Interesting Analysis Over On The Beltboard Of All The Expansion

[VideoEagle]

What is it about the WAC that makes some people feel there is a reward to go with the risk? I think those that get all enamored with the WAC need to consider the following statement:

Past Performance Does Not Guarantee Future Results.

There is nothing that says that just because Boise was a BCS buster will make any other school in the WAC one as well. Boise was a BCS buster cause they swept through the WAC and then took whatever non-conference opponent they faced to task and beat them. No other school in the WAC is even close to that level of dominance. If the top WAC schools (Hawaii, Nevada, & Fresno) are saddled with budget concerns, how are they going get themselves to the level Boise was at in the next couple years?

Very true. Let's look at history. Fresno has been ranked three times in their history, '85, '92 and '04. The link

Hawai'i has been ranked ranked three times also, twice while June Jones was the coach. He isn't anymore. The link

Nevada has never been ranked in the major collage polls. Ever.

[gangrene]

What is it about the WAC that makes some people feel there is a reward to go with the risk? I think those that get all enamored with the WAC need to consider the following statement:

Past Performance Does Not Guarantee Future Results.

Technically, "future results" are guaranteed, regardless of past performance since the type of results aren't specified. I think you meant to say Past Performance Does Not Guarantee Future Success.

[Eastwood Eagle]

The WAC has had 14 teams leave in 11 years. There are newspaper articles about how there three top remaining programs are all in financial trouble - Hawaii, Fresno and Nevada. Their TV money is about to be halved. Both Hawaii and Fresno have at least explored the option of going independent in football rather than stay in the WAC.

I actually see this as in favor of jumping to the WAC because it shows that the WAC has the potential to catapult teams to the next level.

[UNTFan23]

I actually see this as in favor of jumping to the WAC because it shows that the WAC has the potential to catapult teams to the next level.

Another favorite word I see is potential. The WAC has all this potential to catapult us to something greater. A conference a lot of us want to be in is CUSA. If the WAC is loaded with all this potential to land us somewhere, why isn't LaTech in CUSA already? Why have they been passed up ... twice?

LaTech -- always the bridesmaid, never the bride when it comes to CUSA.

[Eastwood Eagle]

I guess CUSA does not see La Tech as having the potential to take it to the next level. I would like to think that UNT could surpass La Tech.

[UNTFan23]

I actually see this as in favor of jumping to the WAC because it shows that the WAC has the potential to catapult teams to the next level.

I guess CUSA does not see La Tech as having the potential to take it to the next level. I would like to think that UNT could surpass La Tech.

So, which is it? Does the WAC give a team the potential or not?

[Eastwood Eagle]

Not every school in the WAC is a stand out that can move up to better conferences. Bosie State was and now they are in the MWC, the hope is for proponents of moving to the WAC is that North Texas can be the next Bosie.

[VideoEagle]

I actually see this as in favor of jumping to the WAC because it shows that the WAC has the potential to catapult teams to the next level.

Not according to the Wac presidents. They want to build a STABLE conference. The Honolulu paper commented on how it had become a stepping stone and that was part of the reason they are considering being independent.

[Arkstfan]

I actually see this as in favor of jumping to the WAC because it shows that the WAC has the potential to catapult teams to the next level.

Actually I think it argues in favor of joining the Southern. No conference has produced more BCS programs than the Southern. Or maybe the Missouri Valley, they catapulted a lot of teams to BCS.

Why mess with a league that has only produced three?

[gangrene]

So, which is it? Does the WAC give a team the potential or not?

I say no. None of the non-AQ conferences have national credibility or respect based solely on their own merits, and that includes the MWC. ONLY non-conference wins against quality, ranked BCS opponents, combined with a flawless conference record put any of the non-AQ schools in the same league with the Pac-10(+2), Big XII(-2), Big Tentwelve, etc. etc. Even then, it still takes a couple of seasons to earn that respect and prove the success is not a fluke.

Losing all, or even half, of the non-conference games and going undefeated in a non-AQ conference will do very little to increase the prestige or national recognition of a non-AQ program.

Now, as far as which conference is better for UNT, I think it's a toss-up. If we were winning all of our non-conference games, the stronger conference would be whichever conference UNT chooses to belong. As it stands now, I think you have to base the strength of the conference on how many ranked opponents our conference-mates are capable of defeating in a given year. The SBC has more potential because all football members traditionally play brutal non-conference games against top 10 programs. At the same time, that's exactly the reason why the SBC is largely considered the weakest FBS conference because the SBC schools rarely, if ever, win non-conference games against those ranked BCS opponents.

Some of the "quality" SBC opponents for 2010 include: Georgia, Oklahoma State, Auburn, Michigan State, Texas, South Florida, LSU, Nebraska, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Clemson, Ole Miss and South Carolina.

The western WAC schools play a few games against the MWC, but I'll exclude them. Some of their "quality" non-conference opponents are: Virginia Tech, USC, Alabama, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, California, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Illinois and Nebraska.

So, to me, it's still a toss-up, based wholly on how well the conference, or even an individual team, performs against ranked non-conference opponents. Boise State didn't get where they are today by simply winning only their WAC games. I think nearly every team from both the WAC and the SBC would make a lot of noise on the national scene if they were to complete a season with 11 or 12 wins and a bowl victory.