UTEP and Rice flirting with Mountain West

Coach Bill Lewis · December 11, 2015

http://mweb.cbssports.com/ncaaf/writer/d...-expansion

Harry · December 11, 2015

Would hate to see them go but what are you going to do. I can see UTEP but don't get Rice. The bigger issue is it opens the door to Texas for the Mountain West.

Edited December 11, 2015 by Harry

untjim1995 · December 11, 2015

It would horrible to us if we lost both schools. It would give two more teams an implied leg up on us in recruiting by being in a better conference, not to mention that the Eastern CUSA schools may not want to replace them with another school in Texas. Adding Arkansas State and ULL would be acceptable, but nobody in DFW cares about them, at least compared to Rice and UTEP.

It would be a very bad day if this occurs.

Cr1028 · December 11, 2015

It would be a mistake for Rice.

DeepGreen · December 11, 2015

Not good at all. If UTEP and Rice leave for the Mountain West, look for Southern Miss and Marshall to move/be invited to join the American Athletic Conference. That will essentially leave CUSA and the Sun Belt with the latest FBS upstarts and teams like UNT that couldn't make the cut for whatever reason. CUSA and the SBC will no longer be a factor. We will be treated like a cancer. More than the two conferences are already. What a shame.

Travis · December 11, 2015

It would be bad if we didn't go with them if there was a move. My anger toward RV would be at an all time high-if that was even possible.

MDH · December 11, 2015

Not good at all. If UTEP and Rice leave for the Mountain West, look for Southern Miss and Marshall to move/be invited to join the American Athletic Conference. That will essentially leave CUSA and the Sun Belt with the latest FBS upstarts and teams like UNT that couldn't make the cut for whatever reason. CUSA and the SBC will no longer be a factor. We will be treated like a cancer. More than the two conferences are already. What a shame.

Why would AAC want to add them? It's not going to grow their revenue or improve their image. MWC can at least gain the El Paso and Houston markets in their next media deal. More mouths to feed isn't something a conference wants.

UNTFan23 · December 11, 2015

Why would AAC want to add them? It's not going to grow their revenue or improve their image. MWC can at least gain the El Paso and Houston markets in their next media deal. More mouths to feed isn't something a conference wants.

Other than playing a couple old conference mates from the now defunct WAC, why would they want to send all their teams west?

ColoradoEagle · December 11, 2015

Other than playing a couple old conference mates from the now defunct WAC, why would they want to send all their teams west?

They wouldn't. Rice has never been in a conference without at least three schools from Texas/Oklahoma/Louisiana, and while UTEP is Texas, it isn't Texas. They'd be cutting off their fans/alums in DFW, Oklahoma, and Louisiana to be in the same division as schools in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. I don't see it happening. It's CUSA, AAC, or bust for them.

untjim1995 · December 11, 2015

Why would AAC want to add them? It's not going to grow their revenue or improve their image. MWC can at least gain the El Paso and Houston markets in their next media deal. More mouths to feed isn't something a conference wants.

Exactly--teams like Marshall, Southern Miss, La Tech, and Western Kentucky are sort of stuck. They are good, even known nationally. But they have no TV market to bring to the table, so unless they move with some big TV markets at the same time, it just isn't going to happen. Schools with large metro areas will be the G5s that move upward on the conference totem pole.

Unfortunately for us, SMU blocks us from the AAC and the majority of the fanbase would rather us stay in SBC 2.0 because they might stay up for an extra two hours one time a year. If UH ever moves up, Rice will take their place, for sure, because of SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa backing them. But the MWC might be greasing up the skids to get UTEP by talking to another Texas school, in Rice, knowing in the back of their minds that UTEP might be willing to move if another acceptable alternative, like UTSA, moved with them, instead. That wouldn't surprise me, either.

Cr1028 · December 11, 2015

Denton to Colorado Springs - 645 miles

Denton to Albuquerque - 608 miles

Denton to Logan - 1268 miles

Denton to Boise - 1575 miles

Denton to Ft Collins - 818 miles

Denton to Laramie - 884 miles

Avg trip - 966 miles

vs.

Denton to Hattiesburg - 528 miles

Denton to Ruston - 291 miles

Denton to San Antonio - 308 miles

Denton to Houston - 279 miles

Denton to El Paso - 638 miles

Avg trip - 408 miles

We should never, never, never go to the MWC. Travel would be much harder on the team and it would make watching the team more difficult for our fans. Rice would be making a tremendous mistake. UTEP, I could see it making sense for them.

MDH · December 11, 2015

Other than playing a couple old conference mates from the now defunct WAC, why would they want to send all their teams west?

El Paso is much closer to MWC schools than CUSA. If referring to Rice, I agree it doesn't make sense.

MeanGreenTexan · December 11, 2015

Denton to Colorado Springs - 645 miles
Denton to Albuquerque - 608 miles
Denton to Logan - 1268 miles
Denton to Boise - 1575 miles
Denton to Ft Collins - 818 miles
Denton to Laramie - 884 miles
Avg trip - 966 miles
vs.
Denton to Hattiesburg - 528 miles
Denton to Ruston - 291 miles
Denton to San Antonio - 308 miles
Denton to Houston - 279 miles
Denton to El Paso - 638 miles
Avg trip - 408 miles
We should never, never, never go to the MWC. Travel would be much harder on the team and it would make watching the team more difficult for our fans. Rice would be making a tremendous mistake. UTEP, I could see it making sense for them.

You would need to move the Houston and El Paso trips over to the MWC side and likely take away Boise if the scenario were to materialize.

UNTLifer · December 11, 2015

How about Coach Bill Lewis title this thread to match that of the article? UTEP and Rice aren't flirting, they are being mentioned as possible replacements by the MWC. The MWC is making the noise, not those two schools.

How many Mountain West games did you watch this year? How much coverage to you see of the MWC on any of the sports shows? A western based non-P5 conference is only cared about by the people in that region.

Edited December 11, 2015 by UNTLifer

Cr1028 · December 11, 2015

How many Mountain West games did you watch this year? How much coverage to you see of the MWC on any of the sports shows? A western based non-P5 conference is only cared about by the people in that region.

Lifer nailed it.

UNT Five&Dime · December 11, 2015

It's 2015. We are in the age of the jet airplane! 550 miles is an hour.

Eagle1855 · December 11, 2015

How many Mountain West games did you watch this year? How much coverage to you see of the MWC on any of the sports shows? A western based non-P5 conference is only cared about by the people in that region.

Exactly the same as the number of C-USA gamesI watched that didn't feature UNT: ZERO. Let's not kid ourselves into believing sports shows in Dallas would talk about C-USA if UNT weren't in the conference. Same for Rice in Houston.

MWC is perceived to be a better conference than C-USA. That is why it makes sense for Rice.

MeanGreenTexan · December 11, 2015

How about Coach Bill Lewis title this thread to match that of the article? UTEP and Rice aren't flirting, they are being mentioned as possible replacements by the MWC. The MWC is making the noise, not those two schools.

How many Mountain West games did you watch this year? How much coverage to you see of the MWC on any of the sports shows? A western based non-P5 conference is only cared about by the people in that region.

I saw a lot more coverage around Boise, SDSU and Air Force than I did much of C-USA outside of WKU & Marshall.

Exactly the same as the number of C-USA gamesI watched that didn't feature UNT: ZERO. Let's not kid ourselves into believing sports shows in Dallas would talk about C-USA if UNT weren't in the conference. Same for Rice in Houston.
MWC is perceived to be a better conference than C-USA. That is why it makes sense for Rice.

And ^ this ^

ColoradoEagle · December 11, 2015

Exactly the same as the number of C-USA gamesI watched that didn't feature UNT: ZERO. Let's not kid ourselves into believing sports shows in Dallas would talk about C-USA if UNT weren't in the conference. Same for Rice in Houston.
MWC is perceived to be a better conference than C-USA. That is why it makes sense for Rice.

That's some weird logic. You didn't watch any MWC games, and the only CUSA games you watched were UNT. That would lead me to believe that if UNT was in the MWC, you'd still only watch UNT games. No one in DFW or Houston talks about MWC, but they would occasionally if one of the schools were in it. How does that make the MWC better perceived locally?

Cr1028 · December 11, 2015

That's some weird logic. You didn't watch any MWC games, and the only CUSA games you watched were UNT. That would lead me to believe that if UNT was in the MWC, you'd still only watch UNT games. No one in DFW or Houston talks about MWC, but they would occasionally if one of the schools were in it. How does that make the MWC better perceived locally?

MeanGreenTexan · December 11, 2015

That's some weird logic. You didn't watch any MWC games, and the only CUSA games you watched were UNT. That would lead me to believe that if UNT was in the MWC, you'd still only watch UNT games. No one in DFW or Houston talks about MWC, but they would occasionally if one of the schools were in it. How does that make the MWC better perceived locally?

I think that's what he's trying to say.
Because the second NT is in MWC, no DFW schools in C-USA = no one in DFW paying attention to C-USA. Same thing in Houston.
And Vice-versa: NT & Rice bring the DFW/Houston markets' interest to the MWC because it's not there currently.

MWC is perceived NATIONALLY as better than C-USA... that's just the way it is. The markets will follow their teams.

Edited December 11, 2015 by MeanGreenTexan

ColoradoEagle · December 11, 2015

Yeah, but that's a benefit to the MWC, not to Rice. If Rice were to go to the MWC with UTEP, they lose DFW/OKC and San Antonio, cheap regional travel, and a far better and closer baseball conference. The one sport they're actually good at. So what's the incentive for them to move other than forum posters who perceive the MWC as better?

Eagle1855 · December 11, 2015

That's some weird logic. You didn't watch any MWC games, and the only CUSA games you watched were UNT. That would lead me to believe that if UNT was in the MWC, you'd still only watch UNT games. No one in DFW or Houston talks about MWC, but they would occasionally if one of the schools were in it. How does that make the MWC better perceived locally?

I didn't say it would be more interesting locally. I said the conference overall is perceived to be a stronger conference. And I believe that to be the case in both football and basketball. Two separate thoughts on the same subject.

So yeah, all other things equal, I'd go with the one that has the better national profile.

But I'm sure everyone on this board has a better hold on things than the administrators at RICE...

I think the more likely scenario is Rice is willing to do a little more traveling to not be in a conference with schools like Old Dominion and the Sun Belt expats.

aztecskin · December 11, 2015

The only benefit for *us* going to MWC would be better conference prestige. This year CUSA was awful in performance. But we had a lot to do with that. We were the worst team in the nation and dragged down everyone. Rice and UTEP benefited by having us on their schedule. They didn't beat many more than us. UTEP was awful but got 5 wins against the dregs of the nation, UNT included.

So we are assuming we'd go over to MWC (or UTEP or Rice would) and benefit from better competition but not detracting from the overall quality. I don't buy it.

MeanGreenTexan · December 11, 2015

Yeah, but that's a benefit to the MWC, not to Rice. If Rice were to go to the MWC with UTEP, they lose DFW/OKC and San Antonio, cheap regional travel, and a far better and closer baseball conference. The one sport they're actually good at. So what's the incentive for them to move other than forum posters who perceive the MWC as better?

Very true. Although, I don't know how much of the DFW market Rice had. UTEP bringing a buddy over to the MWC would be good for them. UTEP bringing 2 buddies over would be even better. It would really just be up to the MWC.
I'm sure every school in the MWC would die to get the Texas schools on their schedules as AWAY games so they can recruit here... especially in the DFW/Houston areas.