So what did C-USA really lose?

[wardly]

I want to get away from playing SBC schools.

Because we can't beat them

[cdizzle86]

I have seen a lot of posts around here lately that have said if we would have started winning more 10 years ago, then we wouldn't be in this position today. I completely disagree. I have a hard time buying that considering that other schools such as ECU, UCF, USF, and Cincy have all been relatively good over the last decade, but are potentially going to be left behind just like the rest of us. Our struggles go way further than the last 10-15 years and is about more than just winning.

If anybody is kicking themselves, it has to be SMU. Had they not received the death penalty, they would probably be in the Big 12 instead of TCU. Now they are a part of the Little Sister of the Poor with us.

[DeepGreen]

The reality is, we are probably going to be left behind in all this mess based on nothing more than lack of performance and lack of winning tradition associated with our brand. Yes, we have put everything in place to become a major player. But we probably needed it to be there in 2002, not 2012. College football took a wild turn this past decade... and it happened about 5 years before we were ready for it.

The scramble for TV $$ will ruin college football for half the country. Count on it.

College football is largely myth anyways. More than half the major conference teams are stocked with players who'd have had zero chance of getting into said school based solely on academics. In my opinion, that's a problem.

All we can do is root for UNT- which I can do quite well- and hope the higher-ups are able to pull off a game-winning hail mary.

That is the bottom line. Good summary.

[CurveItAround]

We just need to have our ducks in a row so that we are more attractive that SMU when the new league starts and is picking from Rice, Baylor, TCU, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa St, Texas Tech, Houston, Tulsa, UTEP, and Oklahoma St is formed.

We probably only have a few more years to get ready...

[GangGreen]

I want to get away from playing SBC schools.

Not to pick on you individually here 91, but I think a lot of people on this board need a serious reality check. We are an SBC school. The entire nation sees us that way and that is not changing anytime soon.

[UNTLifer]

The reality is, we are probably going to be left behind in all this mess based on nothing more than lack of performance and lack of winning tradition associated with our brand. Yes, we have put everything in place to become a major player. But we probably needed it to be there in 2002, not 2012. College football took a wild turn this past decade... and it happened about 5 years before we were ready for it.

The scramble for TV $$ will ruin college football for half the country. Count on it.

College football is largely myth anyways. More than half the major conference teams are stocked with players who'd have had zero chance of getting into said school based solely on academics. In my opinion, that's a problem.

All we can do is root for UNT- which I can do quite well- and hope the higher-ups are able to pull off a game-winning hail mary.

Which explains why Tulane was invited to the Big East, I mean, based upon their monumental success the last ten years.

[GL2Greatness]

We just need to have our ducks in a row so that we are more attractive that SMU when the new league starts and is picking from Rice, Baylor, TCU, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa St, Texas Tech, Houston, Tulsa, UTEP, and Oklahoma St is formed.

We probably only have a few more years to get ready...

if you get "your ducks in a row" for that nonsense you will be floating in a cesspool all on your own because there is little if any chance of that happening

you can dream stupid dreams all you wish, but reality says they are not going to happen so there is no snese dreaming them

Texas and OU are not going west to the PAC period.....the LHN is bad enough for UT fans as it is and then to go west and lose the LHN and the cash to have games on at midnight is a non-starter for them it would be a total failure

also you are pretending that teams like KU, OkState, KSU and the like that have actually been to and won BCS games in recent memory are going to be left out in the cold while Wake Forest, several members of the old BE, and other crappy teams will somehow not be ditched by their conferences if for some reason conferences started to ditch teams

the SEC did not sign up with the Big 12 for a Sugar Bowl game to watch the Big 12 fall apart suddenly and for their members to scatter and the conference to fold or worse for the conference to "reload" after UT and OU leave.....the SEC could have signed the same deal with the ACC if they wanted to and they looked to the Big 12 and they looked to the Big 12 with TCU, Baylor, Tech, KU, KSU, and OkState in it and they signed the deal with that CONFERENCE not with UT and OU and wherever OU and UT end up "going"

you are pretending that UT, OU, and WVU are somehow going to "get the call" and two of them are going to the PAC to play teams that mostly suck that their fans don't give a damn about, and WVU is going to the ACC or SEC and they are going to leave their TV deal and money behind and their deal with the SEC for the Sugar Bowl behind for WHAT??????

and you are pretending that the 7 out of 10 teams that would be left behind would not be able to find 3 teams to step in and take that money and championship spot with 3 phone calls and instead they would have to look at sunbelt and Conference USA leftovers to form up a new conference that has nothing....good luck with that wish

even if UT and OU did leave for some reason why would WVU leave....to go to the ACC....for less TV money, a crappier bowl deal....and to get out from the conference they wanted to be in and get into the conference others are LEAVING......oh yea that makes sense.....

pay a ton of money or give up TV rights for over a decade to make LESS money in the ACC with a crappier bowl game and LESS stability...BRILLIANT!

[Eagle1855]

Which explains why Tulane was invited to the Big East, I mean, based upon their monumental success the last ten years.

Well, besides Tulane being an all-around better brand, it brings another large market to the table. The Big East believes they got Dallas and Houston with SMU and UH. So what do we bring that they don't already have? Academic prestige? Tradition? A winning program?

Sorry, I love my alma mater, but I don't blame the Big East for not jumping on the sleeping giant wagon.

[rcade]

We are an SBC school. The entire nation sees us that way and that is not changing anytime soon.

What do you mean? It's changing on Jan. 1, 2013.

[GangGreen]

What do you mean? It's changing on Jan. 1, 2013.

I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not, but the way the rest of the nation percieves us is the bottom of the barrel. The way things are going now, ACC becomes Big East, Big East become CUSA, CUSA becomes Sun Belt.

Honestly, we are no better as an athletic department than any team that is currently in the Sun Belt. The big boys certainly don't see any difference. Even schools that should be our peers don't see any difference. Hell, I don't see a difference.

I just think it is so foolish for us to thumb our nose at anybody. I love NT and always will, but I have no delusions about us being superior even to UTSA, TX ST, NM St. We are all on the same level.

[rcade]

I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not, but the way the rest of the nation percieves us is the bottom of the barrel. The way things are going now, ACC becomes Big East, Big East become CUSA, CUSA becomes Sun Belt.

The Sun Belt has been perceived as the worst conference in the FBS for all of our time in it. CUSA has not. Our conference is not going to be perceived as bottom of the barrel any more when we move to CUSA, unless the Sun Belt and WAC die. It also might be better than the MAC. So potentially, UNT could be playing in the second-best non-AQ football conference behind the MWC.

[Harry]

The Sun Belt has been perceived as the worst conference in the FBS for all of our time in it. CUSA has not. Our conference is not going to be perceived as bottom of the barrel any more when we move to CUSA, unless the Sun Belt and WAC die. It also might be better than the MAC. So potentially, UNT could be playing in the second-best non-AQ football conference behind the MWC.

I think you meant behind the Big East. The MWC without Boise and SDSU is not better than C-USA in my opinion.

[rcade]

I think you meant behind the Big East.

I was still treating the Big East as an AQ. Does the playoff system mean this is no longer true?

[glick1980]

I was still treating the Big East as an AQ. Does the playoff system mean this is no longer true?

The Big East is AQ next season but once the new playoff starts in 2014 they are in the same boat as the Sun Belt, MAC, MWC, and CUSA in that the highest ranked champion between all 5 of the conferences will have a automatic bid to a major bowl.

[CurveItAround]

if you get "your ducks in a row" for that nonsense you will be floating in a cesspool all on your own because there is little if any chance of that happening

you can dream stupid dreams all you wish, but reality says they are not going to happen so there is no snese dreaming them

Texas and OU are not going west to the PAC period.....the LHN is bad enough for UT fans as it is and then to go west and lose the LHN and the cash to have games on at midnight is a non-starter for them it would be a total failure

also you are pretending that teams like KU, OkState, KSU and the like that have actually been to and won BCS games in recent memory are going to be left out in the cold while Wake Forest, several members of the old BE, and other crappy teams will somehow not be ditched by their conferences if for some reason conferences started to ditch teams

the SEC did not sign up with the Big 12 for a Sugar Bowl game to watch the Big 12 fall apart suddenly and for their members to scatter and the conference to fold or worse for the conference to "reload" after UT and OU leave.....the SEC could have signed the same deal with the ACC if they wanted to and they looked to the Big 12 and they looked to the Big 12 with TCU, Baylor, Tech, KU, KSU, and OkState in it and they signed the deal with that CONFERENCE not with UT and OU and wherever OU and UT end up "going"

you are pretending that UT, OU, and WVU are somehow going to "get the call" and two of them are going to the PAC to play teams that mostly suck that their fans don't give a damn about, and WVU is going to the ACC or SEC and they are going to leave their TV deal and money behind and their deal with the SEC for the Sugar Bowl behind for WHAT??????

and you are pretending that the 7 out of 10 teams that would be left behind would not be able to find 3 teams to step in and take that money and championship spot with 3 phone calls and instead they would have to look at sunbelt and Conference USA leftovers to form up a new conference that has nothing....good luck with that wish

even if UT and OU did leave for some reason why would WVU leave....to go to the ACC....for less TV money, a crappier bowl deal....and to get out from the conference they wanted to be in and get into the conference others are LEAVING......oh yea that makes sense.....

pay a ton of money or give up TV rights for over a decade to make LESS money in the ACC with a crappier bowl game and LESS stability...BRILLIANT!

Geez. Can't take a joke. Did I hit a nerve?

Edited November 28, 2012 by CurveItAround

[meaniegreenie]

What do you mean? It's changing on Jan. 1, 2013.

None of this matters anyway. It's all coming to an end in 23 days on 12-21-2012, right? Damn Mayans.

[wardly]

I guess another way of looking at this is what did CUSA gain? UNT for SMU,UTSA for Houston,La. Tech for Tulane,MTSU for Memphis,F_U's for UCF,UNC@C for ECU. Who won in this exchange? CUSA or Big East?] Big East took MWC & CUSA schools. CUSA took WAC and Sun Belt teams. Looks like Sun Belt could have 5 out of 10 schools go to a bowl this year, which I think is as many if not more than today's CUSA.

[GrayEagle]

Which explains why Tulane was invited to the Big East, I mean, based upon their monumental success the last ten sixty years.

Oh, they've had three or four good seasons over that time span but haven't been a factor in football since Henry Frnka coached them in the 40s.

Edited November 29, 2012 by GrayEagle

[Green P1]

What did CUSA really lose? Judging by tonight I'd say you can add at least one basketball program to the list.

Edited November 29, 2012 by Green P1

[Green Mean]

You can say what you want about Tulane but people around the country know Tulane University. Again it is all about perception. Yes they've sucked the last decade or so with their own share of problems athletically but they're still very identifiable and a great school academically. It only helps being located in NOLA.

I was looking forward being a in the same conference with ECU. They too are identifiable and they're able to get 40-50k people in the seats. They've been pretty good in football recently and have beaten big name programs the last couple of years.

Yes I believe CUSA has lost two really solid schools. I don't hate that MT is in CUSA but FAU really surprises me.

[UNT90]

Respect?

[wardly]

Marshall pushed hard for both FIU and FAU, while ECU pushed hard for UNC@Charlotte and ODU.I don't know what the advantages are between a 12,14,or 16 team conference, but it appears the preception is that bigger is better.If so, then just merge with the Belt and be done with it. Call me confused.

[Rudy]

while ECU pushed hard for UNC@Charlotte and ODU.

That may be what pisses me off the most. They got what they wanted, and decided to leave anyways.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Marshall pushed hard for both FIU and FAU, while ECU pushed hard for UNC@Charlotte and ODU.I don't know what the advantages are between a 12,14,or 16 team conference, but it appears the preception is that bigger is better.If so, then just merge with the Belt and be done with it. Call me confused.

This is where I am. They could take what is leftover of the Belt, C-USA, and throw in NMSU and Idaho and make a couple of conferences.

Like I said yesterday, all of these "left behind" schools need to come to a point where they realize that they entered the college football arms race two decades too late, accept it, and begin to work together.

The truth is, the SEC, Big Ten, Pac-12 are not going to be coming after the rest of these schools. The Big 12 might pick off Clemson and Florida State from the ACC. The MWC or Big East might take pity on Tulsa, but I doubt it.

Truth is truth, Banowsky and Benson were asleep at the wheel and now grasp at whatever straws are left. No one seriously looks at MTSU and FAU as equal replacements for ECU and Tulane. No one.

And, I'll say this further about Banowsky, though it may piss some people off. The only reason he is where he is today is that his daddy was a college president and had many "ins" from his days as president of OU and Pepperdine.

Daddy got sonny boy into the business of college athletics administration. But, he is not well suited to going up against the big boys. That much is clear. From having SMU and UH swiped last year, to this year's loss of ECU and Tulane.

It's not getting more competitive, nor is it getting more attractive for television advertisers.

Unfortunately, you can't sit around and expect people to be nice. You just can't. Everyone has their own agenda. And, if you don't make your entity be part of that agenda, you are left in the dust.

[DallasGreen]

Here is some wild speculation. The Big East new television contract does not provide the revenues that Houston and SMU areexpecting as a provision to move to the Big East. SMU and Houston choose to remain in the C-USA.

SMU will go indy before agreeing to be in a league with North Texas