ECU Board Thinks Alliance is Going to 24

Harry · February 25, 2012

Message:
It looks like this thing is going to 24 teams with 4 six team
divisions. I hate it as the two best teams left in CUSA should not
be in and battle for 1/4 the opportunity in football. We are both
flagships of C-USA.

I hope we play them every year but we/they should fight this. With
the increased conference games of the ACC (VT, UNC-Hatred, NCSU) and
WVA, our schedule will not be as strong as we have had the last few
years. To counteract that, we should be playing USM out of division
but within the conference. They should be swapped with UAB in the
new realignment and UAB come within our division.

Sounds like it is looking like ECU, Marshall, Southern Miss, FIU,
Florida Atlantic, and Tulane is the division we will be in.

http://www.boneyardbanter.com/message_board/banter/2012/February/24/1227446.php

Harry · February 25, 2012

So assuming they go to 24... Anyone want to complete the missing pieces of the puzzle?

SE

ECU

Marshall

USM

FIU

FAU

Tulane

SW

UAB

RICE

Tulsa

UTEP

UNT

La. Tech

NT91 · February 25, 2012

Tulane should be in the SW and UAB in the SE.

mgfan · February 25, 2012

Does anyone know the buyout for the SB and how long the notice has to be?

Harry · February 25, 2012

Tulane should be in the SW and UAB in the SE.

I didn't really get that either and frankly I have my doubts that Tulane would be excited about being in that grouping either.

GrayEagle · February 25, 2012

This is scary. I hope the ECU board is wrong on the 24; not just who is in each division.

The two that concern me most are New Mexico State and UTSA. I keep hearing that both New Mexico and UTEP don't want NMSU in their division but 24 almost dictate that the Aggies be added for the 12th western member. UTSA won't be a full FBS member until 2014 so I don't see how they could be included.

If neither of those are acceptable now that could mean that someone from the east move west ala UTEP. Guess who could be the westernmost?

If we have to go to 24 this is what I'd prefer:

East

East Carolina

Marshall

Middle Tenn

UAB

FAU

FIU

Southwest

Southern Miss

Tulane

Louisiana Tech

Rice

North Texas

Tulsa

Mountain

UTEP

New Mexico State

New Mexico

Air Force

Wyoming

Colorado State

Pacific

Utah State

Nevada

UNLV

Fresno State

San Jose State

Hawaii

I would prefer only 18 or 20 until we could see what impact Texas State and/or UTSA will have. Both have good coaches and could come out swinging. I'm still not totally sold on FAU or FIU. I think that Middle Tennessee is more solid than either short term.

NorthTexan95 · February 25, 2012

The two that concern me most are New Mexico State and UTSA. I keep hearing that both New Mexico and UTEP don't want NMSU in their division but 24 almost dictate that the Aggies be added for the 12th western member. UTSA won't be a full FBS member until 2014 so I don't see how they could be included.

Idaho could replace New Mexico St. NMSU could then join ASU, WKU, ULL, ULM, and Troy as the new Sun Belt - and they would quickly invite UTSA, Texas State, and UTA to be quickly invited.

I would be surprised if it was 24 teams at the start but you never know.

I know everyone is saying TV is driving all of this ... and it appears regionalism is also a major factor for this new conference. But I wonder how much a factor is the idea of not leaving a university out to dry? For example, if the above conference were to happen then Idaho would be left all by itself and the only conference they could probably join would be the Sun Belt or the MAC ... both are far away. Or in a similar vain ... would this new conference be willing to kill the WAC by taking only a few WAC schools?

Edited February 25, 2012 by NorthTexan95

NM Green · February 25, 2012

Living in Mountain West country I feel like Boise State is really contemplating their move to the BE. I just don't feel the excitement from them especially since they like the rivalries with the programs out West like CSU, UNLV and UNM in basketball. Throw in AF and Wyoming in football and one has to wonder if they are the broncos if the WAC will even be there to put their other sports into. They already delayed their departure from the MW a year. I wonder if they are wanting to see if the BE survives and frankly if it makes sense for them to move especially if there is no more AQ in the coming years.

I have nothing against UTSA or TSU, but we should be aspiring to join a conference with established progams like AF, Tulsa, UTEP, UNM, UNLV, Fresno, Southern Miss and Tulsa. Nothing against MTSU, the Cajuns and Arkie State but we are in a different tier than some of the programs that want to join the party.

GMG

PlummMeanGreen · February 25, 2012

Living in Mountain West country I feel like Boise State is really contemplating their move to the BE. I just don't feel the excitement from them especially since they like the rivalries with the programs out West like CSU, UNLV and UNM in basketball. Throw in AF and Wyoming in football and one has to wonder if they are the broncos if the WAC will even be there to put their other sports into. They already delayed their departure from the MW a year. I wonder if they are wanting to see if the BE survives and frankly if it makes sense for them to move especially if there is no more AQ in the coming years.

I have nothing against UTSA or TSU, but we should be aspiring to join a conference with established progams like AF, Tulsa, UTEP, UNM, UNLV, Fresno, Southern Miss and Tulsa. Nothing against MTSU, the Cajuns and Arkie State but we are in a different tier than some of the programs that want to join the party.

GMG

May I quote you NM Green?

"I have nothing against UTSA or TSU, but we should be aspiring to join a conference with established progams like AF, Tulsa, UTEP, UNM, UNLV, Fresno, Southern Miss and Tulsa. Nothing against MTSU, the Cajuns and Arkie State but we are in a different tier than some of the programs that want to join the party."

I agree, maybe not so much on the SBC 3 but the other part.

All this happening in the NCAA today in conference re-alignment is dog eat dog time and hardly a time for the feint of heart. :unsure: There will always be a pecking order because that is the nature of mankind and has been since the beginning of time. Look at the pecking order scenarios that create various soci-economic classes in our American society today such as private schools versus public schools; rich versus poor; Highland Park versus a manufactured housing neighborhood; SMU versus UNT; UNT versus TSU-San Marcos; TSU-SM versus Midwestern State/Angelo State and the beat goes on.

If North Texas gets in this Alliance which all indicators say we will, it will be the first time for all of us that we have finally gotten some semblance of satisfaction because we'd be part of a consortium of like schools with good NCAA D1 histories (as Coach Howard Schnellenberger has even pointed out that North Texas has) and will be the best "feel good" moment in many of us older nestor's lives as far as North Texas athletics is concerned. If we somehow remain in the SBC, we will just re-evaluate our goals and just try to get back to being the North Texas that dominated the 'Belt in its first 4 years. It will not be the end of the world because we still have game-changing facilities with our gol' darned new football stadium strategically located at the best gol' darned location (between 2 Texas interstates for heavens sake) than any NCAA D1 school in the Southwest and beyond.

Because of the NCAA's always functioning (with all pistons running) pecking order modus operendi and an M.O. which is as prevalent at the NCAA FBS level as comparable to any other business or group in our society today, UNT has been blocked , black-balled (and you who say we have not seem to have somehow forgotten SMU president Turner's well documented in the Dallas Morning News push for La Tech over UNT last CUSA re-alignment round in this multi-decade saga; nevertheless, we've also been piled on/quadruple teamed non-stop, too, from ever gettting in any other conference we of North Texas have coveted for the past 40 years. Hayden Fry's North Texas wanted in the Southwest Conference, but the private school's part of the Southwest Conference did not want Fry's North Texas in their social club, but now more than ever we all know the reasons why. It's just the way mankind operates and has (again) since the beginning of time and few will ever break that natural order of human conduct any time soon, either.

For those schools who want all this to instantly happen for their schools all that many of us would tell them now is get a score card and plan on using it for quite a few years especially in that game called NCAA re-alignment because it's for certain, we of North Texas still have our score card out and have no real idea what will happen in the 4'th quarter of all going on in NCAA re-alignment as of today.

GMG!

Edited February 25, 2012 by PlummMeanGreen

NorthTexan95 · February 25, 2012

Living in Mountain West country I feel like Boise State is really contemplating their move to the BE. I just don't feel the excitement from them especially since they like the rivalries with the programs out West like CSU, UNLV and UNM in basketball. Throw in AF and Wyoming in football and one has to wonder if they are the broncos if the WAC will even be there to put their other sports into. They already delayed their departure from the MW a year. I wonder if they are wanting to see if the BE survives and frankly if it makes sense for them to move especially if there is no more AQ in the coming years.

I have nothing against UTSA or TSU, but we should be aspiring to join a conference with established progams like AF, Tulsa, UTEP, UNM, UNLV, Fresno, Southern Miss and Tulsa. Nothing against MTSU, the Cajuns and Arkie State but we are in a different tier than some of the programs that want to join the party.

GMG

If Boise State might be reconsidering then San Diego St definately should be reconsidering for the same reasons.

wardly · February 25, 2012

This is scary. I hope the ECU board is wrong on the 24; not just who is in each division.

The two that concern me most are New Mexico State and UTSA. I keep hearing that both New Mexico and UTEP don't want NMSU in their division but 24 almost dictate that the Aggies be added for the 12th western member. UTSA won't be a full FBS member until 2014 so I don't see how they could be included.

If neither of those are acceptable now that could mean that someone from the east move west ala UTEP. Guess who could be the westernmost?

If we have to go to 24 this is what I'd prefer:

East
East Carolina
Marshall
Middle Tenn
UAB
FAU
FIU

Southwest
Southern Miss
Tulane
Louisiana Tech
Rice
North Texas
Tulsa

Mountain
UTEP
New Mexico State
New Mexico
Air Force
Wyoming
Colorado State

Pacific
Utah State
Nevada
UNLV
Fresno State
San Jose State
Hawaii

I would prefer only 18 or 20 until we could see what impact Texas State and/or UTSA will have. Both have good coaches and could come out swinging. I'm still not totally sold on FAU or FIU. I think that Middle Tennessee is more solid than either short term.

we have a better chance of inclusion with 24. don't think Idaho or NMSU make the cut. adding a total of 6 schools might include SJSU,USU,UNT,FIU,and anybody's guess. FAU is close to FIU, so do you want both of them? also, what does MTSU and W.K. do for Marshall and ECU?we may end up going west.