UNT Fan C-USA Perception Poll

Harry · June 23, 2017

So now, after four years in Conference USA what are your thoughts of the conference?

BTG_Fan1 · June 23, 2017

UNT needs to keep improving facilities and improve the winning %. Doing that will make UNT acctractive to other conferences that are looking to expand.

Being in a Top 5/10 market in th nation is huge for UNT, with it being the largest school in DFW as well. Being a Tier 1 also will help in terms of being attractive to conferences and academics.

untjim1995 · June 23, 2017

What conference are we gonna go up to? The fans don't want the MWC and the AAC is out because of SMU.

untcampbell · June 23, 2017

We are in the conference the current state of athletics, both our department and college athletics collectively, allows. Not bad for where we are as an athletic department.

It would be interesting to compare this poll to a CUSA fan poll asking if NT was a good add to the conference. In our current state, we bring a few things: location, guaranteed hoop wins (past tense) and competitive Olympic sports, etc. Overall, I think we were good for the conference and it was good for us.

Aspiring to be elsewhere is good. Earn it.

GMG

BTG_Fan1 · June 23, 2017

45 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

What conference are we gonna go up to? The fans don't want the MWC and the AAC is out because of SMU.

No idea, if SEC was looking to expand in a few years and UNT had been winning and upgraded Facilities it would be attractive because they would bring in DFW. Pac12 could look at UNT if they had been winning and upgrading again because of DFW and they had been talking with UT/OU pairing. But UNT has the high academic that the Pac12 seems to like as well.

Yes very unlikely and UNT isn't the sexiest name compared to the potential breakup of the Big12, but I'm sure UNT would be willing to take a smaller cut to join along with the higher academic success as well. The other schools would like it as well since it allows access to DFW recruits as well, and gain it as a market for broadcasting of games.

Ben Gooding · June 23, 2017

7 hours ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

No idea, if SEC was looking to expand in a few years and UNT had been winning and upgraded Facilities it would be attractive because they would bring in DFW. Pac12 could look at UNT if they had been winning and upgrading again because of DFW and they had been talking with UT/OU pairing. But UNT has the high academic that the Pac12 seems to like as well.

Yes very unlikely and UNT isn't the sexiest name compared to the potential breakup of the Big12, but I'm sure UNT would be willing to take a smaller cut to join along with the higher academic success as well. The other schools would like it as well since it allows access to DFW recruits as well, and gain it as a market for broadcasting of games.

Man, and I talked in circles with you. As much as I would love this, this will never happen. And how in the hell can you put utsa on such a high pedestal 2 or 3 days ago, then turn around and say this. You're either trolling or credibility has left the building.

MeanGreenTexan · June 23, 2017

9 hours ago, untjim1995 said:

What conference are we gonna go up to? The fans don't want the MWC and the AAC is out because of SMU.

I voted "modest step up, especially after Tulsa, Tulane, ECU all left. But I also agree with the "needs to find a better conference" option as well.
You & I have waved the MWC flag for a while now.
Hoping Wren Baker could look past what the fans want, to see what's best for the Athletic program on a National level. Not Regional. We'll see.

RBP79 · June 23, 2017

UNT is lucky to be where they are after RV and Dan. Money seems to have loosened up for athletes but continued facilities improvement and winning is what it will take to keep moving up.

After departure of CUSA schools to AAC the move to CUSA was just luke warm....course getting ripped by Portland St was a killer for the whole athletic dept. so guess better be happy with what we got now.

MeanGreen_MBA · June 23, 2017

10 hours ago, BTG_Fan1 said:

No idea, if SEC was looking to expand in a few years and UNT had been winning and upgraded Facilities it would be attractive because they would bring in DFW. Pac12 could look at UNT if they had been winning and upgrading again because of DFW and they had been talking with UT/OU pairing. But UNT has the high academic that the Pac12 seems to like as well.

Yes very unlikely and UNT isn't the sexiest name compared to the potential breakup of the Big12, but I'm sure UNT would be willing to take a smaller cut to join along with the higher academic success as well. The other schools would like it as well since it allows access to DFW recruits as well, and gain it as a market for broadcasting of games.

I like your thinking.....

UNTLifer · June 23, 2017

2 hours ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I voted "modest step up, especially after Tulsa, Tulane, ECU all left. But I also agree with the "needs to find a better conference" option as well.
You & I have waved the MWC flag for a while now.
Hoping Wren Baker could look past what the fans want, to see what's best for the Athletic program on a National level. Not Regional. We'll see.

Then the AAC is the place to look.

MeanGreenTexan · June 23, 2017

3 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

Then the AAC is the place to look.

I'm fine with that, but the AAC already has a big Texas footprint. They likely would not look to expand here, unless they looked at the birds who dont fly in SA... and wouldn't that just chap everyone's butt around here?

Sometimes the road is long and winding, like TCU's. We should take that road if the opportunity presents itself.

untjim1995 · June 23, 2017

12 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

I'm fine with that, but the AAC already has a big Texas footprint. They likely would not look to expand here, unless they looked at the birds who dont fly in SA... and wouldn't that just chap everyone's butt around here?

Sometimes the road is long and winding, like TCU's. We should take that road if the opportunity presents itself.

People who believe we will ever be in a conference with SMU make me laugh...naiveté lives!!

Our fan base wants what they cannot have--to be included in a conference with the local SWC teams...these schools have made it completely clear that they have ZERO interest in this and have always had influence over that decision with their conferences. History is a real bitch for those who want to believe we will ever be in a conference with SMU or TCU.

I'd love it if the MWC ever wanted us, which they have never shown to be interested in us, but if they did, the first thing we would hear would be "Big West again? No WAY!!!" and that would end it, as the BOR would hear how much it would cost to travel out west and combine it with the bitching of the fan base, and it would be CUSA still for us.

Ben Gooding · June 23, 2017

12 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

People who believe we will ever be in a conference with SMU make me laugh...naiveté lives!!

Our fan base wants what they cannot have--to be included in a conference with the local SWC teams...these schools have made it completely clear that they have ZERO interest in this and have always had influence over that decision with their conferences. History is a real bitch for those who want to believe we will ever be in a conference with SMU or TCU.

I'd love it if the MWC ever wanted us, which they have never shown to be interested in us, but if they did, the first thing we would hear would be "Big West again? No WAY!!!" and that would end it, as the BOR would hear how much it would cost to travel out west and combine it with the bitching of the fan base, and it would be CUSA still for us.

It doesn't matter what they think. If we worry about ourselves and position ourselves into some kind of relevance, whatever conference these two are affiliated with at the time will not care what they think either. Our destiny is up to us, not tcu and sure as shit not smug.

oldguystudent · June 23, 2017

23 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

the first thing we would hear would be "Big West again? No WAY!!!" and that would end it, as the BOR would hear how much it would cost to travel out west and combine it with the bitching of the fan base, and it would be CUSA still for us.

You probably have a point on travel, but looking up the 1998 Big West football standings, current members of MWC who were in Big West then are Nevada, Boise, and Utah St. The rest of the MWC was more or less in the WAC back then before Karl Benson blew it up the first time.

Crikey! Looking up UNT's schedule that year, six OOC games, four of them on the road. We played Oklahoma, Texas Tech, Arizona St, A&M, Houston, and Kansas! The whole damn season was a body bag game!

Edited June 23, 2017 by oldguystudent

UNTLifer · June 23, 2017

I would much rather be in a central to east conference rather than a western based conference. Plus, I don't think SMU has the pull in the AAC that they had in the SWC. It is not about being in a conference with them, I don't want to, but it is about being in a conference that is better for us, our fans, media coverage, etc... It ain't out west unless it were the PAC12.

untjim1995 · June 23, 2017

2 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

I would much rather be in a central to east conference rather than a western based conference. Plus, I don't think SMU has the pull in the AAC that they had in the SWC. It is not about being in a conference with them, I don't want to, but it is about being in a conference that is better for us, our fans, media coverage, etc... It ain't out west unless it were the PAC12.

See what I mean @MeanGreenTexan...

MeanGreenTexan · June 23, 2017

3 minutes ago, UNTLifer said:

I would much rather be in a central to east conference rather than a western based conference. Plus, I don't think SMU has the pull in the AAC that they had in the SWC. It is not about being in a conference with them, I don't want to, but it is about being in a conference that is better for us, our fans, media coverage, etc... It ain't out west unless it were the PAC12.

Of course.
Stay in C-USA? Or take a MWC invite if it were to come? What do you do?
AAC not in the cards for UNT right now unless Seth just kills it for the next 2 years.

UNTLifer · June 23, 2017

51 minutes ago, untjim1995 said:

People who believe we will ever be in a conference with SMU make me laugh...naiveté lives!!

Our fan base wants what they cannot have--to be included in a conference with the local SWC teams...these schools have made it completely clear that they have ZERO interest in this and have always had influence over that decision with their conferences. History is a real bitch for those who want to believe we will ever be in a conference with SMU or TCU.

I'd love it if the MWC ever wanted us, which they have never shown to be interested in us, but if they did, the first thing we would hear would be "Big West again? No WAY!!!" and that would end it, as the BOR would hear how much it would cost to travel out west and combine it with the bitching of the fan base, and it would be CUSA still for us.

Well, your comment related to two things.

One, wanting to be in a conference with SMU, who I do not. I also do not believe they have the pull in the AAC to block us if we were ever invited.

Two, wanting to be included with local SWC teams. It has nothing to do with this and everything to do with media coverage, time of games, etc... Nobody in the DFW market follows the MWC. I would just rather be linked to the likes of Navy, Tulsa, Memphis, Houston, SMU, Tulane, Temple, UCF, USF, Cincinnati, East Carolina, and UConn. It would also rekindle some old MVC rivalries.

Edited June 23, 2017 by UNTLifer

oldguystudent · June 23, 2017

Take this article with a grain of salt if you wish, but it's what comes up when I google CUSA exit fees. Not cheap. They're claiming about $5.6 million as of 2016.

Link

BTG_Fan1 · June 23, 2017

4 minutes ago, oldguystudent said:

Take this article with a grain of salt if you wish, but it's what comes up when I google CUSA exit fees. Not cheap. They're claiming about $5.6 million as of 2016.

Link

UNT wouldn't be leaving for 3/4 more years at best. Also bigger conferences would have no problem coming up with that.

oldguystudent · June 23, 2017

Just now, BTG_Fan1 said:

UNT wouldn't be leaving for 3/4 more years at best. Also bigger conferences would have no problem coming up with that.

So the conference you're entering picks up the tab for the conference you're leaving?

BTG_Fan1 · June 23, 2017

3 minutes ago, oldguystudent said:

So the conference you're entering picks up the tab for the conference you're leaving?

Believe that is what has been done in the past with TCU joining the Big12, and the Pac12 paying for Colorado and Nebraska.

MeanGreenTexan · June 23, 2017

10 minutes ago, oldguystudent said:

So the conference you're entering picks up the tab for the conference you're leaving?

Oh heck no. That has to come out of Ernie's pocket. And, most times, when you join a new conference, you don't get a share of the pie until after a probationary year. It would be quite the investment to leave CUSA for any other conference.

BTG_Fan1 · June 23, 2017

5 hours ago, Ben Gooding said:

Man, and I talked in circles with you. As much as I would love this, this will never happen. And how in the hell can you put utsa on such a high pedestal 2 or 3 days ago, then turn around and say this. You're either trolling or credibility has left the building.

Never put them up on a pedestal. Was pointing out the factors that recruits think about. Just like how conferences would likely look at different things as well.

If you can't realize that UNT has lagged behind for decades in the AtHletic Department, while others have made steps forward you want to reconsider the titles you call me. UTSA has progressed in athletics for the past decade while we had been stuck in the mud with RV.

The education said UNT wipes the floor with UTSA because of the history of academics and the Tier 1 because UTSA just hasn't had the time, history, or investment over the years we have.

Being a top 5 media market as well is huge, and one of the reasons that Pac12 wanted Colorado when they weren't as well. It allowed the pac12 to broadcast in a major market. Yes, SA is a top 20/30 market I would think, but again DFW is a top 5.

UNT has the largest student population as well in DFW, with the one of the larger graduates rates in the state as well, so there is an alumni base here for if UNT joined a bigger conference. Also, Denton is a easier place to get to because of DFW airport as well. If UNT were to join a power conference as well it would alllow UNT to move up the list of "What to do on a Saturday List" that we lag on behind other teams in the DFW Market.

UNTLifer · June 23, 2017

58 minutes ago, MeanGreenTexan said:

Of course.
Stay in C-USA? Or take a MWC invite if it were to come? What do you do?
AAC not in the cards for UNT right now unless Seth just kills it for the next 2 years.

I would consider the MWC if they placed us in the Mountain Division and made adjustments to the game times.