Conference USA fighting to stay alive
DALLAS (BVM) — It seems that the SEC has started a landslide of changes in the college athletic world. The AAC announced that it will be adding six new teams from Conference USA and now the conference is in danger of losing more teams.
Last week Southern Miss accepted the Sun Belt Conference’s invitation. And now current CUSA teams Marshall and Old Dominion face the decision on whether to join the Sun Belt or stay loyal to CUSA. Along with those two teams ready to join the Sun Belt, James Madison is mulling the opportunity to join a bigger conference.
“We have a strong core of members to build around and are continuing to work to strengthen our league as we move forward,” Conference USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod said Friday in a press release. There are several institutions interested in joining Conference USA, both across FBS and FCS, some of whom we’ve already met with in person. Every step we take will be deliberate, strategically sound, and intentional. We will take the necessary time to add future members that will be the best fit from an athletic and academic standpoint and allow prospective institutions time to complete their process.”
If these teams were to leave, that would leave five teams in the conference. That would all but put the conference on life support as six teams are needed to earn an automatic bid in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
This decision could also impact the ongoing College Football Playoff expansion talks. These talks are based around 10 conferences. But if CUSA ends up dissolving there would only be nine FBS conferences and the CFP expansion talks may be halted.
There is a silver lining for the CUSA though. If nine total teams end up leaving, the conference will bring in $36 million dollars worth of revenue due to the conference bylaws. So, the conference could bring in powerful FCS schools or attract smaller FBS schools to the conference.
Whatever is decided, it is sure to have a lasting effect on the landscape of the college athletic world.
