UAB to the MVC?

[HiddenDragon]

Also, UAB just locked in Haase through 2021 to the tune of $1M/year before incentives.
http://www.myfoxal.com/story/28614144/u ... erod-haase

His total compensation this year will be $625K.

Exhibit A of what can happen when you drop a worthless football program.

Not quite true. Our football program was worthless (as you put it) because those in charge in Tuscaloosa wanted it to be worthless. That said, because of the struggles of the football program, it has prevented the basketball program from reaching its full potential. We were once in a league with Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, Marquette, St. Louis, SMU, and DePaul. Now we've been regulated to Sun Belt status which I am sure Gene Bartow (the founder of UAB Athletics) did not want to happen to his jewel.

I was at UAB very first ball game in 78. I saw UAB beat UK with Sam Bowie to reach its first Sweet 16 in 81; beat Virginia with Ralph Sampson in 82 to reach the Elite 8. I want that type of success brought back to UAB and would love to see the Blazers in a better basketball conference.

[Wufan]

CUSA won't change bylaws for UAB. They will no longer be in the conference if they don't reinstate football for 2016.

[uniftw]

Hypothetical for the non football schools.

UAB wants in but wants to start FCS football back up and join the MVFC. Is that a deal-breaker?

[UABlazin]

Even if basketball joins the MVC, the admin would look to place FCS football in a more regional league.

[unipanther99]

Even if basketball joins the MVC, the admin would look to place FCS football in a more regional league.

Is non-scholarship FCS an option? (Like Drake)

Travel expenses would be huge, but you would more than make up for it without scholarships to pay.

[UABlazin]

The President never even considered FCS so I doubt it would be a possibility. The Trustees seem to be against UAB having D1 football of any kind.

[uniftw]

Even if basketball joins the MVC, the admin would look to place FCS football in a more regional league.

What league is going to take a football only member and not demand the basketball program come along with it?

The OVC has the perfect number of teams to keep a true round robin and name a champion in football

The only other league that might be an option would be the Southland, which would demand a full membership since they are at 13 basketball and 11 football. I doubt UAB wants to be in a conference with New Orleans, Lamar, Houston Baptist, Incarnate Word, Abeline Christian, etc...

[UABlazin]

Couldn't the Big South use a football member? I'm not certain any good league wants anything to do with our athletic department right now, so football only would be an even bigger question.

[uniftw]

The reason I even asked is this

The MVFC is made up of 5 MVC, 4 Summit and 1 Horizon.

The Summit was able to bully their way into getting South Dakota into the MVFC because they threatened to pull their teams to another conference, or start their own, if USD wasn't let in. The minimum number for keeping an AQ bid to the FCS playoffs is 7 '(I believe). Getting to 6 MVFC and 1 Horizon team takes pretty much all the leverage away from the Summit to split.

Why is that a benefit to the MVC?

If UNI, SIU, ISUr, MSU and ISUb were all of a sudden out of a football conference they would need to look for a new home. No conference is going to take 5 football only members, especially when almost all of them are better basketball programs than that conference currently has. You think WSU doesn't like the MVC now, just wait until UNI is gone and there isn't a second team holding a name nationally and your left at 5 schools with all of them being bottom half teams, sans WSU.


I was just asking because I think it would actually strengthen the MVC from defections that could be football related (sans MSU who seems hell bent on playing in an FBS league that's significantly worse than their FCS league). It's also why I would like to see Drake go MVFC as well, even if they stayed offering no, or next to no scholarships.

The issue with Drake is they like to create a "mystique" about their program that they are the same level as UNI and are just as good as UNI because of that when the reality is very different. Being forced to play UNI on a yearly basis would ruin that real quick.

[uniftw]

Couldn't the Big South use a football member? I'm not certain any good league wants anything to do with our athletic department right now, so football only would be an even bigger question.

Yes, but I'm not sure how UAB fits that conference. It's 11, very small, schools all in North and South Carolina. They are adding Kennesaw State, of the ASUN, this year as an affiliate member. They are just starting football.

The problem with the Big South is it's turning into a "stepping stone" type FCS conference. Coastal Carolina and Liberty have grown into the big dogs of that conference and are using that success to leverage into bigger/better conferences. I see the same thing happening with Kennesaw State. Liberty has an FBS dream and I could see Coastal Carolina and Kennesaw State leveraging into the Southern Conference in a few years. You're then left below the minium for an autobid with teams like Charleston Southern, Gardner-Webb and Presyterian.

The Big South's hope, going forward, is Campbell decides it wants to go to scholarship football (Currently same league as Drake) and that they can grab a MEAC school that doesn't like their new bowl arrangement with the SWAC, and maybe convince schools like Jacksonville to leave the A-SUN and start giving football scholarships to football.