WAC/ASUN moving up to FBS in 2024

[robertobutler]

So what does everyone think about yesterday's bombshell? The WAC/ASUN members plan to move up to FBS in 2024 as a football-only conference. I'm surprised more people aren't talking about this. I do think that other FCS leagues will follow suit and try to make the jump to FBS as well.

Edited December 16, 2022 by robertobutler

[TexGator]

So what does everyone think about yesterday's bombshell? The WAC/ASUN members plan to move up to FBS in 2024 as a football-only conference. I'm surprised more people aren't talking about this. Did Lamar make a mistake by going back to the Southland? I thought it was a good idea to leave the WAC but today I'm not so sure. Time will tell. I do think that other FCS leagues will follow suit and try to make the jump to FBS as well.

 

Lamar didn't make a mistake. This isn't a "bombshell"- we're not bringing in 15K fans per game. It just means millions (plural) of expenses with only another million in revenue.

It's not like TAMU, LSU, or Texas is going to come to Beaumont. Literally the only difference this would make is that UT-Austin might schedule them (they don't schedule FCS teams) and they might get an extra $200K for their paycheck games in general.

 

Do you think people are going to rush to fill The PUS for a late-September non-conference game against Middle Tennessee State?

 

We also don't know what the total numbers were on revenue and expenses of being in the WAC. It was bound to be draining (physically and financially) to have all that travel. Just imagine what having football games from Utah to Kentucky would be like for football games. Can't just stick them on 2 charter buses... that's flights (paired with charter buses) each way.

Edited December 10, 2022 by TexGator

[coachacola]

LU has failed multiple times trying to move up to better conferences. LU is a founding member of the SLC and will probably stay in the SLC forever.

[geezer]

I don't really care one way or the other about FBS versus FCS for Lamar or any other FCS school. Sorry, for me the travel argument about the WAC that Lamar left doesn't fly. The way the conference set the sports up, Lamars travel wasn't significantly different than the SLC. Yes, Lamar did have to fly football to Utah, once per year, but the rest of the conference football games were all in Texas against schools they regularly played on average anyway. The real big difference, was McNeese and I believe wanting to maintain that local rivalry was probably the biggest factor in the movers and shakers that have hold of Taylor's ear. The move back to the SLC did not help football and thank God, Lamar finally hired someone with a record of success as a head coach. Assuming, Lamar gets five years out of this hire, maybe Lamar will become a decent program.

[Skinny1]

I find it interesting that these schools have the money to move up. Going from 63 scholarships to 85 in football is pretty expensive since because of Title 9 laws, you have to increase female athletic scholarships by the same amount. So 44 additional scholarships is not pocket change for many of these schools unless you drop a combination of baseball (11.5 scholarships),mens track&field (12), mens golf (4), mens tennis (4). Edited December 10, 2022 by Skinny1

[Skinny1]

I don't really care one way or the other about FBS versus FCS for Lamar or any other FCS school. Sorry, for me the travel argument about the WAC that Lamar left doesn't fly. The way the conference set the sports up, Lamars travel wasn't significantly different than the SLC. Yes, Lamar did have to fly football to Utah, once per year, but the rest of the conference football games were all in Texas against schools they regularly played on average anyway. The real big difference, was McNeese and I believe wanting to maintain that local rivalry was probably the biggest factor in the movers and shakers that have hold of Taylor's ear. The move back to the SLC did not help football and thank God, Lamar finally hired someone with a record of success as a head coach. Assuming, Lamar gets five years out of this hire, maybe Lamar will become a decent program.

 

Do not bet on it my friend.

[NorthoftheBorder]

LU has failed multiple times trying to move up to better conferences. LU is a founding member of the SLC and will probably stay in the SLC forever.

 

Unfortunately, LU, when comes to athletics, is the most "small thinking" administration in the history of 4 year colleges and universities. When you think that you can't, you never do. This isn't the lottery where pure dumb and blind luck can win millions. You have to believe that you can do it, put a plan together and execute. Believing that you can is biggest part of the battle, but with LU Athletics, the mantra has always been and is now, Think Small Be Small!

 

Quite frankly, it galls me that USL, SW Texas State, La Tech, North Texas et al have left us in the dust. SFA joins the UT Texas System and the next week announces they are going FBS. It is frankly pathetic and and indictment of our leadership and the mindset of SE Texas!!

[coachacola]

Unfortunately, LU, when comes to athletics, is the most "small thinking" administration in the history of 4 year colleges and universities. When you think that you can't, you never do. This isn't the lottery where pure dumb and blind luck can win millions. You have to believe that you can do it, put a plan together and execute. Believing that you can is biggest part of the battle, but with LU Athletics, the mantra has always been and is now, Think Small Be Small!

 

Quite frankly, it galls me that USL, SW Texas State, La Tech, North Texas et al have left us in the dust. SFA joins the UT Texas System and the next week announces they are going FBS. It is frankly pathetic and and indictment of our leadership and the mindset of SE Texas!!

 

I don't think that LU's problem is they think small. I think the leadership has just been too unstable to build on their successes so they keep getting knocked back down. It doesn't help LU is located in a stagnant, corrupt, high crime and high unemployment metro area. Seems like a few key bad decisions have a disastrous effects on the athletic program which we've all talked about many times. I certainly have no answers but hope they can eventually find a way to have stable, long term success.

[PeckEm]

Unfortunately, LU, when comes to athletics, is the most "small thinking" administration in the history of 4 year colleges and universities. When you think that you can't, you never do. This isn't the lottery where pure dumb and blind luck can win millions. You have to believe that you can do it, put a plan together and execute. Believing that you can is biggest part of the battle, but with LU Athletics, the mantra has always been and is now, Think Small Be Small!

 

Quite frankly, it galls me that USL, SW Texas State, La Tech, North Texas et al have left us in the dust. SFA joins the UT Texas System and the next week announces they are going FBS. It is frankly pathetic and and indictment of our leadership and the mindset of SE Texas!!

 

Learn your history. We (they) WERE thinking big when they dropped football to focus on basketball. How did that work out for us? The single WORST decision in the history of the University and there is not even a close second. The WAC is a freaking joke. The Southland is the perfect fit for us. If we ever get to where we are winning the Southland and drawing nice sized crowds then we can worry about moving up.

Edited December 14, 2022 by PeckEm

[coachacola]

I went to the WAC forums and this talk of going FBS is more or a dream than a reality. LU belongs in the SLC right now. They need to get their act together and prove they can build a winning athletic department, not one that keeps taking one step forward, two steps back.