No, constantly losing has held the program back.
Hypothetical New Conference
- Thread starter NoNCAAWinsSince1992
- Start date
No, constantly losing has held the program back.
It's not good for UTEP because NMSU consistently beats UTEP?
is this a joke? I find it next to impossible to get up for the likes of Florida Internationals /Atlantics we play now. UTRGV and Tarelton State? no. We already play NMSU out of conference and it is a rival game. No advantage to having them in the same conference, none zero. Out of conference play is were they need to stay, period.
It would free up 2 non-conference games in basketball and 1 for football.
great two more games with a Louisiana direction school, a Arkansas Pine Bluff, Pine Cone or whatever and in football Northern Arizona, or Weber State or another one of UTEP's classic beatdowns with a Team TBD.
That’s why I put hypothetical. There is no difference between FIU/FAU and UTRGV/Tarleton coming to play UTEP at the Don. None of those teams will ever be good enough to get an at-large bid, they will never be Top 25, they can only pray to make the NCAA Tournament once every 20 years.
However, it’s cheaper to get to Dallas and Edinburg than it is to get to Miami and Boca Raton, especially when you have to send volleyball and other non-revenue producing teams there.
There is an advantage, as AB already pointed out, UTEP could go play at Kentucky and Iowa instead of playing NMSU. Also, NMSU would be our travel partner. Now it’s UTSA. If you were a team in that conference, imagine paying UTEP on Thursday and NMSU on Saturday. It’s a tough road trip. Much worse than playing UTEP/UTSA.
How about some tweeking to match the latest scenario on the realignment board. Someone suggested bringing the WAC back as an FBS conference with:
UTEP, UTSA, NMSU, UNT, Rice, Texas St, and the following fcs move ups: Montana, Idaho and NDSU.
UTEP, UTSA, NMSU, UNT, Rice, Texas St, and the following fcs move ups: Montana, Idaho and NDSU.
Works for me. Although, I doubt Montana would move without Montana State. I’m Okay with UTEP moving away from ODU, Marshall, and FA/IU. Replace those 4 with any 4 schools west of the Mississippi.
Right. Add Montana St for 10 football members.
If we could substitute the FCS move ups for two g5 Louisiana schools that would be a tight geographical conference.
UTEP
NMSU
UTSA
UNT
RICE
Texas St
Louisiana
Louisiana Tech
I had said that I kept it in Texas for travel reasons. Also, I do not believe having LaTech and ULL make this a 2 bid conference or make it that much better a football league, worth stretching it out in Louisiana. Those 2 are better than 2 FCS move ups, but it doesn’t make the league that much better.
I think La Tech having solid fb and mbb would definitly help and ULL has had some good mbb history. Having to travel to an adjacent state is not terrible. I also wouldn't mind Arkansas St since it is another adjacent state and they have a good football program. Keeping the hypothetical conference entirely in Texas could work if SMU and Houston were involved but we know that isn't going to happen.
Ruston and Lafayette are within driving distance of everyone in my hypothetical conference except UTEP and NMSU.
https://amp.sunherald.com/sports/college/conference-usa/article242750786.html
USM article. It’s funny the author says...
“What’s the value in playing Florida International or UTEP when there are multiple programs in the Sun Belt that would be much better regional rivals for a program like Southern Miss?”
Not even three paragraphs later. He says...
“One solution would be to merge the C-USA West and the Sun Belt West and then do the same for the East.
That means Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, UAB, La. Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Arkansas State, North Texas, Rice, UTSA and UTEP would be lumped together in the West”
Which is it? There’s no value in being a conference with UTEP or should CUSA west and Sun belt West merge?
USM article. It’s funny the author says...
“What’s the value in playing Florida International or UTEP when there are multiple programs in the Sun Belt that would be much better regional rivals for a program like Southern Miss?”
Not even three paragraphs later. He says...
“One solution would be to merge the C-USA West and the Sun Belt West and then do the same for the East.
That means Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, UAB, La. Tech, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Arkansas State, North Texas, Rice, UTSA and UTEP would be lumped together in the West”
Which is it? There’s no value in being a conference with UTEP or should CUSA west and Sun belt West merge?
He also suggested taking all 24 teans and divide them into three 8 team conferences. I like that idea but one league would not have an ncaa autobid. Add NMSU to the 8 in the west for a 9 team conference unless Minerforlife forbids it.
The writer also said that cusa was considering cutting the number of conference football games so that schools could schedule more regional ooc games this year due to the virus caused economic issues. If UTEP could drop this seasons cross divisional games with Charlotte and FIU and instead schedule UNM and Texas St, that would save some travel expense. I assume this would only be for the short term.
That scenario only works if all teams can find regional opponents. If FIU can’t find someone to replace UTEP, CUSA isn’t going to allow UTEP to play Texas St and have FIU game less
Very true. Conference officials have said that all G5 conferences are cooperating with this so we shall see if it can be worked out.
