Does North Texas Possibly Have CUSA Allies ?

MeanGreen61 · January 14, 2012

Tulsa - Recruits the metroplex heavily & would welcome a game every other year. Could easily develop into a TRUE conference rivalary.

UTEP - Large metroplex fan base & recruiting ? One of their perks in CUSA has been TEXAS opponents.

Rice - Another Texas team.

Could we have some CUSA folks in our corner ? just a thought.

Harry · January 14, 2012

I would add Tulane to that list since they have always been joined to the hip with SMU, Tulsa and Rice.

DeepGreen · January 14, 2012

Let's hope so MG61.

wardly · January 14, 2012

Tulsa - Recruits the metroplex heavily & would welcome a game every other year. Could easily develop into a TRUE conference rivalary.

UTEP - Large metroplex fan base & recruiting ? One of their perks in CUSA has been TEXAS opponents.

Rice - Another Texas team.

Could we have some CUSA folks in our corner ? just a thought.

i think UTEP is going to MWC if merger goes thru. if it doesn't, i don't know.

GrayEagle · January 14, 2012

There seem to be very few friendships developed in college football anymore. It's too much of a dog-eat-dog environment to enjoy friendly competition. If we have any allies it would likely be:

Tulsa

Literally and figuratively they were our closest rival back in the old Missouri Valley days. They're easy to like because they usually treat everyone the same and can and will compete with all comers. Even though they have high academics they will not use that as an excuse in the public/private argument (nor do they have to).

Southern Miss

Since about a fourth of our AD staff has passed through Southern Miss at one time and our Athletics Director has a degree from there you'd think that they would be an ally. That should be even more true now that the somewhat advesarial AD at USM has departed.

UTEP

Back in the 60s and 70s we used to play each other every year. Since we're one of the few FBS universities within 700 miles of them it might be to their advantage (and definitely ours) to develop state ties again.

Memphis

We had a good rivalry with them back in the MVC days and they're only about five hours away. Another point in our favor could be that Lane Rawlins is a former UM president and a co-founder of CUSA.

Rice

Our proximity to each other should make decent bedfellows. We could definitely save each other a lot of travel dollars.

It's equally important to know who might vote against us. Other than East Carolina, it would be hard to say. But then ECU would be against anyone west of Appalachia.

Across the aisle, Wyoming, Colorado State, New Mexico, and even Air Force recruit Texas a lot and getting to play here every other year would be a plus for them.

If we don't have any friends then let us hope that we at least haven't developed any enemies.

NorthTexan95 · January 14, 2012

i think UTEP is going to MWC if merger goes thru. if it doesn't, i don't know.

Everything I've ever heard about UTEP's desires is they want to stay in CUSA and play other Texas teams. I don't think they are interested in the MWC unless there are a few other Texas teams in there with them.

greenminer · January 14, 2012

Would love UTEP, and they have a rabid DFW fan base. I'm sure the games would be a blast.

wardly · January 14, 2012

Everything I've ever heard about UTEP's desires is they want to stay in CUSA and play other Texas teams. I don't think they are interested in the MWC unless there are a few other Texas teams in there with them.

i used to think that, but their A.D. said that if conferences mergered they would move west.i guess we will know more after their meeting in Dallas sunday.

Mean Green 93-98 · January 14, 2012

i used to think that, but their A.D. said that if conferences mergered they would move west.i guess we will know more after their meeting in Dallas sunday.

Yes, I heard that as well. I believe their interest in playing "Texas" teams primarily meant playing "old Southwest Conference" teams.

NorthTexan95 · January 14, 2012

i used to think that, but their A.D. said that if conferences mergered they would move west.i guess we will know more after their meeting in Dallas sunday.

I had not heard that. Interesting ...

shaft · January 14, 2012

The CUSA front office would probably like to see a DFW area team.

Central time zone and easy to travel to location have to appeal to every AD.

And UTEP isn't switching conferences. Their AD has been pretty clear about wanting to continue with a Texas tie-in, but would move the team over as part of a merger, but not a conference switch.

Edited January 15, 2012 by shaft

wardly · January 15, 2012

if a CUSA spot opens up, our main competation seems to be La. Tech. who would sponsor or support them over us? Tulane?

shaft · January 15, 2012

if a CUSA spot opens up, our main competation seems to be La. Tech. who would sponsor or support them over us? Tulane?

Our main competition is LA Tech if its a two division all sports format.

wardly · January 15, 2012

Our main competition is LA Tech if its a two division all sports format.

i agree, but why? they have no t.v. market or following.

shaft · January 15, 2012

Like it or not LA Tech has most "perception" of any of the expansion candidates.

NT91 · January 16, 2012

La Tech has baseball.

GrayEagle · January 17, 2012

Like it or not LA Tech has most "perception" of any of the expansion candidates.

Perception is in the eye of the perceiver.

wardly · January 17, 2012

La Tech has baseball.

is that a deal breaker?SMU,Tulsa,UTEP don't have baseball. besides, we would agree to add program if it was a condition of admintance.

UNTLifer · January 17, 2012

La Tech has baseball.

so doesn't SMU.

Edited January 17, 2012 by UNTLifer

Arkstfan · January 17, 2012

UNT isn't likely to get in if UTEP stays in the eastern part of the Alliance because they aren't likely to add any teams this way if they do. There isn't room for UNT unless UTEP shifts west and if that happens UTEP isn't likely to support adding a Texas team to recruit against when they aren't playing any games in the eastern half of Texas.

Remember Tulsa, Tulane, and Rice are private schools and probably not favorable to adding a large public in the middle of an area they recruit. Memphis and USM probably would support UNT.

UAB, Marshall, and ECU probably prefer FIU.

None of the western schools really care. The point of the Alliance is that each division will exist independently and will not play cross-over games in football. UNT does nothing for the Texas recruiting of any western school other than to create an additional school in the region that can offer players a chance to play in the league and hurt their recruiting because they cannot offer the chance to play close to home by playing Rice or UNT.

MeanGreen61 · January 17, 2012

UNT isn't likely to get in if UTEP stays in the eastern part of the Alliance because they aren't likely to add any teams this way if they do. There isn't room for UNT unless UTEP shifts west and if that happens UTEP isn't likely to support adding a Texas team to recruit against when they aren't playing any games in the eastern half of Texas.

Remember Tulsa, Tulane, and Rice are private schools and probably not favorable to adding a large public in the middle of an area they recruit. Memphis and USM probably would support UNT.

UAB, Marshall, and ECU probably prefer FIU.

None of the western schools really care. The point of the Alliance is that each division will exist independently and will not play cross-over games in football. UNT does nothing for the Texas recruiting of any western school other than to create an additional school in the region that can offer players a chance to play in the league and hurt their recruiting because they cannot offer the chance to play close to home by playing Rice or UNT.

Disagree. Beleive that Tulsa would welcome an every other year game in the metroplex because they recruit the area heavily. Playing in the metroplex is a draw for a number of teams that recruit the area.