regional conferences

mgfan · June 16, 2016

AAC makes the most sense. That is where we need to be shooting for, and stop using SMU as an excuse. Win and win continuously.

Edited June 16, 2016 by mgfan

Cerebus · June 16, 2016

7 minutes ago, mgfan said:

ACC makes the most sense. That is where we need to be shooting for, and stop using SMU as an excuse. Win and win continuously.

Finally we can rekindle our rivalry with those hated fake Eagles of Boston College.

TreeFiddy · June 16, 2016

Likely headed to both a P4 and G4.

No real reason to have 3 conferences that overlap in the mid-south, south east, and north east. Two G5 conferences can effectively cover that area. The way to keep the money up where it needs to be is fewer teams. Lower supply to increase demand (TV) and CFP distribution money.

Edited June 16, 2016 by TreeFiddy

Cerebus · June 16, 2016

5 minutes ago, TreeFiddy said:

No real reason to have 3 conferences that overlap in the mid-south, south east, and north east. Two G5 conferences can effectively cover that area. The way to keep the money up where it needs to be to be sustainable is fewer teams. Lower supply to increase demand (TV) and CFP distribution money.

CFP payout is per team, and capped at 10. Every team you add over 10 just dilutes the payout per team. Merging into larger conferences is exactly the opposite of what the G5 want to do.

TreeFiddy · June 16, 2016

7 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

CFP payout is per team, and capped at 10. Every team you add over 10 just dilutes the payout per team. Merging into larger conferences is exactly the opposite of what the G5 want to do.

I should have been more explicit. Fewer G5 teams and fewer conferences. Think about scenario of 40 G5 teams, maybe a few more spread across 4 conferences.

If the current magic number is $50M/50 teams, then think in terms of 50 teams, not 65 or whatever we currently have. And some of the 50 will likely come from current P5 members.

Edited June 16, 2016 by TreeFiddy

Side Show Joe · June 16, 2016

20 hours ago, Cerebus said:

Updated:

If we were to reform I'd prefer this combination.

Big Gulf Conference

North Texas

Rice

UTEP

UTSA

LA Tech

Southern Miss

UAB

South Alabama

I think it would be fine with 8 teams, but if most wanted 10 for a title game, then I'd structure it like this.

Big Gulf Conference

Texas Division

North Texas

Rice

UTEP

UTSA

Texas State

Old South Division

LA Tech

Southern Miss

UAB

South Alabama

Arkansas State

I think either set up would be a nice competitive conference for football and basketball. Great regional divisions, but not too regional as a conference.

UNTLifer · June 16, 2016

2 minutes ago, Side Show Joe said:

If we were to reform I'd prefer this combination.

Big Gulf Conference

North Texas

Rice

UTEP

UTSA

LA Tech

Southern Miss

UAB

South Alabama

I think it would be fine with 8 teams, but if most wanted 10 for a title game, then I'd structure it like this.

Big Gulf Conference

Texas Division

North Texas

Rice

UTEP

UTSA

Texas State

Old South Division

LA Tech

Southern Miss

UAB

South Alabama

Arkansas State

I think either set up would be a nice competitive conference for football and basketball. Great regional divisions, but not too regional as a conference.

Give me ULL over South Alabama and TSU-SM.

Side Show Joe · June 16, 2016

Just now, UNTLifer said:

Give me ULL over South Alabama and TSU-SM.

LA Tech would throw a fit if ULL were included in this conference. Just like UTEP would if NMSU was added. Also, I don't like the ULL fans, They get all bent out of shape over there name. South Alabama has a good program. Adding them would please the other eastern teams like Southern Miss and UAB.

UNTLifer · June 16, 2016

But that is about all you can complain about regarding ULL fans. Overall, they are a fun group and it is a great road trip.

Ahhh, the Dog Days of Summer are upon us where conference realignment talk gets us through June, helmet stickers gets us through the first week or two of July and then new uniform talk leads us up to the start of August practices.

TreeFiddy · June 16, 2016

Just now, Side Show Joe said:

LA Tech would throw a fit if ULL were included in this conference. Just like UTEP would if NMSU was added. Also, I don't like the ULL fans, They get all bent out of shape over there name. South Alabama has a good program. Adding them would please the other eastern teams like Southern Miss and UAB.

Hah!

MeanGreen_MBA · June 16, 2016

the season cannot get here fast enough!!!!

untjim1995 · June 16, 2016

1 hour ago, Cerebus said:

Finally we can rekindle our rivalry with those hated fake Eagles of Boston College.

I know that when BC comes here this September, things are gonna get real in Denton...oh wait...

mgfan · June 16, 2016

7 hours ago, UNTLifer said:

Give me ULL over South Alabama and TSU-SM.

Give me neither. Why the hell would we want to be with more Sun Belts teams? Does this board or UNT fans in genreal have any aspirations? I know it is the off season, but good God.... South Alabama?!

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · June 16, 2016

On 6/15/2016 at 10:07 AM, MeanGreenMailbox said:

I think it's going to be a necessity in the future to G5s to do that...and by G5s, I mean every G5 conference not named MWC, AAC, and MAC.

So, yes...I really think Sun Belt and C-USA need to sack up, look in the mirror and admit what they are, and rearrange accordingly.

Let me just say this, I don't give a flying f*ck what any of the colleges East of the Lousiana-Mississippi state line do.

If and when the Sun Belt and C-USA admit to what they are, then decide to rearrange in some regionally sane fashion, here's all I want to see for us:

OUR NEW, FINAL F*CK ALL COLLEGES EAST OF THE LOUISIANA-MISSISSIPPI STATE LINE CONFERENCE (Or, the FACE-LMSL Conference)
Arkansas State
Louisiana
Louisiana Tech
North Texas
New Mexico State (for the sake of having a school close to UTEP)
Rice
Texas State
ULM
UTEP
UTSA

If Lousiana Tech wets their bed over Lousiana and ULM, just replace them with Abilene Christian and their new stadium.

"But, Mailbox...that conference sucks!"

NEWSFLASH: We missed the boat when it left the shore three decades ago, so any configuration you make is going to suck. Deal with it. Should have given the school a dollar every time they you bitched and complained about the athletic department. Then, we'd be the richest athletic department in America.

mgfan · June 17, 2016

What is the benefit of regional teams? Maybe some of you forgot orweren't around for the sunbelt. Nobody and I mean Nobody cares about those the teams. Most people have no idea who they are.

Adding more teams and becoming more "regional" would cut into the tv revenue even more. Sorry ESPN, who is losing subscribers, isn't waiting on pins and needles to sign teams like TX state and S. Alabama, or any other sun belt team.

If we're are going to become more regional, then look at getting in a conference with smu, tulsa..... Not TX State.These regional conferences aren't a given, something that has to happen, or should happen.

Aquila_Viridis · June 17, 2016

We don't need to do any different conference. We should go full in on the higher student fee concept. It is our opportunity to differentiate, because we ARE different. UTEP for example has all of 13,000 full-time undergrads, to our 24,000. Another $12 million a year will make us a consistent winner in this conference. Some students will complain, but others will take their place. And they are all borrowing so much for other charges with no idea what those are going to, that the complaint about athletic fee would be hollow. Yes our total subsidy will be bigger than most everyone else, but WE are bigger (a lot) than most everyone else. That seems to be routinely forgotten.

untjim1995 · June 17, 2016

5 hours ago, mgfan said:

What is the benefit of regional teams? Maybe some of you forgot orweren't around for the sunbelt. Nobody and I mean Nobody cares about those the teams. Most people have no idea who they are.

Adding more teams and becoming more "regional" would cut into the tv revenue even more. Sorry ESPN, who is losing subscribers, isn't waiting on pins and needles to sign teams like TX state and S. Alabama, or any other sun belt team.

If we're are going to become more regional, then look at getting in a conference with smu, tulsa..... Not TX State.These regional conferences aren't a given, something that has to happen, or should happen.

And how exactly are you going to get our program to move upward to the collection you are talking about? Because it's pretty obvious that we are blocked in that regard. The AAC ain't calling on us because they already have this market. The MWC doesn't have this market, but they are waiting to see what happens with the Big 12 and looking at getting TCU back, as well as Baylor and or Tech. If none of them, there are already rumors of UTEP and Rice being members out west with them.

TFLF/HFS/Mailbox is right. That ship sailed off a long time ago--we weren't even near the loading dock when it left. Athletics here is only FBS still because of that student fee. The alumni don't give enough to athletics to change this. If that fee ever goes away, this goose is completely cooked.

The regional conference is the way forward for those of us who have been left behind in the lower echelon of the G5s. We can compete more on a level playing field and play teams that are more well-regarded than we did when the I-aa fiasco occurred in the early 80s. We all may want to believe we should be in a conference with old SWC teams, not named Rice, but nothing suggests we will ever be given that chance--ever...

forevereagle · June 17, 2016

13 hours ago, mgfan said:

What is the benefit of regional teams? Maybe some of you forgot orweren't around for the sunbelt. Nobody and I mean Nobody cares about those the teams. Most people have no idea who they are.

What team in the Sun Belt with us was regional? The closest school was in a different state. The benefit of regional is lower costs in all sports. ESPN is already no that interested in our games, so why wouldn't we lower our costs since they don't want to pay to broadcast us either way?

mgfan · June 17, 2016

9 minutes ago, forevereagle said:

What team in the Sun Belt with us was regional? The closest school was in a different state. The benefit of regional is lower costs in all sports. ESPN is already no that interested in our games, so why wouldn't we lower our costs since they don't want to pay to broadcast us either way?

The solution isn't lowering the cost by moving to regional teams in the sunbelt. The solution is moving up in a conference. I.e. the AAC

forevereagle · June 17, 2016

7 minutes ago, mgfan said:

The solution isn't lowering the cost by moving to regional teams in the sunbelt. The solution is moving up in a conference. I.e. the AAC

Is that realistic right now? Are they just going to let us in because we wish really hard? That is absolutely the goal, but before that happens, we should be looking for ways to make the best of our situation.

southsideguy · June 17, 2016

10 hours ago, Aquila_Viridis said:

We don't need to do any different conference. We should go full in on the higher student fee concept. It is our opportunity to differentiate, because we ARE different. UTEP for example has all of 13,000 full-time undergrads, to our 24,000. Another $12 million a year will make us a consistent winner in this conference. Some students will complain, but others will take their place. And they are all borrowing so much for other charges with no idea what those are going to, that the complaint about athletic fee would be hollow. Yes our total subsidy will be bigger than most everyone else, but WE are bigger (a lot) than most everyone else. That seems to be routinely forgotten.

if they don't like they can go to UTA

MeanGreenMailbox aka TFLF · June 17, 2016

7 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

And how exactly are you going to get our program to move upward to the collection you are talking about? Because it's pretty obvious that we are blocked in that regard. The AAC ain't calling on us because they already have this market. The MWC doesn't have this market, but they are waiting to see what happens with the Big 12 and looking at getting TCU back, as well as Baylor and or Tech. If none of them, there are already rumors of UTEP and Rice being members out west with them.

TFLF/HFS/Mailbox is right. That ship sailed off a long time ago--we weren't even near the loading dock when it left. Athletics here is only FBS still because of that student fee. The alumni don't give enough to athletics to change this. If that fee ever goes away, this goose is completely cooked.

The regional conference is the way forward for those of us who have been left behind in the lower echelon of the G5s. We can compete more on a level playing field and play teams that are more well-regarded than we did when the I-aa fiasco occurred in the early 80s. We all may want to believe we should be in a conference with old SWC teams, not named Rice, but nothing suggests we will ever be given that chance--ever...

This, and it's simply dream time to think that anyone in the AAC is going to either come down us us or give us a hand up. It's simply not going to happen. Anyone think Tulsa or SMU wants us to be competitive with them? It's the last thing they want because we have better facilities.

ESPN/Cable dying...what difference does it make? We were never on that gravy train anyway.

mgfan · June 17, 2016

You think it is hard to get people to games against LATECH? No one comes to games against ULL. I fail to see why we need to merge with the sunbelt. It offers no benefit besides being "regional" with teams no one cares about. Yes, the AAC already has this market, when we start winning they can saturate this market. I will never want to be with the sunbelt teams.....That regional concept worked out well for the WAC with a bunch of no names.

WE MUST IMPROVE OUR BRAND, and the merging with the sunbelt is a move backward. Look up not down.

40 minutes ago, MeanGreenMailbox said:

This, and it's simply dream time to think that anyone in the AAC is going to either come down us us or give us a hand up. It's simply not going to happen. Anyone think Tulsa or SMU wants us to be competitive with them? It's the last thing they want because we have better facilities.

ESPN/Cable dying...what difference does it make? We were never on that gravy train anyway.

AAC (cusa) already considered us before they took UTEP because of facilities. We start winning and filling our stadium people will notice. Look at tcu, boise, byu etc.

Cerebus · June 17, 2016

The benefit to regional is that it builds rivalries because you bump into graduates/fans of those other programs. If the programs those close they bring in fans to the away games and there really is no worst feeling that seeing a bunch of visiting fans celebrating a win in your house. This is why we hate UTSA. Also because they are all bad people. And because a UTSA 10 is a NT 4.

I've never met a single graduate of FIU. I don't even know if anyone actually graduates from SDSU. Why do we want to be in a conference with them? I work with a ULL grad. My brother married a TexSt grad. Those connections build rivalries.

4 minutes ago, mgfan said:

WE MUST IMPROVE OUR BRAND, and the merging with the sunbelt is a move backward. Look up not down.

You improve your brand by winning. There is no G5 conference that would fix our problems. No one is going to show up because SDSU rolls into town, and we have already seen what UNLV would bring. Win games. WIIIN.

Make fun of LaTech and ULL but they always brought in some travelling fans. Win. Play teams that have alumni in the area so we can hassle each other over the water cooler. But mainly WIN.

mgfan · June 17, 2016

4 minutes ago, Cerebus said:

The benefit to regional is that it builds rivalries because you bump into graduates/fans of those other programs. If the programs those close they bring in fans to the away games and there really is no worst feeling that seeing a bunch of visiting fans celebrating a win in your house. This is why we hate UTSA. Also because they are all bad people. And because a UTSA 10 is a NT 4.

I've never met a single graduate of FIU. I don't even know if anyone actually graduates from SDSU. Why do we want to be in a conference with them? I work with a ULL grad. My brother married a TexSt grad. Those connections build rivalries.

The sunbelt never brought fans. EVER. They don't travel. You want teams just because they are close? You keep hoping for the sunbelt (where we were), I'll hope for something a little better. We have to agree to disagree.

Edited June 17, 2016 by mgfan