Sun Belt Conference Boss Sees Revenue Sharing as Potential Opt-Out Solution

The Marshall Thundering Herd’s decision to skip the Independence Bowl last December didn’t just impact the football team.

It impacted the Sun Belt Conference, too.

The Thundering Herd, which are members of the SBC, opted out of the bowl game after their head coach, Charles Huff, took a job at Southern Miss right after the regular season ended. With that, his Marshall players got a 30-day window to opt into the transfer portal and many did. In fact, many of them followed Huff to the Golden Eagles.

Marshall didn’t have enough players for the game, so it opted out of the invitation. Louisiana Tech replaced the Thundering Herd. The decision cost Marshall a $100,000 fine from the SBC. But it cost the SBC $1 million in bowl payout money. That money is distributed to the league’s members and is part of the spoils of making a bowl game.