Western KY and New Mexico State also to CUSA?

[TheMoody1]

https://twitter.com/1340TheTicket

The Sub Belt may have to start over from scratch.

[dlh71]

Sun Belt with additions of APP, Ga, So., JMU, and Marshall will end up smelling like a ROSE !

[App74]

CUSA thinks it's Black Friday. Everything's on sale, neither rhyme nor reason required. Next step = Ebay.

Sunbelt gets my vote.

[AppStateNation]

NMSU's AD says that's just a rumor: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-sp ... sus-had-no

[proasu89]

Sun Belt with additions of APP, Ga, So., JMU, and Marshall will end up smelling like a ROSE !

Marshall? Did the belt trade FAU & MTSU for the Herd and and a draft pick?

[GoApps70]

Almost certain we have received an offer for membership into the Sun Belt by now.
Why have we not heard anything yet?

[rbarthle17]

Almost certain we have received an offer for membership into the Sun Belt by now.
Why have we not heard anything yet?

One word: Playoffs.

Once we are no longer playing, then I would expect to hear an announcement if there is one to be made. Otherwise, it's a bad PR move to take focus away from the current team.

[hapapp]

No specifics but one can read between the lines in this conversation from SBC Commish Karl Benson:

http://stationcaster.com/player_skinned ... 1&f=850751

[appst89]

Almost certain we have received an offer for membership into the Sun Belt by now.
Why have we not heard anything yet?

An article referenced in another thread had a quote from Benson saying that the SBC would make an announcement in the next few weeks and also mentioned that he was not opposed to schools moving from FCS. Reading between those lines tells me that the schools they are interested in are still involved in the playoffs and they want to wait until after that to make an announcement.

Of the schools mentioned as potential additions ASU, GSU and SHSU are still in the playoffs. One of us is going to be the odd man out unless the Western Kentucky rumors are true. There is no reason for the SBC to put that on a school still in the playoffs.

[Deano]

Benson made a statement today that a decision may be reached in the next two weeks as to the expansion of the Sun Belt.

[BeauFoster]

Were ASU to announce a move to the SunBelt, or any other FBS conference, would we still be eligible to compete in the playoffs this season? I know that there is a cutoff, but I don't know how it would affect our position right away. I assume we would still be ok, since ODU has previously made an announcement and still participating.

[appsfan]

Here's anotherlink whose sources say NMSU & WKU go to the C-USA in the next round of realignment:
http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2012-1 ... e-movement

"Conference USA will also announce on Thursday that Middle Tennessee State will join the conference. Sources told the Sun Sentinel that the conference also reached out to Western Kentucky and New Mexico State this week, agreeing, in principal, for those schools to join the league at a later date, most likely after another round of realignment."
Later in the article, rehashing "old" news:
"Benson confirmed to the Sun Sentinel in September that he was in communication with three schools, Georgia Southern, Appalachian State and an unnamed third school (believed to be either Sam Houston State or Lamar) regarding possible Sun Belt expansion."

[Watauga72]

This is getting ridiculous. New Mexico State???? WTF....there are more people in the Charlotte and Winston viewing areas than in the state of New Mexico. What great tv market is CUSA reeling in with that addition?

[firemoose]

Well....I guess in the eyes of CUSA our market is the Watauga/Wilkes/Ashe/Avery greater metropolitan area. Maybe Caldwell too.

[Watauga72]

If that is really their mindset, hope we don't join that party. Joining the WAC makes as much sense given the travel.

[appsfan]

Actually, NMSU makes some geographic sense for C-USA. They would be a travel partner for UTEP.

[firemoose]

If that is really their mindset, hope we don't join that party. Joining the WAC makes as much sense given the travel.

The only real way for it to work for us would be a minimum 16 team with 8 in an East Division and 8 in a West Division. It would go up from there depending on how many teams they would want. But it would have to be split or teams would go broke on just the travel.

[Watauga72]

NMSU may make sense as a western outpost in a two division conference but given the market logic of selecting a school that has yet to field a team over ASU, it is not consistent. CUSA seems to be in panic mode. They are becoming weaker each week, but i guess they still beat the Southern Conference.

[firemoose]

NMSU may make sense as a western outpost in a two division conference but given the market logic of selecting a school that has yet to field a team over ASU, it is not consistent. CUSA seems to be in panic mode. They are becoming weaker each week, but i guess they still beat the Southern Conference.

That's really the key. It will be easier for us to move around once we are through the door. The moves won't be over for a while but it will be easier for us to move to a better situation if one develops if we are already FBS. Just look at how many teams have done just that since this all began. But if we sit back and just hope the perfect position falls into our laps then we might just find ourselves in the new D-II in 5 or so years.