We Are Headed For A Confrontation

Today CUSA released the 2022 schedule and it includes Marshall, Southern Miss, and Old Dominion. After, CUSA's Board of Directors sent the following statement:

“Conference USA intends to conduct the 2022-23 athletic year with the full 14 institution membership intact. The C-USA Board of Directors will exhaust all necessary legal actions to ensure all members meet their contractual obligations as defined by and agreed to in the Conference USA Bylaws.”

This is, as they say, a line in the sand. For their part, the departing Sun Belt members referred to their "Friday statement" which is to say they still intend to leave this summer. We are at an impasse. The league has no security force to make the three teams play let alone do anything. However, they have the bylaws and contracts signed. In this country, that means the threat of expensive litigation. The various universities have to gauge their willingness to fight and their likelihood of winning a battle waged in the court room.

Given that scenario, the result is probably that the Belt teams leave, but pay some damages over time.