Does UTEP athletics survive?
- Thread starter Dmanminer
- Start date
I don't know what the percentage is but I would guess it's higher than than. NMSU has been independent for years and hasn't gone FCS yet. We could survive in NMSU's current arrangement for years I'm guessing
UTEP can survive as an Independent, especially with NMSU, LaTech, FIU, and whoever else might be left.
Basketball will continue to be D1.
If the teams are winning, the opponent matters less and less. Bethune Cookman had more fans than a game versus a “known quality” in ODU. Nobody cares anymore. We’re used to the opponents changing and being “worse” than before.
North Texas or Northern Arizona it makes no difference. We haven't had any true want to see conference teams since the old WAC days of UNM and BYU. My advise to UTEP ditch the Texas start ups, southern wannabes, look west and north. Like to see Wyoming and CSU back here as well as UNLV and Nevada and the Cali schools. UTEP basketball has no business playing in front 160 people in high school gyms, which we did a lot of in CUSA.
100% chance of staying in FBS for football, albeit having to go independent if not in a FBS conference. For all other sports, I'll say 50% stay in CUSA, 40% join the WAC, 10% join the Sun Belt, and 0% join the MWC.
Would you want to stay in CUSA with LaTech, FIU, Liberty, and some random FCS schools, or would you rather join another league? Realistically.
Realistically, to join another league, you have to first be invited to join that league. Seen any invitations come out lately?
We will find out sooner or later though. We won’t find out until it’s leaked. UTEP’s name hasn’t been brought up, doesn’t mean there’s no discussions happening. They have to figure out if CUSA is continuing or not first.
Exactly my point. If an invitation is offered, take it. If somehow CUSA survives and no invitation to join another conference comes our way, better to stay with the devil you know. My preference is still to join the WAC and go independent in football. Not ideal, but a better geographical fit for us.
For El Paso Times subscribers only (of which I'm not).
Analysis: What's next for C-USA; why did UTEP get left out?
www.elpasotimes.com
Analysis: What's next for C-USA; why did UTEP get left out?
El Paso Times
www.elpasotimes.com
"Also worth noting: That 18,000 fans UTEP drew against Louisiana Tech Saturday would have been written down as 25,000 in the box score 10 years ago and dutifully recorded as such by the NCAA.
Kudos for transparency, but sometimes making things up has a reward."
As if I didn't already know BS was bull shitting the attendance figures.
Kudos for transparency, but sometimes making things up has a reward."
As if I didn't already know BS was bull shitting the attendance figures.
Amazing (not the numbers fudging) how the mess Senter has to clean up from Spongbob Stullpants is coming out more and more with the alignment.
UTEP claims almost 16,000 were at the Charlotte game in 2019. Look at the highlights and try to tell me there was that many there. Senter was the AD then
This is a wake up call for the athletics department and the university. Get your act together. With our limited resources and geographical handicap we cannot afford to coast and just get bye. We need to be the most efficient and hard working organization or we might as well pull the plug and use our resources for something else.
Yesterday Bob Huggins essentially proposed removing teams like Utep from the ncaa tournament altogether. After this realignment is done, we will be less relevant than ever. Sad but true.
It'll eventually happen, and honestly I'm quite surprised it hasn't already. The members that make up the Power 5 Conferences will eventually break away from the NCAA and form their own "Super League" association, kicking out those that don't belong, like Kansas State, Rutgers, and Vanderbilt. They'll make up their own rules and regulations that don't emphasize much on academic requirements, because that's a detriment to making money. It'll also include providing payments to their athletes as well. Think of it as a semi-pro league. And of course all the networks will follow, because it'll be the crème de la crème of college athletics. Those left behind will continue to operate under the NCAA umbrella. Like that Ohio State president said years ago, we don't play "the little sisters of the poor".
You’re right of course and they’ve been open about it. My concern is this latest news pushes UTEP further down the line to be Power 5. Btw Kansas State has won the Big 12 in football a few times but your point stands
I doubt it. I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t watch first round games with 2 Power teams. Unless it’s a team I like. I have no interest in the 7 v 10 game with a 17-14 Big East team and a 18-15 Pac 12 team. In the Sweet 16, I will watch, but not in the early rounds. I think a majority of college fans feel the same way.
TV Networks don’t want Florida Gulf Coast making the Sweet 16, but they make it interesting for casual viewers or mid major fans.
But most schools do. Putting transparent numbers out instead of the normally inflated numbers that almost everyone uses puts UTEP in the loser bracket when it comes to perception. UTEP doesn't need to pile additional negatives on top of those that already exist.
That's true. A conference isn't just going to take our word that we're averaging 25-30k per game. They'll look at our ticket revenue and NCAA attendance audits.
It's like applying for a job. The company isn't just going to believe what's on your resume without verifying it.
I have no interest in watching another pro league. I already have a favorite pro team (the Cowboys).
If they break off and form another pro league, I will continue to watch the amateur league they left behind instead.
Cinderella's are a part of the NCAA Tournament. It makes them millions. Bob Higgins is a prick and always has been he won't get his wish.
Yeah exactly. That’s part of the allure of the NCAA tournament.
Eventually basketball will break away. Huggin's sentiment is shared by many other coaches and administrators.
Well at least we will be in the top 5 for basketball
Yeah. After all these moves, they realized they made a mistake and are going to take us in because they’re nice guys.
NMSU has survived as FBS Independent with good schedules the next couple of seasons. UTEP can do the same. CUSA is in a death spiral reaching out to WAC Sam Houston State for a transfer up to FBS in the next few years. Y'all should join us in the WAC because the RPI is going to jump up a lot this season. Y'all can hang tight as an independent until the WAC moves up to FBS in the next 5ish years.
Plus y'alls operating budget is about $8 million more than ours.
Plus y'alls operating budget is about $8 million more than ours.
Unless they are moving to a power 5 conference, these schools moving conferences are no better off. I say take their exit money and find some competitive regional teams to play. No big deal.
Naw you're coming with us to our new makeshift CUSA league. As mentioned CUSA will have exit fees and still be part of the Playoffs money distribution. That's enough to convince NMSU and any other FCS school to make the move to FBS.
Not true. If you think the current CUSA tv contract is bad, wait until these 9 (and counting) teams leave. All the teams are getting more tv money and better exposure than remaining in CUSA. CUSA will be lucky to get a 9pm Tuesday night game on someone’s app in 2023.
That very well might be the case. The issue is that us and even UTEP being in CUSA has similar tidings to NMSU in the last iteration of the Sun Belt Conference. Travel was horrendously expensive and most of the eastern teams did not want us in even though we would partially subsidize travel. The closest university to UTEP is LA Tech, for us it was Texas State. If CUSA stabilizes with a majority eastern conference I would not be surprised if they kicked UTEP out given distance like the Sun Belt did for us. That being said NMSU would love to be in a FBS conference plus it makes the NMSU UTEP rivalry game even more important. The travel will be killer for us though.
That’s not true at all. UTSA is going to get an enormous uptick in tv money vs where they are. Read their boards. It’s an enormous difference
Similar threads
