Arkstafan's Realignment Thoughts - Belt Picks Up one

[MeanGreen61]

http://www.arkst.com/?p=1349

[Harry]

As usual pretty dead on.

[Mean Green Matt]

Is it just my computer messing up, or is he in dire need of paragraphs?

[yyz28]

That's a good article. Everyones guess is as good as any at this point, and Texas is acting like a bi-polar 16 year old with ADD, so it's hard to figure any of this out without knowing what they are going to do...

[UNTflyer]

Unfortunately, I can see the Sun Belt making a monstrously idiotic move like inviting UTSA.

If you need proof, read up on the ESPN deal Waters signed.

We have the opportunity to kill the WAC. Let's put it out of its misery already!

[El Paso Eagle]

IMO, down the road somewhere if we end up with the dreaded 16-team Mega-conferences the smart thing would be for the remaining non-Megas to try to split up regionally and work together to make sure they stay at the top level of competition. However, counting on the fact that the chances on these schools actually working together is somewhere between slim and none, I could see the following “alignments” take place –

* C-USA and the MWC (this was rumored already)

* Sun Belt and WAC

* MAC and ??

[UNTflyer]

Why does everyone want to invite FCS schools to this conference??? I don't get it.

Inviting UTSA and Texas State would damage the reputation of a conference people already view as weak. Every other conference expansion is looking to improve their standing... we seem to want to lower ours.

[mgfan]

"The MWC probably chooses to round-out at 12 for football and Utah State gets the nod. The MAC and CUSA see no changes. With WAC all but dead, the Sun Belt invites Texas-San Antonio to get to 11/12 and then pauses to make a decision of whether to pursue Texas State, New Mexico State, or Louisiana Tech."

The WAC effectively would be dead as a FBS football conference if it lost Utah St., UTSA , and one other football school.

My biggest complaint about UNT being in the SBC is being on the far edge of it. Adding 2 of the above 4, or all, would help provide a sense of rivalry for us and put us amongst other conference schools with easier road trips.

As for the reshuffle, if ArkStFan's scenerio holds it means little to no movement for CUSA and the SBC. Not good when the dust settles above to have no moveup opportunities. My hope is that Beebe goes on the offensive and tries to reload the Big12 before the Big East can come to an agreement on who to pluck from the wounded carcus.

SBC East:

FIU

FAU

Troy

USA

WKU

Muts

Ark St.

SBC West (Southland reinvented?):

UNT

ULL

ULM

UTSA

La Tech

NMSU

Tx St.

My preference would still be joining CUSA or MWC. This could happen if the MWC tries to re-enter the Texas market or CUSA loses a UH, UCF, et al.

I was thinking the same thing for the SBC. Nothing wrong with SBC East and SBC West idea. If your not expanding your dying. UTSA is growing at a fast rate and cusa will surely notice especially with their large t.v. market. Expanding is better than sitting around and doing nothing.

Edited September 7, 2011 by mgfan

[EagleGreen]

Dr Saturday (Matt Hinton) wrote about Baylor:"Otherwise, they're all staring at greatly diminished futures in the Mountain West, Conference USA or — heaven forbid — the Sun Belt."

I don't think belt teams are on the radar for moving up, and it seems to others that landing in the belt is hell. Maybe we'll be attractive in the near future; just not now. Sad but true.

[GTWT]

Why does everyone want to invite FCS schools to this conference??? I don't get it.

Inviting UTSA and Texas State would damage the reputation of a conference people already view as weak. Every other conference expansion is looking to improve their standing... we seem to want to lower ours.

If UNT is doomed to be in a second-class conference (which, in the case of the Sun Belt, will require improvement), I want that conference to include Texas schools. Texas State and UTSA are both superior academically to most SBC schools and, in a few years, will be better athletically. Keep Lafayette (I like the food) and replace as many of the others as possible with NMSU, UTSA, TxSU, etc. Change the darn name - Sun Belt sounds like an off-brand of tire. 'New Southwest Conference' sounds good.

God bless Texas

Edited September 7, 2011 by GTWT

[MeanMag]

Why does everyone want to invite FCS schools to this conference??? I don't get it.

Inviting UTSA and Texas State would damage the reputation of a conference people already view as weak. Every other conference expansion is looking to improve their standing... we seem to want to lower ours.

We already are inviting them to this conference. USA, FIU, WKU and FAU are no different. At one time they picked us up out of that hell hole we were in.

At least these schools are in Texas and I can pick up a phone and have a place to stay or friends to visit when we play them.

[LongJim]

Great article with good info.

[NorthTexan95]

I was thinking the same thing for the SBC. Nothing wrong with SBC East and SBC West idea. If your not expanding your dying. UTSA is growing at a fast rate and cusa will surely notice especially with their large t.v. market. Expanding is better than sitting around and doing nothing.

I would absolutely hate to be in a conference like that.

[Hunter Green]

Why does everyone want to invite FCS schools to this conference??? I don't get it.

Inviting UTSA and Texas State would damage the reputation of a conference people already view as weak. Every other conference expansion is looking to improve their standing... we seem to want to lower ours.

While I agree with you in principle, I believe UTSA will move up quickly and TSU may as well. Both have name coaches and UTSA drew well in their first game. I would rather be pro-active and invite them in rather than see them pass us by which isn't out of the realm of possibility.