Conference USA "will meet next week in Dallas and is expected to allow" UAB to stay in the conference following the reinstatement of its football program, according to John Talty of the BIRMINGHAM NEWS. The conference will "work to help UAB facilitate its timeline and get the football program back to the FBS-level." That process includes "meeting with NCAA officials to discuss waivers and ways UAB can expand its roster in an aggressive way." UAB AD Mark Ingram on Monday said that the school would "like to get back on the field as soon as possible, and that could be" in '16. The fans "certainly support that idea," but C-USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky "wants the school to take a judicious approach in its restart." Banowsky: "I know they want to do it expeditiously as possible, but we want to make sure it's done right" (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 6/3). Western Kentucky AD Todd Stewart said, "The only questions now center on the details of that, in terms of when do they become an FBS program again, and how quickly can they build a roster? Those questions weren’t answered today. That’s something that will be determined as we move forward, but as a whole it’s good for Conference USA to have UAB back as a football member.” In Kentucky, Zach Greenwell noted as UAB was "never placed on suspended membership status, the league’s presidents won’t have anything to vote on in regard to the Blazers when they host their annual meeting." Stewart said that there will "likely be more talk about C-USA revenue sharing ... because the conference by-laws stipulate that UAB receive a reduced revenue share until it’s once again an FBS member" (BOWLING GREEN DAILY NEWS, 6/3).
KEEPING IT CONSISTENT: In Norfolk, Ed Miller noted no league "has been more of a revolving door recently" than C-USA. For that reason alone, Old Dominion AD Wood Selig "is happy" UAB is reinstating football. Selig: "It keeps us out of that dreaded conversation of conference membership. Do we stay with 13 members? Add anybody? Quite frankly, there's nobody out there that's better than UAB. To protect the viability of Conference USA, we need to have UAB all in." Miller noted C-USA "played with 13 football members last year and will have the same" in '15, with UNC-Charlotte essentially replacing UAB. The hope was to "get to 14 this fall, but that was before UAB temporarily pulled the plug on football" (Norfolk VIRGINIAN-PILOT, 6/3). In Biloxi, Patrick Magee wrote the rest of C-USA's members "should be relieved" UAB is staying on. In a "revamped C-USA, UAB is well positioned as the centrally-located school in one of the conference's better markets." UAB should "continue to be an attractive location to hold the C-USA basketball tournament now that Memphis and Tulsa are long gone." Birmingham also is a "relatively short trip for many C-USA programs and the BJCC Arena offers a decent facility along with Bartow Arena." Finally, the inclusion of Birmingham "puts C-USA in a better position to negotiate its next TV contract" (Biloxi SUN HERALD, 6/3).
