Appears the SWAC isn't the only FCS conference that wants to move up as a whole


Neither does Grambling if we're being real. Matter fact, basically JSU, SU and FAMU would probably be the only ones that could. But that's considering if the NCAA actually cares about that for a move up...which they don't. Have you seen SHSU's facilities??? Their attendance isn't all that notable either.

I agree that GSU does not but JSU is still the biggest HBCU football brand. We cant make that move without them. Also, people will come out to see them. I think Coach Prime called the pathetic because he EXPECTED to see 20-30K of them.

Also, there is no pathway for us to move up right now and I doubt there will be. We missed that chance in 1993 when were proposed the move and the option was there. The NCAA made sure that would not happen since that time. Hindsight is a mofo. BUT had we moved, it would have killed the MEAC and SWAC as we know it. The SWAC only had 7 teams at the time and I think 4 of us were moving. GSU, SU, GSU, and (maybe) Alabama State. From the MEAC, I think it was FAMU, SCState and (maybe) A&T and I think TNState. I would have to find the old article. Had we made the move then, we would have had to be proactive in trying to preserve to SWAC and MEAC and invite teams like AAMU, Morris Brown, UAPB, etc....

The only REAL pathway is for some of us to go independent in football OR we would have to join a conference like C-USA and run the other people out. LOL
 
P.V. has Texas A&M money they will be able to do it.
PV can barely do it in the SWAC. Nobody wants to see them. They dont even want to see them. To me, its not about money. Its about schools who care about football WITH FANS. PV and TxSorry right in Houston together and get pull 20K fans together. Even a school like Howard. They are a HUGE HBCU brand but they dgaf about football. They dont even gaf about band. About 3 years ago, their band was tiny and I asked one of their alums and former band members why. They said the administration looks at the schedule and decides how to fund the band. If they are playing Southern in the Circle City Classic, for example, they will fund the band that year. If not, they dont care... lol In short, we need schools and fans that are SERIOUS about this. JSU, SU and FAMU would lead the way but I think there are other schools with pretty good potential.
 



I used JMU as an example because they had a 10 year plan to prepare themselves to move up, as nothing is stopping any HBCU D1 school from doing the same. While the student athlete fees play are part in funding JMU athletics that is not their only source of income. The biggest pot of money is coming from the work of the JMU athletic foundation and even if you factor in the the size difference based on students and alumni no HBCU Athletic foundation would be close in bringing in what JMU foundation is bringing in when you take away the difference in size.

To me HBCUs needs to develop a model that works for them in order to bring in more money. Ashley Robinsion has shown it can be done at two different HBCUs, PV and JSU, so it not immporsisble to increase the money athletics are getting through athletic foundations or other special funding programs. It just mean you need to have the right people at the top.
Commissioner McClelland has said they have a 10 year plan. Granted, without a means of moving up, I have no idea what that plan can be. All I do know is that we will go after a much bigger TV contract.
 
Youtube tv has moved into live sports with the nfl. espn is now looking for a partner and so we should explore any and all broadcast partners and if the money isn't right... like it wasn't for the pac-12, we have to prepare to build our own.


Been saying this for YEARS (although we have the SDN sitting right there barely being used)

Also have been saying that every school has to get on the same accord. You cant have some schools charging while others aren't. Some on Youtube while others are on Livestream (who still uses that?), Facebook or Sidearm on their school sites (and charging). Use the OVC model. Each school needs to set aside money from sponsorships that the conference sends them and build up a network from the ground up so that every school is on the same standard
 
I agree that GSU does not but JSU is still the biggest HBCU football brand. We cant make that move without them. Also, people will come out to see them. I think Coach Prime called the pathetic because he EXPECTED to see 20-30K of them.

Also, there is no pathway for us to move up right now and I doubt there will be. We missed that chance in 1993 when were proposed the move and the option was there. The NCAA made sure that would not happen since that time. Hindsight is a mofo. BUT had we moved, it would have killed the MEAC and SWAC as we know it. The SWAC only had 7 teams at the time and I think 4 of us were moving. GSU, SU, GSU, and (maybe) Alabama State. From the MEAC, I think it was FAMU, SCState and (maybe) A&T and I think TNState. I would have to find the old article. Had we made the move then, we would have had to be proactive in trying to preserve to SWAC and MEAC and invite teams like AAMU, Morris Brown, UAPB, etc....

The only REAL pathway is for some of us to go independent in football OR we would have to join a conference like C-USA and run the other people out. LOL
The thing with being an independent is you run into scheduling issues, as Bluefied State AD stated the problems of being an independent with scheduling. Technically the SWAC schools could move up as independents and have to stay that way for about 3 years, or whatever the probation is for FCS to FBS schools, and then get NCAA approval to form a conference after that.

I doubt SWAC schools could take over C-USA as just like the Big South and the CAA they will put a limit on the number of HBCUs that they will allow in, so current management can keep the balance of power.

At any rate the SWAC needs to be fixing revveue gap for their schools, if they want all the schools to move up The other thing is that they have to do something about fan engagement for some of the schools for football and then across non-revue generating sports.
 
They gave Liberty a waiver to move up because no one would take them. Well, were sorta in the same boat. No fbs conference has ever extended an invitation to a hbcu. so they should make room for us, not by providing a waiver for one school, that couldn't survive or thrive on it's own, but a conference could make it's way.

Youtube tv has moved into live sports with the nfl. espn is now looking for a partner and so we should explore any and all broadcast partners and if the money isn't right... like it wasn't for the pac-12, we have to prepare to build our own.

I'll need to take a closer look. thought most of our schools were sponsoring the max # of scholarships for sponsored sports.

for a few of our schools I could certainly see an issue. If possible, I'd keep the conference intact for all sports except football. for football I'd have a fbs and fcs tier. they still get to play in football but the fbs teams would always host and pay them top dollar to do so, helping their bottom line. when they are ready to move up they'd be able to do so.
With Youtube the NFL is doing broadcasting and just passing it on to Youtube as distributor. The SWAC and/or the MEAC will still need somone to produce their content if the sign a deal with one of the companies that don't have live sports production. A possibility is to use the production house that MLB uses for a share of the contract with Youtube, Apple, or Amazon.

Here is the article from HBCU Gameday:


The question becomes will the NCAA allow a football only conference at the FBS level, as look at the WAC and that other conference is going through and they have gotten rejected by the NCAA to form a football only conference in FCS.

This interested in moving to FBS it seems it is like how the MEAC came to be, as schools brock away from the CIAA and got SCSU to leave SIAC to form the MEAC with the long term goal to move to FCS (i think it was called 1-AA at the time). They spent 1 to 2 years as a D2 conference until the moved up.

I can see the SWAC having some of the financial problematic schools leave the SWAC to form a new FCS conferane with SIAC schools that want to move up to FCS. Then the SWAC forms a schedule alliance with the new conferance, as that takes care of your scheudling but it grants a big share of the reveinue to schools that want to make the jump from a SWAC perspective.
 
PV can barely do it in the SWAC. Nobody wants to see them. They dont even want to see them. To me, its not about money. Its about schools who care about football WITH FANS. PV and TxSorry right in Houston together and get pull 20K fans together. Even a school like Howard. They are a HUGE HBCU brand but they dgaf about football. They dont even gaf about band. About 3 years ago, their band was tiny and I asked one of their alums and former band members why. They said the administration looks at the schedule and decides how to fund the band. If they are playing Southern in the Circle City Classic, for example, they will fund the band that year. If not, they dont care... lol In short, we need schools and fans that are SERIOUS about this. JSU, SU and FAMU would lead the way but I think there are other schools with pretty good potential.
You hit the nail on the point with fan engagement being a problem with most of theschools in the MEAC and SWAC with a couple of exceptions. I think only JSU, SU, FAMU, and Grambling have good fan engagement when it comes to football and in the MEAC it is lackluster accorss the board. NCCU is playing at a staidum that was design for D2 and I don't think we even sell that out on a regular basis. Also, if some of the HBCUs schools are going to look at join conferance usa it make more sence to form a single HBCU conferance given that conferance usa i spread out further than what would be SWAC and MEAC foot print. I doubt even the hardcore fans from JSU, SU, FAMU, and Grambling would be willing to go New Mexico State for example.
 
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