Sparks: Sun Belt Can't Stay Silent In Expansion

gangrene · June 9, 2010

Sparks: Sun Belt can't stay silent in expansion

A selected excerpt from the article:

The Sun Belt's football members include MTSU, Troy, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State and South Alabama soon enough.

Notice anything missing from that statement? Hellooo??? McFly!! The lack of respect Rodney Dangerfield got is nothing compared to what the once mighty, four-time SBC football champs are getting these days.

Let the email barrage begin:

Adam Sparks is the MTSU beat writer for The Daily New Journal. E-mail him at sparks@dnj.com.

GrayEagle · June 9, 2010

Maybe he knows something that we don't and has already colored us gone.

gangrene · June 9, 2010

Maybe he knows something that we don't and has already colored us gone.

I could quite possibly buy that line of wishful thinking if he didn't write this shortly after the paragraph I posted above:

So the Sun Belt may need to either expand its membership or simply improve it. In the latter case, a redistribution of Sun Belt and Conference USA schools would suffice.

For example, a football conference including MTSU, Western Kentucky, Troy, UAB, Memphis, Southern Miss, Central Florida, Florida International and East Carolina would vastly increase the Sun Belt's quality.And if the Big East implodes, Louisville and Cincinnati might be looking for a regional home.

NT80 · June 10, 2010

It appears Sparky added us in an online-edition revision...

"The Sun Belt's football members include MTSU, Troy, Florida International, Florida Atlantic, Western Kentucky, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, North Texas and Arkansas State and South Alabama soon enough."

KAjunRaider · June 10, 2010

Sparks just overlooked it. He writes a lot of articles and blog each day, and does a heckuva job for us.

He would not slight North Texas. Maybe WKU or Troy State, but not North Texas

gangrene · June 10, 2010

LOL, so I get a -2 for posting my displeasure about our omission from a story discussing who is currently in the SBC and who should be included in any SBC expansion? By the way, it looks like Sparks has now decided to not specifically identify each SBC member in that same article (guess that feat was too difficult ).

Regardless of the reason for omission, oversight or not, I think it's a very telling observation. Over the last 4-5 years, North Texas football has really fallen into a grave state of irrelevance. And it couldn't have come at a worse time, in my opinion. If a beat writer for a team in our own conference can forget about us (but not Western Kentucky or even South Alabama), how much easier do you think it is for the average college football fan to forget about North Texas? We need to get back on top of the SBC in a hurry!

ColoradoEagle · June 10, 2010

The average college football fan doesn't care what place we are in the Sun Belt. Every time I've seen any article or even message board conjecture over what the conferences will look like after all of this, the SBC isn't even mentioned where CUSA, MWC, and the WAC are. It is the conference that's irrelevant.

gangrene · June 10, 2010

The average college football fan doesn't care what place we are in the Sun Belt. Every time I've seen any article or even message board conjecture over what the conferences will look like after all of this, the SBC isn't even mentioned where CUSA, MWC, and the WAC are. It is the conference that's irrelevant.

I'd love to agree with you but, when schools like UTSA and Texas State are constantly mentioned as suitors for CUSA and the WAC, I have a hard time blaming the SBC for our irrelevance.

Censored by Laurie · June 10, 2010

I'd love to agree with you but, when schools like UTSA and Texas State are constantly mentioned as suitors for CUSA and the WAC, I have a hard time blaming the SBC for our irrelevance.

We've been invited to the WAC...turned down due to travel constraints. Take that for what it is.

ColoradoEagle · June 10, 2010

I'd love to agree with you but, when schools like UTSA and Texas State are constantly mentioned as suitors for CUSA and the WAC, I have a hard time blaming the SBC for our irrelevance.

I've only ever seen them mentioned on a few message board posts, and usually because there was someone there from those schools championing them. And maybe it just proves my point anyways. The SBC is so irrelevant that 'lower' conferences get more talk time.

Edited June 10, 2010 by ColoradoEagle

gangrene · June 10, 2010

I've only ever seen them mentioned on a few message board posts, and usually because there was someone there from those schools championing them. And maybe it just proves my point anyways. The SBC is so irrelevant that 'lower' conferences get more talk time.

UTSA was mentioned as a possibility for CUSA on ESPN and both schools, although not specifically named (FBS schools within the Central time zone was the phrase used), were cited as schools of consideration by the WAC president at their recent press conference.

I've got an honest question. Is conference affiliation so important that (given the same record over the last three years) simply being in the WAC or Southland or not even having a football team, would put us in a better position for conference realignment today than having played in the SBC? How do you think Iowa State feels about conference affiliation today?

ColoradoEagle · June 10, 2010

I've got an honest question. Is conference affiliation so important that (given the same record over the last three years) simply being in the WAC or Southland or not even having a football team, would put us in a better position for conference realignment today than having played in the SBC? How do you think Iowa State feels about conference affiliation today?

I don't know about the Southland or not having a football team. Both of those scenarios are a bit extreme, and I don't see UTSA actually getting any serious consideration from anyone but the SBC.

Regarding the SBC itself, I believe that yes we would be better off in any other conference. The SBC has a stigma attached to it of being the worst FBS conference, and the only FBS conference to have not had a member ranked in the top 25. It is seen as little league, and probably even more damaging that we haven't been able to win (or come close to winning) the little league these past 5 years.

greenjoe · June 10, 2010

I contaacted him. Here is his reply. Joe

Wow. My bad. Thanks for the heads up. I'll fix it online in just a minute.

And for the record, I don't dismiss UNT from the idea of a new conference, merger, etc.

I just think UNT makes more sense in a revamped Big 12, WAC, new Southwest Conference, etc. ... maybe with West Division CUSA schools.

Again, sorry. I'm surprised Vito didn't call me out on that.

Adam Sparks

MTSU beat writer

BlueRaiders.com editor

The Daily News Journal

(Murfreesboro, Tenn.)

Gannett Tennessee

(Nashville, Tenn.)

Edited June 10, 2010 by greenjoe

MeanGreenTexan · June 10, 2010

I don't know about the Southland or not having a football team. Both of those scenarios are a bit extreme, and I don't see UTSA actually getting any serious consideration from anyone but the SBC.

Regarding the SBC itself, I believe that yes we would be better off in any other conference. The SBC has a stigma attached to it of being the worst FBS conference, and the only FBS conference to have not had a member ranked in the top 25. It is seen as little league, and probably even more damaging that we haven't been able to win (or come close to winning) the little league these past 5 years.

I thought we finished #25 in the AP poll (maybe coaches poll) after the NOBowl win over Cincy?

nevermind... after a simple search I saw we were not.

Edited June 10, 2010 by MeanGreenTexan

gangrene · June 10, 2010

I contaacted him. Here is his reply. Joe

Wow. My bad. Thanks for the heads up. I'll fix it online in just a minute.

And for the record, I don't dismiss UNT from the idea of a new conference, merger, etc.

I just think UNT makes more sense in a revamped Big 12, WAC, new Southwest Conference, etc. ... maybe with West Division CUSA schools.

Again, sorry. I'm surprised Vito didn't call me out on that.

Adam Sparks
MTSU beat writer
BlueRaiders.com editor
The Daily News Journal
(Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
Gannett Tennessee
(Nashville, Tenn.)

Thanks for contacting him and posting his reply here greenjoe. Wow, that was nice (would have been better if he'd actually written that into his blog) and, for that I have to say - just when I thought he couldn't be any dumber...

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=UnkefjCES-4