Interesting article, but it makes sense. The lower tier conferences really need to look at rearranging themselves to try to build local rivalries while reducing travel costs. The conference they suggest of basically Texas schools, Louisiana schools, and Arkansas State might gain some traction in this region and help those schools.
_This week the Virginian Pilot said something that we’ve all been thinking, CUSA isn’t a good fit for Old Dominion. You could say the same for Charlotte or FIU or FAU. Pilot writer Harry Minium postulated that the better fit for ODU would be a “geographically compact” football league with the likes of Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, James Madison, Liberty, UMass, and Delaware. We don’t know Harry, but we like his intuition. _
CUSA is crumbling, sooner than later. The conference, built on a vast expanse of disparate media markets, spanning 2/3 of the country, is untenable. The league’s membership has little in common and generates less revenue. That’s saying something.
I think it is just a matter of time. There will be less and less schools looking to move up. Many of the ones that have, see that they simply can’t afford the travel, and all of the other expenses associated with the D1 level. They don’t make up the costs with poor attendance, the bowls they go fto don’t pay enough to break even. I see many schools moving down within the next 10 years packing it in. Many in the MAC, CUSA, Sun Belt, WAC and MWC will move down. Hoepfully that helps us some how, perhaps with alums of those schools in Houston that want to be casual fans and go see D! football will watch us.
That’s my thought as well. I think that’s why those schools are proposing a G5 playoff…last hope to try to make money. Problem for them is, they need the AAC and the AAC wants no part of it.
Tuition keeps going up.
Coaching salaries is also going up.
Operations cost is going up in order to compete against other programs.
How sustainable is it?
The question can also be directed at P5 Schools.
The PAC12 is at a cross road and California taxes are going up. They will keep going up. Something has to give.
We have a state o the art on campus stadium
A state of the art IPF
A state of the art Basketball Practice facility
A newly renovated state of the art BB arena
Other good stuff, i.e. Baseball improvements, softball improvements, etc.
we have to continue to grow the base (already light years ahead of 10-20 years ago), big bowl money, Big dance Money, other conference members doing well and sharing.