CUSA now at 3 members

[ButtPilgrim2]

Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State University are likely moving on to the MAC at the end of the week, leaving CUSA as:

Florida International
Louisiana Tech
UTEP

They need at least 3 more schools in 2023 to survive and will probably require 7 for scheduling. Looking at the landscape, I wonder who they should and could add?

New Mexico State seems like the slam dunk as a geographic fit for UTEP and an existing FBS school. That gets you to 4.

Texas-Arlington and Arkansas-Little Rock are allegedly going to be out of the Sun Belt, and if so these would be easy non-football adds.

After that, there's less clarity. UMass might be willing to sign on as football only, but apparently Liberty and UConn would not be interested. Central Arkansas and Austin Peay signaled willingness to play at the higher level last year- maybe they would be willing to move up? Jacksonville State is usually brought up as a move up candidate as well. Tarleton State and Utah Tech / Dixie State are often said to have FBS ambitions as well.

My hope is that whatever they do, they try to carve out a footprint away from the Sun Belt and have FIU as an outlier. There's definitely room for a lower level conference out west and in Texas- hopefully they're able to embrace this.

 

[TempleBAPittMPA]

The OP must be SMF's burner account.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee State University are likely moving on to the MAC at the end of the week, leaving CUSA as:

Florida International
Louisiana Tech
UTEP

They need at least 3 more schools in 2023 to survive and will probably require 7 for scheduling. Looking at the landscape, I wonder who they should and could add?

New Mexico State seems like the slam dunk as a geographic fit for UTEP and an existing FBS school. That gets you to 4.

Texas-Arlington and Arkansas-Little Rock are allegedly going to be out of the Sun Belt, and if so these would be easy non-football adds.

After that, there's less clarity. UMass might be willing to sign on as football only, but apparently Liberty and UConn would not be interested. Central Arkansas and Austin Peay signaled willingness to play at the higher level last year- maybe they would be willing to move up? Jacksonville State is usually brought up as a move up candidate as well. Tarleton State and Utah Tech / Dixie State are often said to have FBS ambitions as well.

My hope is that whatever they do, they try to carve out a footprint away from the Sun Belt and have FIU as an outlier. There's definitely room for a lower level conference out west and in Texas- hopefully they're able to embrace this.

How about the people at La Tech, FIU, WKU, and MTSU who left the Sun Belt for CUSA? 2 will be independents and 2 are going to the lowly MAC. Talk about all-time bad moves. But nobody would have ever expected a lower-tier conference to jump the better conference like the SB has.

I posted a few days ago that the MAC could be interested in WKU and MTSU. I would imagine CUSA adds NMSU and 4 more FCS. Jax St, EKU, Sam Houston State, and McNeese State are 4 that come to mind. If they don't, I guess La Tech and UTEP will go independent and FIU will drop football. I don't see how FIU can continue. They have no fans. I remember when we played down there, there couldn't have been 500 FIU fans there for like the their biggest game ever.

 

[TD_6082]

Last one out, turn off the lights.

 

[ButtPilgrim2]

The OP must be SMF's burner account.

rude
--
nah but not guilty. I just kinda got a soft spot for UTEP after the Sun Bowl where Oregon State dropped 3 on us

 

[ButtPilgrim2]

CUSA is likely to add New Mexico State, Liberty, Sam Houston State, and Jacksonville State at least. Per McMurphy.

 

[prez41]

rude
--
nah but not guilty. I just kinda got a soft spot for UTEP after the Sun Bowl where Oregon State dropped 3 on us

Same here. That was a fun trip, even if Pitt couldn’t score in a whore house with a fist full of $100 bills.

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

MTSU decided to stay in CUSA so the MAC opted against adding WKU.

CUSA will be:

Florida International
Jacksonville State
Liberty
Louisiana Tech
Middle Tennessee State
New Mexico State
Sam Houston State
UTEP
Western Kentucky

 

[HailToPitt725]

MTSU decided to stay in CUSA so the MAC opted against adding WKU.

CUSA will be:

Florida International
Jacksonville State
Liberty
Louisiana Tech
Middle Tennessee State
New Mexico State
Sam Houston State
UTEP
Western Kentucky

Ironically, three of those schools (FIU, MTSU, WKU) used to be in the Sun Belt. I’m sure they wish they could re-join right about now!

 

[Sean Miller Fan]

Ironically, three of those schools (FIU, MTSU, WKU) used to be in the Sun Belt. I’m sure they wish they could re-join right about now!

Louisiana Tech also but they left the Sun Belt in 2001 before it started the football league. Its really amazing how the lower southern league took over the higher league. LT is the better program historically than Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe but now they have fallen to a lower conference. That said, this new Sun Belt with Liberty and I think Sam Houston State and Jax St will be pretty good quickly will be very close to the Sun Belt and probably better in hoops with 3 of the better mid-major programs (NMSU, Liberty, WKU)