fauowls44 said

If there is another conference shakeup, wouldn't it benefit FAU more to get out of the Sun Belt and go to CUSA, a conference with more bowl tie-ins, money, TV coverage, etc.?   Unless all of the bowl tie-ins move over to the Sun Belt, I fail to see how the conference only gaining Southern Miss benefits us.

well, that's just the thing…he states that USA is actually losing its auto bowl tie starting after next season…so in 08, "the contract is up" so to speak…

i havent been able to confirm this, but based on the results they have posted, i dont see how they can keep it if this is under way…

he's also said that the Belt would get two bowls with the realignment, and play the # 4 ACC team in the added match up…

Florida_Owl said

fauowls44 said

If there is another conference shakeup, wouldn't it benefit FAU more to get out of the Sun Belt and go to CUSA, a conference with more bowl tie-ins, money, TV coverage, etc.?   Unless all of the bowl tie-ins move over to the Sun Belt, I fail to see how the conference only gaining Southern Miss benefits us.

well, that's just the thing…he states that USA is actually losing its auto bowl tie starting after next season…so in 08, "the contract is up" so to speak…

i havent been able to confirm this, but based on the results they have posted, i dont see how they can keep it if this is under way…

he's also said that the Belt would get two bowls with the realignment, and play the # 4 ACC team in the added match up…

So that would give the Belt 3 bowl tie-ins?

I still don't see why CUSA and their teams would let this happen.  They are the more established conference but would essentially be swapping places with us.  Obviously, I would assume this would be caused by a bigger shakeup within BCS conferences with CUSA losing some of their top teams to the Big East(Memphis, Marshall, or UCF??).  But even then, why wouldn't CUSA pick up some of the better Sun Belt programs(say FAU and Troy)? 

fauowl09 said

ok back to realignment talk…

2) i don't think it's a big stretch to say Sun Belt to Big East… again, i said it once, i said it twice, i'll say it 100,000 times… the big east desperately wants to expand their southern market

You are misinformed if you think the Big East is "desperate" to expand anywhere.  The Big East will take their time with any decisions they make.  One thing I do know for sure is that the Big East won't look at anyone that has a struggling men's and women's basketball program and lacking facilities in that sport.  It was better for the Big East to pick up teams like Marquette from CUSA than other teams with 1-A football.

If the Big East ever decides to expand it's "southern" market they'll pick one that can do it in basketball.  Memphis has been a perennial national power in basketball and plays in an arena with chairback seats–not a gym with aluminum bleachers.  Their football is strong enough to move forward if it were under the Big East umbrella.  Another school that would be promising for the Big East is Central Florida.  The Golden Knights have been one of the leading Conference USA teams and former Atlantic Sun teams in men's hoops.

If FAU is ever to move to the Big East, you'll have to do something about your basketball teams.  A new domed football stadium and winning football program won't get you there.

fauowls44 said

So that would give the Belt 3 bowl tie-ins?

I still don't see why CUSA and their teams would let this happen.  They are the more established conference but would essentially be swapping places with us.  Obviously, I would assume this would be caused by a bigger shakeup within BCS conferences with CUSA losing some of their top teams to the Big East(Memphis, Marshall, or UCF??).  But even then, why wouldn't CUSA pick up some of the better Sun Belt programs(say FAU and Troy)?

one has to think that USA's Teams = USM, Marshall, Memphis, and Tulsa…

and if USM goes, that's huge…that would be like Troy leaving the SBC at present…even greater…

One the bowls, not sure…onlt the #2 matchup versus #4 ACC is what i have heard…

I agree with you about the Big East thing.  In their current states, the Big East isn't looking at any Sun Belt schools.   If this conference shuffle were to occur, it would be because the BE picks up some CUSA teams, like Memphis an UCF.  What I don't quite get is why(under the scenerio outlined in this thread) CUSA would just sort of break apart while the Sun Belt gains some of their teams and not the other way around.  

fauowls44 said

If this conference shuffle were to occur, it would be because the BE picks up some CUSA teams, like Memphis an UCF.  What I don't quite get is why(under the scenerio outlined in this thread) CUSA would just sort of break apart while the Sun Belt gains some of their teams and not the other way around.

yep, that what he reports…Memphis to TBE…

and nothing for UCF…although it could happen…

RaiderInTheZone said

fauowl09 said

ok back to realignment talk…

2) i don't think it's a big stretch to say Sun Belt to Big East… again, i said it once, i said it twice, i'll say it 100,000 times… the big east desperately wants to expand their southern market

You are misinformed if you think the Big East is "desperate" to expand anywhere.  The Big East will take their time with any decisions they make.  One thing I do know for sure is that the Big East won't look at anyone that has a struggling men's and women's basketball program and lacking facilities in that sport.  It was better for the Big East to pick up teams like Marquette from CUSA than other teams with 1-A football.

If the Big East ever decides to expand it's "southern" market they'll pick one that can do it in basketball.  Memphis has been a perennial national power in basketball and plays in an arena with chairback seats–not a gym with aluminum bleachers.  Their football is strong enough to move forward if it were under the Big East umbrella.  Another school that would be promising for the Big East is Central Florida.  The Golden Knights have been one of the leading Conference USA teams and former Atlantic Sun teams in men's hoops.

If FAU is ever to move to the Big East, you'll have to do something about your basketball teams.  A new domed football stadium and winning football program won't get you there.

Hey isn't that a suprise, more negative crap from Raider. 

dusky256fc said

RaiderInTheZone said

fauowl09 said

ok back to realignment talk…

2) i don't think it's a big stretch to say Sun Belt to Big East… again, i said it once, i said it twice, i'll say it 100,000 times… the big east desperately wants to expand their southern market

You are misinformed if you think the Big East is "desperate" to expand anywhere.  The Big East will take their time with any decisions they make.  One thing I do know for sure is that the Big East won't look at anyone that has a struggling men's and women's basketball program and lacking facilities in that sport.  It was better for the Big East to pick up teams like Marquette from CUSA than other teams with 1-A football.

If the Big East ever decides to expand it's "southern" market they'll pick one that can do it in basketball.  Memphis has been a perennial national power in basketball and plays in an arena with chairback seats–not a gym with aluminum bleachers.  Their football is strong enough to move forward if it were under the Big East umbrella.  Another school that would be promising for the Big East is Central Florida.  The Golden Knights have been one of the leading Conference USA teams and former Atlantic Sun teams in men's hoops.

If FAU is ever to move to the Big East, you'll have to do something about your basketball teams.  A new domed football stadium and winning football program won't get you there.

Hey isn't that a suprise, more negative crap from Raider.

t doesn't faze me… the point is our basketball team is clearly on the rise…

- $10 million renovations to our arena (which NO we don't need a 7,500 seat convocation center - it would be NICE, but it's NOT a "do-or-die" necessity)…

- rex walters is by far the best coach FAU has had in its program…

- we were ranked 153 to end the season in Division I RPI rankings - highest ever for FAU and THIRD in the sun belt, behind only western kentucky and arkansas state, in other words, we beat the sun belt champion north texas in RPI rankings and the regular season champion south alabama (still don't know how, but we did)…

- and i understand the need for a dominant basketball program… just look at USF when they were invited to the big east… jeez, they had, how many, SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE national championships in their history?

point is, angelos is the A.D. but we all know howard schnellenberger calls the shots and he won't move to anywhere but the big east… it's in his contract, he says all the time "we need to be in the best conference possible that will allow us to play for a BCS national championship"…

and, raider, YES the big east is desperate to expand their southern exposure

pitt is going to leave for the big ten… mark it down and remember i said it…

that leaves FIVE spots for football teams to give the big east their 12

UCF, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Marshall, Troy… notice those are all SOUTHERN schools on the rise in various sports?

it makes too much sense

Big East North
UConn, Syracuse, Rutgers, Cincinnati, West Virginia, Marshall

Big East South
USF, UCF, Florida Atlantic, Louisville, Troy, Memphis


sorry… you didn't make the cut, middle tennessee

fauowl09 said

t doesn't faze me… the point is our basketball team is clearly on the rise…

- $10 million renovations to our arena (which NO we don't need a 7,500 seat convocation center - it would be NICE, but it's NOT a "do-or-die" necessity)…

- rex walters is by far the best coach FAU has had in its program…

Rex Walters told me that we'd need better basketball facilities to move to the Big East – inferring the 10k-seat Convocation Center with all chairback seating. But before that's justified we have to fill the Burrow now.

After the baseball complex (now under construction, and will be one of the finest baseball facilities in the South) ) is completed, the next major project at Troy is a new arena. Funding is now being considered.

Whose arenas have aluminum bleachers?