by mocs123 on Apr 19, 2021 7:53:03 GMT -6
We know we are trying to get 2 more... Chattanooga is looking more promising. Is there anything else you can add to that brandon? It's been quiet around Chattanooga on the issue. I did ask our AD Mark Wharton about a potential conference change this winter and he said that both the A-Sun and OVC were courting Chattanooga hard but he had to look out for all Mocs sports, not just football and the SoCon was the right place for us at this time. Of course I wouldn't expect him to say anything less even if he had plans to leave the SoCon until the official announcement was made. In a recent interview - football HC Rusty Wright was asked if Jacksonville State was the Mocs' biggest rival in football and he agreed (and I think most of the fanbase would agree). If I'm Mark Wharton I have a few questions about the A-Sun: 1.) Who else are they going to add - Obviously a ETSU, TSU, Austin Peay, TTU, UT-Martin, WCU type would be a lot more appealing to Chattanooga than a Southland school. The A-Sun needs to add at least two more - maybe even four more. 2.) How does this impact our other sports? In terms of rivalry's, travel costs, as well as how well the A-Sun would benifit our teams as a platform for post season play. 3.) How stable is the new conference going to be. We don't want to leave the SoCon for something that will fall apart like the MEAC. 4.) If I'm satisfied with the three answers above, I'm asking how I pay the $1M SoCon buyout.
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Post by roaringsince96 on Apr 19, 2021 18:25:18 GMT -6
Think UTC would be an excellent fit and wouldn’t mind being part of conference that is looking at potentially competing in FBS. Look at the 2 of the bigger names in the ASUN with JSU joining for all sports, Liberty in basketball, baseball is impressive. Football obviously is too, but currently competing as an independent. Basketball Florida Gulf Coast has made an elite 8 appearance...very impressive. KSU is a school on the rise and fast. EKU football is already very impressive. Central Arkansas is a solid program with football leading the way. North Alabama will be something the next few years. We should be close in football and men’s basketball next year.
I look at the two conferences with current members and have to give the Atlantic Sun the edge. I think UTC really fits the conference. I look forward to playing you guys in football, good friend of mine played there 40 years ago. He and his wife are excited about the game. Florence is like a mini Chattanooga. We have the river, no aquarium, but lots of restaurants, shopping, and entertainment venues.
Hope UTC really looks at the model for expansion and the future projections for the conference. Plus y’all have 3 letters like most of our conference...more synergy. I can’t help myself sometimes...
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