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Has our once illustrious program fallen so low...

Pretty much. A 19-3 UTEP team could get a 8,000 + crowd on a Saturday versus most teams. Not Pine Bluff or Northern New Mexico and with normal weather.
Yeah, I hear Utah State and Fresno really brings them in. My Lord people, Terry booked in out of Fresno for El Paso.

I will say, I really do believe La Tech and WKU could have won the MW the last three years. However, I want in the MW for the old rivalries and the natural fit.

But if UTEP left CUSA fans would complain because UTEP would lose it's east coast coverage because of our east coast members.
 
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Yeah, I hear Utah State and Fresno really brings them in. My Lord people, Terry booked in out of Fresno for El Paso.

I will say, I really do believe La Tech and WKU could have won the MW the last three years. However, I want in the MW for the old rivalries and the natural fit.

But if UTEP left CUSA fans would complain because UTEP would lose it's east coast coverage because of our east coast members.
You continuously show your lack of intelligence. Utah St is a great program and UTEP fans wish they could have their success. You’re an absolute moron if you think people want to see Western Kentucky over Utah St.

Terry has nothing to do with anything.

Yeah, that “east coast coverage” has really helped the football and basketball teams win a whole 1 combined championship in 16 years.
 
I believe the WAC would take us now if UTEP were interested in making that move. However that would mean one of three things need to happen to the football program: demote to division 2 (unlikely), go independent (most likely), or eliminate (will never happen). Going to the WAC would be way better than staying in CUSA in my opinion.
 
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I believe the WAC would take us now if UTEP were interested in making that move. However that would mean one of three things need to happen to the football program: demote to division 2 (unlikely), go independent (most likely), or eliminate (will never happen). Going to the WAC would be way better than staying in CUSA in my opinion.
Correct. Except by Division 2, you mean FCS. The WAC and Southland would take UTEP. Maybe the Big Sky, that’s it.
 
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I believe the WAC would take us now if UTEP were interested in making that move. However that would mean one of three things need to happen to the football program: demote to division 2 (unlikely), go independent (most likely), or eliminate (will never happen). Going to the WAC would be way better than staying in CUSA in my opinion.

Every team in the WAC would prefer to be in CUSA. It would be an easy swap if any school would want to trade places.
 
Imo the best thing for UTEP's athletic future is to sit tight, keep investing in good hires (like Golding) for every sport so that UTEP is ready when realignment comes around. Unforseen events will happen, they always do. Maybe down the road a bit the Big 12 takes some schools from the AAC and maybe the AAC takes one or more from the MWC. Nobody knows for sure but, if UTEP is available at that point with a good FB team with good attendance and a solid MBB program then a better opportunity can be taken advantage of.
 
I believe the WAC would take us now if UTEP were interested in making that move. However that would mean one of three things need to happen to the football program: demote to division 2 (unlikely), go independent (most likely), or eliminate (will never happen). Going to the WAC would be way better than staying in CUSA in my opinion.
Disagree 3000 Thousand Percent
 
UTEP needs to stop pretending to care about Football and focus on winning its conference in basketball every year. Right now I don't think we could win the Southland year after year. Right now CUSA > Southland > WAC
 
Sure, it would be awesome to join the MWC for the regional rivalries but if we're talking media exposure, the MWC TV deal is worse than CUSA's in my opinion. I live in an MWC market (Las Vegas) and if you don't go to UNLV games in person, good luck trying to find it on TV. On the flip side, I have seen almost every UTEP football and basketball game because of the ESPN+ deal. Sure you have to pay for ESPN+ but still, it's a lot easier to find Miner games than Rebel games. I don't know if that is enough to say we should stay in CUSA, but it is something to consider I suppose.
 
UTEP needs to stop pretending to care about Football and focus on winning its conference in basketball every year. Right now I don't think we could win the Southland year after year. Right now CUSA > Southland > WAC
Basketball will continue to languish until football improves. Football is the only way to move up the conference ladder and in to a multi bid league. Building a consistent tourney team in a one bid league is very difficult. The regular season is meaningless and it's very hard to consistently win the conference tournament.
 
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UConn joined the Big East. Their football team sucks, so football is not the “only way”.
UCONN is a blueblood and was a founding member of the conference they just rejoined. The big east is a basketball only power conference. No such conference exist out West for UTEP. Football is the only way.
 
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Well there it is guys. All we gotta do is win 4 National Championships in a 20 year span and we should get an invite to the PAC 12.
 
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Well there it is guys. All we gotta do is win 4 National Championships in a 20 year span and we should get an invite to the PAC 12.
When someone tell you the only way is through football, you gotta prove them wrong.

Rutgers wasn’t invited to the Big Ten because of football either.
 
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When someone tell you the only way is through football, you gotta prove them wrong.

Rutgers wasn’t invited to the Big Ten because of football either.
Sustained success in either sport is probably the key in all of this. You cant make an NCAA tournament 3 times in 29 years or win a conference title in football 2 times in 65 years. That’s not going to cut it.
 
Football isn't the only way when you reside in the #1 tv market.

Plenty of other examples too. Fact is, UTEP could have a “respectable” or “mediocre” football program and that would help them out a lot more than winning 2 FBS games in 4 years.

They don’t need a “good” football program to move up. Sure it helps, but if UTEP has a really successful basketball program, then others will accept a 3/4 win (a year) football program.
 
Plenty of other examples too. Fact is, UTEP could have a “respectable” or “mediocre” football program and that would help them out a lot more than winning 2 FBS games in 4 years.

They don’t need a “good” football program to move up. Sure it helps, but if UTEP has a really successful basketball program, then others will accept a 3/4 win (a year) football program.
Fact is the only time we moved up in conference is when we had a good football team. With the hire of MP and 50k in attendance was enough to convince CUSA to invite us over other more regional schools.
 
If you're a public university, you almost HAVE to be in a Division 1 FBS Football Conference to be relevant. There is too much money involved not to. A school like Rutgers may not have a great Football program, but they still cash their TV contract checks.

The Faith Based colleges can do things differently because they're funded differently.
 
Fact is the only time we moved up in conference is when we had a good football team. With the hire of MP and 50k in attendance was enough to convince CUSA to invite us over other more regional schools.
Don’t forget 04 and 05 football made bowl games and basketball went to the NCAA Tourney. Both were crushing it and for that 2 year period we had one of the better Athletic Departments at that time. The stars really aligned for that brief moment.
 
Plenty of other examples too. Fact is, UTEP could have a “respectable” or “mediocre” football program and that would help them out a lot more than winning 2 FBS games in 4 years.

They don’t need a “good” football program to move up. Sure it helps, but if UTEP has a really successful basketball program, then others will accept a 3/4 win (a year) football program.
UTEP is isolated. That's first issue. Football is the money maker. Our basketball program is not going to get us anywhere without football. The MWC broke off from the WAC at the famous airport summit. UTEP was only five years removed from our "glory days". Nobody gave two shits about our basketball contribution to the WAC. We were passed over because we were struggling at football. Football IS the only way to move up. We don't have a desired market. We aren't a blue blood who can join their old basketball power conference. Our only value is improving Football. This adds money to conferences tv packages. Thats what we can bring to the table.
 
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Don’t forget 04 and 05 football made bowl games and basketball went to the NCAA Tourney. Both were crushing it and for that 2 year period we had one of the better Athletic Departments at that time. The stars really aligned for that brief moment.
Yes, different times too. UTEP better hope Texas St, UTSA, Rice, and UNT don’t get both sports cooking or they will be wanted before UTEP.
 
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UTEP is isolated. That's first issue. Football is the money maker. Our basketball program is not going to get us anywhere without football. The MWC broke off from the WAC at the famous airport summit. UTEP was only five years removed from our "glory days". Nobody gave two shits about our basketball contribution to the WAC. We were passed over because we were struggling at football. Football IS the only way to move up. We don't have a desired market. We aren't a blue blood who can join their old basketball power conference. Our only value is improving Football. This adds money to conferences tv packages. Thats what we can bring to the table.
We were passed over because they would have rather had UNLV. UNLV went 0-11 the year the MWC was formed. Being bad at football had nothing to do with UTEP being passed over.
 
We were passed over because they would have rather had UNLV. UNLV went 0-11 the year the MWC was formed. Being bad at football had nothing to do with UTEP being passed over.
UNLV also has a much better market than UTEP. Thats what we're trying to explain we don't have a desirable market.

If you want to know why basketball doesn't help you move up all you have to do is look at NMSU. For the past decade they've been a top five mid major program. What they've done in basketball is impressive. Its about as good as you can hope for.. Yet no conference wants them. They are desperately trying to get out of the WAC with no takers. It's because their football programs sucks. Like UTEP they are also isolated and lack a desirable market. If they had a decent football program they would be in the MWC. They certainly would have never been kicked out of the Sun Belt.
 
Kansas and Duke are the pinnacle of dominating in basketball and not being very good at football. Win CUSA 5-7 times in a 10 year period, make a pair of sweet 16 runs and the MWC and AAC start looking our way. But that process had to have started five years ago.
 
UNLV also has a much better market than UTEP. Thats what we're trying to explain we don't have a desirable market.

If you want to know why basketball doesn't help you move up all you have to do is look at NMSU. For the past decade they've been a top five mid major program. What they've done in basketball is impressive. Its about as good as you can hope for.. Yet no conference wants them. They are desperately trying to get out of the WAC with no takers. It's because their football programs sucks. Like UTEP they are also isolated and lack a desirable market. If they had a decent football program they would be in the MWC. They certainly would have never been kicked out of the Sun Belt.
I know we do not have a desirable market, but it has been proven that markets don’t matter unless you can get TV money. CUSA is proof of that. They added FIU and FAU for markets, hasn’t done one bit for TV money. Along with all those other schools they added.

while NMSU has a very good basketball program, they haven’t made much noise and are hurt by perception of a “weak” WAC. While going to the tournament every year is better than us, they haven’t won any games. The MWC already has programs that don’t win many games, they don’t need anymore.

The Sun Belt kicked them out because you can have a conference champ game with 10 members. Which means you split your CFP money less ways. No reason to add NMSU and someone else. That’s why they got kicked out.
 
Kansas and Duke are the pinnacle of dominating in basketball and not being very good at football. Win CUSA 5-7 times in a 10 year period, make a pair of sweet 16 runs and the MWC and AAC start looking our way. But that process had to have started five years ago.
What are the odds that happens? If Golding even does 1/2 of that he’s poached, and then you have to be lucky the next guy doesn’t f*ck it all up. UTEP has gotten very few breaks to go their way in the last 30 years, and yet for The Miners to leave their conference they’d need EVERYTHING to hit at once which is a long shot at best.
 
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I believe the WAC would take us now if UTEP were interested in making that move. However that would mean one of three things need to happen to the football program: demote to division 2 (unlikely), go independent (most likely), or eliminate (will never happen). Going to the WAC would be way better than staying in CUSA in my opinion.
No thank You
 
What are the odds that happens? If Golding even does 1/2 of that he’s poached, and then you have to be lucky the next guy doesn’t f*ck it all up. UTEP has gotten very few breaks to go their way in the last 30 years, and yet for The Miners to leave their conference they’d need EVERYTHING to hit at once which is a long shot at best.

We need to commit everything to basketball first. I was working for UTEP when Gillespie ran off to A&M, in an office next to Dr. Natalicio's. UTEP's counter was about 200k less than what A&M offered. I don't think Gillespie would have stayed even if we had matched, but with a basketball first mentality the football program could have spared the 200K to at least match the offer. I don't see Barbee or Doc staying had UTEP matched. Floyd was there to end his career and Terry wanted to be in the Longhorn's radar. I don't know much about Golding but if UTEP shows their commitment to him/his program, over football, then he might commit to us.
 
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