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#1 2017-08-30 15:50:13 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

Nugget's Ghostbuster (1627)
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From: U.S. Department of Interior
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 5,767

What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

Dr. Rodney Bennett was recently elected to a two-year term as chairman of Conference USA’s board of directors. Tired of the gap between CUSA and the P5 he is looking to see what can be done to improve us and our conference. I look at this move as a last ditch effort for USM in CUSA from our administrators POV. This move is Plan A while a Plan B should be under development parallel to the two year term as CUSA chair.

Reality is this, Rice and UTEP are actively looking to move and have long been rumored for a MWC bid over the past several years. Marshall must be considering a MAC move with dwindling CUSA revenues and increasing travel costs from Huntington. I fully expect any defections of those institutions to be replaced with Liberty (appealing to ODU). Liberty and ODU will have the #1 and #2 athletic budgets in CUSA by far and will soon become the next leaders in the clubhouse for CUSA sports due to facilities and budgets. So what will it cost USM to execute a plan B and leave CUSA? This is from an article last year from the Huntington Dispatch.....

"When C-USA commissioner Judy MacLeod had an informal chat with media members during the recent Conference USA Football Kickoff event in Irving, Texas, she reportedly commented that the exit fee would be two year's worth of revenue. According to figures published by The Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Va., C-USA is projected to have $53,757,000 in revenue for 2016-17.
That includes $20.5 million in revenue-sharing from C-USA, including NCAA basketball tournament revenue. Then, there's $16.1 million from the College Football Playoff; $14,257,000 in bowl and college football playoff revenue; and $2.9 million from C-USA to help member schools fund the full cost-of-attendance stipends.
Based on 14 schools (for argument's sake we'll include UAB as a full member), that calculates to $3,838,785 revenue per school.
But as C-USA officials pointed out that includes about $1 million in revenue per school distributed by the NCAA. The schools still would get that regardless, since the NCAA merely passes the $1 million per school through the conferences for distribution.
So, let's deduct the $1 million for a revenue figure of $2,838,785.
Now, double that amount and it comes to $5,677,570."

Comparing the Sun Belt, they have an exit of $2.5 million with a 14 month notice.

If USM were to consider a more regional play vs staying in a DOA CUSA, they could coordinate with schools like La Tech, ULL, UAB, USA, Troy, Ark St, App St, WKU and MTSU to form a regional conference that, albeit slightly, provides a more consistent level of competition while building more regional rivalries for USM. Replacing Charlotte and ODU home games with ULL or Ark St will help attendance as well.

Its not ideal, but if Dr. Bennetts efforts as chair don't improve our current situation, could the regional play be the better option within the next 4 years?


"There was a great deal of character on that field today. They are for real, no doubt about it. This was no fluke." - Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant

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#2 2017-08-30 16:06:57 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

SoMs Eagle (189)
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Registered: 2017-08-29
Posts: 509

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

Nugget's Ghostbuster wrote:

Dr. Rodney Bennett was recently elected to a two-year term as chairman of Conference USA’s board of directors. Tired of the gap between CUSA and the P5 he is looking to see what can be done to improve us and our conference. I look at this move as a last ditch effort for USM in CUSA from our administrators POV. This move is Plan A while a Plan B should be under development parallel to the two year term as CUSA chair.

Reality is this, Rice and UTEP are actively looking to move and have long been rumored for a MWC bid over the past several years. Marshall must be considering a MAC move with dwindling CUSA revenues and increasing travel costs from Huntington. I fully expect any defections of those institutions to be replaced with Liberty (appealing to ODU). Liberty and ODU will have the #1 and #2 athletic budgets in CUSA by far and will soon become the next leaders in the clubhouse for CUSA sports due to facilities and budgets. So what will it cost USM to execute a plan B and leave CUSA? This is from an article last year from the Huntington Dispatch.....

"When C-USA commissioner Judy MacLeod had an informal chat with media members during the recent Conference USA Football Kickoff event in Irving, Texas, she reportedly commented that the exit fee would be two year's worth of revenue. According to figures published by The Virginian-Pilot newspaper in Norfolk, Va., C-USA is projected to have $53,757,000 in revenue for 2016-17.
That includes $20.5 million in revenue-sharing from C-USA, including NCAA basketball tournament revenue. Then, there's $16.1 million from the College Football Playoff; $14,257,000 in bowl and college football playoff revenue; and $2.9 million from C-USA to help member schools fund the full cost-of-attendance stipends.
Based on 14 schools (for argument's sake we'll include UAB as a full member), that calculates to $3,838,785 revenue per school.
But as C-USA officials pointed out that includes about $1 million in revenue per school distributed by the NCAA. The schools still would get that regardless, since the NCAA merely passes the $1 million per school through the conferences for distribution.
So, let's deduct the $1 million for a revenue figure of $2,838,785.
Now, double that amount and it comes to $5,677,570."

Comparing the Sun Belt, they have an exit of $2.5 million with a 14 month notice.

If USM were to consider a more regional play vs staying in a DOA CUSA, they could coordinate with schools like La Tech, ULL, UAB, USA, Troy, Ark St, App St, WKU and MTSU to form a regional conference that, albeit slightly, provides a more consistent level of competition while building more regional rivalries for USM. Replacing Charlotte and ODU home games with ULL or Ark St will help attendance as well.

Its not ideal, but if Dr. Bennetts efforts as chair don't improve our current situation, could the regional play be the better option within the next 4 years?

I believe since streaming of athletic events will be the future for us that a regionally based conference would increase interest which of course would increase viewership. We've got to realize where on this road to ruin we are. Schools like LaTech, MTSU, WK, SAlabama, Troy, ULL and ASU are in the same shoes. None of us are going elsewhere. We now need each other to strengthen our position, as sad as that sounds. It is late in coming.

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#3 2017-08-30 16:12:05 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

AndreWhere (1252)
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From: Decatur, GA
Registered: 2017-08-24
Posts: 8,746

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

I don't like the "more regional conference" idea. Travel costs aren't as big a proportion of overall revenue as they once were.

I'll paraphrase Groucho Marx: USM shouldn't be a part of any conference that would want to have USM. USM is a natural FBS independent. The conferences that want us aren't worthy of us, and the conferences that are worthy of us don't want us. The conferences we've been in have been all about pathetic shit like frozen pizza bowls and tearing down the goalposts after beating Houston. Fuck that.

As for exit fees, I think they're bullshit, in light of the fact that we supposedly went along with waiving exit fees for the schools that left for the AAC. That was a supremely stupid move if it really happened, but even if we do have to pay an exit fee, not doing so is just an example of throwing good money after bad money (the old "sunk costs" fallacy).

Last edited by AndreWhere (2017-08-30 16:13:33)


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#4 2017-08-30 16:21:04 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

TheChosenOne (295)
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Registered: 2017-08-26
Posts: 749

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

I've never agreed, supported, or wanted a conference as suggested in this post. Unfortunately it's becoming painfully obvious it's our future. Current state of CUSA can not be sustained. Simply put, it's terrible. Weak teams to start ups, there no respect for this conference any longer.  At least scenario mentioned above includes, in most part, consistently good teams

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#5 2017-08-30 16:26:43 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

AndreWhere (1252)
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From: Decatur, GA
Registered: 2017-08-24
Posts: 8,746

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

TheChosenOne wrote:

I've never agreed, supported, or wanted a conference as suggested in this post. Unfortunately it's becoming painfully obvious it's our future. Current state of CUSA can not be sustained. Simply put, it's terrible. Weak teams to start ups, there no respect for this conference any longer.  At least scenario mentioned above includes, in most part, consistently good teams

What's wrong with going independent? If NMSU can make it work, why not us? They're in the middle of nowhere, with a slightly smaller budget, and an identical academic profile according to USNWR.

I don't mind missing out on bowl games. I don't mind having just 4 or 5 home games. What I do mind is categorizing ourselves with FAU, FIU, etc. instead of Army, Notre Dame, NMSU, BYU, and Liberty. It's humiliating, and I don't care about games against CUSA teams at all.

Last edited by AndreWhere (2017-08-30 16:27:02)


Bring back Reed V. "Pie" TurkPalmer Eustachy.

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#6 2017-08-30 16:36:01 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

USMstang (303)
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From: 7 miles North of Cat Island
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 1,048

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

I'd still prefer more of a super conference with 4 quadrants of 2 divisions of maybe 6 or 8 teams taking the absolute "best of the rest" approach and cover from Huntington to Boise and Fresno to Florida.  Screw making all these lesser schools and start-ups our equal.  Take Marshall, WKU, and LaTech along with some of the AAC.  Boise,  Colorado State, Fresno, etc from that direction.  Play across divisions at an affordable rate with a planned approach so scheduling and budgeting are maximized.  Negotiate 2 auto bids and move on.  That would be a lot of population covered and some interesting road trips to plan for years out.  It would have to be better than what we have now...a sinking ship in a port full of other sinking ships.

Who else would be attractive?  Memphis, SDSU, Cincy, Houston...

Last edited by USMstang (2017-08-30 16:38:17)


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#7 2017-08-30 16:39:19 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

AndreWhere (1252)
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From: Decatur, GA
Registered: 2017-08-24
Posts: 8,746

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

USMstang wrote:

I'd still prefer more of a super conference with 4 quadrants of 2 divisions of maybe 6 or 8 teams taking the absolute "best of the rest" approach and cover from Huntington to Boise and Fresno to Florida.  Screw making all these lesser schools and start-ups our equal.  Take Marshall, WKU, and LaTech along with some of the AAC.  Boise,  Colorado State, Fresno, etc from that direction.  Play across divisions at an affordable rate with a planned approach so scheduling and budgeting are maximized.  Negotiate 2 auto bids and move on.  That would be a lot of population covered and some interesting road trips to plan for years out.  It would have to be better than what we have now...a sinking ship in a port full of other sinking ships.

That would be much better than what we have now, but building it would require a level of strategic thinking that we haven't seen at USM for 20 years, if ever. Returning to the "Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime" / major college independent model is more attainable, in my mind.


Bring back Reed V. "Pie" TurkPalmer Eustachy.

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#8 2017-08-30 16:58:41 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

TheChosenOne (295)
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Registered: 2017-08-26
Posts: 749

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

AndreWhere wrote:
TheChosenOne wrote:

I've never agreed, supported, or wanted a conference as suggested in this post. Unfortunately it's becoming painfully obvious it's our future. Current state of CUSA can not be sustained. Simply put, it's terrible. Weak teams to start ups, there no respect for this conference any longer.  At least scenario mentioned above includes, in most part, consistently good teams

What's wrong with going independent? If NMSU can make it work, why not us? They're in the middle of nowhere, with a slightly smaller budget, and an identical academic profile according to USNWR.

I don't mind missing out on bowl games. I don't mind having just 4 or 5 home games. What I do mind is categorizing ourselves with FAU, FIU, etc. instead of Army, Notre Dame, NMSU, BYU, and Liberty. It's humiliating, and I don't care about games against CUSA teams at all.


It's independence is more by default than preference. Some fans may not like the bowls we have now but being independent will result in no bowl. Recruiting concerns would increase dramatically.  Then one must ask yourself what good is there going independent?  There really isn't a sound reason for doing it, at least I can't see one

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#9 2017-08-30 17:08:43 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

beagle (173)
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From: Cloverleaf Mall parking lot
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 1,260

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

So many questions regarding football independence.... I've always been against it but I will say I'm at least open to discussing it with UMass and NMSU now going Indy.

1) If we were to announce we were going Indy, it probably wouldn't be able to go into effect until like 2021 or 2022. Most teams have already filled their schedule for the next few years.

2) Obviously scheduling would be a huge ?. Would we be able to get 12 teams to play us? We'd have to some sort of scheduling arrangement with Liberty, NMSU, UMass, Army, and BYU where we would play at least 3 of those teams each year. We could play 3 whore games and 1 FCS game. Gotta find 5 more games. Would be tough.

Our schedule could be something like this:

Jackson State (guarantee game)
@Alabama (whore game)
Louisiana Tech
@Georgia (whore game)
@Mississippi State (2-1)
Tulane (1-1)
@UAB (1-1)
UMass (1-1)
@BYU (1-1)
Liberty (1-1)
@Texas A&M (whore game)
@New Mexico State (1-1)

3) Where do you put the other sports? I'm guessing the Southland. Travel-wise, that'd be a much better fit than CUSA. Thibodeaux, New Orleans, Hammond, Natchitoches, Beaumont, Lake Charles, Houston, etc are all bus trips. Would be equal in basketball, little step down in baseball but SELA and SHSU are both quality programs.

4) Possibly the #1 point that anti-independence people gave was that we'd have no TV games/contract. That no longer holds weight. We get paid $200k a year in TV $$$, and that can be offset easily by playing 3 bodybag games a year at powerhouse programs. This year I think we have 2 games on actual TV. The others are on some streaming site. You would have to get a deal going with ESPN3 to stream our games that are not picked up by TV or some other streaming deal service.

5) You'd have to get a tie-in with at least 1 bowl game. I know people say you can just take a spot when some conference can't fill up their tie-ins, but you don't want to be in a position where you win 9-10 games and get left at home. NOLA and Mobile would probably be interested in some sort of tie-in deal. However, going Indy would forfeit our chance at the access bowl bid.

I still probably wouldn't do it, but I think all options have to be on the table right now.

Last edited by beagle (2017-08-30 17:36:19)


"We played 12 SEC games when I was here, and 14 of those were on the road!"

- PW Underwood (RIP)

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#10 2017-08-30 17:49:20 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

99beers (303)
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From: Uranus
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 1,365

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

Ain't nothing happening until the aac gets knocked to its knees when they finally realize they will not be included with the P5 schools and their tv money dries up like ours did.    That should be coming within 5 years.  Until then we suffer.  At that point you will see new more regional conferences formed for the new d1aa as it will be known.  Memphis, ecu, tulane, usf, and ucf will all be back in the fold.  Screw the texas schools.  Usm, uab, usa, troy, ga southern, la tech, and mid tn will form up.  Its goimg to happen.  Its just a matter of when.


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#11 2017-08-30 21:24:48 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

USMstang (303)
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From: 7 miles North of Cat Island
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 1,048

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

I think you're right Beers.  The AAC screwed themselves by taking programs with "TV viewers" but shit on-the-field history.  I don't know if there was a way they could have done it "right" or not but they are not P6 as they try to suggest to everyone.  No one is listening or paying attention to that crap.  It just sucks that we have to wait for their world to completely crash down.  In the meantime, we need to get a plan going.  And not some stupid shit dreamed up in 15 mins at the Judy MacLeod weekend dude ranch/softball/men's Levis retreat.

Last edited by USMstang (2017-08-30 21:25:31)


Still sleeping with a Dixie Darling!

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#12 2017-08-30 21:34:40 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

SoMs Eagle (189)
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Registered: 2017-08-29
Posts: 509

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

I know no one wants to hear it BUT, all we can do is pack the stadium and beat the chit outa these sorry ass teams. It's what Boise did. We pack our place and we get better recruits. I guarantee it. Better recruits make better coaches. It's really our only path to relevance.

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#13 2017-08-30 21:48:22 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

USMstang (303)
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From: 7 miles North of Cat Island
Registered: 2017-08-25
Posts: 1,048

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

And that my friend is why it was so important to have not gone 0-35 during that crucial 17 year stretch with our "legendary" coach.  It really was the only stat that ever mattered.  Boise spanked so called top notch BC$ teams and then folks started expecting them to win those games.  All they ever said about us once Reggie and Brett were gone was note that we were on a list for consecutive winning seasons at the beginning of a game against a P5 team only to get our asses whipped on national TV and our hopes dashed with our 1 TV game a year. 

We have the chance this year...win all the damn games and soundly beat UK and then Tenn at their house.  We'll make noise and the recruits will come.  The stadium will be packed and all the shirts at the Dollar General down by BDR's house in Palmers Crossing will sell out.  A couple years of that shit and we'll have the New Year's game and big bailout check too!!

Last edited by USMstang (2017-08-30 21:49:38)


Still sleeping with a Dixie Darling!

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#14 2017-08-31 08:38:54 - What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

AndreWhere (1252)
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From: Decatur, GA
Registered: 2017-08-24
Posts: 8,746

Re: What would it cost USM to leave CUSA?

Going independent would get people talking about us. It'd also end the interminable teeth-gnashing over conference affiliation. It would put US back in control, instead of being along for the ride.

Maybe it's just my personality, but I think it's a good personality. When Jabba the Sysadmin over there at the site I killed started berating and banning people, did I take it? Did I acceded to his demands. HELL NO. I fucking left and ate that dude's lunch right in front of him.

It happens off the Web, too. About a month ago, my (now former) boss brought the whole team into a conference room and berated us, trying to hector us into coming in earlier and shit. I didn't take it. I went into his boss's office the next morning and offered my resignation and my frank opinion about who he was putting in charge of shit.

Did that make financial sense? Not on the surface at least. But it turned out well, in the end, as things do when you take control instead of just being along for the ride.

More to the point, G5-vs.-G5 bowl games are just mutual masturbation. Wouldn't have missed 90% of the bowls we've been to if we hadn't received a bid.


Bring back Reed V. "Pie" TurkPalmer Eustachy.

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