Western Kentucky to the Belt?

[CajunRed]

They wouldn't have to make a new conference. Just keep the SBC name and leave the 6 members in the West with no conference.

I didn’t realize the eastern schools owned the SBC name.

[HoustonCajun]

I don't disagree with this, but Liberty is a private school, right? So, we add another private school with similar budgets as JMU and Old Dominion. All of them simply have more private funds including student fees to support them. None of them are similar to the other Southern Institutions. Liberty has been looking to move up for a decade and they are mainly turned down because of their religious background.

I'm just saying, those are things to consider.

All of the P4 conferences have at least 1 private university. Of the G6 conferences, the AAC and CUSA have at least 1. The other 4 G6 conference do not. Regarding budgets, Texas dwarfed all other Big 12 schools in budget, but didn't walk away with conference championships every year. The Yankees don't win the World Series each year despite having the largest payroll in the Major Leagues. If Liberty and JMU have the luxury of larger budgets, more power to them. They have donors, large attendance and student fees. UL's solution, pass student fees, increase attendance and increase the budget or find a better way to compete. Liberty has a high profile, successful program to add to the SBC that no other school brings. Find a way to get them in. They will make the conference better and higher competition will make UL better. Someone in the East needs to accommodate this by moving to the West. The most likely school is GA State.

SEC - Vanderbilt
Big 10 - Northwestern
Big 12 - BYU, Baylor
ACC - Duke, Wake Forest, Miami, SMU, Boston College, Stanford
AAC - Tulane, Rice, Tulsa
CUSA - Liberty
PAC 12 - None
MWC - None
MAC - None
SBC - None

[CajunT]

I had heard or read somewhere that Virginia passed a law where by a certain year, JMU would either have to reduce their student fee for athletics ($2k a semester?) or drum up a lot more private donations and actual athletic revenues, because the bill put a cap on the percentage of athletic budget that can come from student fees.

But can’t remember if where I heard or read it from was legit and accurate.

They way I read it is the increase in fees is capped at 3% any year, but they also have to raise equivalent revenue to elsewhere that offsets the increase in attendance. My niece attended JMU, and her sister attended George Mason. JMU spent $68M in athletics in 2023 when she was a student with $53M funded by mandatory student fees for everyone. That is a huge advantage for them.

The Old Dominion average annual COA is $61,743 when living on campus and $60,031 when living off campus. Their athletic fees make up an annual 43% of the athletic budget according to their website. I can't find the actual reported number. But Liberty brings similar advantages, but they are private.

The SBC can add Liberty, but there is no way those schools in the SBC from Virginia will vote for them. Let's say the SBC did, who moves to the Western Division to balance out the divisions?

[CajunT]

All of the P4 conferences have at least 1 private university. Of the G6 conferences, the AAC and CUSA have at least 1. The other 4 G6 conference do not. Regarding budgets, Texas dwarfed all other Big 12 schools in budget, but didn't walk away with conference championships every year. The Yankees don't win the World Series each year despite having the largest payroll in the Major Leagues. If Liberty and JMU have the luxury of larger budgets, more power to them. They have donors, large attendance and student fees. UL's solution, pass student fees, increase attendance and increase the budget or find a better way to compete. Liberty has a high profile, successful program to add to the SBC that no other school brings. Find a way to get them in. They will make the conference better and higher competition will make UL better. Someone in the East needs to accommodate this by moving to the West. The most likely school is GA State.

SEC - Vanderbilt
Big 10 - Northwestern
Big 12 - BYU, Baylor
ACC - Duke, Wake Forest, Miami, SMU, Boston College, Stanford
AAC - Tulane, Rice, Tulsa
CUSA - Liberty
PAC 12 - None
MWC - None
MAC - None
SBC - None

I don't say they wouldn't improve the SBC, but they do have a tremendous financial advantage over most of the SBC outside of JMU and Old Dominion. I don't see any of those programs voting to add them, especially for political reasons.

[Turbine]

All of the P4 conferences have at least 1 private university. Of the G6 conferences, the AAC and CUSA have at least 1. The other 4 G6 conference do not. Regarding budgets, Texas dwarfed all other Big 12 schools in budget, but didn't walk away with conference championships every year. The Yankees don't win the World Series each year despite having the largest payroll in the Major Leagues. If Liberty and JMU have the luxury of larger budgets, more power to them. They have donors, large attendance and student fees. UL's solution, pass student fees, increase attendance and increase the budget or find a better way to compete. Liberty has a high profile, successful program to add to the SBC that no other school brings. Find a way to get them in. They will make the conference better and higher competition will make UL better. Someone in the East needs to accommodate this by moving to the West. The most likely school is GA State.

SEC - Vanderbilt
Big 10 - Northwestern
Big 12 - BYU, Baylor
ACC - Duke, Wake Forest, Miami, SMU, Boston College, Stanford
AAC - Tulane, Rice, Tulsa
CUSA - Liberty
PAC 12 - None
MWC - None
MAC - None
SBC - None

Case studies are paradigm changers.

[CAJUNSby90]

https://x.com/Schultzycast/status/19...KzyYGEv9Q&s=19

[Cajunchuck]

All of the P4 conferences have at least 1 private university. Of the G6 conferences, the AAC and CUSA have at least 1. The other 4 G6 conference do not. Regarding budgets, Texas dwarfed all other Big 12 schools in budget, but didn't walk away with conference championships every year. The Yankees don't win the World Series each year despite having the largest payroll in the Major Leagues. If Liberty and JMU have the luxury of larger budgets, more power to them. They have donors, large attendance and student fees. UL's solution, pass student fees, increase attendance and increase the budget or find a better way to compete. Liberty has a high profile, successful program to add to the SBC that no other school brings. Find a way to get them in. They will make the conference better and higher competition will make UL better. Someone in the East needs to accommodate this by moving to the West. The most likely school is GA State.

SEC - Vanderbilt
Big 10 - Northwestern
Big 12 - BYU, Baylor
ACC - Duke, Wake Forest, Miami, SMU, Boston College, Stanford
AAC - Tulane, Rice, Tulsa
CUSA - Liberty
PAC 12 - None
MWC - None
MAC - None
SBC - None

TCU from the Big 12 is also a private school.

[CajunT]

https://x.com/Schultzycast/status/19...KzyYGEv9Q&s=19

Shultz sources are playing with him.

[CAJUNSby90]

Shultz sources are playing with him.

He's taking the bait.

[ultracajun]

Liberty believes man walked with dinosaurs.