CUSA and Mountain West Have Merged

[Harry]

Brett McMurphy @McMurphyCBS

Sources tell @CBSSports C-USA, MWC dissolving to form new league in 2013

The institutions from Conference USA and the Mountain West are dissolving both leagues to create their own conference, college football industry sources told CBSSports.com.

The new conference will start in the 2013-14 academic year. Conference USA and the Mountain West would contain as is for the 2012-13 season.

The reason that the institutions are dissolving and forming their own league is for legal reasons, sources said.

The new league – which is yet to be named – is expected to consist of Southern Miss, Marshall, East Carolina, UAB, Tulsa, Rice, UTEP and Tulane from C-USA and Wyoming, Air Force, Colorado State, UNLV, New Mexico, Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii from the MWC. Hawaii would be a football-only member, making a 15-team all-sports conference and a 16-team football conference.

Temple also is a possibility as the school was contacted by Conference USA, sources told CBSSports.com, when the Big East last week opted to invited Memphis instead of Temple.

Click Here to read more: http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/34822810

[Rudy]

16 team conference for football? It makes me think they aren't planning on expanding.

[chomp]

On Twitter, Brett McMurphy just posted "C-USA/MWC new league will include 18 to 24 members, semifinal and final conference games". Hopefully that bodes well for UNT.

[Harry]

16 team conference for football? It makes me think they aren't planning on expanding.

16 won't happen or I would be very surprised. With only 8 on both sides, that means you have 7 conference games and would have to schedule 5 non-conference games... I doubt crossover is an option that schools would be interested in because of travel. That's too many in my book. I think this was just their chance to finalize the merger and they will address expansion later.

While it's good that we know the merger is a done deal, unfortunately the expansion component will drag on for longer...buckle your seat belts cause it could be a roller coaster ride. GMG

[UNTFan23]

Click Here to read more: http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/29532522/34822810

The key thing I see in that article is:

The new conference will consist of 18 to 24 members and start in the 2013-14 academic year.

To me, that means MWCUSA is adding at least 2 schools. Temple has been rumored to be one school over on the eastern side of the mega-conference, so if the new conference decides to only go to 18, who might #18 be?

On Temple, you read around on the various message boards and there is not a lot of excitement about moving their basketball team over to the new conference. You have to wonder whether Temple will just go football only, go all in, or not go at all.

[Rudy]

I hope it bodes well for us.

[EAGLE83]

AP reports 18-24 schools

[NorthTexan95]

If it's 18 schools then I don't like our chances. If it's 20 then it's hard to see us not making it.

Even if we don't, the idea of having semifinals and a final championship sounds exciting.

[Eastwood Eagle]

If 18 then I am scared we might get the shaft. However if it is 24 then I don't see how we don't make that.

[Green Mean]

If the rumors are true I just don't see how FIU is more appealing and would be chosen over us. That is just weird.

[Stix]

On Twitter, Brett McMurphy just posted "C-USA/MWC new league will include 18 to 24 members, semifinal and final conference games". Hopefully that bodes well for UNT.

Playoffs. I have this bad feeling that this may be the seminal event which causes the AQ - "Mid-Major" schism that many have been expecting to happen. The CUSA/MWC presidents might as well just invite all the SunBelt, MAC, and WAC schools to join, and call it the I-AA conference. No one will ever get near a major bowl now.

[NorthTexan95]

Playoffs. I have this bad feeling that this may be the seminal event which causes the AQ - "Mid-Major" schism that many have been expecting to happen. The CUSA/MWC presidents might as well just invite all the SunBelt, MAC, and WAC schools to join, and call it the I-AA conference. No one will ever get near a major bowl now.

I don't think it'll go that far. Instead, if it goes over well it could eventually lead to a small playoff system for all of D1

[UNT90]

No word on where the new conference's home offices will be located?

I'm assuming that since they had this meeting in Dallas, big D would stand a pretty good chance?

No answers to this either, I presume?

[Arkstfan]

Dumbest leadership group ever.

They have to give up a regular season game to play semi-finals.

http://www.arkst.com/?p=1688

[VideoEagle]

Dumbest leadership group ever.

They have to give up a regular season game to play semi-finals.

http://www.arkst.com/?p=1688

Give up a regular season game? That's a LOT of revenue - times 18 to 24! I guess it's technically just times 18 to 20 less 4, but still that's a huge amount to give up!