Can CUSA keep Tulsa?

[shaft]

"On Jan. 8, Aresco told ESPN that if his league lost San Diego State, it would remain at 10 football members -- Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, Memphis, Rutgers, SMU, South Florida, Temple, UCF and UConn -- for this fall.

In 2014, East Carolina and Tulane will join the Big East to replace Louisville and Rutgers, who are leaving for the ACC and Big Ten, respectively. Aresco said it was "unlikely" ECU or Tulane would join the Big East in 2013. ECU, which was originally sought as a football-only member, is now expected to become an all sports member in 2014.

Navy is scheduled to join in 2015 as a football-only member, giving the Big East 11 football members. Tulsa is being targeted to become the Big East's 12th member in 2014, sources told ESPN."

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/8850122/san-diego-state-reinstated-mountain-west-conference-member

Do you think there is anything CUSA can do to keep Tulsa?

If Navy decommits, do you think CUSA can hang on to Tulsa and even lure back ECU and Tulane?

[Harry]

Yes Aresco is on the record stating that the Big East will be a 10-team league in 2013...so although we don't have the divisions or schedules set yet, we know that if Tulsa was to join the Big East it would be in 2014.

Next year is going to be wild because C-USA will be a big conference - even bigger if they somehow figure out a way to add MTSU and FAU! I think the likelihood is C-USA has 12 team participating in 2013.

Potential divisions

EAST (6 for sure; 3 maybe's; 1 not ready)

ECU

Marshall

FIU

UAB

USM

Tulane

MTSU (?)

FAU (?)

ODU (could enter in 2014 at the soonest)

Charlotte (They are just starting their program in 2013 so likely 2015 adds)

WEST (6 in for sure; if East adds MUTS, FAU for 2013 move Tulane, USM etc back to West)

Rice

La. Tech

North Texas

UT San Antonio

UTEP

Tulsa

[Harry]

Sort of hope we get to play Tulane and ECU in 2013 because we probably won't get the chance again for quite some time.

Also - looking at the West we may only be picked ahead of UTSA or possibly UTEP in the standings.... Rice, La. Tech and Tulsa will be TOUGH.

[shaft]

CUSA is not adding MTSU & FAU until 2014.

[Harry]

CUSA is not adding MTSU & FAU until 2014.

Have you seen that written definitively? There seems to be some inkling that if the Sun Belt teams could get some games they would let them go but I agree it's not likely. Until we see C-USA comment on it (they haven't even released divisions and schedules yet) it's hard to speculate. I think it depends on the Sun Belt teams ability to get replacement games which would be tough this late...

[UNTexas]

Sort of hope we get to play Tulane and ECU in 2013 because we probably won't get the chance again for quite some time.

Also - looking at the West we may only be picked ahead of UTSA or possibly UTEP in the standings.... Rice, La. Tech and Tulsa will be TOUGH.

To hell with preseason standings!!!

[shaft]

Have you seen that written definitively?

Yeah, the same Sun Sentinel article that said NMSU and WKY are on the CUSA short list said FAU & MTSU aren't moving and would have to pay an extra million dollar SBC buy out.

Plus it doesn't make sense for those two teams to come on board early.

[GrayEagle]

I think that it's fait accompli that Tulsa will leave at some point. The question is when.

If Tulsa goes before 2015 they will be the 11th member. If Navy comes aboard in 2015 there is no problem. If Navy opts to remain independent the nBE is at an awkward number. That means the raiders will grab still another CUSA team and they will go willingly regardless of the payout.

By that time the BE will lose Cincinnati and UConn meaning that they must take two more CUSA members.

If Tulsa goes and especially if Tulsa and Southern Miss go, turn out the lights on CUSA. We'd be better served forming a new, more regional conference. This is really getting old.

[wardly]

While Cincy and U.Conn want out,I don't see anyone knocking down the door to invite them in. Tulsa will move to Big East,perhaps in 2015 when Navy does. CUSA now looks like an enhanced Sun Belt,with 2 former WAC members,4 former Belt members,3 CUSA holdovers,2 newbies,and a school to be named later,probably W.K. to shore up the east. If so , the the Belt is on life support .

[UNTLifer]

While Cincy and U.Conn want out,I don't see anyone knocking down the door to invite them in. Tulsa will move to Big East,perhaps in 2015 when Navy does. CUSA now looks like an enhanced Sun Belt,with 2 former WAC members,4 former Belt members,3 CUSA holdovers,2 newbies,and a school to be named later,probably W.K. to shore up the east. If so , the the Belt is on life support .

And with our luck, Banowsky will retire and CUSA will hire Benson.

[Eagle1855]

Man, this move to CUSA is getting less exciting by the week.

It seems if it wasn't for bad luck, lil ole UNT wouldn't have no luck at all.

[untjim1995]

So, it looks like SBC 2.0 is now rebranded as CUSA, which also gives us a trade, at the least, of ULM for La Tech, which is an upgrade. But, playing home games down the road against Old Dominion and Charlotte, while playing against MUTS, FAU, FIU, and Marshall won't bring any more fans to Apogee than what we have been used to. UTSA will help, and if UTEP stays, as I think they will, along with Rice, we still have a better setup than before, even with Eastern based teams in CUSA that won't bring anyone here. Still, trading ULM, South Alabama, Troy, Arkansas State, ULL, and Western Kentucky for UTSA, Rice, UTEP, La Tech, Southern Miss, and UAB seems a little better for name recognition. Whether that moves the turnstiles or media coverage in a better way is yet to be seen, but I do think we have slightly bettered ourselves.

I will say this, though. The real winner in this new CUSA, as it stands today, is UTSA. They are playing against Texas schools immediately as conference members. Even playing Old Dominion and Charlotte eventually will be a step up in competiton from the D-2 schools they have played in the last two years. It won't surprise me at all if they build up very fast down there.

What I still think is most amazing to me is just how much these non-AQ schools with very low budgets, just refuse to accept the idea of a regional conference. The Big East, with the new schools from CUSA, is just ridiculous. I get that SMU doesn't want to play in a conference with us, but SMU playing Temple as conference mates is just as dumb as North Texas playing Florida International. No one in Houston is going to care one bit about a home conference game against UConn, who will probably be bolting for the ACC anytime soon, anyhow. It might just be all about TV deals these days, but the non-AQs are going to find out that ratings don't go up for games involving far-flung teams playing conference games. I like the upgrade for North Texas on the new CUSA-West--I'd trade ULL and Arky State for ODU and Charlotte right now to make it even better, but it is what it is for now, just because of TV. Its still better than what we had in the SBC, even if it looks like SBC 2.0.

[GrayEagle]

Cincinnati and Connecticut may not have offers yet but as soon as the Big XII or others take a Florida State or Virginia Tech they'll get the call. Why? Basketball. The ACC may very well be the premier basketball conference with Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, and Louisville. Few, if any, real weaklings. Cincy and UConn would be upper echelon and help solidify that strength.

If they don't get the call they are considering aligning with the Catholic 7 in the old Big East and playing football independently. Football may drive the bus but it's not the only passenger.

[Mean Green 93-98]

The ACC may very well be the premier basketball conference with Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse, and Louisville. Few, if any, real weaklings.

They're up there.

http://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-basketball/ranking/overall-power-ranking-by-conf

[wardly]

No one but ARMY,BYU, and the Irish can make it as a football independent.

[Mean Green 93-98]

No one but ARMY,BYU, and the Irish can make it as a football independent.

I think there are plenty of schools that could. Penn State had greater success overall as an independent than they did when they joined the Big 10. I'm sure Texas, Ohio State, Alabama, and a number of others would do just fine if they really wanted to go independent. But it creates stress in scheduling, takes away the collective strength a conference has when setting up TV contracts and bowl tie-ins, makes it difficult to establish and maintain rivalries, and takes away the financial security for when a team has lean years attendance-wise and bowl wise.

[wardly]

In a perfect world I would be happy with North Texas,UTEP,New Mexico State,Rice,UTSA,Texas State,La. Tech,ULL,ULM,and A-State in one conference[i assume Tulsa will join the Big East],with Marshall,MTSU,W.K.,ODU,UNC@C,FAU,FIU,UAB,Troy,&USA in the other. So. Miss could swing either way,depending on whether La. Tech and ULL will play in same conference as ULM. One conference could take the Sun Belt name,the other CUSA,and we could all go on with our lives.

[shaft]

I think everyone would agree CUSA > the SBC, but ach new addition to CUSA takes some of the luster off it.

One thing to consider is CUSA West is still probably the best division in the realigned Big East, CUSA, or SBC.

CUSA West: UTEP, UNT, UTSA, RICE, LA Tech, S Miss, (Tulsa or UAB)

CUSA East: Marshall, ODU, MTSU, UNC, MTSU, FIU, FAU, (UAB or WKY)

Big East West: SMU, Houston, Tulane, Memphis, UCF, (Tulsa)

Big East East: Temple, UConn, Navy, Cincy, ECU, USF

SBC: TXST, AKST, UL-L, UL-M, USA, Troy, GAST, (WKY or NMSU)

Big East West is cloase second, but has a random Florida outlier.

[Mean Green 93-98]

I think everyone would agree CUSA > the SBC, but ach new addition to CUSA takes some of the luster off it.

One thing to consider is CUSA West is still probably the best division in the realigned Big East, CUSA, or SBC.

CUSA West: UTEP, UNT, UTSA, RICE, LA Tech, S Miss, (Tulsa or UAB)

CUSA East: Marshall, ODU, MTSU, UNC, MTSU, FIU, FAU, (UAB or WKY)

Big East West: SMU, Houston, Tulane, Memphis, UCF, (Tulsa)

Big East East: Temple, UConn, Navy, Cincy, ECU, USF

SBC: TXST, AKST, UL-L, UL-M, USA, Troy, GAST, (WKY or NMSU)

Big East West is cloase second, but has a random Florida outlier.

Interesting thought. I don't know if I agree with you, but C-USA West and Big East West (what a ridiculous concept) are very close. I hadn't thought of that before.

I wonder if Cincy might end up in the BE West instead of UCF, though?

[Harry]

Yes with the losses of Tulane, ECU and possibly now Tulsa it loses some luster however -- it's still a MUCH better league for us to be in by far primarily because we have some teams in the state of Texas and in our region...

In 2013 everyone we thought would be there will... Our schedule will be 100 times better than ANYTHING we've seen in recent modern day history! We used to get excited about getting a non-conference game against Rice or Tulsa --- now both of them are in our CONFERENCE schedule...on top of that we start a 4+ game series with SMU in non-conference in 2014...

The problem as I see it is not the conference or the schedule because both are much improved. The problem as I see it is getting ourselves in a position to win football games and go to bowls.

Next year will be incredibly challenging in the Western division...Tulsa of course, but Rice will be good and La. Tech will be out for blood... UTEP no pushover either and Tulane is improving.

And with our luck, we'll draw ECU and Southern Miss out of the east this year lol!

But back to my original point -- our goal needs to be to win the conference we are in with as few losses as possible. Only then will we get the chance to hit the BCS lotto. That is exactly the same path that the Big East, MAC, Mountain West and Sun Belt are trying to achieve... the BCS system revision has DRAMATICALLY leveled the playing field amongst the gang of five.

Where I am looking for leadership and results from Banowsky is lining up bowls. The bowl contracts come up for negotiation soon and we need to retain and add as many as we can! The good news is the TV markets should help us in that particular regard.

[Harry]

I think everyone would agree CUSA > the SBC, but ach new addition to CUSA takes some of the luster off it.

One thing to consider is CUSA West is still probably the best division in the realigned Big East, CUSA, or SBC.

CUSA West: UTEP, UNT, UTSA, RICE, LA Tech, S Miss, (Tulsa or UAB)

CUSA East: Marshall, ODU, MTSU, UNC, MTSU, FIU, FAU, (UAB or WKY)

Big East West: SMU, Houston, Tulane, Memphis, UCF, (Tulsa)

Big East East: Temple, UConn, Navy, Cincy, ECU, USF

SBC: TXST, AKST, UL-L, UL-M, USA, Troy, GAST, (WKY or NMSU)

Big East West is cloase second, but has a random Florida outlier.

That's a good analysis shaft and I'm telling you the western division of C-USA will be brutal! I'm thinking the only game we will be picked to win (as things stand now) is UTSA. Hopefully that will change after 2013.

[wardly]

It shows how far down the rabbitt hole we have fallen when we describe Western Division of CUSA as brutal paired with likes of UTEP,UTSA,Rice,So. Miss[0&12 last year] and La. Tech,who graduated a large percentage of their starters.Tulsa is good,but UAB?

[UNTLifer]

But will Tulsa leave?

The power has now shifted to CUSA. Nbe, from here on out, has to play defense. No school will now accept a Nbe invite. Nbe is not "standing pat." Rather, Nbe is cuckholded because they don't and won't have a TV contract. Now, with its hand untied, CUSA leadership can take some proactive steps. Should be interesting, that is for sure!

I think it was German General Rommel or some other German General that said that an Armoured Division without petrol is nothing but a junk yard. The Nbe is in that predicament, as a conference without a TV contract is a junk yard.

From San Diego Trib-Union Newspaper:

"When the Big East couldn't guarantee revenue or produce solid projections, the Mountain West became the safer option. The Big East, which has a year remaining in its current TV deal, almost certainly would have meant more money for the 2015 football season. But anything beyond that is an increasingly murky proposition, especially if Connecticut and Cincinnati make good on reports that they, too, want out."

[GrayEagle]

But will Tulsa leave?

Only if they get an offer.