Mailbag: C-USA Expansion and Fixin’s, Anderson In The Lineup and Backne

Ever since we’ve started things back up here, I’ve wanted to do a regular mailbag segment. There have been multiple times we’ve put out an…

Ever since we’ve started things back up here, I’ve wanted to do a regular mailbag segment. There have been multiple times we’ve put out an all-call for questions, but this is the first time we are actually going through with it. Hooray!

This is something that I want to do regularly, but I don’t want it to be a thing where Wednesday becomes mailbag day. If we do get to a point where they’re once a week, great! But, I’d like to do, to start, twiceish (maybe more) a month.

Okay, now that you know the housekeeping, lets get to those questions!

This is news to me — so I’m gonna say, no. No there isn’t.

There’s an old 247Sports piece (June of 2016) about Army’s previous tenure in C-USA that’s a pretty good look back on that time. And, I doubt the conference would just announce something like that out of the blue — we’d have heard rumblings.

Also, if Army enters the league that’ll make 15 teams — it’d need to balance out somewhere, somehow.

First, I’d make it easier to watch events. I’d do everything in my power to strike a deal with ESPN and make it very hard for my member institutions to go somewhere like FloFootball, where fans have to pay an outrageous amount for one game.

Along with that, if ESPN isn’t an option, I’d revamp C-USA. I’d make schools invest in the equipment and talent for every major sport and strongly urge them to field strong broadcasts for every sport. A pipe dream, I know, but visibility and reliability are key to building strong fanbases.

Second, I work to realign the league. I see if the conference can add some power in the east (Georgia Southern, App) and lose some figures in the west (UTEP). Is this the most cliche answer in the book? Yes. Is it something that’d elevate the level of the conference? It’s worth a try.

(Miner Rush, if you’re reading this, we still love you. No hard feelings?)

And finally, I work to make the football title game a neutral-site event. Now, I’m quite aware that this could fail spectacularly, but there are some cool locations around the league’s footprint that could make for a fun, or at the very least interesting, destination for a C-USA weekend.

WKU vs. Southern Miss in Chattanooga? Yes.

Marshall vs. UTSA at Legion Field? Why not!

Charlotte vs. UTEP at hahaha sorry I couldn’t get through that one.

This will be a matter if when, not if. Anderson is too talented and too big a game changer not to be a starter for the Tops.

Having said that, I don’t think we’ll see him in the starting lineup for another couple of weeks. And, really, the only time that might allow for a drastic change in the lineup like that would be Saturday in Charlotte — the schedule isn’t easy the rest of this month: ODU, Charlotte, UAB, MT, Marshall roundout the month’s schedule.

So, it might be Saturday, but it also might be that game in UTEP just so the team continues to play as well as they’ve been playing during that stretch.

As for who he’ll replace? Man, I honestly don’t know, and I’m glad I don’t have to figure it out. You’re not going to take out Darius Thompson or Taveion Hollingsworth — the former leads the team in assists and points per game while the latter is second in points per game and has the best three-point shooting percentage.

You’re not going to start with a small lineup, which means Justin Johnson and Dwight Coleby are safe.

So, by process of elimination, that leaves Lamonte Bearden out (he does play the second-fewest minutes of the starting line up, playing two and a half minutes more a night than Coleby), but he is second on the team in assists per outing and leads the team in steals per game.

I will say this however — how many times does a baseball team head into spring training with six potential starting pitchers and one guy gets injured and the problem is solved? The Tops have been very lucky health wise, but that’s always that danger that someone does go down with an injury and misses some time.

That sounds like a pickle, my friend. If it is just a little one — a blackhead that has just sprouted up or perhaps one that’s been there for a while — and it isn’t bothering you, I say leave it until nature works itself out.

However, if it’s painful or in any other way annoying, might I suggest some Netflix and Chillin’ where you can casually lean over and ask bae to take care of it for you.

Thanks for all your questions this week, and we’ll do it again soon. You can always get in touch with us on Twitter, and we can always be reached on Facebook as well.

And, finally, if you’re not apart of our new forum…well, what are you doing?! Head on over and join us!