I don't know how many of you spend time on the C-USA board, but I do, and it's commonly pointed out that C-USA is the worst of the FBS conferences. The days of Houston and UCF are gone. Conference USA is now the Sun Belt 2.0 and the new Sun Belt is actually a higher rated conference by most analyses.
I am happy to play other Texas schools as much as anyone, but when those Texas schools are UT offspring schools (UTSA and UTEP) it just gives off a very small-time vibe and Rice just isn't committed to a winning football program. I'd much rather be in a stronger conference whose name actually commands some respect from causal fans. C-USA is a doormat conference and I know that we haven't even won it yet, which also makes us a doormat, but if we're talking about bettering our athletics programs, the Mountain West is a big step in the right direction. Away attendance is a small factor, in my opinion.
For those advocating C-USA over the Mountain West, is C-USA the conference we want to be associated with? It can be argued whether or not the Orlando Sentinel and other publications are accurate in their predictions and evaluations, but the point is, this is how our conference is perceived, and perception is extremely important. Is this the best we can hope for?
Average Orlando Sentinel Countdown Ratings Per Conference (As of 7/3/2019)
SEC 32.21
PAC-12 42.33
B1G 46.04
BIG-12 47.20
ACC 48.32
AAC 71.09
MWC 79.62
SBC 93.05
MAC 98.33
C-USA 99.64