NON-BCS Conference Rankings

[CajunNation]

http://www.soonerstats.com/football/...s/totalapp.cfm

http://www.soonerstats.com/football/...p/totalapp.cfm

Total appearances in BCS poll(current membership):

1) MWC----------45
2) WAC-----------25
3) CUSA----------19
4) MAC------------17
5) SBC-------------0

Total appearances in AP poll since 2000(current membership):

1) MWC-----------111
2) WAC------------66
3) MAC-------------35
4) CUSA------------27
5) SBC--------------0

AVG Conference Basketball RPI last 2 seasons(current membership):

1) MWC-------------8
2) WAC--------------9
3) CUSA-------------12
4) MAC---------------15
5) SBC----------------18

[locoguano]

This is why UL will never improve its football program until it can move up and out of the Sun Belt. The people who claim that the Sun Belt itself can move up like the Mountain West or CUSA are just plain wrong. Any team in the Sun Belt that sees an opening in another conference will bolt. UL would be smart to do that same...

[DestinCajun]

_ This is why UL will never improve its football program until it can move up and out of the Sun Belt. The people who claim that the Sun Belt itself can move up like the Mountain West or CUSA are just plain wrong. Any team in the Sun Belt that sees an opening in another conference will bolt. UL would be smart to do that same... _

In reality Cajun football has improved significantly in the past 5 years as has Sun Belt football. Neither is yet where we want it to be but it's all definitely headed in the right direction.

Please let us know when one of these "openings" you speak of actually appears.

[cayenethepepper]

_ This is why UL will never improve its football program until it can move up and out of the Sun Belt. The people who claim that the Sun Belt itself can move up like the Mountain West or CUSA are just plain wrong. Any team in the Sun Belt that sees an opening in another conference will bolt. UL would be smart to do that same... _

Good post loco. You just might want to be careful about how you present facts and truths. If you do it in a way that is in disagreement with the "status quo", then you will be labeled as a "non-believer, non-cajun fan" and someone who doesn't know what they're talking about AND.........the infamous label of "corndog fan."
Either way, you just said a mouthfull about the sunbelt. It is a bottom dweller and isn't going anywhere other than where it is. It is a pipe dream to think/believe otherwise and anyone who denies it needs to be checked.

[RaginDave]

_ Good post loco. You just might want to be careful about how you present facts and truths. If you do it in a way that is in disagreement with the "status quo", then you will be labeled as a "non-believer, non-cajun fan" and someone who doesn't know what they're talking about AND.........the infamous label of "corndog fan."
Either way, you just said a mouthfull about the sunbelt. It is a bottom dweller and isn't going anywhere other than where it is. It is a pipe dream to think/believe otherwise and anyone who denies it needs to be checked. _

Cayenne,

The reality is the SBC has made great strides in football, remember it was a start up conference in football and took available members from where they could.

2 of the past 3 years the SBC has had 2 teams play in bowls and more one season had 3 teams bowl eligible. Are we great, no are we good, no. Are we close, yes. Due to the SBC being in existance UL, MT, ASU, Troy and even ULM have made significant improvements, both in facilities and in competiveness. We have a long way to go, and no one is beating down the door of any of our teams today to ask them to join. But I will say this, I think in a couple of years (2 to 3) the belt will be as strong as many of the conference (WAC and MAC, specifically) MT, UL and Troy and to some extent ASU are very attractive candidates, because of other sports successes.

[El Sidonio]

I agree with loco, as far as bolting for another conference goes. I love my sunbelt brethren, and yes we're all capable of improving and doing better, but it just doesn't appear as though this conference will be the place to do that, at least as far as football and basketball is concerned. Baseball is good and women's basketball is good. We are the exception to the rule in softball.

Point is, I think loco is right and we'd be stupid to think that for even one second, UL would NOT seriously consider bolting to another conference if there was an opening.

Just my .02

God Bless

[Clutch0364]

_ Good post loco. You just might want to be careful about how you present facts and truths. If you do it in a way that is in disagreement with the "status quo", then you will be labeled as a "non-believer, non-cajun fan" and someone who doesn't know what they're talking about AND.........the infamous label of "corndog fan."
Either way, you just said a mouthfull about the sunbelt. It is a bottom dweller and isn't going anywhere other than where it is. It is a pipe dream to think/believe otherwise and anyone who denies it needs to be checked. _

See you are wrong again...LOCO has been here for a while and we respect what he has to say. Unlike you who we see through you and see that you don't want any good for our program.

[CrazyCajun]

you are all wrong about the sunbelt never going anywhere. I agree right now it is not much but it is a very young football conference. Why do you think the sec is so good? Because of the area they recruit from. There is so much talent in the areas that these schools are located, once the conference begins to get better it will snow ball, these kids will be able to stay closer to home and play for good prgrams. It will take a while for this to happen but it will happen. and i know exactly what is coming, the sunbelt will never be even close to the sec and your right but i'm not saying that. But to say the sunbelt will never be as good as cusa or the wac is just rediculous. Those conferences are not that far ahead of us now. As the conferneces football gets better so will all sports. People are just way too impatient. Remember how young this conference is to football

[RonMexico]

The football conference has been around for what, 5-7 years?
The strides have been huge from where we started. We will only continue to prosper. Like Destin said, if you know about an opening in another conference-do tell, cause the rest of us want to know about it.
How about we stop whining about things we cant control, and do something about the things we can.

L'Ronte'

[DestinCajun]

_ Cayenne,

The reality is the SBC has made great strides in football, remember it was a start up conference in football and took available members from where they could.

2 of the past 3 years the SBC has had 2 teams play in bowls and more one season had 3 teams bowl eligible. Are we great, no are we good, no. Are we close, yes. Due to the SBC being in existance UL, MT, ASU, Troy and even ULM have made significant improvements, both in facilities and in competiveness. We have a long way to go, and no one is beating down the door of any of our teams today to ask them to join. But I will say this, I think in a couple of years (2 to 3) the belt will be as strong as many of the conference (WAC and MAC, specifically) MT, UL and Troy and to some extent ASU are very attractive candidates, because of other sports successes. _

LOL!!!! Cayenne forgot some of us K-sippers visit this forum.

[Just1More]

_ This is why UL will never improve its football program until it can move up and out of the Sun Belt. The people who claim that the Sun Belt itself can move up like the Mountain West or CUSA are just plain wrong. Any team in the Sun Belt that sees an opening in another conference will bolt. UL would be smart to do that same... _

I think the SBC can and has "moved up", but is a long ways away from leap-frogging another conference as a whole, in football, from an overall rankings perspective. If the SBC holds together, being a southern football conference is going to assist in strengthening the conference. To the extent that plays out is yet to be seen.

Unfortunately, if the strongest member(s) bolt when an opportunity arises, that will hurt the conference effort. The fact right now is that no single football program (North Texas situation has changed) has lept away from the pack. That "helps" hold the conference together, but short everyone having major OOC "upsets", it is very difficult to get "conference ranking respect".

It appears to me that each SBC football program is in an incremental improvement situation, and in reality that equality is holding down the supposed "leader" of the pack. I guess that is a benefit right now for a young conference. If one of the SBC teams expects to jump into a better conference affiliation any time soon, it will have to serve up a couple of OOC upsets in the same year that it completely dominates the SBC.

Of course, nothing would make me happier than if UL jumps ahead as the dominant football program in the SBC. Our mission right now is just to win... one game at a time. Any discussion of alternative football conferences is very premature.

[MiamiCajun32]

_ Cayenne,

The reality is the SBC has made great strides in football, remember it was a start up conference in football and took available members from where they could.

2 of the past 3 years the SBC has had 2 teams play in bowls and more one season had 3 teams bowl eligible. Are we great, no are we good, no. Are we close, yes. Due to the SBC being in existance UL, MT, ASU, Troy and even ULM have made significant improvements, both in facilities and in competiveness. We have a long way to go, and no one is beating down the door of any of our teams today to ask them to join. But I will say this, I think in a couple of years (2 to 3) the belt will be as strong as many of the conference (WAC and MAC, specifically) MT, UL and Troy and to some extent ASU are very attractive candidates, because of other sports successes. _

Sunbelt is making strides no doubt, but there is no way it will be at level of WAC in the next few years. Can you even imagine one of the sunbelt teams rising up to the level of a Boise St., Fresno St. or even Hawaii in the next few years? Not going to happen... And until the sunbelt has a few teams that can compete with top 25 teams and can make a run at the top 25 rankings, then the sunbelt will not even be mentioned in same conversation with WAC. I understand why UL did not move to WAC when allegedly had the chance a few years ago, due to travel costs, etc., but the football program would be a lot stronger had it made such a move (as would basketball, but maybe all the other sports would be suffering greatly, due to travel costs).