Sounds Like We're Losing Another C-USA Member

[Mean Green 93-98]

Its looking like in a few years the Big East will turn into the old C-USA and the Sun Belt will become the new C-USA. So much for moving up in the world.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same."

But I expect the MWC to upgrade in the not-too-distant future. If all the moveups from the MWC and C-USA (minus Tulane and probably minus ECU) stick together and go back to the MWC, they will have a far better conference than the BE.

[CurveItAround]

I wonder if we will lose the eastern contingent as a result of the ECU loss? Possibly could bring USM, UAB to the west and try to build a 10-12 team tight knit regional conference? Adding ULL, WKU, MTSU, and TxSt would create a pretty nice footprint.

Tulsa

UTEP

UTSA

Rice

UNT

TxSt

LaTech

ULL

WKU

MTSU

USM

UAB

This looks really nice to me.

Edited November 27, 2012 by CurveItAround

[kalebschumann]

So will CUSA be replacing them?

I vote for ULL and WKU. I really just want WKU in the CUSA because I love to hate them so much!

I would vote for TxSt just to have another in state rival.

[golfingomez]

the Big East is like the WAC... except that they have spares answer the phone when they call

[Mean Green 93-98]

I wonder if we will lose the eastern contingent as a result of the ECU loss?

Where would they go? I'm sure they all want in the BE at this point, but certainly the BE wouldn't take them all . . . would they?

[emmitt01]

This should be VERY concerning to us. It's apparent the "old" CUSA schools are feeling left behind and are willing to jump to the BE just so they won't look like orphans. Literally every team that the BE had that would have made TV execs perk up has left...or will be leaving soon. Where this should concern us is that USM is already eyeing the door, UAB can't be real excited...and the replacements will be those same Belt schools that you all blame for attendance woes.

[adman]

Every other year trips to NOLA was one of the things I was most excited about with C-USA. Boo Tulane.

[Mean Green 93-98]

This should be VERY concerning to us. It's apparent the "old" CUSA schools are feeling left behind and are willing to jump to the BE just so they won't look like orphans. Literally every team that the BE had that would have made TV execs perk up has left...or will be leaving soon. Where this should concern us is that USM is already eyeing the door, UAB can't be real excited...and the replacements will be those same Belt schools that you all blame for attendance woes.

The BE has always been the destination conference for C-USA members. The pecking order has not changed. We have to hope that the BE doesn't want to dilute its product any further to become the "new C-USA" just as we don't want C-USA to become the "new Sun Belt."

[Harry]

Looks like it's official that ECU will join Tulane but as football only.

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8682572/tulane-join-big-east-all-sports-source-said

[Wag Tag]

La Tech wouldn't b to happy about La La .... Hate to loose Tulsa.....La Tech, UTEP, Rice , UTSA .. is better than what we had IMO.

[Mean Green 93-98]

Looks like it's official that ECU will join Tulane but as football only.

http://espn.go.com/c...rts-source-said

I wonder where ECU will park their other sports . . . I'm sure C-USA will not accommodate that.

[CurveItAround]

I get that LaTech hates ULL, but faced with the alternative... What would be so bad about having a hated rival in your division? Outside of joining big 12 or having UH/smut, etc.. in our conference, the list I laid out above is about as good as we could hope for, and it would be a damn competitive league. Maybe too competitive.

[untjim1995]

I think this is the smart move for Tulane, for sure. They get aligned with the other schools that they have been conference mates with for decades. But I don't get East Carolina moving there just for football only. Obviously, Louisville and UConn are pretty much gone and Boise State and SDSU are probably going to go back to the MWC. So, that means ECU will get matchups with SMU, UH, Tulane, South Florida, Cincy, Temple, Memphis, and Navy. If you go the Big East, don't you do it as a full member, just do get the prestige of BE basketball? Unless they know that Southern Miss and UAB are going to move over, too.

[untjim1995]

I think La Tech will be ok with ULL as a conference mate--just not ULM. Very similar to SMU-UNT and UTEP-NMSU.

[Mean Green 93-98]

It will be interesting to see whom C-USA adds, if they add at all. Even with the departures that would be 12 members.

But some possible additions, in (my) order:

1. ULL - Good replacement for Tulane. Better football, better attendance. And, so I'm told, unsurpassed tailgating.

2. Ohio - Solid add in football and basketball. Would reinforce C-USA's pecking order above the MAC. Not another Belt team.

3. Arky State - Very solid football and improving, and improving facilities. But C-USA won't likely add a team from Jonesboro, AR.

4. MUTS - TV market, good across the board sports. Probably C-USA's preferred target, if MUTS will reciprocate.

5. WKY - Very good basketball, solid across the board sports.

6. FAU - TV market, travel partner for FIU. I would really rather not be in a conference with those two schools again, though.

[NT03]

Please add WKU!!!

[rcade]

La Tech wouldn't b to happy about La La .... Hate to loose Tulsa.....La Tech, UTEP, Rice , UTSA .. is better than what we had IMO.

Who said we're losing Tulsa? I hate to see Tulane go, but those three Texas schools and La Tech are a definite improvement for us.

[STE]

The Mountain West may want back in the Texas/DFW market . . . . . . . . .

[emmitt01]

ULL would be choice #1 for me. We left the Belt for "regional rivalries", "makeable road trips", and "visiting fans". If we don't replace Tulane with another local school why the move?

[glick1980]

I would love to have both MTSU and WKU. You get a great rivalry with both of them and overall they are currently better athletically than the combination of ECU and Tulane, especially in basketball. I am actually glad to be rid of ECU and Tulane is dead weight.

[Harry]

Mountain West to Target C-USA schools....?

[MeanGreenGlory]

This could get really ugly...really fast...

[Mean Green 93-98]

Mountain West to Target C-USA schools....?

Hopefully they target us if they target Tulsa, UTEP, and Rice.

[DeepGreen]

Mountain West to Target C-USA schools....?

Before I could start typing my thoughts on all this cr@p, you provided the link to will happen next. Tulsa and UTEP go back to the MWC and we are back where we started.

Losing Tulane and ECU is bad enough. Potentially losing UTEP and Tulsa would be catastrophic. DeepGreen is not happy today.

[Green Otaku]

Not good. The school I didn't want to lose was ECU. This could get bad very quickly.