https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/football-playing-schools-in-asun-and-wac-considering-jumping-from-fcs-to-create-new-fbs-conference-per-report/amp/

" The realignment wheels keep spinning, and this time it could include a massive addition to the FBS ranks. ESPN reported Friday that 10 schools from the ASUN and Western Athletic Conference are in the early stages of combining to create a football-only league that will make the jump from FCS to FBS sometime in the near future.

The new league would consist of Stephen F. Austin, Utah Tech, Eastern Kentucky, Austin Peay, Abilene Christian, Southern Utah, Tarleton State, Eastern Kentucky, Central Arkansas and North Alabama. UT Rio Grande Valley is also slated to join the group once its program gets off of the ground prior to the 2025 season. The new league would then become the 11th FBS conference and would be considered part of the "Group of Five," which obviously could re-consider its name once the new conference joins the FBS ranks. "

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The landscape of college football is full of surprises this year.

$$$$$$

cents

The competition for the six playoff spots can keep the college game alive with no additional consolidation. Probably will group by per school conference payouts before all is said and done.

Kudos to schools that invest wisely to stay competitive. But overspending is probably about to come to a screeching halt as some conferences used to more money get used to less.

That would be a huge leap for UTRGV- going from no football to FBS on such short notice.

Lot of $ down there and nothing else going on. Would be less of a reach for them than some these 1-AA schools that have had football for 100 years and can't get 10,000 people to a game.

Tarleton should have stayed in div II. They have a coach that keeps pushing for increased participation that I believe is only for his benefit. These schools need to consider the changes brought about by NIL. Tarleton competed very well in Div. II . They have gone from having playoff teams in div. II to 6 and 5 records in Div.1 FCS. They have about 15,000 students. I don't see how they can get cash to play the big game. Just my opinion.

Aggie2 said:

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Tarleton should have stayed in div II. They have a coach that keeps pushing for increased participation that I believe is only for his benefit. These schools need to consider the changes brought about by NIL. Tarleton competed very well in Div. II . They have gone from having playoff teams in div. II to 6 and 5 records in Div.1 FCS. They have about 15,000 students. I don't see how they can get cash to play the big game. Just my opinion.

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Rumor is that the A&M system is trying to push enrollment past 25,000 there and at their Ft Worth campus. Think Aggieland North.

UTExan said:

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Aggie2 said:

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Tarleton should have stayed in div II. They have a coach that keeps pushing for increased participation that I believe is only for his benefit. These schools need to consider the changes brought about by NIL. Tarleton competed very well in Div. II . They have gone from having playoff teams in div. II to 6 and 5 records in Div.1 FCS. They have about 15,000 students. I don't see how they can get cash to play the big game. Just my opinion.

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Rumor is that the A&M system is trying to push enrollment past 25,000 there and at their Ft Worth campus. Think Aggieland North.

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I believe you are correct. A&M completely rebuilt the campus.

Press release from Nov 10, 2021

"New Texas A&M System Center Eyed For Downtown Fort Worth
The hub for collaboration with industry would rise alongside a new law school building.
By Texas A&M University System Communications Staff
NOVEMBER 10, 2021

Fort Worth government and business leaders and Texas A&M University System officials are working together on plans to build a new downtown research campus to spur innovation and business development.

The shared vision is to create a hub for collaboration between key Fort Worth industries and top research, education and workforce training assets of the Texas A&M System. The shared goal is to spur business and job growth in one of the nation's fastest growing cities and throughout North Texas.

The Texas A&M System Research and Innovation Center would be constructed alongside a new Education Alliance Building, which would host conferences and house professional, technical and university courses offered by the Texas A&M School of Law, Tarleton State University, Texas A&M University, the Texas A&M Health Science Center and other alliance members.

The innovation center and new education building would form the nucleus of a new urban campus along with a new, state-of-the art Law School at 1515 Commerce Street. The buildings would be constructed in phases beginning with the Research and Innovation Center. To download an artist's renderings of the proposed buildings, please go to https://www.tamus.edu/ft-worth/

"The A&M System is making a Texas-sized commitment to Fort Worth," Chancellor John Sharp said. "Welcome to Aggieland North."

Note the site asserts a 2022 Texas A&M University Copyright so I'm only citing what I believe was intended as public information and only a portion of the release. Please be considerate of the University's intellectual property and the necessity of demonstrating due diligence in protecting it. I believe this falls under fair use.

https://today.tamu.edu/2021/11/10/new-texas-am-system-center-eyed-for-downtown-fort-worth/

Aggie2 said:

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UTExan said:

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Aggie2 said:

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Tarleton should have stayed in div II. They have a coach that keeps pushing for increased participation that I believe is only for his benefit. These schools need to consider the changes brought about by NIL. Tarleton competed very well in Div. II . They have gone from having playoff teams in div. II to 6 and 5 records in Div.1 FCS. They have about 15,000 students. I don't see how they can get cash to play the big game. Just my opinion.

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Rumor is that the A&M system is trying to push enrollment past 25,000 there and at their Ft Worth campus. Think Aggieland North.

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I believe you are correct. A&M completely rebuilt the campus.

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To clarify: Texas A&M University's Fort Worth campus - "Aggieland North" - and Tarleton's Fort Worth campus are two different things.

this is one of the reasons you will see a new "Super division" within the next decade for college football.

The push is directly from the mothership. TAMU- Commerce just started their first year in FCS. West Texas A&M with all of the facility upgrades has been and will continue to be courted by FCS conferences. TAMU System is trying to increase visibility of the brand and raise enrollments at all campuses. The statement that Tarleton has a coach pushing this is inaccurate. The AD has been pushing this for 15 years and he was formerly the head basketball coach. The new president has come in and put the pedal to the metal on facility upgrades and etc for the FBS push. $70 Million for a new convocation/event center..... demoed and currently rebuilding baseball and softball stands/pressbox/dugouts etc., and the newly added (ugly) seating at the north of the football field and took out the track to make them a stand alone facility. Mothership wants what the mothership wants.

It is an arms race.

Sips have been investing in UTSA, UTD, and UTA in an attempt to get AAU status for one of them.

When you look at Systems per Wiki:
Sips: 167,028 undergrads, 240,000 overall
A&M 153,000 students


Schools:
UTAustin: 51,525
UTA: 41,933 <- only school without FBS football
UTSA: 34,742
UTRGV: 29,619
UTEP: 25,078

A&M: 58,515 <- only school FBS football
Tarleton: 13,176
A&M Commerce: 12,302
A&M CC: 12,174

A&M should have done more luring SFA. The Sips system has schools in suburban areas around large population centers. A&M has mostly rural college campuses.

A&M is positioned to give a better college experience, but has to do a better job with satellite schools. Tarleton is a great investment. Lots going on there.

Commerce is a crap hole. They opened a branch in Dallas (75/635) for business school. The main lurre of Commerce is their teaching program. Lots of Grad students that are teachers working on their Masters.

A&M really needs more viability in the satellite schools. Living in DFW, I can tell you UTA and UTD are solid options for commuters looking for a great education. Both are STEM schools.

IMO, A&M treats Commerce and CC as feeder schools to the main campus. We visited Commerce a few years ago and Whitley is literally falling apart and the paved parking lots looked like they were in a California earthquake scene.

UTExan said:

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Aggie2 said:

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Tarleton should have stayed in div II. They have a coach that keeps pushing for increased participation that I believe is only for his benefit. These schools need to consider the changes brought about by NIL. Tarleton competed very well in Div. II . They have gone from having playoff teams in div. II to 6 and 5 records in Div.1 FCS. They have about 15,000 students. I don't see how they can get cash to play the big game. Just my opinion.

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Rumor is that the A&M system is trying to push enrollment past 25,000 there and at their Ft Worth campus. Think Aggieland North.

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Also 'rumored' is a name change to something like 'North Texas A&M University-Stephenville/Fort Worth', with all athletics to remain in Stephenville. Tarleton has recently expanded the football stadium to over 20,000, is currently rebuilding the baseball and softball stadiums, and has a new basketball/event center in the works.

Legislative order approved years ago does not allow a name change like that. It must have Tarleton in the name. Will never be A&M-Stephenville

NO name change. Part of the agreement when Tarleton joined the system was that its name would remain unique.

jmfshr said:

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UTExan said:

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Aggie2 said:

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Tarleton should have stayed in div II. They have a coach that keeps pushing for increased participation that I believe is only for his benefit. These schools need to consider the changes brought about by NIL. Tarleton competed very well in Div. II . They have gone from having playoff teams in div. II to 6 and 5 records in Div.1 FCS. They have about 15,000 students. I don't see how they can get cash to play the big game. Just my opinion.

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Rumor is that the A&M system is trying to push enrollment past 25,000 there and at their Ft Worth campus. Think Aggieland North.

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Also 'rumored' is a name change to something like 'North Texas A&M University-Stephenville/Fort Worth'

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Name change wont happen

jmfshr said:

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UTExan said:

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Aggie2 said:

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Tarleton should have stayed in div II. They have a coach that keeps pushing for increased participation that I believe is only for his benefit. These schools need to consider the changes brought about by NIL. Tarleton competed very well in Div. II . They have gone from having playoff teams in div. II to 6 and 5 records in Div.1 FCS. They have about 15,000 students. I don't see how they can get cash to play the big game. Just my opinion.

---

Rumor is that the A&M system is trying to push enrollment past 25,000 there and at their Ft Worth campus. Think Aggieland North.

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Also 'rumored' is a name change to something like 'North Texas A&M University-Stephenville/Fort Worth', with all athletics to remain in Stephenville. Tarleton has recently expanded the football stadium to over 20,000, is currently rebuilding the baseball and softball stadiums, and has a new basketball/event center in the works.

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And best of all ... they have Billy Clyde!

I know the focus here is on Tarleton, but I am quite happy EKU is involved in this.

If ever a username checked out