CUSA defectors doing poorly

[Harry]

Sure, my apologies. I am an ECU fan. I joined this site shortly after North Texas joined Conference USA. I joined because I thought North Texas was a good addition to Conference USA. I do not post often, but have been complimentary of the North Texas program in the past. I am somewhat of a college football geek. I particularly enjoyed following this site last year as North Texas made its very good run. I also think you guys have one of the best coaching staff's in Conference USA.

Welcome - glad you found the site. A lot of respect for the Pirates on here.

[golfingomez]

I think they may have built in some attendance problems with their "small privates" inclusiveness, especially in SMU and Tulsa. CUSA, on the other hand, has the problems with the "F*U" schools. I do agree that the current version of CUSA has more programs on an upward trajectory than the AAC. Still, basketball may make it worth the move for the Texas schools. CUSA does have some good basketball programs; others, especially UNT, will have to decide to be serious about basketball at some point.

don't forget about Tulane

I really wish Tulane and Tulsa could have stayed... that would have made for some great regional football games

[buff64]

I would like to know why the ACC was deemed one of the power 5 conferences .

[UNTFan23]

These schools are in unusual down years. Well Tulane is always in a down year. Tulsa, SMU, Houston etc have the history and money needed to turn things around. The AAC is the premier G5 conference because of basketball, resources and ESPN. The coverage ESPN has provided the AAC is a huge advantage and impressive. Even SMU has the majority of their games on national tv via ESPN. The league was very fortunate to sign their contract with ESPN. In the end this imo, is why down years in the AAC are not as bad for the league as it is for the rest of the G5. Football players want to be on tv. The AAC can deliver this in spades because of their partnership with ESPN.

North Texas will have every single game on TV this year.

Need to be careful with ESPN. People love to tout "nationally broadcast games" yet sometimes the games are only available via ESPN 3.

[UNTFan23]

I would like to know why the ACC was deemed one of the power 5 conferences .

It's not in terms of Football.

Power 5

Big 12

Big 10

ACC

SEC

PAC 12

General 5

CUSA

AAC

MWC

MAC

Sun Belt

[MeanGreenTexan]

It's not in terms of Football.

Power 5

Big 12

Big 10

ACC

SEC

PAC 12

General 5

CUSA

AAC

MWC

MAC

Sun Belt

Wait, he said ACC. Did he mean ACC, or AAC? Some really good football in the ACC, not to mention the sitting National Champs reside there.

[Cerebus]

It's not in terms of Football.

Power 5

Big 12

Big 10

ACC

SEC

PAC 12

General 5

CUSA

AAC

MWC

MAC

Sun Belt

Uh, the ACC is a power five conference, which is what he asked about.

The AAC is not.

As to why? I guess Clemson/Miama/FSU have enough clout to make sure they were included.

I the end, I expect the P5 to contract, with one of the leagues being stripped/removed to get the pie sharing to a min.

[UNTFan23]

Wait, he said ACC. Did he mean ACC, or AAC? Some really good football in the ACC, not to mention the sitting National Champs reside there.

I thought he said AAC since that is what the thread is about.

[golfingomez]

I thought he said AAC since that is what the thread is about.

so wait... are we sure he wasn't talking about the American Airlines Center?

[UNT90]

Sure, my apologies. I am an ECU fan. I joined this site shortly after North Texas joined Conference USA. I joined because I thought North Texas was a good addition to Conference USA. I do not post often, but have been complimentary of the North Texas program in the past. I am somewhat of a college football geek. I particularly enjoyed following this site last year as North Texas made its very good run. I also think you guys have one of the best coaching staff's in Conference USA.

People on here will celebrate AAC loses and call CUSA a better conference right up until the time that UNT is extended and accepts an Invite to the AAC.

Which UNT would do in 2 shakes of a lambs tail.

If they didnt, I probably would stop supporting the program, as it would be clear that UNT doesn't want to advance it's athletic programs (already a lot of evidence that leans in that direction).

But until then, your conference sucks and CUSA is the best all time every G5!!!!!!!!!!1!1!!!!1

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Tulane will always be bad. It's good enough academically, and they should leave it at that. We already know they won't have a real coaching search; so, they don't really care whether they win or lose.

Tulsa and Houston get what they deserve for not having real coaching searches when they hired their current coaches.

SMU only proves what we should fear: new stadium, good coaching hire, and successive bowl seasons do not necessarily equal fan interest beyond the few thousand die-hards for schools without longstanding football traditions.

Over the past twenty years, every major program you can think of has had down periods: Texas, Miami, OU, Alabama, USC, etc. But, they've all bounced back.

Michigan is currently worried that their 250+ streak of 100,000+ attendance might be broken due to their current state. Can you imagine: A losing record and ann unpopular coach, but 102,000 people show up, and you're worried that in the next month you might only get 99,999 showing up?

We watched the ship sail from port in 1983. You can talk Boise State all you want, but even they have had their run and are fading back. You'll throw them on the same pile as the Fresno States of the world. It's just tough to sustain when people don't have a reason (tradition) to fall back on when times get a little rough.

I don't feel like piling on the former C-USA teams because, after all, we are in the same boat they are - if we look at the thing realistically.

Rick Villarreal has done some nice things. But, he can't go back to 1982/83 and change the past.

[pastorgrant]

People on here will celebrate AAC loses and call CUSA a better conference right up until the time that UNT is extended and accepts an Invite to the AAC.

Which UNT would do in 2 shakes of a lambs tail.

If they didnt, I probably would stop supporting the program, as it would be clear that UNT doesn't want to advance it's athletic programs (already a lot of evidence that leans in that direction).

But until then, your conference sucks and CUSA is the best all time every G5!!!!!!!!!!1!1!!!!1

I think there's a decent chance that CUSA keeps up with and maybe surpasses AAC in terms of football by a little long term. I think we are better right now. USM and La Tech will be back to form, Marshall is going to remain a solid program, and UNT, FAU, and UTSA are on the rise. I also love all the regional games in CUSA. But the basketball in the AAC is top notch, and that's worth leaving for if we had that opportunity.

[ColoradoEagle]

Regardless of which direction the aack goes in football, both conferences will be fairly close, especially to the average fan. It's basketball where there's absolutely no comparison.

[croatan]

People on here will celebrate AAC loses and call CUSA a better conference right up until the time that UNT is extended and accepts an Invite to the AAC.

Which UNT would do in 2 shakes of a lambs tail.

If they didnt, I probably would stop supporting the program, as it would be clear that UNT doesn't want to advance it's athletic programs (already a lot of evidence that leans in that direction).

But until then, your conference sucks and CUSA is the best all time every G5!!!!!!!!!!1!1!!!!1

Ha, ha. Well said. Cheers to each of you and the North Texas program. McCarney is one heck of a coach. You guys are very lucky to have him. It looks like he believes in the North Texas program and wants to stay put for awhile. Every school in the G5 needs someone like that.

My own sense of things right now is that what is more important than conference affiliation is the strength and commitment of each individual program in the G5. I think what we will see from now on is that the top 1 or 2 programs in each of the G5 conferences will be miles ahead of the ones on the bottom of each of those conferences.

IMO, this means that the schools with the most commitment to winning, ie money, fan support, leadership, will be okay within the new landscape of college football. Those that don't have these elements will struggle greatly.

[MeanGreenTexan]

Ha, ha. Well said. Cheers to each of you and the North Texas program. McCarney is one heck of a coach. You guys are very lucky to have him. It looks like he believes in the North Texas program and wants to stay put for awhile. Every school in the G5 needs someone like that.

My own sense of things right now is that what is more important than conference affiliation is the strength and commitment of each individual program in the G5. I think what we will see from now on is that the top 1 or 2 programs in each of the G5 conferences will be miles ahead of the ones on the bottom of each of those conferences.

IMO, this means that the schools with the most commitment to winning, ie money, fan support, leadership, will be okay within the new landscape of college football. Those that don't have these elements will struggle greatly.

You guys are going to be just fine then. Hopefully someone can step in for Carden when he graduates. Best of luck to y'all this year.

[UNT90]

IMO, this means that the schools with the most commitment to winning, ie money, fan support, leadership, will be okay within the new landscape of college football. Those that don't have these elements will struggle greatly.

Uh oh...

Damn.

[greenminer]

Tulane is in an exclusive group of non-P5 teams to go undefeated during the BCS era.

Irony.

[GrayEagle]

Like it or not, the AAC is the premier G5 conference. They have a lot of weak teams this year but their top 5 are as good as any other Group of 5 conference teams. They lead the G5 in attendance by an average of more than 6,000 per game over the MWC; 8,000 over CUSA. Connecticut is the current NCAA basketball champion both in men's and women's. Memphis and Cincinnati are very strong programs. They are pretty solid across the board in most programs.

[untjim1995]

The problem with the AAC football is that nobody cares about any of their football teams anymore than they do about any other G5 team out there. East Carolina is a really good team, but no outside of Eastern North Carolina cares. about Same with most of the others--they don't drive the needle with enough football fans in the country when they aren't playing someone that people care about. The ones that have options in the AAC for a move up to a P5 conference are UConn, Cincy, Memphis, UCF, and USF. UConn will eventually be in the ACC, its just a matter of when. Cincy would be attractive to the ACC or the Big XII, as well. The other three have to hope and pray that the Big XII keeps their current teams and then realizes they need to add some teams to get a conference championship. BYU, Memphis, UCF and USF would then be the main targets. Not UH, not SMU, not Tulsa, not Tulane, not ECU, not Temple, not Navy. Whichever teams don't get a chance to move up--and there's a really good chance that none of them do, except for UConn and Cincy--they will fully enjoy the same status that all of the other schools in CUSA, MWC, MAC, and SBC enjoy as we move forward. Those regional teams in the AAC that have perpetually looked down at schools like ours and La Tech are gonna have to realize that G5 Football in the future is going to have to be about regionalized conferences that are built like the MAC and the MWC are currently run. Closer travel, scheduling different nights to get better TV coverage, and not looking down on your conference mates...its a crazy idea, I know. But the first thing that needs to get figuredout is if the G5 private schools even want to continue playing at this level. Rice seems to want to, but I cannot figure out if Tulane, SMU, and Tulsa want to play at the G5 level in perpetuity or if they should just focus on basketball. After that, the other urban AAC public schools are gonna have to ask themselves who would be the best matches for them to be associated with as we move forward. I still think UNT, UH, UTEP, UTSA, and Texas State are gonna need to be in this together. Add in La Tech, NMSU, Rice, ULL, and any of the other private schools that want to keep playing football, like Tulsa. (I really think SMU and Tulane are gonna quit this at some point.) Its the only way to build something forward that can control travel costs for your teams, get more fans to travel to games, and help the home team to still get teams into town that fans have heard of, instead of us playing Western Kentucky, Texas State playing South Alabama, and UH playing Temple right now.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

The problem with the AAC football is that nobody cares about any of their football teams anymore than they do about any other G5 team out there. East Carolina is a really good team, but no outside of Eastern North Carolina cares. about Same with most of the others--they don't drive the needle with enough football fans in the country when they aren't playing someone that people care about. The ones that have options in the AAC for a move up to a P5 conference are UConn, Cincy, Memphis, UCF, and USF. UConn will eventually be in the ACC, its just a matter of when. Cincy would be attractive to the ACC or the Big XII, as well. The other three have to hope and pray that the Big XII keeps their current teams and then realizes they need to add some teams to get a conference championship. BYU, Memphis, UCF and USF would then be the main targets. Not UH, not SMU, not Tulsa, not Tulane, not ECU, not Temple, not Navy. Whichever teams don't get a chance to move up--and there's a really good chance that none of them do, except for UConn and Cincy--they will fully enjoy the same status that all of the other schools in CUSA, MWC, MAC, and SBC enjoy as we move forward. Those regional teams in the AAC that have perpetually looked down at schools like ours and La Tech are gonna have to realize that G5 Football in the future is going to have to be about regionalized conferences that are built like the MAC and the MWC are currently run. Closer travel, scheduling different nights to get better TV coverage, and not looking down on your conference mates...its a crazy idea, I know. But the first thing that needs to get figuredout is if the G5 private schools even want to continue playing at this level. Rice seems to want to, but I cannot figure out if Tulane, SMU, and Tulsa want to play at the G5 level in perpetuity or if they should just focus on basketball. After that, the other urban AAC public schools are gonna have to ask themselves who would be the best matches for them to be associated with as we move forward. I still think UNT, UH, UTEP, UTSA, and Texas State are gonna need to be in this together. Add in La Tech, NMSU, Rice, ULL, and any of the other private schools that want to keep playing football, like Tulsa. (I really think SMU and Tulane are gonna quit this at some point.) Its the only way to build something forward that can control travel costs for your teams, get more fans to travel to games, and help the home team to still get teams into town that fans have heard of, instead of us playing Western Kentucky, Texas State playing South Alabama, and UH playing Temple right now.

I agree with much of this, and have said that we need to keep in contact with UTSA as much as possible.

Here's the reality to everyone who will open their eyes: schools without strong football or basketball history are really just shuffling deck chairs on the realignment Titanic.

I've already done the business of pointing out that its a false sell that FIU/FAU means owning or even getting a good share of the "Miami market"; and, ditto Houston/Rice for the "Houston market."

At some point you quit deluding yourselves, look around at your fellow mates, and form a serious, long-term strategy for the future. And, you really have to be willing to accept that the Criminal 5 are not going to take you. They have no reason to take you. With no market clout and no historical clout, they have already swept you aside.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

I honest to God believe that the Mountain West Conference has done best for itself during these perilous conference-shifting years. And, I think if all were to be done realistically, they'd go ahead and invite UTEP and NMSU into their folds. Both are good basketball schools, matching pretty much what the Mountain West has in the way of decent to very good basketball.

Your only FBS Pacific/Mountain Time Zone straggler at that point is Idaho. And, look, Idaho needs to bite the bullet and drop back to FCS-level. It would exist well there. It cannot be helping their athletic department at all to have to travel the way they do as an independent.

And, BYU...I know they are awaiting that Big 12 invite. And, I do think they will someday get it.

[oldguystudent]

scheduling different nights

I really, really need to change professions if I have any hope whatsoever of attending games in the future.

[gradumacated]

I honest to God believe that the Mountain West Conference has done best for itself during these perilous conference-shifting years. And, I think if all were to be done realistically, they'd go ahead and invite UTEP and NMSU into their folds. Both are good basketball schools, matching pretty much what the Mountain West has in the way of decent to very good basketball.

Your only FBS Pacific/Mountain Time Zone straggler at that point is Idaho. And, look, Idaho needs to bite the bullet and drop back to FCS-level. It would exist well there. It cannot be helping their athletic department at all to have to travel the way they do as an independent.

And, BYU...I know they are awaiting that Big 12 invite. And, I do think they will someday get it.

Aren't Idaho joining the Sun Belt Conference? I thought this year they were a Sun Belt team and last year they were in no-mans-land til the Sun Belt contract came into effect.

[VideoEagle]

If NT accepts an invite to the AAC would directly depend on which schools are in it at the time. Right now, sure! But as the whole Big East/AAC scramble shows, conferences are more than just names. The school in them actually do matter.

[The Fake Lonnie Finch]

Tulsa will always think of itself as a basketball school first. That's just where their old money is. It's uncanny, and I've discussed it before. I can assure you that none of their old, deep pocket basketball-first alumni are shedding tears about the shape of the football program. Sad, but true. There is a reason Donald W. Reynolds gave millions to the Tulsa basketball program and millions to the Arkansas football program and not the other way around.

When Connecticut, Cincinnati, and Memphis get pulled out of the American Athletic Conference, we need to be standing on the doorstep with UTSA to get into it to pull it up to a good, even, ten team conference.

We should not care what Banowsky does. We should not wait on him. He's done nothing but turn the C-USA into another Sun Belt. There is no way the same bowl contracts with be renewed.

The thing is we - and, by we I mean our administration and athletic directors - need to be out ahead of the game here.

The MWC surprised the WAC in 1999 by having the best programs at that time defect and form the MWC. We have to be planning the same type of "us-first" move.

We cannot - please, please, please - be caught in yet another reactive situation and get stuck back with more former Sun Belts, former DIIs, and upward FCS schools.

We accept that UTSA has more to offer than any of those, accept that they do have a market where they can be viable to the citizenry, and put up a united front to get into the American Athletic once their best schools are peeled away from them.