SteveK just said on SportsTalk he expects Utep to remain in CUSA.
Yes, that is a possibility. However, it does not change the fact that the Pac7/MWC need teams. Pac needs 1 team. MWC needs at least 2. Even if these conferences get their 8 teams, that only leaves 7 football games, meaning they need 5 OOC games. The SEC, Big 10, and Big 12 only play 3 OOC games. Not like there’s a bunch of teams looking for games.
If you only have 8 conference members, that’s only 14 basketball games. I guess you could play some teams 3 times in the regular season. 8 is the minimum and they’re not setting themselves up for a solid conference.
These expansion teams gotta come from somewhere. If Texas St declines, that’s better for UTEP, but they’re still in the mix even if TSU accepts the MWC invite.