Don’t forget about Jacksonville State University in Jacksonville, Alabama.
In any case, C-USA shouldn’t die if it pulls from some of these FCS teams but the WAC dream of joining the FBS is probably dead.
Yeah, I have Jacksonville State penciled in. Just beat FSU, of course, but they are top-10 in attendance so at least have a decent fan base.
Eastern Kentucky also.
I don’t know who else might be interested, but the WAC had the huge problem that their footprint did not have many viable call-up options. That’s far less an issue when you’re in the eastern half of the country.
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I was going to put in there, didn’t know if you could even do football only. I know the CUSA commish will fight to keep them alive and probably will succeed. I just think the best thing overall for college sports and a lot of those schools is a WAC-CUSA merger. Other than James Madison (who the Sun Belt may grab) and maybe Sam Houston St, I don’t think a bunch of FCS teams is a great look. Not trying to be an elitist with us now finally in a P5, but FBS may be getting too big.
OTOH the last conference to take on a bunch of FBS teams just shot up to the upper tier of the G5.
My guess is that the WAC is not going to achieve FBS status, so those that want that are probably going to join Conference USA in one way or another (either as full members of football only while staying in the WAC. Some collaboration between the two would be helpful at keeping both conferences viable for non-FB sports. It’s the least messy solution. But, of course, college football never actually goes for the least messy solution does it?
Yeah, but they also lost to UAB 31-0, TN- Martin 34-31, and Kennesaw State 31-6. At 3-3, they are an average FCS team.
Every week I hear about Jackson State (5-1 under Dion Sanders) and Jacksonville State and often get them confused.
Im on the c-usa dies train. I think The Sunbelt take La Tech over JMU and another 3 cusa teams. Then I think wku and mtu go to the MAC. That means FIU and UTEP go indy. Although I think the MWC eventually takes UTEP and NMSU. So that just leaves FIU and maybe they get into the sunbelt one day if they go 16.
Yeah I didn’t mean to imply they great. Just that they got some good headlines (and that their attendance numbers are good.)
The Sun Belt harbors a grudge and the MWC has no reason to invite those teams.
Jacksonville shows what can happen in a program when you hire a charismatic individual with high principles who knows how to coach.
You might be thinking about Jackson State, if you’re taking about Deion.
Come to think of it Jacksonville State may really benefit from the confusion…
Yeah your right Jackson but you know who I was talking about😊
And then there’s Jacksonville U., which just dropped their FCS program. Confusion indeed! 
Then I think the Sunbelt takes FIU. The word is JMU said no to going to FBS which means the sun belt will either need to take liberty or FIU.
Being an independent sucks and Conference USA schools will do whatever they can to avoid it.
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Jeez, I didn’t know an independent like NMSU only gets $300k from the playoff money compared to $1.2 million each CUSA team is getting. Yeah, they are for sure begging to get in CUSA even if it ends up all East coast FCS teams, lol.
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I mean I think there will only be two cusa schools when this is all said and done. La Tech and UTEP. My bet is utep drops down to fcs. And La Tech is going to be forced to be indy for a while. There is a ton of pushback to inviting a bunch of fcs schools that will further limit the college football playoff payout. If cusa’s only option is to invite 5 or more fcs schools it ain’t happening. Literally all of college football will work to stop them.
It’s time for cusa to face the reality, the entirety of college football wants the conference dead.
Don’t understand what is going on with Louisiana Tech right in the middle of SunBelt country, and they have a reasonably good following.
Ok now I see the rift between Tech and ULM and Louisiana. Hard to believe these smaller programs would have any standing to shun another. I guess even the ugly girls have a pecking order.
La Tech and NM St need to effort hard the MWC.
If there’s only two left then it’s over, I think.
But I don’t think that’s how it’s going to shake out. The SBC has its sights on USM, Marshall, and possibly Old Dominion. Everybody else has spurned them (MTSU, WKU, LaTech) or is too far away (UTEP) or both
The MWC has made it pretty clear it isn’t interested in UTEP.
So the main mover here is the MAC. If they take MTSU and WKU, and SBC takes Old Dominion and JMU, then I think it may be over for Conference USA. Five is a lot harder to replace than three. But the MAC has given no indication of wanting to expand. If they do, I’ll revisit.
Sun Belt seems spiteful.
Truthfully, the animosity towards Louisiana Tech in particular I do understand. Or, at least, I understand the idea of not taking someone who really doesn’t want to be there because they’re desperate. Last year Louisiana Tech did schedule ULM, though (after having threatened to stay home rather than play them in a bowl game in 2012), so I’d think that would count as some fence-mending, but I guess not. The SBC has enough options I guess they can afford to be choosy.
I wish the AAC had invited Louisiana Tech, and going to 14 I think they should have. They needed market teams but also needed teams that would be able to contribute quickly.
My prediction has been Southern Miss and Marshall to SBC but that they stand at 12 rather than adding JMU and ODU.
It does mention WKU as a candidate, which is the first I’ve seen where bringing back a departed member is a consideration. I can’t tell whether they get in if Marshall declines or whether Marshall’s invite is contingent on the James Madison courtship
It also says Liberty is a lock, and that six rather than eight is the magic number of teams they need per NCAA rules (which doesn’t sound right to me – I though 6 was the number for FCS).
Nothing about the MAC or MWC taking any teams.