How About This ?

MeanGreen61 · May 2, 2012

For you recruiting gurus, Will moving to CUSA give us a nice uptick in overall recruit caliber ? Should be much easier to sell CUSA vs Sun Belt. Thoughts ?

Edited May 2, 2012 by MeanGreen61

Got5onIt · May 2, 2012

I would think so. Pitch that with more Texas schools and a chance for easier family travel to Texas kids, more Bowls for CUSA, which means more national attention. Lots of upside!

SilverEagle · May 2, 2012

I would think so. Pitch that with more Texas schools and a chance for easier family travel to Texas kids, more Bowls for CUSA, which means more national attention. Lots of upside!

Good points. Texas families have always been able to easily travel to North Texas games. Now we add "travel to North Texas/Tulsa, NT/Rice, NT/Tulane games. And that enhances our sell job to the family of potential recruits.

Harry · May 2, 2012

Without question. And I don't think it places us in a bad position against the Big East either... SMU has Houston in the state of Texas that's it. We have 3 teams/markets in the state to play against now. I love what it can do for us in Houston where we have a lot of alumni who have been so disconnected in the Belt. I expect in football to have some major recruiting battles with Tulsa, Rice and Tech at least initially.

golfingomez · May 2, 2012

I'd be really surprised if this hasn't already been used in pitches(the inside info that we were moving)... but I guess having hard evidence that we are moving conferences still helps

MeanGreenTexan · May 2, 2012

I would think so. Pitch that with more Texas schools and a chance for easier family travel to Texas kids, more Bowls for CUSA, which means more national attention. Lots of upside!

I think it will help in recruiting against our Belt friends, but keep in mind that just about EVERY school we compete with is either already on this level (Rice, UTEP, Tulsa, Tulane), is moving here with us (LA Tech, UTSA, FIU, and even TX St to an extent), or are on their way to bigger & better (SMU, Houston, TCU).

Honestly, the team I think will be hurt the most if they do not win immediately will be TX Tech. They'll continue to get any recruit they want from Abilene and west, but with all of these move-ups (especially TCU), the recruits that they are used to getting from DFW/Houston/Central & East Texas areas will begin to dwindle.

MeanGreen61 · May 2, 2012

I think it will help in recruiting against our Belt friends, but keep in mind that just about EVERY school we compete with is either already on this level (Rice, UTEP, Tulsa, Tulane), is moving here with us (LA Tech, UTSA, FIU, and even TX St to an extent), or are on their way to bigger & better (SMU, Houston, TCU).

Honestly, the team I think will be hurt the most if they do not win immediately will be TX Tech. They'll continue to get any recruit they want from Abilene and west, but with all of these move-ups (especially TCU), the recruits that they are used to getting from DFW/Houston/Central & East Texas areas will begin to dwindle.

True, but conference affiliation is no longer a minus when we are recruiting against other CUSA schools.

casual fan · May 2, 2012

It helps recruiting in a several ways.

1. Local TV & press in the major Texas markets. When we play Rice we in the news & on the sports in the Houston area and the same thing with UTSA in San Antonio and UTEP in El Paso.

2. This gives us a big advantage over the Sun Belt as they will have a much harder time recruiting against us.

3. I think it may hurt smu as they are now on a bit of an island playing to a half empty stadium.

4. No matter where we recruit in the state, parents and family will be able to watch their kid play.

5. I also think it hurts the WAC & MW as they will have less to sell.

GrandGreen · May 2, 2012

I think it will help a lot, frankly NT was close to the bottom in football recruiting. The conference change puts NT even with Tulsa, Rice, and UTEP in terms of conferences. A lot of bluster coming out of the Belt about parity with CUSA which is peculiar in that everyone of them would jump in a second. NT will have a big conference advantage over ULL and ASU. The bad part is this certainly will give UTSA a big boost and La Tech who beats NT regularly in recruiting will be in the same conference.

I don't think SMU will get a big boost in football but they will in basketball. TCU in the Big Twelve will be way beyond NT but they were anyway. Houston has passed us by and will be hard to compete with.

Winning is still the key. If NT can win big in CUSA, a big if; they can compete with Houston, SMU and maybe Tech in recruiting; and oviously should have few problems competing with CUSA and Belt teams.

Conference and winning are the big factors in recruiting. Generally, the top teams in a conference can compete effectly with the bottom teams in the next conference in the hierarchy, but not with the top teams in that league.