SMU and Houston to Big East

[MDH]

I'm really glad we have Apogee and a great bball recruiting class right now.

[greenjoe]

chickens and eggs

[NThomas]

What happens if CUSA decides to stay at 10?

C-USA isn't sponsoring football after the 2011 season. All football programs from C-USA and Mountain West Conference members will play in a combined football only conference that has yet to be named. If Boise State and Air Force leave the MWC and C-USA loses UH, SMU and UCF, that'd leave the new combined football-only conference with "only" 17 members. I wouldn't be surprised if one more school (ECU) leaves and the new football-only conference stays at 16 members.

Edited November 1, 2011 by NThomas

[Mean Green Matt]

C-USA isn't sponsoring football after the 2011 season. All football programs from C-USA and Mountain West Conference members will play in a combined football only conference that has yet to be named. If Boise State and Air Force leave the MWC and C-USA loses UH, SMU and UCF, that'd leave the new combined football-only conference with "only" 17 members. I wouldn't be surprised if one more school (ECU) leaves and the new football-only conference stays at 16 members.

Why would they do that and leave the DFW market out of their TV deal...They would also lose Florida.

[VideoEagle]

The CUSA-MTW "merger" is most likely dead. It makes no sense now. The idea was to force the BE into a grand Alliance and not take teams from CUSA or MTW. But that didn't happen, the BE has taken teams from both. You can't have two playoff games so it would have been the best two teams from each conference. To add to the BCS it takes a unanimous vote of all the conferences including the 'Belt, MAC and WAC. That wasn't going to happen. Then the current big six would have to agree to split the money more ways and that also wasn't going to happen. The the new conference would not have a seat at the NCAA football committee for a number of years and none of the teams in CUSA or MTW would agree to that.

[oldguystudent]

Get off the sofa and drive to Tulsa, Houston, Sheveport . Southwest to Little Rock and drive to Memphis ( go thru Jonesboro sorry ark state

Pfft! I'm too poor to own a sofa to get off of, let alone drive to these distant lands!

[NM Green]

With a higher profile conference that we will hopefully be invited to soon, that poster about talks with TAMU could have some traction. Here me out. With the 12 thumbing their noses at the Aggies, they may very well be open to securing Texas based games more eagerly than in the past. Especially less than difficult SEC games in Texas. I would only ever entertain a move out of Apogee for a game like TAMU and that would be to grab a battle at the Cotton Bowl on a non Texas OU weekend during the fair. I love Apogee and I wouldn't do this for any other game. But if we could sell the Aggies on two games in DFW every year in Jerry World and the Cotton Bowl, you might be able to land a few games. TCU is going to have their hands tied now in dealing with the Ags and SMU will have their hands full settling into an East Coast based league.

Let's get the invite and send the Aggies a holiday basket for all sports beginning now.

GMG

[All About UNT]

Grab your UNT to the CUSA signs and meet me at

5201 N. O'Connor Blvd.

Suite 300

Irving, TX 75039

It's time to take this into our own hands!

[Wag Tag]

Why would they do that and leave the DFW market out of their TV deal...They would also lose Florida.

Why ? So they can travel cross country to play a game. Oh yea and keep the Wyoming market and forget DFW and FLORIDA !!! Get real.

[Wag Tag]

The CUSA-MTW "merger" is most likely dead. It makes no sense now. The idea was to force the BE into a grand Alliance and not take teams from CUSA or MTW. But that didn't happen, the BE has taken teams from both. You can't have two playoff games so it would have been the best two teams from each conference. To add to the BCS it takes a unanimous vote of all the conferences including the 'Belt, MAC and WAC. That wasn't going to happen. Then the current big six would have to agree to split the money more ways and that also wasn't going to happen. The the new conference would not have a seat at the NCAA football committee for a number of years and none of the teams in CUSA or MTW would agree to that.

U cant have 2 playoff games within a conf. Can u have a championship game between two conf. ?

[MCMLXXX]

With a higher profile conference that we will hopefully be invited to soon, that poster about talks with TAMU could have some traction. Here me out. With the 12 thumbing their noses at the Aggies, they may very well be open to securing Texas based games more eagerly than in the past. Especially less than difficult SEC games in Texas. I would only ever entertain a move out of Apogee for a game like TAMU and that would be to grab a battle at the Cotton Bowl on a non Texas OU weekend during the fair.

GMG

An Aggie friend of mine told me they plan on playing home and home series every year with SMU and Houston and he does not believe they will play any other TX schools. He also claims that the Big 12 expansion team or teams had to agree not to play any SEC schools. As a side note he said that after next year they will renovate Kyle field and play all 2013 games in Reliant.

[NM Green]

Good for Aggie. They will need 100,000 as Tennessee, Alabama and Auburn will bring 15K while LSU and Arkansas will bring 20K. Very excited to see some SEC games in Texas and watching the Aggies tussle against the best.

GMG

[Rudy]

Put me in the group that's not thrilled about this. First, we are now the only DFW school in an AQ conference. I am not sure SMU earned their bid either. We had 4 straight titles in the early 2000's and didn't get shit for recognition. Second, has ANYONE heard any inclination that we will be invited into CUSA? I would have thought that CUSA saw this coming and would have started talking to schools. The Big 12 invited WVA before Mizzou has a SEC invite.

I hope this works out for us, but we need to curb the enthusiasm so if we are let down we aren't jumping off the N Texas Blvd overpass.

[TheTastyGreek]

Two conferences that have relied on DFW exposure for recruiting and publicity are completely out of other options.

Either both conferences abandon their foothold here, or we're moving up.

Sucks that SMU gets a promotion, too... But whatever it takes for us to get up a rung on the ladder. We can't move up without moving up. And if that won't happen without SMU moving to a BCS conference (that still seems precarious and deeply divided)?

Well-

[Mean Green 93-98]

C-USA isn't sponsoring football after the 2011 season. All football programs from C-USA and Mountain West Conference members will play in a combined football only conference that has yet to be named. If Boise State and Air Force leave the MWC and C-USA loses UH, SMU and UCF, that'd leave the new combined football-only conference with "only" 17 members. I wouldn't be surprised if one more school (ECU) leaves and the new football-only conference stays at 16 members.

The whole purpose of the merger was to combine their strengths in the hopes that they would be able to get an AQ bid out of it, since neither conference could get an AQ bid on their own. But with their "staying pat" mode you describe, how is this going to be stronger than the current C-USA or MWC?

2011 C-USA

UAB

UCF

ECU

Marshall

Memphis

Southern Miss

Houston

Rice

SMU

UTEP

Tulane

Tulsa

2011 MWC

Air Force

Boise State

Colorado State

UNLV

New Mexico

San Diego State

TCU

Wyoming

Merger Conference

UAB

ECU (Maybe!)

Marshall

Memphis

Southern Miss

Rice

UTEP

Tulane

Tulsa

Colorado State

UNLV

New Mexico

San Diego State

Wyoming

Fresno State

Nevada

Hawaii

No Boise State, no TCU, no Houston . . . If neither of the present versions of the C-USA or MWC has any hope of getting an AQ bid on its own, what would this merger conference offer that would give it any likelihood of obtaining an AQ bid?

[playoffpush]

It won't get AQ status but it should be able to get a better tv deal than the MWC or CUSA have on their own. The main thing that this will do is that it will get MWC out of their terrible tv deal.

[Mean Green 93-98]

It won't get AQ status but it should be able to get a better tv deal than the MWC or CUSA have on their own. The main thing that this will do is that it will get MWC out of their terrible tv deal.

What gives you the impression that the MWC wants out of their TV deal? According to an article linked earlier in a couple of threads,

The Mountain West is one of the few conferences to [swear off ESPN], creating its own MountainWest Sports Network in 2006 to avoid the Tuesday and Wednesday night football games ESPN wanted Mountain West teams to play.

Beyond that, the conference didn't think ESPN was offering its schools enough money.

Even so, Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson says, "There was a football coach in our league who said, 'I'd rather play one Tuesday or Wednesday game a year on ESPN than all 12 on Versus, CBS Sports (Network) and The Mountain.'

"I said, 'That's ludicrous.'"

[playoffpush]

It pays nothing and gives them no exposure. I know the story is recent but I don't think that is a recent quote.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---It is my opinion that CUSA, Sunbelt, Mountain West, and WAC may end up being three conferences... Maybe even with some new names. What ever happens I am guessing Tulsa, UNT and LaTech end up together.... somewhere... likely Rice too. UTEP may not be with the CUSA-West group but be with the Mountain West teams (again). It would not surprize me to see CUSA-East to merge with eastern Sunbelt teams and the the Western CUSA teams merge with western Sun belt ones.... also LaTech. This will not be simple and take a while to shake out.... maybe a complete reorganization by many conferences.

[BigPonyFan]

C-USA isn't sponsoring football after the 2011 season. All football programs from C-USA and Mountain West Conference members will play in a combined football only conference that has yet to be named. If Boise State and Air Force leave the MWC and C-USA loses UH, SMU and UCF, that'd leave the new combined football-only conference with "only" 17 members. I wouldn't be surprised if one more school (ECU) leaves and the new football-only conference stays at 16 members.

Unfortunately, this is spot on with what I'm hearing. I know many at SMU hope UNT gets the opportunity, but the "word" is that no schools will be added. The MWC/CUSA monster will condense into the remaining schools. Hope this is wrong, but everything I'm hearing says otherwise. Best of luck guys!

[Green Mean]

Unfortunately, this is spot on with what I'm hearing. I know many at SMU hope UNT gets the opportunity, but the "word" is that no schools will be added. The MWC/CUSA monster will condense into the remaining schools. Hope this is wrong, but everything I'm hearing says otherwise. Best of luck guys!

Them not wanting to add wouldn't surprise me at all. With this alliance so to speak they have plenty of teams and they may not feel the need to add even if they don't have a presence in the DFW area. I hope that is not the case as I'd think they'd want a school in the DFW area especially one that has a ton of students and alumni but no one really knows what the decision makers on realignment are thinking.

[BigPonyFan]

Them not wanting to add wouldn't surprise me at all. With this alliance so to speak they have plenty of teams and they may not feel the need to add even if they don't have a presence in the DFW area. I hope that is not the case as I'd think they'd want a school in the DFW area especially one that has a ton of students and alumni but no one really knows what the decision makers on realignment are thinking.

Very true. SMU was in a very similar situation when it appeared that either the Big 12 or the Big East was going to die (and leftover parts from the one that died would join the other). The only scenario that worked for SMU is one that had the Big 12 and BE live -- as separate conferences.

It appears UNT may be in the same boat with MWC/CUSA. You need for them to break off their marriage, otherwise they may not add any teams -- they don't need to.

Again, best of luck Green!! SMU is not he enemy. We're playing aginst the system just like you good people.

[SHOSS]

Very true. SMU was in a very similar situation when it appeared that either the Big 12 or the Big East was going to die (and leftover parts from the one that died would join the other). The only scenario that worked for SMU is one that had the Big 12 and BE live -- as separate conferences.

It appears UNT may be in the same boat with MWC/CUSA. You need for them to break off their marriage, otherwise they may not add any teams -- they don't need to.

Again, best of luck Green!! SMU is not he enemy. We're playing aginst the system just like you good people.

I'm not a believer that SMU alumns as a group share your perspective on things. I've seen too many notes and heard too many things to the contrary to really accept this as being the pulse of SMU alumns. If you read ponyfans.com for more than 5 minutes, you know where we stand in the eyes of the SMU faithful.

This wreaks of, "we got what we finally wanted, and now lets play nice with the less fortunate since we now have widened the gap." I'm sorry if I don't take your words at face value.

[UNTFan23]

Unfortunately, this is spot on with what I'm hearing. I know many at SMU hope UNT gets the opportunity, but the "word" is that no schools will be added. The MWC/CUSA monster will condense into the remaining schools. Hope this is wrong, but everything I'm hearing says otherwise. Best of luck guys!

I have a tough time believing that the MWC and CUSA will just forfeit Florida and the DFW markets. The impact to the TV contracts might be too much for the conferences to just walk away from those markets.

[TIgreen01]

SMU is not he enemy.

Um no. SMU IS the enemy.