More MWC/CUSA Merger Talk

GrayEagle · March 17, 2012

Someone on the Mean and Green Forum posted the below link re the Las Vegas Sun interview with Neal Smatresk (who I believe is the current president of the MWC).

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/mar/15/taking-new-look-athletics/

He and others talk more about a 20-team conference and maybe these are subtle hints that this is the thinking of those who would structure this alliance.

If so, we have been included in each model that I've seen but the other three have varied (although FIU has been in most). What would be your preference for the remaining leading candidates?

My preference would be to admit San Jose State and Utah State in the west which would allow UTEP to stay in the east. Instead of FIU though I would prefer Florida Atlantic or MTSU.

Both are more traditional universities and I believe that both will have better attendance than FIU. Each has produced good teams in the past and are capable of doing it again. Florida International has the more proven coach currently. It is larger and in a larger market. It has the best academics of the three. But, its wide diversity and scattered campus doesn't bode well for future attendance. FIU's stadium only seats 23,500 and has no press box. It smacks of minor league. Florida Atlantic is the only FBS university in the West Palm Beach market, a smaller market than Miami, but still a rather large market. Middle Tennessee is in a good market (Nashville) with a better history in football, more competitive in every sport and has better facilities.

I'd much rather have UTEP in our (I know that I'm making an undocumented assumption) division, section, pod, whatever because they are in Texas and we have a longer history with them.

NM Green · March 17, 2012

Smastrek is a mover and shaker and will play a key role in the development of The Alliance. I have met the gentleman before and he is an incredibly nice and effective leader. He was at Hawaii before moving to Las Vegas and the guy just breathes enthusiasm and positivity for college athletics. He was the gentleman who talked about the expansion being very methodical in nature and is happy that The Alliance will be made up of programs that truly want to be together. Of course when big leagues call that makes it tough, but The Alliance will not be assembled in a haphazard format. Their goal is to capture some power and make and call shots. That is why they are having full and rich discussions about who is invited. They are waiting on the TV deal which is looking very nice. They are building for the future, and the fact that we stand a great chance at being invited and part of this excellent future league is freaking outstanding! We have earned it Mean Green and now we need to get invited and feed it.

UNLV does its part with basketball and a commitment to football (on campus stadium plans drawn). Hawaii will bring solid football, we bring market, improving football and solid basketball. I too like FAU in that facilities are important to this league. FAU has proven it is committed on that front. Is FIU a flash in the pan? If you only bring market I don't think that is enough. That is why UTSA needs to commit to facilities if they want to be considered for future expansion.

I think FAU and MTSU could both be strong contenders. North Texas needs to focus on strong attendance numbers this fall. No schedule excuses either. Our marketing team and event committee teams need to be meeting weekly now on how to average 25,000 at Apogee and 5,000 at the Superpit in the coming seasons. These should be starting points for us.

GMG

wardly · March 18, 2012

i read that UTEP wants to move West, which gives the MWC 9 football programs, and CUSA 7.SJSU has a larger market, and i don't see what Utah State brings to the table. if the MWC adds just one to get to 10, then CUSA needs to add 3, which gives UNT a better chance of being included, probably along with F._U. & a player to be named later.however,i have not been right so far, so take my post with a grain of salt.

untcampbell · March 18, 2012

Utah State is committed to improvement, and it shows in facilities and on the field. USU is the Texas Tech of Utah (the only game in a town isolated somewhat from the other major cities in the state...but only 2 hours from SLC).

One thing I admire, that I think is useful to the conference: the other "majors" in their state give them regular games in the revenue sports. And if memory serves, these in-state games with BYU and Utah are usually competitive.

This is visibility that serves the conference well.

GMG

MDH · March 18, 2012

Utah State, Ohio, UNT and La Tech (gotta have someone we can have reciprocated hatred with) would be my pick of the litter.

PlummMeanGreen · March 18, 2012

I digress but...

New stadium + possible new conference that will hardly be the Big 12 (who will keep changing in membership), but will be the best conference our school (if invited) will have been a part of in our entire athletic history.

It's already been posted by several others, but our leaders must take on the mindset that just because you open the stadium's gates on Game Day doesn't necessarily mean everyone in our almost 7 million populated area is going to know there will be a game that day at Apogee. Jeez, folks, all we need is 31K out of 7,000,000 who live within an hour of our stadium--why should that be so damn difficult and especially since we get a head start with a student enrollment of over 36,000? What is wrong with this picture?

It's the North Texas Metroplex and UNT must promote, promote, promote and promote because as another AD around these parts a few decade ago used to say: "An empty seat cannot buy a hot dog; it cannot buy a t-shirt; it cannot buy a soft drink, etc, etc, etc

With our enormous (and still growing) UNT student body who have filled all of our dorms or even those UNT students who reside within blocks of campus, that would probably be the best of all places to begin an all out "every game" promotion blitz. Hire proven athletic event promoters if you have to because (as important as they are) book-keepers and pencil pushers are not going to make happen what we must have happen at the University of North Texas.

This could all be very special and exciting if we could just get all egos in check and pistons running in harmony in Mean Green Country.

GMG!

Edited March 18, 2012 by PlummMeanGreen

GTWT · March 18, 2012

I prefer FAU over FIU. If another sbc school is invited, I'd rather it be Louisiana than middle tennessee. Heck, I'd rather have BOTH FAU & FIU and leave mt in the belt.

wardly · March 18, 2012

Utah State, Ohio, UNT and La Tech (gotta have someone we can have reciprocated hatred with) would be my pick of the litter.

why Ohio? they don't seem to fit.

SilverEagle · March 18, 2012

Utah State, Ohio, UNT and La Tech (gotta have someone we can have reciprocated hatred with) would be my pick of the litter.

LaLa over Ohio....any day. And Ark St. over Utah St.

buff64 · March 18, 2012

LaLa over Ohio....any day. And Ark St. over Utah St.

Ark. St. seems to bring the largest vistor crowds to Denton. And, their program is on the rise.

tylermeangreen · March 18, 2012

LaLa over Ohio....any day. And Ark St. over Utah St.

LaLa for sure!

For those of you who visited the tailgating environment prior to the UNT/LaLa football game this past fall - along with the fan support at the game itself - you would have to agree that LaLa support is far greater than most of the other universities being considered for the MWC/CUSA merger.

I, for one, was astounded......and I know for a fact that some of the UNT Athletic Department staffers were as well.

GMG

Edited March 18, 2012 by tylermeangreen

wardly · March 18, 2012

its about T.V. sets. San Jose,DFW,Miami,not Eastern Arkansas or S.E.Louisiana. if it was about programs i don't think we would get as much consideration as we think we are.

PlummMeanGreen · March 18, 2012

its about T.V. sets. San Jose,DFW,Miami,not Eastern Arkansas or S.E.Louisiana. if it was about programs i don't think we would get as much consideration as we think we are.

Funny how I was thinking along these very same lines today, wardly, but there were 1 or 2 other school's getting into better conference situations with 1 of those schools having probably the same (or less) W/L athletic history as our school the last 25 years.

The University of North Texas will have absolutely nothing to apologize about if we get in this Alliance--in fact, it's about damn time something good happen for our alma mater in all this new conference or re-alignment business with this possible rare smile from Lady Luck.

GMG!

wardly · March 18, 2012

Funny how I was thinking along these very same lines today, wardly, but there were 1 or 2 other school's getting into better conference situations with 1 of those schools having probably the same (or less) W/L athletic history as our school the last 25 years.

The University of North Texas will have absolutely nothing to apologize about if we get in this Alliance--in fact, it's about damn time something good happen for our alma mater in all this new conference or re-alignment business with this possible rare smile from Lady Luck.

GMG!

+1

Eagle1855 · March 18, 2012

LaLa over Ohio....any day. And Ark St. over Utah St.

With all due respect... why? Both Ohio and Utah State have better basketball and the football programs are a wash.

And both have name over LALA and Ark State.

shaft · March 18, 2012

The article said 16-20 teams.

The SA Express article (http://blog.mysanantonio.com/utsa/2012/03/your-daily-re-alignment-speculation/)

makes a better case of Utah State, San Jose State, UNT, LA Tech, and FIU as the tier one expansion candidates.

UTSA, WKY, MTSU and Ohio are second tier candidates.

MDH · March 19, 2012

why Ohio? they don't seem to fit.

Ohio makes Marshall & ECU much happier and they bring successful programs to the gridiron and hardwood (at least the last few years). They bring a new hotbed state to recruit as well. I think Ohio in the alliance has more impact on that state's recruiting than FIU in the alliance. IMO, FIU is a long long way from being a recognized presence in Florida.

wardly · March 19, 2012

Ohio makes Marshall & ECU much happier and they bring successful programs to the gridiron and hardwood (at least the last few years). They bring a new hotbed state to recruit as well. I think Ohio in the alliance has more impact on that state's recruiting than FIU in the alliance. IMO, FIU is a long long way from being a recognized presence in Florida.

i don't know the details, but i think members of the MAC give fewer football scholarships than 1a but more than 1aa. also, why would Ohio be interested in the Belt? just asking.

MDH · March 19, 2012

i don't know the details, but i think members of the MAC give fewer football scholarships than 1a but more than 1aa. also, why would Ohio be interested in the Belt? just asking.

This is a MWC/CUSA Merger talk thread. They wouldn't be interested in the belt at all.

PlummMeanGreen · March 19, 2012

It's the NCAA so who knows what the hell will happen next, but any league, conference, consortium, alliance or whatever the hell you want to call it that would ignore a huge enrollment public university located in it's largest TV and geographical footprint just might not be a league UNT would want to be part of; that is, if any of its future conference decisions would be even remotely (and most short-sightedly) similar.

Fellow alums and Mean Green elect, this is a no-brainer if there ever was one.

GMG!

Edited March 19, 2012 by PlummMeanGreen