C U S A Feelin' The $$ Pinch ?

[MeanGreen61]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dw...es.403f1e6.html

[stebo]

I replied to that article - someone brought up a new SW conference again... Here is what I think the dream new SW conference would be:

The New Southwest Conference (only teams from the Belt, the WAC, and CUSA would seriously consider this - Baylor is not leaving the Big 12 and nobody in the MWC is likely to leave) - so here is how I see it if common sense were to come together:

North Texas/SMU

Houston/Rice

UTEP/New Mexico State

La Tech/Louisiana Cajuns

Arkansas State/Tulsa

10 schools to start - everyone has a travel partner (only "stretch" would be ASU/Tulsa but everyone would be a stretch for those two).

Room for growth down the road for a championship game.

Bowls - Sun Bowl (UTEP/NMSU connection), New Orleans Bowl (La Tech/UL connection), New Bowl in Dallas at Cowboy's Stadium (maybe a bowl to tie into the Cotton Bowl).

Pretty much a dream scenario in my opinion. Makes way too much sense to ever happen. Thoughts?

[UNTflyer]

Gotta get 12 and that championship game to add legitimacy to the league. It's great when championship week rolls around and we're the only game on tv.

[Arkstfan]

The problem with 12 is that no one other than the SEC has been able to consistently sell tickets to one of those things and the loser are notorious for not selling bowl tickets.

[stebo]

Yeah, and who would be the two? I wouldn't want two schools "just to get to 12" - I could care less about 12 if we get stuck with a couple of Southland schools. 10 is fine, build it up over time and who knows - maybe it would garner some respect. What it WOULD do, fill home stadiums consistently.

[UNTflyer]

Yeah, and who would be the two? I wouldn't want two schools "just to get to 12" - I could care less about 12 if we get stuck with a couple of Southland schools. 10 is fine, build it up over time and who knows - maybe it would garner some respect. What it WOULD do, fill home stadiums consistently.

Tulane. Wouldn't a road trip to New Orleans every 2 years be nice?

As for #12, I think you either try to snag one from the Big 6 (Arkansas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State) or Texas State. Yeah, they're Southland and haven't yet played D I-A, but doesn't "Texas State" sound better than a University of Hyphen-State?

[Arkstfan]

Another problem with 12. We don't play have a ton of history between most of the schools as it is. Ten is going to mean skipping one, 12 skipping 3.

Current Sun Belt series

UNT vs. ASU 18 meetings

UNT vs FAU 5 meetings

UNT vs. FIU 4 meetings

UNT vs. ULL 13 meetings

UNT vs. ULM 25 meetings

UNT vs. MTSU 8 meetings

UNT vs. Troy 6 meetings

REST OF THE LEAGUE

ASU vs. FAU 4

ASU vs. FIU 4

ASU vs. ULL 37

ASU vs. ULM 30

ASU vs. MTSU 10

ASU vs. Troy 9

FAU vs. FIU 7

FAU vs. ULL 4

FAU vs. ULM 5

FAU vs. MTSU 6

FAU vs. Troy 6

FIU vs. ULL 6

FIU vs. ULM 5

FIU vs. MTSU 4

FIU vs. Troy 5

ULL vs. ULM 44

ULL vs. MTSU 10

ULL vs. Troy 12

ULM vs. MTSU 9

ULM vs. Troy 11

MTSU vs. Troy 16

That's only 4 series of 20 or more meetings out of 28 series and 7 with 10 or fewer after last year.

[UNTflyer]

That's only 4 series of 20 or more meetings out of 28 series and 7 with 10 or fewer after last year.

Wait... 7 times 3... carry the 1... divide by pi.... the answer is... 42!

It's OK. The concern used to be that rivalries would be diminished... since we have no rivalry, we don't have much to lose.

[VideoEagle]

This is a nice idea, but you still have a bowl problem. UTEP doesn't not bring the Sun Bowl with them. They didn't to the WAC and and don't to CUSA. The New Orleans bowl was the creation of the Sunbelt. La Tech wants nothing to do with it so they have no influence. As for a new bowl in Cowboys stadium, I actually see that happening but I don't see Jerry accepting anything other than two BCS Six teams. Otherwise it would not be, as he would say, "big time" and he would not be interested.

Then there is the little difficulty in La Tech basically saying they would never be in a conference with UL or NT. I actually think you would have an easier time getting SMU to accept being in a conference with NT than La Tech being with either of those two. The La Tech administration promised their alumni that would never happen and would have a very hard time going back on that promise.

[GrandGreen]

I agree in principle that a new SW like conference would be great. However, the most effective way to accomplish this would be to merge Western CUSA and Western Belt into two conferences. One consisting of the Western teams and the other the Eastern teams. You would retain the Belt and CUSA conferences to maintain NCAA status. Assuming that the Western conference would be the Sun Belt and the Eastern CUSA, it should be a simple procedure for the Sun Belt to change its name to anything they can agree on. The new Western conference would just have ten football playing members and could then go after additional teams like New Mexico, New Mexico State or (I hope not) Louisiana Tech.

Western Conference

UTEP

Tulsa

Houston

Rice

SMU

UNT

ULM

Ark St

UALR

New Orleans

ULL

Tulane

Eastern Conference

Marshall

East Carolina

Central Florida

UA Birmingham

Memphis

Southern Miss

MTSU

WKU

Troy

Florida Atlantic

Florida International

Southern Alabama

[GrandGreen]

This is a nice idea, but you still have a bowl problem. UTEP doesn't not bring the Sun Bowl with them. They didn't to the WAC and and don't to CUSA. The New Orleans bowl was the creation of the Sunbelt. La Tech wants nothing to do with it so they have no influence. As for a new bowl in Cowboys stadium, I actually see that happening but I don't see Jerry accepting anything other than two BCS Six teams. Otherwise it would not be, as he would say, "big time" and he would not be interested.

Then there is the little difficulty in La Tech basically saying they would never be in a conference with UL or NT. I actually think you would have an easier time getting SMU to accept being in a conference with NT than La Tech being with either of those two. The La Tech administration promised their alumni that would never happen and would have a very hard time going back on that promise.

I don't think La Tech has any problem being in a conference with UNT. In fact, that was the whole basis of the WAC offer to UNT.

[Arkstfan]

I don't think La Tech has any problem being in a conference with UNT. In fact, that was the whole basis of the WAC offer to UNT.

The WAC offered UNT and upon rejection offered ULL.

Tech's biggest problem is they really need the WAC to hit a BCS berth this year because they had bumped their budget up in part by pulling an extra $2 million over from university funds. With the state education funding cuts in Louisiana, the folks in Ruston are probably needing to cut one to two million from the athletic budget.

[stebo]

La Tech has zero problem with UL or NT - they have hatred for ULM. Basically, they feel that ULM has copied them quite a bit over the last couple of decades. They announce for IA, so does ULM... and actually, they have a point in a lot of regards. ULM is really running a shoestring budget and probably not financially equipped to be in (what is now) FBS. I went to the NT/ULM game last year and our group was remarking how the stadium is about as run down and high school as they get, despite the expanded seating installed for the old 30K seat stadium rule. Unlike the majority of the Belt, ULM has hardly improved their facilities - in fact when I was there only one scroeboard worked and it keep cutting in and out as did the entire PA System. Really, the stadium needs to be torn down and rebuilt. It is a stereotypical high school stadium where you walk under the stands to walk up a metal ramp in order to get to your seats on one side (visitors) - on the other side, it is really weird. Because they expanded it just to hit the 30K seat mark... they went up with it. So you have to walk up to the very top level before walking down to your seats. Very, very strange. The top level, like with the press boxes and stuff... then there is the open concession area... then you find your section and walk down to your seats. Have to go to the bathroom? Repeat process. Want something to eat/drink? Repeat process. Want to run out to the Grove for a beer at half time? Well, you get the point. Very strange, there are no openings in the middle of the stands. I think that you can somehow come from the bottom but I couldn't figure out how.

Their tailgating area is one of the best - The Grove. Lots of tailgaters but many do not come in for the games. The big difference with our "during the game tailgaters" and theirs? Age... most of ours are college kids that want to get drunk. Their tailgate only fans seemed to be the older fans playing horseshoes and doing their BBQ's. Even with the Warhawks winning, they didn't come in.

It is just a money issue, ULM has one of the lowest (if not THE lowest) budgets in all FBS.

[Arkstfan]

ULM press box side is essentially unchanged from when the place was built. The west side upper level and the end zone and corner seats are new and were tarped when I was there.

If you go back and look at the history of the Tech/ULM series, when the two have been in the same classification, ULM has done OK against them. Put them in the same league as Tech and ULM has performed better. Independent of each Tech outperforms ULM. When offering identical opportunity, ULM has an edge due to location.

[TIgreen01]

I replied to that article - someone brought up a new SW conference again... Here is what I think the dream new SW conference would be:

The New Southwest Conference (only teams from the Belt, the WAC, and CUSA would seriously consider this - Baylor is not leaving the Big 12 and nobody in the MWC is likely to leave) - so here is how I see it if common sense were to come together:

North Texas/SMU

Houston/Rice

UTEP/New Mexico State

La Tech/Louisiana Cajuns

Arkansas State/Tulsa

10 schools to start - everyone has a travel partner (only "stretch" would be ASU/Tulsa but everyone would be a stretch for those two).

Room for growth down the road for a championship game.

Bowls - Sun Bowl (UTEP/NMSU connection), New Orleans Bowl (La Tech/UL connection), New Bowl in Dallas at Cowboy's Stadium (maybe a bowl to tie into the Cotton Bowl).

Pretty much a dream scenario in my opinion. Makes way too much sense to ever happen. Thoughts?

Thoughts?...

Edited June 4, 2009 by TIgreen01

[TIgreen01]

I will add, this. Did a quick search on all the schools listed in Stebo's dream scenario in Wiki.....and it's pretty obvious why this will never happen. Endowments. The academic reputation and giving levels are not even close on the schools you plucked from CUSA vs. the WAC and SBelt.

Unfortunately, athletic conferences are based on more than levelness of athletic programs. In terms of academics (The school Presidents undoubtedly all lean toward academics when defining their own peers), and dollars earned for academic programs, we are not even close.

[wardly]

take existing cusa west, add asu, la tech, and unt for new swc. then take existing cusa east, add middle, wk, and usa for another conference[ or troy]. back to 1aa is ulala, ulm, fiu, and fau. 9 teams work well. however, putting the belt in a bag with cusa and realine based upon location and market to reduce travel costs and foster regional rivals is too logical to ever happen.

[TJPCAJUNFAN]

Cajuns can't go back to 1-AA because UL has NEVER been 1-AA (unlike LaTech and ULM), UL is also the second largest university in Louisiana. UL is also a CHARTER member of 1-A, BCS football.

New Southwest Conference:

LOUISIANA

NORTH TEXAS

HOUSTON

RICE

UTEP

TULSA

SOUTHERN MISS.

TULANE

UTSA and or TEXAS STATE

Travel cost in this conference would be a BIG plus. Cajuns in Houston? YEP, MANY in fact the largest alumni base out side Lafayette.