City bigwigs should push UTEP into Mountain West

Harry · April 13, 2013

Influential El Pasoans should push hard for UTEP's admittance into the Mountain West Conference. Sell UTEP -- plus El Paso --to conference members.

UTEP officials either are not trying to move this city up in the collegiate athletics world, don't think they can compete favorably in the MWC, or have been told by the MWC to just buzz off.

In any case, UTEP or the MWC would not be expected to comment if there's a push going on or not. These things are all behind-the-scenes stuff.

There's no transparency, nor can there be. You don't announce which teams you've invited to join your league, and then name the schools you didn't choose. You don't embarrass people in that way.

But since UTEP isn't saying anything, either way, one can wonder if the university is even trying.

So, this push for MWC membership could be a job for our new mayor, County Judge Veronica Escobar and the city swells who make up the Paso del Norte Group. That's some oomph. Of course, UTEP President Diana Natalicio and Athletic Director Bob Stull would have to back the effort.

We're making too many positive strides in this city not to have our school in a healthy athletic situation. The Miners are our "major league" franchise. They're our Dallas Cowboys, our New York Yankees, our LA Lakers.

We're bringing in Triple-A baseball in 2014. We've approved construction of a new multi-use arena. Our Downtown is getting a good spiff-up. A fourth large mall is under way.

Read more: http://www.elpasotimes.com/opinion/ci_22970734/joe-muench-city-bigwigs-should-push-utep-into

UNTLifer · April 13, 2013

4 malls! That's should secure a spot in the conference.

El Paso Eagle · April 13, 2013

Please understand that the person who wrote this opinion piece, Joe Muench, is considered a major a$$ by most of the people in El Paso. That being said there are a lot of people who would like to see UTEP in the MWC.

10Eagle10 · April 13, 2013

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3tyoq_marty-robbins-el-paso_music

Marty Robbins - El Paso

Edited April 13, 2013 by 10Eagle10

UNT90 · April 13, 2013

We should be partnering with them in an attempt to get out of the New Sun Belt conference.

PlummMeanGreen · April 13, 2013

This was to be most predictable with UTEP and the MWC. Why not, everyone else who moved from the NCAA's ghetto league (the SBC/CUSA 2.0) has herpes or some bilblical disease and don't want to be exposed to any of us.

UTSA will be next on the MWC list because they they have a dynamic city that supports their 3 year old football program and they also know how to draw crowds with losing teams 2 of those 3 years while our own on-campus B.S. Brigade keep many (even on this forum) in some kind of a catatonic trance of shock and awe-inspiration with overall poor hires and bad W/L records across the board. Do I hear any AMENS here......or just more red numbers on that "loose cannon" PMG? When I get red on any of my posts that is a Badge of Honor for me because I know most doing the red thang' (sitll a slang word, right?) have not in their lifetimes seen a HFC leave Denton with an above .500 W/L record and have few answers to our present dilemma and if they had them would be too timid to post them in fear of the dreaded (to them)............BIG RED THUMBS DOWN & LOSS OF ON CAMPUS OR GMG.COM SOCIAL STANDING ! (PARDON ME WHILE A TAKE TIME OUT TO LET GO A BIG NORM HITZGHES GIGGLE).

Too Long of a Sentence...sorry, Mrs. Andrews. Want to know how North Texas fits into any of this "MWC Talk" with our 25 year sleep and mostly roller coaster ride at a true non NCAA FBS level that has impressed absolutely no one outside Denton but seems to have with our powers in the Hurley Admin. Bldg who just keep handing out those salary raises and extended contracts to keep Mean Green mediocrity on life support? At what point do those in the Hurley Admin. Bldg. finally look at all this happening right under their noses and pull the plug as they figure out this thing with present staff is all but brain dead? Do those at the top have a clue as to what works at the NCAA FBS level at all? Might we even start copying some other school's success for a change?

We just don't do college athletics well at North Texas starting at the top, the UNT Board of Regents (who I supposed to the person seem to not have very many friends in high NCAA places "that could be hired to fix all this......" whatsoever). Pissed off yet? You should be by looking at our records and hiring failures and don't blame the many posters on GMG.com who feel the same way with the theme of this post but just won't state it or post it for whatever reasons.

Visionary is a word that is just not in our Denton-based alma mater's dictionary.. C-USA only happened for UNT because of our DFW location and anyone with half a functioning brain knows that--because for certain it was not our across the board W/L records. Had "OUR" school been located in Ruston or Monroe we would have never been given 1 iota of a look for CUSA membership and all know the reason why by now.. Not sure why we let the blind up there keep leading us quite frankly because even the trend today in attendance building and fundraising--"NOT" using the same old tired 40 year old fundraising list of same ol' names indicate there will continue to not be very many new faces..

I really feel Coach Mac will have a winning program beginning his 3'rd year this Fall, but all of the ancillary administrators surrounding him will typically hold all this new reasons to celebrate down if we can merely go back to past history in UNT athletics. A UTSA'esque type of marketing program (never before done at North Texas at a similar scope) could have winning Mean Green football teams playing before much larger audiences and don't most football players want that?

Such a program designed to fill a football stadium and with those larger crowds at Apogee comes more people (and media types) talking about your athletic program a la the Road-Runners and even getting mentioned for up and coming conferences which will most always be an annual occurence.. UTSA has received much positive ink and even MWC schools fan's admiration and that even with 2 of their first 3 years being quite "well attended" for their losing football teams.

It was shameful that on the promotion tour (or caravan) last summer that Coach Mac's bosses it seems had him telling the same ol' tired alums and fan's (from that same ol' 40 year old list) to do more as if it were those alums/fans job to fill Apogee Stadium for crissakes'................In all fairness, Coach Mac should have told his bosses his job was to build a winning football program and that it is their job to fill the freakin' football stadium with new faces of which a sellout has not even happened beginning with our stadium's debut game when the UNT Athletic Dept. staff "ONLY" had an entire previous spring and summer to get it sold out. In 1980 this program would have been a shoo'in for Mountain West Conference membership but as of today (?)............you fill in the blanks as to why we aren't now_______________________________________________________________________________________

Edited April 15, 2013 by PlummMeanGreen

UNTexas · April 13, 2013

UTEP is worse off than us at football. Most El Pasoans use them as a punch line. Basketball hasn't been great since Haskins. The serious question is why would the Mountain West want them? Most people in general don't want to go to EP much less athletic teams. Most won't come out and say it though. Except USC broke that trend massively last year.

The author was correct though, they are the only show in town behind watching the smokestack and city hall explode. The author is delusional to say downtown EP is going to be swell in the future. They unfortunately have the border downtown with Ports of Entry and all the nonsense that goes along with it.

At the end of the day they weren't competitive in the old conference and would get obliterated in the MWC.

Arkstfan · April 14, 2013

FWIW there are some rumors swirling that UTEP has been told they will have a spot if MWC ever finds a school they like for 14

wardly · April 14, 2013

UTEP has been passed over for powerhouses such as SJSU,Nevada Reno,and Utah State.

NT03 · April 14, 2013

I'll be surprised if UTEP is still in C USA next year

UNT90 · April 14, 2013

I'll be surprised if UTEP is still in C USA next year

What people don't seem to get is that UTEP has a valuable program with a history of success to offer someone else (basketball).

We had a chance this year to show someone else that we had a program with recent success that had reached it's highest level this season.

Instead, the season was a disaster, and even worse, the guy responsible for that disaster was allowed to keep his job.

With no other major sports having any recent or long term success at all, what message does it send to a future conference mate when you allow your only asset to be destroyed without any consequences?

laxtonto · April 14, 2013

FWIW there are some rumors swirling that UTEP has been told they will have a spot if MWC ever finds a school they like for 14

Tulsa fucked them...

Very simply nobody else in Texas will want to be the eastern outlier due to the already lack of history that would have to absorb a 2 time zone hit on attendance. UTEP is stuck. They are the true western outlier in the CUSA and NMSU is not really an option to move with them. Tulsa was always the assumed travel partner due to the longstanding history. With them in the AAC, UTEP has no real options.

Arkstfan · April 14, 2013

UTEP has been passed over for powerhouses such as SJSU,Nevada Reno,and Utah State.

Doubt UTEP was even interested when Nevada was invited. When SJSU and USU were invited Tulsa and Tulane (two decent trips via SW) were still in CUSA.

Daddy Dumpsalot · April 15, 2013

This was to be most predictable with UTEP and the MWC. Why not, everyone else who moved from the NCAA's ghetto league (the SBC/CUSA 2.0) has herpes or some bilblical disease and don't want to be exposed to any of us.

UTSA will be next on the MWC list because they they have a dynamic city that supports their 3 year old football program and they also know how to draw crowds with losing teams 2 of those 3 years while our own on-campus B.S. Brigade keep many (even on this forum) in some kind of a catatonic trance of shock and awe-inspiration with overall poor hires and bad W/L records across the board. Do I hear any AMENS here......or just more red numbers on that "loose cannon" PMG? When I get red on any of my posts that is a Badge of Honor for me because I know most doing the red thang' (sitll a slang word, right?) have not in their lifetimes seen a HFC leave Denton with an above .500 W/L record and have few answers to our present dilemma and if they had them would be too timid to post them in fear of the dreaded (to them)............BIG RED THUMBS DOWN & LOSS OF ON CAMPUS OR GMG.COM SOCIAL STANDING ! (PARDON ME WHILE A TAKE TIME OUT TO LET GO A BIG NORM HITZGHES GIGGLE).
Too Long of a Sentence...sorry, Mrs. Andrews. Want to know how North Texas fits into any of this "MWC Talk" with our 25 year sleep and mostly roller coaster ride at a true non NCAA FBS level that has impressed absolutely no one outside Denton but seems to have with our powers in the Hurley Admin. Bldg who just keep handing out those salary raises and extended contracts to keep Mean Green mediocrity on life support? At what point do those in the Hurley Admin. Bldg. finally look at all this happening right under their noses and pull the plug as they figure out this thing with present staff is all but brain dead? Do those at the top have a clue as to what works at the NCAA FBS level at all? Might we even start copying some other school's success for a change?

We just don't do college athletics well at North Texas starting at the top, the UNT Board of Regents (who I supposed to the person seem to not have very many friends in high NCAA places "that could be hired to fix all this......" whatsoever). Pissed off yet? You should be by looking at our records and hiring failures and don't blame the many posters on GMG.com who feel the same way with the theme of this post but just won't state it or post it for whatever reasons.

Visionary is a word that is just not in our Denton-based alma mater's dictionary.. C-USA only happened for UNT because of our DFW location and anyone with half a functioning brain knows that--because for certain it was not our across the board W/L records. Had "OUR" school been located in Ruston or Monroe we would have never been given 1 iota of a look for CUSA membership and all know the reason why by now.. Not sure why we let the blind up there keep leading us quite frankly because even the trend today in attendance building and fundraising--"NOT" using the same old tired 40 year old fundraising list of same ol' names indicate there will continue to not be very many new faces..

I really feel Coach Mac will have a winning program beginning his 3'rd year this Fall, but all of the ancillary administrators surrounding him will typically hold all this new reasons to celebrate down if we can merely go back to past history in UNT athletics. A UTSA'esque type of marketing program (never before done at North Texas at a similar scope) could have winning Mean Green football teams playing before much larger audiences and don't most football players want that?

Such a program designed to fill a football stadium and with those larger crowds at Apogee comes more people (and media types) talking about your athletic program a la the Road-Runners and even getting mentioned for up and coming conferences which will most always be an annual occurence.. UTSA has received much positive ink and even MWC schools fan's admiration and that even with 2 of their first 3 years being quite "well attended" for their losing football teams.

It was shameful that on the promotion tour (or caravan) last summer that Coach Mac's bosses it seems had him telling the same ol' tired alums and fan's (from that same ol' 40 year old list) to do more as if it were those alums/fans job to fill Apogee Stadium for crissakes'................In all fairness, Coach Mac should have told his bosses his job was to build a winning football program and that it is their job to fill the freakin' football stadium with new faces of which a sellout has not even happened beginning with our stadium's debut game when the UNT Athletic Dept. staff "ONLY" had an entire previous spring and summer to get it sold out. In 1980 this program would have been a shoo'in for Mountain West Conference membership but as of today (?)............you fill in the blanks as to why we aren't now_______________________________________________________________________________________

Come again?

foutsrouts · April 15, 2013

UTEP is worse off than us at football. Most El Pasoans use them as a punch line. Basketball hasn't been great since Haskins. The serious question is why would the Mountain West want them? Most people in general don't want to go to EP much less athletic teams. Most won't come out and say it though. Except USC broke that trend massively last year.
The author was correct though, they are the only show in town behind watching the smokestack and city hall explode. The author is delusional to say downtown EP is going to be swell in the future. They unfortunately have the border downtown with Ports of Entry and all the nonsense that goes along with it.
At the end of the day they weren't competitive in the old conference and would get obliterated in the MWC.

True. That infamous BB national championship was a LONG time ago. Also, the party factor in Juarez for 18 year old recruits has now lost much of its glitter. I'm a lover of the American West and enjoy visiting EP, but committing to 4-5 years in El Paso would be a definite NO for me.

El Paso Eagle · April 15, 2013

UTEP is worse off than us at football. Most El Pasoans use them as a punch line. Basketball hasn't been great since Haskins.

Since 2005 - we have won 22 games, UTEP has won 40 -- Playing in a much better conference. Not that their record is anything great, but it's a lot better than ours.

untjim1995 · April 16, 2013

You have to remember that UTEP has a long history of being in a conference with almost every team in the MWC at some point over the last 50 years. They played in the old WAC with BYU and the others for decades. When the MWC was formed, UTEP got traded for UNLV, since that conference wanted Vegas and UTEP liked having UH, SMU, and Rice in their league. I haven't heard anyone out in El Paso complaining loudly about SBCUSA, which is different from Tulsa, Tulane, ECU, and others. Plus, UTEP has solid attendance for both sports. They are a big market for a city with no pro sports. CUSA is a fine place for us, whether we could even improve enough to be wanted anywhere else or not, but I would personally take a spot in the MWC over CUSA.

I suspect that UTEP will go west in the next few years--my guess is that it will be with another Texas team. My guess is that the MWC will wait about two years to see if UH or SMU can be had. If they cannot be had, then the battle will be between us and UTSA for a 14th spot with UTEP. The MWC will want stronger Texas markets in the very near future, if only because it will help their TV package and open up recruiting.

I've read many times on here that posters on gmg.com don't want to go back out west, that we tried that once before and it failed miserably. Well, that was the Big West that was full of recent startups (just like the SBC we found ourselves in after the BWC fell apart). Boise State, Nevada, and Utah State are much better programs in the two main sports than they ever were in the Big West. Plus, we would get games against New Mexico, UTEP, Air Force, Colorado State, UNLV, and San Diego State, all of whom are bigger names than anyone in our league right now. Only Southern Miss can compare with any of those listed in the sentence above. And, to me, this is the biggest reason--TCU already proved that a Metroplex team could win big in that league with Texas talent. Travel is farther, but you would have a Texas partner and New Mexico and teams in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah that would be in the Mountain time zone. Not every game is going to be at 11pm on the road.

Edited April 16, 2013 by untjim1995

greenit · April 17, 2013

I have no issues with the MWC, but I don't see a big improvement over playing other local teams like utep, utsa, rice, latech, usm, etc...

Beginning to look like there be some additional regional schools added to the mix as well. In either setup, the key is being competitive and winning our share.

UNTexas · April 17, 2013

Since 2005 - we have won 22 games, UTEP has won 40 -- Playing in a much better conference. Not that their record is anything great, but it's a lot better than ours.

If you want to pick out an arbitrary number like 2005 and spin it, then you might be correct with this limited snapshot. However, the totality of facts are different. Juxtapose the two programs.

-UNT has a .505 all time record with 25 conference championships.

-UTEP has a .389 all time record with 2 conference championships.

Yes, they are worse off than us and not just in the past. Colleges such as Texas State or UTSA going D1 are located in far more desirable locals than EP will hurt their recruitment. If a kid could go to San Antonio, DFW, Houston, San Marcos, or El Paso, is he or his parents going to choose EP? EP is a really tough sell and it will be harder very soon. I am from EP and know what people think of it inside and out.

Yes, there could be historical discrepancies such as we have played since 1913 and they have only played since 1914. Or, does history even matter? However, UNT's record versus UTEP is 13-5-2. They do have 4 more bowl wins then UNT.

Either way I respectively must disagree with your assessment.