If Offered, Should We Join The Mountain West Conference?

[VideoEagle]

Yes, we would be stupid not to. The mtn has its own television network to market the university. TV=more money, and more TV will help with recruiting.

No, they have LESS coverage than ESPN. TCU, Utah and BYU all have listed the Mountain Network and Verse as reasons they want out of the MWC and into a conference with an ESPN contract. Even Boise has written the Mountain Network and Verses will give them LESS nation coverage than they currently get on ESPN as the only real negative to moving to the Mountain West.

[Army of Dad]

No, they have LESS coverage than ESPN. TCU, Utah and BYU all have listed the Mountain Network and Verse as reasons they want out of the MWC and into a conference with an ESPN contract. Even Boise has written the Mountain Network and Verses will give them LESS nation coverage than they currently get on ESPN as the only real negative to moving to the Mountain West.

Wouldn't it still be more than the TV coverage we and the rest of the SBC currently get?

[NCMeanGreen]

Not to hijack the MWC thread...but if we were to join C-USA we would play at ECU. I live @ 1.5 hours from ECU so of course would be VERY excited about that! :-)

[BeanCounterGrad'03]

Once Utah, TCU and BYU leave here is what you have left:

Air Force

San Diego State

Colorado State

Wyoming

New Mexico

Does that excite anyone?

Yes...me!!! 3 of those are within 2 hours drive time from my house

[NM Green]

And I live 20 minutes from the Thomas & Mack and 30 minutes from Sam Boyd - so call me biased:)

GMG

[LongJim]

No.

[foutsrouts]

Yes. No brainer. Besides, it is VERY unlikely that we would be the only Texas area team invited to that league, so USA would have less appeal regardless.

[Cerebus]

By ourselves no. Other Texas teams, now your talking.

But I am not willing to relive the Big West years.

[Eastwood Eagle]

Yes yes yes. Unless we can go into CUSA. Regardless both senarios would be program changing in a good way.

[TheColonyEagle]

Not only yes but hell yes.

The MWC is the best non-aq conference in the Nation.

Subtract TCU, substitute Boise. (a wash IMO)

Subtract Utah, substitute Hawaii. (a wash IMO)

Subtract BYU, substitute Fresno (a slight downgrade currently, but Fresno has had national respect)

No brainer....travel be damned.

I don't think the MWC has lost much of anything from a national respect standpoint.

Edited November 30, 2010 by TheColonyEagle

[PlummMeanGreen]

First of all: God I just love re-alignment talk for a change!

#1 MWC

#2 CUSA

For the same reasons TCU wanted to not be in the same conference with SMU I suppose is one reason to consider plus.........a reason that seems to have worked out quite well for the Horned Frogs, eh?

The MWC will need a Texas school to do what Boise and TCU have been doing of late and North Texas should aim to be that school no matter what conference we're in.

And for any possible unbiased study done for the MWC on this,

they might want to consider UNT for these 7 big reasons :

(1) North Texas just brings far more to the table with a larger fan base,

(2) UNT with an enrollment that all but quadruples SMU's

(3) Approx. twice as many UNT students now living on/near campus than SMU and TCU's combined enrollments.

(4) With close to 100,000 NT Exes in the DFW Metroplex, we dwarf SMU's alumnus numbers

(5) Our football stadium and basketball facility combo? No comparison with SMU's

(6) Easy major airport access from either DFW Airport 25 minutes from Denton) or even Alliance Airport (15 minutes from Denton City Limits sign out near SUMG's house)!

(7) Big Mac Attack On The Way At The New Mean Green Stadium (with I hope a Chico style offense run by Chico the Man himself as Asst. HFC/OC--this could really be a win-win for all & I hope Coach Mac offers it & Coach C accepts)!.

What is the MWC waiting on anyway?!?

GMG!

Edited November 29, 2010 by PlummMeanGreen

[TheColonyEagle]

I'll say this: this new stadium, the administration's commitment to spend money, our fantastic facilities, and our success in other sports has made me a little greedy. Being in a nice, regional conference was what I really wanted but I think we have an opportunity to start making waves on a bigger scale. The MWC helps us do that faster than CUSA.

[meangreendork]

MWC vs SBC? MWC all the way.

MWC vs CUSA? CUSA.

I'd like the SunBelt to get better but that's something that only happens in the world of Playstation.

[oldguystudent]

So there are really two questions here:

1) MWC vs SBC. If the question is limited to this, then yes, yes, and hell yes. In fact, the only bids I would turn down would be the WAC and the MAC (or whatever it is that Akron's in). Besides, every year it gives me an excuse to go to either Vegas or Reno, and son, if you knew me when I was gainfully employed, all it took was a random phone call with the words, "Let's go" to get me on a plane to Nevada.

2) MWC vs CUSA. This is a more difficult question to which I don't have an immediate answer. It would be interesting to be in a conference with SMU, UTEP and Rice. Also would be nice to gain revenge on Tulsa for that utter ass whooping they handed us a couple years ago.

[Mean Green 93-98]

But I am not willing to relive the Big West years.

The competition and name recognition in the MWC is light years above what the Big West was.

[ColoradoEagle]

MWC will still have two schools who've been to BCS games in the past five years if they add Hawaii and at least one that's knocking on the door. Conference USA will have zero. If two offers came (and they won't), then the MWC is the one you take. Schedule out of conference with SMU, Tulsa, Houston, and Rice if it's that important.

[oldguystudent]

The competition and name recognition in the MWC is light years above what the Big West was.

The Big West was nothing more than a halfway house for itinerant programs trying to bring their football programs up to FBS. They brought in several of the current SBC football programs (along with Boise, Idaho and Nevada) in a desperate attempt to keep football as a sponsored sport in the conference, but with over half the conference not having football, it was a vain attempt at best. The MWC is in no such dire straits. That honor now belongs to the WAC.

[yyz28]

I agree with most here... if it is between MWC and CUSA, my gut says go to CUSA. I like the regional synergy of that conference for us better and I think we can have success there quicker and easier than we can in the MWC, particularly with Boise in the mix. ...but if the invite were to come in a vaccum, then it is a no brainer to jump at.

[oldschoollefty]

Don't forget the MWC likely brings multi bids to the BB Big Dance and likely much better seeding in the tournament. No more 15-16 seeds for us.

[NM Green]

Mountain West had 4 bids last year:

UNLV

SDSU

BYU

New Mexico

Three of those powers are still there and Reno will be coming to the league. So you are automatically more battle tested before tourney time. I love UNLV basketball and watching UNLV and UNT is really watching similar style programs. UNT is a little more helter skelter in their play, but running and gunning in Denton and Las Vegas would be awesome!

GMG

[gangrene]

Nineteen no votes...funny **shakes head**

[FirefightnRick]

I say no.

It's not going to get an AQ bid and I think we would generate more interest with the Texas CUSA teams showing up at New Fouts.

I second this. Travel sucks the life out of your budget. TCU was/is fortunate to have a small group of wealthy investors to force feed them to the MTN, and now to the vast distance of the East. We cannot sustain that kind of travel, and as an alumn who enjoys traveling to reachable distances by car I don't want it either.

Rick

[Cerebus]

Nineteen no votes...funny **shakes head**

A lot of people jumping to conclusions without knowing one thing about what will really make this decision, the financials.

If it makes financial sense, I am for it, but shipping non revenue teams all over country, splitting revenue among more people, not getting coverage when we go west, etc ; All for the hope someone will notice when Utah comes calling... meh.

Cash money makes this decision, and we don't know any of the numbers yet.

[LongJim]

Nineteen no votes...funny **shakes head**

Non-AQ conference. Time zone minus. Financial strain on AD due to travel. Few (any?) natural rivals for UNT. There are very few positives associated with a MWC invite--for UNT as a program--at this stage in their development.

As it stands, it's not a good fit for the program, IMO.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Non-AQ conference. Time zone minus. Financial strain on AD due to travel. Few (any?) natural rivals for UNT. There are very few positives associated with a MWC invite--for UNT as a program--at this stage in their development.

As it stands, it's not a good fit for the program, IMO.

All those factors applied to TCU's affiliation with the MWC. Did it hurt them?