Sun Belt Needs to Merge With WAC Now!

[UNTflyer]

I hate to say this, but the news of the MWC-CUSA alliance spells doom for UNT's hopes of going to a new conference. Yes, SMU may go to the Big East, and Houston may go as well. But unless the two conference are raided to the point where they drop back down to 12 teams, there is a snowball's chance in hell of us moving up.

So we have only one option left. Merge with the WAC. The six remaining schools in the WAC and the 9 Sun Belt schools (plus one when South Alabama moves up). I think a 16-team conference would be good, divided into East and West divisions that would only play within their division. The two division champions would then play a conference title game.

I am disappointed, but what we need to do right now is build up a large conference... because now it is about survival.

[UNTFan23]

What about the MAC?

[UNTflyer]

17 teams... forgot about San Jose State.

SUN-WAC Conference

West

San Jose

LA Tech

Idaho

New Mexico

Utah State

UTSA

TSU

UNT

East

FIU

FAU

Troy

MTSU

LA-Lafayette

LA-Monroe

Arkansas State

Western Kentucky

(South Alabama)*

*We could make a deal to buy off South Alabama to make an even 16 teams.

[EdwardRRooney]

This looks like a decent compromise as long as we don't lose FIU.

[Green Mean]

I don't think we need to be kneejerking. Just because those two merged doesn't mean anything other than there's a lot teams in the same level now combined as one. And I highly doubt they become an AQ conference....atleast not right now. I don't think the SBC needs to merge with anyone to stay alive....at the very least the SBC is stable and we just have to keep winning. If we do that then who knows what may happen.

[stebo]

Why would the Belt want to be straddled with Idaho, San Jose, Utah State, Seattle, UTA, Denver, etc? Why not just cherry pick who we want and let the WAC become a basketball only conference (Boise and Air Force are rejoining the WAC for all sports except football). Idaho would be better off in the Big Sky. San Jose is questionable. USU screwed the Belt over, karma is a bitch. Cherry pick La Tech and UTSA. That brings the Belt to 12 with the addition of USA next year, keeps the conference somewhat regional, etc. If we were to do an alliance with anyone it should be the MAC - a scheduling and television agreement. They would have 12, we would have 12 - we could have our champ play their champ and try to finagle a BCS bid at some point down the road.

[UNTflyer]

Why would the Belt want to be straddled with Idaho, San Jose, Utah State, Seattle, UTA, Denver, etc? Why not just cherry pick who we want and let the WAC become a basketball only conference (Boise and Air Force are rejoining the WAC for all sports except football). Idaho would be better off in the Big Sky. San Jose is questionable. USU screwed the Belt over, karma is a bitch. Cherry pick La Tech and UTSA. That brings the Belt to 12 with the addition of USA next year, keeps the conference somewhat regional, etc. If we were to do an alliance with anyone it should be the MAC - a scheduling and television agreement. They would have 12, we would have 12 - we could have our champ play their champ and try to finagle a BCS bid at some point down the road.

If we're going to cherry pick, I'd rather get NM State than UTSA.

[oldguystudent]

SJSU is improved this year, but given California budget cuts and the history of Cal St. football programs back in the 90s, I'd be surprised if they still field a team in five years. Don't merge with the WAC. It's going the way of the Big West and I can see it ceasing football sponsorship altogether in the not too distant future. Look to the MAC and let the 4-5 teams with football in the WAC come knocking.

[Green Mean]

I like the recruiting area SJSU presents but realistically I think NMSU, LT, USU, UTSA and TX St are all viable candidates that I think the SBC will be able to cherry pick and they'll accept.

[JRock]

I don't think we need to be kneejerking. Just because those two merged doesn't mean anything other than there's a lot teams in the same level now combined as one. And I highly doubt they become an AQ conference....atleast not right now. I don't think the SBC needs to merge with anyone to stay alive....at the very least the SBC is stable and we just have to keep winning. If we do that then who knows what may happen.

Yeah....but it sure would be nice to "Win" in another conference other than the Sunbelt. Our future is not in the Sunbelt....no matter how stable it stays. Staying in the belt is like running in circles.

JRock

[MeanMag]

SJSU is improved this year, but given California budget cuts and the history of Cal St. football programs back in the 90s, I'd be surprised if they still field a team in five years. Don't merge with the WAC. It's going the way of the Big West and I can see it ceasing football sponsorship altogether in the not too distant future. Look to the MAC and let the 4-5 teams with football in the WAC come knocking.

I agree. Out of the WAC, Sun Belt and MAC, the SunBelt appears to be the best positioned to ride this thing out.

[Harry]

I hate to say this, but the news of the MWC-CUSA alliance spells doom for UNT's hopes of going to a new conference. Yes, SMU may go to the Big East, and Houston may go as well. But unless the two conference are raided to the point where they drop back down to 12 teams, there is a snowball's chance in hell of us moving up.

So we have only one option left. Merge with the WAC. The six remaining schools in the WAC and the 9 Sun Belt schools (plus one when South Alabama moves up). I think a 16-team conference would be good, divided into East and West divisions that would only play within their division. The two division champions would then play a conference title game.

I am disappointed, but what we need to do right now is build up a large conference... because now it is about survival.

So CUSA, which is based in Dallas will essentially say screw the Dallas TV market and recruiting ties? Same for Mountain West with TCU bailing? You underestimate the importance of DFW in terms of television contracts and recruiting. CUSA will want to reestablish this market if SMU leaves. UTEP, Rice, Tulsa and Tulane will not allow a hole in DFW to happen in my opinion. This CUSA MWC merger is a poorly worded and loosely organized ploy to get a BCS auto qualifier spot. CUSA and MWC are losing their best teams in terms of records (Boise, TCU) and media markets (SMU, Houston, UCF). CUSA and MWC would be crazy not to try and replace them.

[shaft]

No! Never! Die, thread Die!

The WAC is a dumpster fire that should be avoided at all costs.

There is a reason the 16 team WAC & Big West failed.

A WAC + SBC merger or even a MAC + SBC merger would not qualify for AQ status, so why ruin your conference.

Go to CUSA or have the SBC go to 12, but don't go to Idaho.

Edited October 15, 2011 by shaft

[NT80]

So CUSA, which is based in Dallas will essentially say screw the Dallas TV market and recruiting ties? Same for Mountain West with TCU bailing? You underestimate the importance of DFW in terms of television contracts and recruiting. CUSA will want to reestablish this market if SMU leaves. UTEP, Rice, Tulsa and Tulane will not allow a hole in DFW to happen in my opinion. This CUSA MWC merger is a poorly worded and loosely organized ploy to get a BCS auto qualifier spot. CUSA and MWC are losing their best teams in terms of records (Boise, TCU) and media markets (SMU, Houston, UCF). CUSA and MWC would be crazy not to try and replace them.

This! CUSA/MWC is already talking about expansion. Humm...wonder if any candidates are in a Top 10 media market?

[NM Green]

Who is flying into Texas first with stops in DFW and SAT? If I were the MWC or CUSA (I know they are here), I would be on the horn with North Texas and UTSA to grab DFW and San Antonio. CUSA is the best poised to have Houston SAT and DFW wrapped up, but the MWC could swoop in and undercut first if they wanted to. I believe both programs will go to whoever knocks on the door first.

Las Vegas

Reno

San Diego

Laramie

Fort Collins

Albuquerque

Honolulu

Fresno

DFW

San Antonio

or

San Antonio

DFW

Houston

Tulsa

El Paso

Huntington

Carolina

New Orleans

Memphis

Hattiesburg

[GTWT]

at the very least the SBC is stable and we just have to keep winning. If we do that then who knows what may happen. {/quote]

The Belt is stable because no respectable conference wants a Belt school. If we win the Belt 4 years in a row we know what will happen - we'll prepare to compete that next year in the same old Belt.

We need out of this God-foresaken conference. Get out of the belt. Go indy for 2 or 3 years till we leave the stigma of the Belt behind us. Then join a respectable conference.

God bless Texas!

[rcade]

We need out of this God-foresaken conference. Get out of the belt. Go indy for 2 or 3 years till we leave the stigma of the Belt behind us. Then join a respectable conference.

Going indy is worse than being in the Sun Belt. Who are we going to play during weeks when everyone's in their conference schedule? You'd see a lot of FCS schools roll into Apogee.

[risinggreen]

{/quote]

We need out of this God-foresaken conference. Get out of the belt. Go indy for 2 or 3 years till we leave the stigma of the Belt behind us. Then join a respectable conference.

[Comet7745]

You guys need to relax. You're on the right path in improving your football program. Even if you don't get an immediate invite from the MWCUSA, you'll have plenty of time to actually start dominating the Sun Belt. If that happens you'll get noticed and will get invited, period. Just because a team is locked out of realignment one year, doesn't mean they're out of it for the next phase, quite the opposite in my opinion. Focus on winning and all the blocks will start falling in place.

[BonfireBrian]

You guys need to relax. You're on the right path in improving your football program. Even if you don't get an immediate invite from the MWCUSA, you'll have plenty of time to actually start dominating the Sun Belt. If that happens you'll get noticed and will get invited, period. Just because a team is locked out of realignment one year, doesn't mean they're out of it for the next phase, quite the opposite in my opinion. Focus on winning and all the blocks will start falling in place.

Stop coming in here and stating things logically. We're trying to freak out for no reason and you aren't helping!

[Rudy]

We need out of this God-foresaken conference. Get out of the belt. Go indy for 2 or 3 years till we leave the stigma of the Belt behind us. Then join a respectable conference.

God bless Texas!

You're doing a bit, right?

[meangreen10]

NO, No WAC. We said no to them before, we should not crawl to them. NT needs escape from anything related to the SB or WAC.

[Green92]

You're doing a bit, right?

A bit of crack.

[GrayEagle]

I hate to say this, but the news of the MWC-CUSA alliance spells doom for UNT's hopes of going to a new conference. Yes, SMU may go to the Big East, and Houston may go as well. But unless the two conference are raided to the point where they drop back down to 12 teams, there is a snowball's chance in hell of us moving up.

So we have only one option left. Merge with the WAC. The six remaining schools in the WAC and the 9 Sun Belt schools (plus one when South Alabama moves up). I think a 16-team conference would be good, divided into East and West divisions that would only play within their division. The two division champions would then play a conference title game.

I am disappointed, but what we need to do right now is build up a large conference... because now it is about survival.

I believe that it's a real plus for us now that SMU is going to the Big East. That leaves no one in either CUSA or the MWC with a team in the DFW market.

Remember, this merger/alliance is for football only. CUSA will have nine teams for their other sports and the Mountain West only seven. Our basketball program should help our cause in either conference.

The Sun Belt certainly doesn't need to merge with the WAC. They could, however, pick a couple of WAC teams for football only since the WAC won't have enough football-playing teams for conference competition.

[PlummMeanGreen]

You guys need to relax. You're on the right path in improving your football program. Even if you don't get an immediate invite from the MWCUSA, you'll have plenty of time to actually start dominating the Sun Belt. If that happens you'll get noticed and will get invited, period. Just because a team is locked out of realignment one year, doesn't mean they're out of it for the next phase, quite the opposite in my opinion. Focus on winning and all the blocks will start falling in place.

Our major problem at North Texas is that we apparently don't have well placed media friends, a la Craig James (or elswhere) in high places who have any idea of how to juke and jive our branding into a league without really having done anything to earn it.

None of this whatsoever aimed at you, personally, Comet7745 so please don't take it as such but sometimes those of us who have been around these parts a few generations and have followed the DFW college football scene (all schools) most astutely would just like to start seeing the NCAA act for the future's sake instead of the what has or has not happened in the past. SMU proved what it could do or not do in almost 100 years in the SWC with that as such an advantage. UNT can' t beat your past with Doak, Kyle, Dandy, Jerry L, etc,, but we can beat your future no matter what league your school is in. Boise State has been doing that as a non AQ for about a decade now.

Attendance numbers no matter how apparently un-researched had nothing to do with this move at all for your school but just more "fill in this slot with this school' lagniape because they were a known commodity 60 years ago. Sorry, this board is used to me belly-aching about SMU so just grin, bare and ignore me. I can handle it! LOL!

A DJ first for me: I'm posting as I play dinner music at a huge reunion and at a hotel with WifFi. UNT alum Norah Jones sings as I post. Whoops! Dinner almost done! See ya!

GMG!

Edited October 16, 2011 by PlummMeanGreen