Houston Baptist To Wac?

[Harry]

Houston Baptist has a message for would-be conference suitors: We’re ready to play football.

HBU plans to add football contingent upon an invitation to a “suitable conference,” school president Robert B. Sloan Jr. said Friday.

The HBU board of trustees, after conducting a financial feasibility study this year, gave its approval to add football pending alignment with a conference in Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA).

“Our board’s approval is contingent, but we are ready to go when we get an invitation from a conference,” Sloan said.

Once HBU aligns with a conference, it would take a minimum of two years before the Huskies begin playing football.

HBU, with a student enrollment of 2,700 in southwest Houston, is a member of the Great West Conference.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/college/7605112.html

[MDH]

That's a bit of a stretch

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Tulsa's undergrad enrollment is about 3,000, so it can be done...but, you're right, it is still quite a stretch for a start up. Unless, of course, they have the money lined up.

[emmitt01]

I heard HBU has the WAC invite all sewn up if TWU can't get football off the ground.

[H-towngreen]

I heard HBU has the WAC invite all sewn up if TWU can't get football off the ground.

I've heard that TWU is working on beating us to start up a baseball program.

[GreenStreet]

They should go D1A and play in the LoneStar Conf. Bulk up the program and enrollment before going to the WAC. They have to remember the attendance numbers and cost of travel before considering an offer.

[GrayEagle]

The Lone Star Conference is a Division II conference so that wouldn't help their cause. They could try to get in the Southland, a FCS conference (Division I) but would be behind two other WAC wannabes in Lamar and Sam Houston State. In addition, their small enrollment would make it doubly tough to average the 15,000 required for admittance.

Furthermore, it costs more than $10M per year to operate a FBS football team. I hope that Houston Baptist has the bucks behind them.

[oldguystudent]

I've heard that TWU is working on beating us to start up a baseball program.

Team like that would really lick the competition.