Southland Conference

[topher805]

SFA Board of Regents has accepted an invitation to the WAC effective July 1, 2022...

"There is a recommendation. The administration recommends acceptance of the invitation to join the Western athletic conference effective July 1st 2022. At the president be given authority to negotiate the final terms and conditions of the affiliation and sign the related conference affiliation agreements."

"All those in favor say aye and wave your hand. Any opposed same sign. Thank you very much. What we have next is an announcement of committee appointments. Appointing under section 9.5 in 9.6 the rules and regulations. Nominating committee. Scott Coleman is chair with that among along with Judy Olsen and Jennifer Winston. We have an advisory committee we will reactivate. With scott Coleman as the chair. Jennifer Winston Bob Garrett Henderson --"

[Coach0001]

I would assume the Board of Regents for SHSU and Lamar  will be acting on this soon also

[topher805]

5 hours ago, Coach0001 said:

I would assume the Board of Regents for SHSU and Lamar  will be acting on this soon also

Nothing from the Dec 7 Texas State University System meeting that I could find and no meetings on the docket. Surely something has to be happening soon.

I did see where Sam partnered with an outside company to handle their marketing. Not sure if it is a complete handing over of the keys, or if it is similar to what SFA has with Learfield IMG.

[Coach0001]

11 hours ago, topher805 said:

Nothing from the Dec 7 Texas State University System meeting that I could find and no meetings on the docket. Surely something has to be happening soon.

I did see where Sam partnered with an outside company to handle their marketing. Not sure if it is a complete handing over of the keys, or if it is similar to what SFA has with Learfield IMG.

I looked also I would expect some type of Zoom meeting scheduled soon

Are there is already a process in place that leaves it to each school President 

[topher805]

Rumor that Texas Southern is joining the Southland.

[topher805]

Press conference scheduled for January 14 at NRG to announce the additions of SFA, SHSU, Lamar, and ACU. It is official and there is a lot going on...FBS before the end of the decade...Adding more teams...Defections coming from current WAC...

[RETIREDFAN1]

22 minutes ago, topher805 said:

Press conference scheduled for January 14 at NRG to announce the additions of SFA, SHSU, Lamar, and ACU. It is official and there is a lot going on...FBS before the end of the decade...Adding more teams...Defections coming from current WAC...

So who's in there with them???

[topher805]

22 minutes ago, RETIREDFAN1 said:

So who's in there with them???

Right now football will be: ACU, Dixie State, Lamar, SFA, SHSU, Tarleton State, Utah Valley...They will likely receive a waiver from the NCAA to have auto-bid status for the playoffs. 

For all other sports the WAC will be ACU, California Baptist, Chicago State, Dixie State, Grand Canyon University, Lamar, New Mexico State, Seattle University, SFA, SHSU, Tarleton State, UT-RGV, and Utah Valley.

They are looking to add two more schools, and possibly could lose two current members in the next week (Chicago State at the very least). 

[eagle34]

7 hours ago, topher805 said:

Right now football will be: ACU, Dixie State, Lamar, SFA, SHSU, Tarleton State, Utah Valley...They will likely receive a waiver from the NCAA to have auto-bid status for the playoffs. 

For all other sports the WAC will be ACU, California Baptist, Chicago State, Dixie State, Grand Canyon University, Lamar, New Mexico State, Seattle University, SFA, SHSU, Tarleton State, UT-RGV, and Utah Valley.

They are looking to add two more schools, and possibly could lose two current members in the next week (Chicago State at the very least). 

Still can't figure out how this is an improvement for SFA or SHSU. Please enlighten me

[topher805]

10 hours ago, eagle34 said:

Still can't figure out how this is an improvement for SFA or SHSU. Please enlighten me

Financially this is a big boost for both schools. A lot more money to be made in this conference, especially if they make the move to FBS (I'm not a huge fan of that aspect to this move). 

It helps raise the profile of the schools and opens new markets. The conference footprint will not be as big as people think with Chicago State and possibly Seattle departing. Basketball gets an immediate boost, and the WAC becomes a borderline multi-bid conference with the addition of the Texas 4.

The part that will hurt SHSU will be baseball. The WAC is a definite step down and the trio of SFA, Lamar, and ACU will not do enough to raise the profile. I think they have a good enough reputation, and schedule well enough during non-conference where it really shouldn't hurt them though. 

The Southland was stagnate and content with where they were. It struggles with horrible leadership that has no vision. The other member schools (Specifically HBU and the Lousiana schools), where unwilling to make the financial commitment needed to help boost the conference profile. 

SFA, SHSU, ACU, and Lamar drastically outspend those schools when it comes to facilities and the overall programs. We are talking a difference of millions. The schools in the WAC spend the same, if not a tick more. It will be a more competitive conference and all the schools are on the same page for improving what they have. 

It took me time to buy in on this, but I am becoming more comfortable with the move. I don't think any of these schools would rush into a decision like this if it wasn't the best move for their schools.

[eagle34]

7 minutes ago, topher805 said:

Financially this is a big boost for both schools. A lot more money to be made in this conference, especially if they make the move to FBS (I'm not a huge fan of that aspect to this move). 

It helps raise the profile of the schools and opens new markets. The conference footprint will not be as big as people think with Chicago State and possibly Seattle departing. Basketball gets an immediate boost, and the WAC becomes a borderline multi-bid conference with the addition of the Texas 4.

The part that will hurt SHSU will be baseball. The WAC is a definite step down and the trio of SFA, Lamar, and ACU will not do enough to raise the profile. I think they have a good enough reputation, and schedule well enough during non-conference where it really shouldn't hurt them though. 

The Southland was stagnate and content with where they were. It struggles with horrible leadership that has no vision. The other member schools (Specifically HBU and the Lousiana schools), where unwilling to make the financial commitment needed to help boost the conference profile. 

SFA, SHSU, ACU, and Lamar drastically outspend those schools when it comes to facilities and the overall programs. We are talking a difference of millions. The schools in the WAC spend the same, if not a tick more. It will be a more competitive conference and all the schools are on the same page for improving what they have. 

It took me time to buy in on this, but I am becoming more comfortable with the move. I don't think any of these schools would rush into a decision like this if it wasn't the best move for their schools.

I understand what you are saying. Sam Houston is a football and baseball school. Do you think it's an Improvement for Football? New Mexico doesn't play football in that Conference and I haven't heard of most of the other teams. I thought a couple were D2. 

[topher805]

1 minute ago, eagle34 said:

I understand what you are saying. Sam Houston is a football and baseball school. Do you think it's an Improvement for Football? New Mexico doesn't play football in that Conference and I haven't heard of most of the other teams. I thought a couple were D2. 

Immediately? No. 

Losing Central Arkansas, McNeese, and Nicholls (Never thought that last one would be mentioned in the same breath), are hard to overcome. That said, Sam should be the big dog from day 1, and will be able to secure the auto-bid. If Sam can continue their playoff success, and SFA grows like they are, I don't think it will take long for football to get up to speed.

There is a lot of potential in the conference. We know what Sam has and what SFA/ACU are capable of. Rumors of UT-RGV adding football would be nice. Not sure what we will get from Southern Utah and Dixie State...West Texas A&M has pumped a ton of money into football and they will be ready for FCS soon. They played SFA pretty well in the fall...

[topher805]

1 hour ago, AllGoodNamesRGone said:

Kinda of a dumb question. Does this help them in basketball since that is obviously their main goal ( legit) team?  Or does it not matter since they get an automatic big via SLc bid. #12 seed or lower.

I feel like it definitely helps. The SLC typically ranks #30-31 out of 32 conferences. The WAC isn't much higher, but they are both built with two really good teams, a couple of decent teams, and a lot of bad teams. 

SFA isn't statistically great this year, but typically an RPI around 100. ACU is around 100 this year and are built to stay. Sam is traditionally good, and Lamar has potential but never puts it together.

In the WAC you have an outstanding New Mexico State program, followed by a Grand Canyon program that has a lot of hype buy hasn't lived up to it yet. Add in Billy Gillespie at Tarleton and I think there are pieces for a conference that will be very competitive and can break into that occasional multi-bid league. On top of that, I see the champ fighting for up to a 9-10 seed on a lot of years. 

SFA was the exception to get the 12-seed for the Southland. Everyone else was staring at a play-in for the 16-seed. When SFA beat West Virginia, they were a 14-seed. 

[Coach0001]

On 1/6/2021 at 10:47 PM, eagle34 said:

Still can't figure out how this is an improvement for SFA or SHSU. Please enlighten me

Utah Valley does not play football

Topher hit some key points already. For my Kats in baseball its step down. Its step up in basketball

Football it remains to be seen from what I have gathered and some sources its about what happens when the P5 breaks from the NCAA. That is going to happen at some point in the next few years. Its about positioning for that new world. The G5 schools will add some FCS schools and conferences. Staying in the Southland probably would not afford the chance to move to that new level. The WAC having been an FBS conference before would offer that chance.

Right now for FCS play in football its a step down but has a much higher ceiling in the long run 

Also of note the Texas 4 were going to leave on June 30 2022 yesterday word broke that the Southland is kicking the Texas 4 out effective June 30 2021 

That is silly on Southlands part it screws up everyone's 2021 Fall Football Schedules! They will also lose about 1.5 million in exit fees from that decision. It reeks of hurt feelings decision not a sound business decision for a cash strapped conference!

So we will take our little brother SFA, ugly cousin Lamar, rich cousin ACU and head West Young man!

[topher805]

21 minutes ago, Coach0001 said:

Utah Valley does not play football

Topher hit some key points already. For my Kats in baseball its step down. Its step up in basketball

Football it remains to be seen from what I have gathered and some sources its about what happens when the P5 breaks from the NCAA. That is going to happen at some point in the next few years. Its about positioning for that new world. The G5 schools will add some FCS schools and conferences. Staying in the Southland probably would not afford the chance to move to that new level. The WAC having been an FBS conference before would offer that chance.

Right now for FCS play in football its a step down but has a much higher ceiling in the long run 

Also of note the Texas 4 were going to leave on June 30 2022 yesterday word broke that the Southland is kicking the Texas 4 out effective June 30 2021 

That is silly on Southlands part it screws up everyone's 2021 Fall Football Schedules! They will also lose about 1.5 million in exit fees from that decision. It reeks of hurt feelings decision not a sound business decision for a cash strapped conference!

So we will take our little brother SFA, ugly cousin Lamar, rich cousin ACU and head West Young man!

Not sure Sammy is making the move without "Little brother" pushing...lol

I'm becoming much more comfortable and excited. I plan on watching the press conference tomorrow to get more details. Supposedly Chicago State is on their way out of the WAC as early as next season. 

As for the Southland. They are being petty and shortsighted (Shocker...). Ready to leave that port-a-potty conference and get a chance to increase our visibility. 

[Coach0001]

Just now, topher805 said:

Not sure Sammy is making the move without "Little brother" pushing...lol

I'm becoming much more comfortable and excited. I plan on watching the press conference tomorrow to get more details. Supposedly Chicago State is on their way out of the WAC as early as next season. 

As for the Southland. They are being petty and shortsighted (Shocker...). Ready to leave that port-a-potty conference and get a chance to increase our visibility. 

Little Brother wanted that higher Conf RPI in hoops

Big brother had to consider baseball and football implications I think Kat Nation has gotten on board judging from our SHSU board.

[topher805]

1 minute ago, Coach0001 said:

Little Brother wanted that higher Conf RPI in hoops

Big brother had to consider baseball and football implications I think Kat Nation has gotten on board judging from our SHSU board.

Like you said, football has a higher ceiling. Basketball is a step up. I think baseball has a pretty high ceiling as well. GCU has some extremely nice facilities, and are dumping tons of money into all their programs. That is the school everyone seems to be building around...

[eagle34]

17 hours ago, Coach0001 said:

Utah Valley does not play football

Topher hit some key points already. For my Kats in baseball its step down. Its step up in basketball

Football it remains to be seen from what I have gathered and some sources its about what happens when the P5 breaks from the NCAA. That is going to happen at some point in the next few years. Its about positioning for that new world. The G5 schools will add some FCS schools and conferences. Staying in the Southland probably would not afford the chance to move to that new level. The WAC having been an FBS conference before would offer that chance.

Right now for FCS play in football its a step down but has a much higher ceiling in the long run 

Also of note the Texas 4 were going to leave on June 30 2022 yesterday word broke that the Southland is kicking the Texas 4 out effective June 30 2021 

That is silly on Southlands part it screws up everyone's 2021 Fall Football Schedules! They will also lose about 1.5 million in exit fees from that decision. It reeks of hurt feelings decision not a sound business decision for a cash strapped conference!

So we will take our little brother SFA, ugly cousin Lamar, rich cousin ACU and head West Young man!

Good luck with that. Dont let the doorknob hit you on the way out. LOL

[eagle34]

16 hours ago, topher805 said:

Like you said, football has a higher ceiling. Basketball is a step up. I think baseball has a pretty high ceiling as well. GCU has some extremely nice facilities, and are dumping tons of money into all their programs. That is the school everyone seems to be building around...

Tell me how football has a higher ceiling. ACU just moved up from D2 and the rest of the football programs are D2 besides Sam,SFA and Lamar. 

[topher805]

1 hour ago, eagle34 said:

Tell me how football has a higher ceiling. ACU just moved up from D2 and the rest of the football programs are D2 besides Sam,SFA and Lamar. 

ACU has probably the nicest facilities in the new conference. They are definitely operating like a D1 program and I think they will have some staying power.

Tarleton has also shown an impressive commitment. Witten is a great coach over there, and has built a very talented program. Their new locker rooms are outstanding. 

We know what Sam brings to the table obviously. SFA is gaining a lot of momentum and will be a force in the fall. If Lamar can ever get their stuff together that is a core that is better than what the Southland brought to the table. 

Right now the Southland is built around Sam, UCA, and McNeese on the football field. Nicholls is good, but doesn't have the finances. They had to actually turn down postseason play in a couple of sports recently because they couldn't afford it. 

[topher805]

Speaking of the Southland, looks like they are going to be offering Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern membership. Not sure they are wanting to leave the SWAC, but we will see...

Texas A&M-Commerce and West Texas A&M are also on their radar for future expansion. WTAMU I think may be WAC bound instead with Commerce going SLC.

A reminder that what happens today is just the first domino. I think there is plenty more coming in the next couple of years...

[topher805]

There is more in the email I just got, but not giving away our fundraising secrets...lol

I wanted to provide some information to you about a big announcement coming today at 11am for our athletics department and institution. In what I believe may be the worst kept secret in college athletics, we will be announcing that we have accepted an invitation to join the Western Athletic Conference (WAC)! I can’t tell you how excited we are to get this officially announced and the ball moving forward. If you desire, you are able to watch this press conference on the WAC Digital Network at https://www.wacdigitalnetwork.com/.   In assessing our athletics department, and the future of college athletics, we are always looking at ways to elevate our athletics program, while at the same time being able to grow the institutional profile. With the ever changing landscape of college athletics and higher education, we felt this was the right opportunity to move forward.   Here are some of the attributes that attracted SFA to join the WAC over other conferences, or to remain in the Southland Conference: Growth states/cities/markets within the current make-up of the conference provide an opportunity to expand and grow the institutional brand and build awareness Joining the WAC allows us to grow our athletics department in a manner that is appropriate for our current climate, while at the same time, allows us to position the institution into growth areas within the country. It will allow us to grow our institutional profile in a way that help position both the athletics department and the institution for success. Making of a very strong mid-major basketball conference (both men’s and women’s) Conference Tournament is held in Las Vegas at Orleans arena, which provides an opportunity for a heavily attended event 28 of the past 45 years, the WAC has sent two teams to the NCAA Tournament The football history of the WAC is very strong with past members such as TCU, Boise State, Hawaii, Fresno State, Rice, and Louisiana Tech among others. The opportunity to be part of restarting the sport with a football rich conference was extremely attractive, and we believe will provide us with a great opportunity to help grow our program with our recent success Strong commitment to academics and athletics, like-minded institutions with growth aspirations and a vision to move forward together Facilities within the league will provide us the necessary opportunity and challenge to move our facilities forward Natural rivalries that will continue, along with the opportunity to start new ones While we he have a history of success within the Southland Conference, winning almost 100 conference championships in our time as a proud member since 1987, moving to the WAC will only strengthen our resolve to move forward. Our culture of excellence on the competition surfaces provides our department (coaches/student-athletes) with the confidence that we can and expect success.

Facts about the Transition to the WAC

Membership will be effective July 1, 2021, meaning, we will be in the Southland Conference for the next 6 months. Our intention was to remain in the Southland Conference until June 30, 2022, but recent decisions by the remaining Southland Board of Directors have caused us to move that timeline up. We are disappointed in these actions, but also understand and respect the nature of the situation.  The WAC will feature 13 institutions in two divisions: Southwest and West. Southwest Division will include all the Texas institutions: SFA, Sam Houston, Lamar, ACU, Tarleton and UTRGV West Division will include all the other institutions: Grand Canyon, New Mexico State, Cal Baptist, Seattle, Utah Valley, Southern Utah and Dixie State (located in St. George, UT) Note: At this time, Southern Utah is still planning to join on July 1, 2022, and Chicago State will be exiting on June 30, 2022. The two-division structure would maximize geographic proximity in the Southwest, while minimizing travel in non-football/basketball sports. A significant part of that strategy is the formation of an FCS football conference within the WAC that would include 6-9 schools. Current football playing members will be Lamar University, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Tarleton State, Dixie State New Mexico State will continue to play at the FBS level as an independent. UTRGV has provided a letter of intent to begin an FCS program effective preferably with the 2023 season and no later than the 2024 season. During the initial year of membership football-playing institutions will commit to an analysis of all implications of a move to FBS. The Conference will seek a 14th member which will sponsor football and will align geographically with the Texas Division. All members will be committed to consistent web streaming with applicable broadcast standards to maximize ESPN distribution (or other potential providers) of Conference content. There will be a combined total of 20 Conference sports – 10 men’s and 10 women’s. The Conference basketball tournaments will be played in Las Vegas. The basketball tournament field size will be determined based upon the available arena dates and other factors. All other championship sites and field sizes will be determined by the new membership structure with the expectation for equal divisional geographic distribution and/or rotation. So, as you can see, there is much to be excited about for our new home! For us, this move provides another step in moving toward our vision of becoming the leading mid-major athletics department in the nation. While we know it won’t be easy, and there will be bumps along the way, we know this decision is the best for us at this time.

[RETIREDFAN1]

Can't wait.......bye bye SLC.....good riddance......

[Coach0001]

Topher 

Your AD could not stand it sending the email out before the press conference 

Smh 

[topher805]

1 minute ago, Coach0001 said:

Topher 

Your AD could not stand it sending the email out before the press conference 

Smh 

Yeah...Not thrilled about that, but not sad about getting that information either. I still plan on watching the press conference and see if there is any other information that he left out...