The Sun Belt is examining expansion. The league is considering adding up to four schools... | Page 2 | The Boneyard

The Sun Belt is examining expansion. The league is considering adding up to four schools...

Old Dominion getting an invite anywhere has gotta rank up there as one of the most batXXit crazy things ever in FBS.

FB: 1 winning season since going FBS in 2014
MCBB: 1 NCAA bid in last 10 years (0-1)
 
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I guess I am hung up.

They keep talking in the $500k range for the ESPN rights in the Sun Belt; and all that leverage. 5 (FIVE) schools are the beneficiaries of the Exit Fees. $36m. Divided by 5. What am I missing?

At that largesse, you can throw cash at some of the newby targets. Both Sunbelt and CUSA are what we think they are: Training ground for the next realignment; platform for start-ups in top markets (UTSA, Charlotte, Georgia State); a fun Saturday throwaround.

Of course, UCONN got a whole pile of exit fees back in the day - none of it seemed to come to me.
 
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Pudge said:
I guess I am hung up.

They keep talking in the $500k range for the ESPN rights in the Sun Belt; and all that leverage. 5 (FIVE) schools are the beneficiaries of the Exit Fees. $36m. Divided by 5. What am I missing?

At that largesse, you can throw cash at some of the newby targets. Both Sunbelt and CUSA are what we think they are: Training ground for the next realignment; platform for start-ups in top markets (UTSA, Charlotte, Georgia State); a fun Saturday throwaround.

Of course, UCONN got a whole pile of exit fees back in the day - none of it seemed to come to me.
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Where are you getting 36M for the C-USA exit fees? Everything I've read said 3M per member. 12 members aren't leaving.
 
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2022 NC said:
This is how G5/G6 leagues should be. All schools in a geographical area, within drivable distance.
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That map is somewhat misleading as you need to add Marshall and Old Dominion. Old Dominion is 1600 miles from Texas St. For Marshall, Appalachian State is the nearest school which is about 270 miles and the next closest school is almost 500 miles away. This is a far flung conference although some schools do have some driveable games.
 
I love the Sun Belt.

I think Southern Miss and Marshall, especially, can be really great in it. Perhaps JMU too. We shall see about ODU, that seems to be more of a recruiting territory play
 
That looks like a reasonable football conference to me. All they need is a Florida school.
 
Guapo said:
I love the Sun Belt.

I think Southern Miss and Marshall, especially, can be really great in it. Perhaps JMU too. We shall see about ODU, that seems to be more of a recruiting territory play
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I agree. It's a better version of the MAC where the geography makes sense but the Football is better.
 
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noeynox said:
I agree. It's a better version of the MAC where the geography makes sense but the Football is better.
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It’s also generally not played on Wednesday nights and there are fun rivalries!
 
That Sun Belt graphic looks contiguous...but it is still over 1200 miles from Appalachian State to Texas State and 1000 miles to UTA...

...and Old Dominion is 1546 miles from UTA and 1169 miles from Lafayette and 1000 miles from the Arkansas schools.

The western outliers in Arkansas and Texas and the eastern outliers in Virginia and North Carolina have long distances between them.
 
noeynox said:
I agree. It's a better version of the MAC where the geography makes sense but the Football is better.
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The MAC geography makes more sense than the SBC. The greatest distances between MAC schools is ~600 miles.
 
billybud said:
That Sun Belt graphic looks contiguous...but it is still over 1200 miles from Appalachian State to Texas State and 1000 miles to UTA...

...and Old Dominion is 1546 miles from UTA and 1169 miles from Lafayette and 1000 miles from the Arkansas schools.

The western outliers in Arkansas and Texas and the eastern outliers in Virginia and North Carolina have long distances between them.
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True. But JMU has two to three relatively drivable games. ODU, App. State and Coastal Carolina are all doable treks.

Texas State fans and teams could drive to Louisiana and ULM. But they could definitely use a more proximate neighbor. Having UT Arlington in other sports helps.
 
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www.herald-dispatch.com

Sun Belt, Marshall leaders celebrate new alliance

HUNTINGTON — As Keith Gill started his Monday in Huntington, his morning stroll took him on his first visit to Joan C. Edwards Stadium and Cam Henderson Center.
www.herald-dispatch.com www.herald-dispatch.com

Per article Marshall forfeits 2 years of CUSA revenue (~$3m)

-> The Sun Belt Conference is eager to have Marshall join, and showed as much by waiving a $2 million fee associated with joining the league.

"Marshall was an important part of what we hoped to do in conference realignment," Gill said. "We certainly didn't want money to get in the way. We are financially strong. It was not something that was necessarily critical for us, so helping them manage their transition was an easy choice for our presidents."

Marshall will have to pay $80,000 in annual dues to the Sun Belt Conference, but Gilbert said those fees are less than what the university has paid for Conference USA.

One more piece should complete the Sun Belt's framework on Tuesday as James Madison is expected to be granted permission by the Virginia General Assembly's Intercollegiate Athletics Review Commission to move from FCS to FBS and join the Sun Belt as well.

With that move, the Sun Belt Conference would be the home of 14 football-playing schools, which are expected to separate into two divisions.

Marshall is expected to join Old Dominion, James Madison, Appalachian State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia State and Georgia Southern in the East Division. Troy, South Alabama, Southern Miss, Louisiana, Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas State and Texas State are expected to be in the West Division.

Sun Belt Conference members UT-Arlington and Arkansas-Little Rock do not sponsor football. <-
 
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