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It's in UTEPs best interest that the Big 12 selects CSU.

Will CSU be picked by the Big 12 creating an opportunity for UTEP?

  • Yes

    Votes: 5 15.6%

  • No

    Votes: 21 65.6%

  • Yes but the MW will not take UTEP

    Votes: 6 18.8%
  • Total voters
    32
There will be no expansion in the near future. It's the little brother and sisters in the conference in the family feeding the sports media this unsubstantiated bs. OU and UT have a great amount of influence in the conference and they are telling the TT's and Baylor's to settle down with this expansion baloney.
 
Boren at OU has been the president pounding the table for expansion. Oklahoma and Texas are playing a game of chicken just like Texas played with A&M before. One school will blink. Everyone knows Oklahoma wants to be in the big 10. As soon as they get and invite they're gone. Then Texas will join the ACC. The other schools will be a mad scramble to leave the big 12. Iowa State, Kansas State and west virginia are screwed. Tech and Okie State will be in very precarious situations. There are only going to be four power conferences. The big 12 will live on but not as a power conference.
 
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Minerforlife said:
Boren at OU has been the president pounding the table for expansion. Oklahoma and Texas are playing a game of chicken just like Texas played with A&M before. One school will blink. Everyone knows Oklahoma wants to be in the big 10. As soon as they get and invite they're gone. Then Texas will join the ACC. The other schools will be a mad scramble to leave the big 12. Iowa State, Kansas State and west virginia are screwed. Tech and Okie State will be in very precarious situations. There are only going to be four power conferences. The big 12 will live on but not as a power conference.
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Interesting take. And quite possible imo.
 
Not sure its in UTEP's best interest that any of the upper-tier mwc teams leave. The MWC is becoming watered down as it is, and the top teams are looking to bail at any opportunity. The MWC may turn out to be a lateral move in 2-4 years time.

Either way, I don't see us benefiting from this expansion stuff when all is said and done. Our football and bball programs have been sucking at just the wrong time. We really needed the last few years to be much better in terms of athletics, that way we could be currently seen as a program with a good product and respectable upside...
 
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Big 12 needs to expand. This should be a moot point. They saw the fallback from not having a conference championship last season. Expansion should be a no-brainer. Who to invite is probably more difficult, but in reality, how long does it take to make a decision?
 
Tribalwarriorx said:
Big 12 needs to expand. This should be a moot point. They saw the fallback from not having a conference championship last season. Expansion should be a no-brainer. Who to invite is probably more difficult, but in reality, how long does it take to make a decision?
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The NCAA has granted the big 12 a waiver for a conference championship game with 10 members. The championship game is no longer and issue. The bigger issues are the tiered media rights, and lack of big 12 network.The Longhorn Network is always going to be a problem. Nobody is watching it was one of the biggest bluders in Espn history
However, Texas isnt taking a buyout and allowing it to be rebranded into the big 12 network. The big 12 schools are getting 10 million less per school in tv payouts than the SEC schools. That gap will continue to widen. The move is four toward Four power conferences. Texas and Oklahoma's departure from the big 12 will be the final major earthquake in realignment.
 
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Minerforlife said:
The NCAA has granted the big 12 a waiver for a conference championship game with 10 members. The championship game is no longer and issue. The bigger issues are the tiered media rights, and lack of big 12 network.The Longhorn Network is always going to be a problem. Nobody is watching it was one of the biggest bluders in Espn history
However, Texas isnt taking a buyout and allowing it to be rebranded into the big 12 network. The big 12 schools are getting 10 million less per school in tv payouts than the SEC schools. That gap will continue to widen. The move is four toward Four power conferences. Texas and Oklahoma's departure from the big 12 will be the final major earthquake in realignment.
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While I agree with those numbers (and the Longhorn Network disaster), however, the Bowl Championship Committee held it against them. That snub is what generated the discussion of expansion and adding a conference championship. In the end that's what's going to push/pull that donkey down the road.
 
Tribalwarriorx said:
While I agree with those numbers (and the Longhorn Network disaster), however, the Bowl Championship Committee held it against them. That snub is what generated the discussion of expansion and adding a conference championship. In the end that's what's going to push/pull that donkey down the road.
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I agree they will expand. I just think it will be like the big east expansion and delay the inevitable.
 
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The Big 12 is unlikely to expand unless they can find two teams that will generate $25 million apiece (current school payout). Otherwise they are just diluting the same pie.
They can have a championship game without expanding.

That said, Colorado State has a less than 1% chance of being one of the expansion teams.

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66CHamps said:
The Big 12 is unlikely to expand unless they can find two teams that will generate $25 million apiece (current school payout). Otherwise they are just diluting the same pie.
They can have a championship game without expanding.

That said, Colorado State has a less than 1% chance of being one of the expansion teams.

jim-carrey1-428x292.jpeg
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I don't know too many people who actually believed Colorado State is a viable candidate. Tossing their name out there reminds of a pure misdirection move. Keeping people looking/talking about that while they're actually doing something else.
 
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I would put CSU about 7 on the list (same for every other MWC school). If expansion were to take place (big if) Texas and Oklahoma will be long gone, and the Big 12 will look east for replacements.
 
Yesterday the Big 12 decided to pursue expansion, likely because the ACC announced another 20 years of GOR plus a new espn/acc network coming soon.

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/big-12-now-says-its-considering-expansion-candidates-224148833.html

Now the Big 12 is saying 2 or 4 team additions are on the table. Also football only additions are on the table. That puts BYU in the forefront and Boise St, CSU are possibilities. Cincy, UConn, Memphis, Houston and others are in the mix as well. The Big 12 says they want schools that can grow up in the conference. Supposedly about 25 schools had contacted the conference previously about joining. That will probably grow to 60 in a few days.

I'm hoping that at least 1 MWC school is taken and UTEP slips into that conference. Or a couple of teams from the AAC get into the Big 12 and UTEP gets picked as a replacement. Either way, there is likely an opportunity coming that UTEP needs to take advantage of if at all possible.
 
The worst possible scenario is for the XII to take 3 from the AAC, then have the AAC poach some combination of Marshall, UAB, Southern MIss, WKU, or MT fill those three slots. CUSA would then be stuck with UTEP, Rice, UNT, UTSA, FAU, FIU, ODU, Charlotte, La Tech, likely one Sun Belt backfill and whichever 2 of those 5 left behind. Call me unimpressed. I wouldn't be all that surprised if that is what ends up happening.

Unless Colorado State goes, I just don't see how UTEP gets anywhere else but stuck in an even more watered down CUSA.
 
STexMiner said:
The worst possible scenario is for the XII to take 3 from the AAC, then have the AAC poach some combination of Marshall, UAB, Southern MIss, WKU, or MT fill those three slots. CUSA would then be stuck with UTEP, Rice, UNT, UTSA, FAU, FIU, ODU, Charlotte, La Tech, likely one Sun Belt backfill and whichever 2 of those 5 left behind. Call me unimpressed. I wouldn't be all that surprised if that is what ends up happening.

Unless Colorado State goes, I just don't see how UTEP gets anywhere else but stuck in an even more watered down CUSA.
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Minerinciter said:
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I'm still leaning toward them taking (rather offering) Houston and Cincinnati. I can't imagine BYU giving up their independence and network and Memphis isn't a big enough program. Although I'm thinking if Memphis does get an offer and takes it, it's going to hurt in the short run, but long term, it's a plus. They'll have recruiting access to better athletes.
 
I don't get the "love" CSU and Boise get in this expansion. Neither offer market, geographic fit, fan base or access to strong recruiting areas. BYU is different but independence appears to serve them well and they are likely pursuing the ND model. The sports culture at the 4 AAC schools appears to fit much better. Houston and Cincinnati offer strong recruiting bases and markets, Memphis and the UCONN/Florida schools have positives as well. I still believe this is more about OU and UTs plans to exit the Big 12 and leaving the remaining members an intact conference.
 
Not an insider by any means, but I cannot see any universe in which BYU and Texas co-exist in the same conference. Maybe the two biggest egos in collegiate sports, they're both proven conference killers. BYU will voluntarily forfeit their TV network about the same time Texas gives up its LHN - as in never (or until ESPN/Disney goes broke). TCU "roomed" with BYU for awhile and hate those folks beyond words. (I know, it's not Christian to hate, but TCU makes an exception for BYU. And Texas Tech, for that matter.). And then there's that Sunday thing. Of course, apparently B12 is potentially receptive to a football only candidate, so in this galactically crazy year of politics, who knows?

Memphis' academics simply do not compare with either Cincinnati or Houston (more important than you might think). Plus, to many, Memphis comes with a rap sheet and the LAST thing the B12 needs right now is another migrane. I cannot NOT see UC being picked in deference to West Virginia. And Tilman Fertitta is to Houston what Red McCombs is to Texas, T. Boone Pickens is to OSU, and Drayton McClain is to Bayor. Translated - dinero is no problema for UH.

BSU and CSU are non-starters...
 
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You know what is funny? Some of these teams (like UTEP invited to the MWC) said good bye to each other over the past twenty five or so years during realignment and now are coming back together in some weird way. It's like the scene from "Interstellar" where Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey are touching hands through a cosmic wormhole but both are in different time dimensions, to show their love was meant to be.
 
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BYU would fall all over themselves to join a "major" conference, their "Network $$$" be damned. They still suffer piercing migraines when they think about their little brother UTAH flourishing in the PAC 10. Any school would kill to get into a Cartel conference. Money, exposure, recruiting, status and did I mention money? You could stick a NMSU in a Cartel Conference and they would quickly surpass us and leave us in the dust. Not gonna happen but if you doubt the power of Conference affiliation: Baylor. Oregon.
 
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I think the Big 12 will go for Houston and BYU(football only). The AAC will grab Army and everyone pimping out their school will be left at the altar.
 
Not so sure about BYU......Their athletic programs serve somewhat of a different purpose than at most universities...and I don't think money is the prime motivator for them, positive exposure and a coast to coast presence means a lot to them. I don't think they want to cast their lot with the likes of Baylor, who found the pressure of conference affiliation for a church school a big temptation.
 
SMU threw its hat in the ring just now. Various politicians from around the state advocating for Houston. UTEP = 'crickets'
 
JCorona said:
I think the Big 12 will go for Houston and BYU(football only).
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Many consider Cincinnati as the front runner in either a two or four team expansion (excellent academics/athletics, expands B12 footprint into fertile B10 market, serves as UWV travel partner). That increases exponentially if you add BYU, two time zones and 2/3 of the way across the country from UWV. BYU would seem like a gimme, but again, there's lots below the surface of that iceberg.

Houston may have the most upside of all candidates, but some think that could also be their Achilles heel. Why? Schools like Tech, Baylor, UKan, ISU, KSU and others may see what UH has done recently (facilities, on field production, etc.) with maybe $3 mil in annual revenue. Expand that to $30 mil per year and, well, you get the drift. Remember, it takes 7/10 schools to approve a new member.

Latest word from Austin is that UT will not block UH entry into B12 (not sure if that's the good or the bad news). Greg Abbott just tweeted that any B12 conversation without UH is a non-starter, for what that's worth and, of course, Lt Gov is from Houston. Bottom line, it's all about what UT and OU want.

UTEP? if one or more AAC teams leave, would that create an opportunity for the Miners? Perhaps, but you simply MUST bring something to the expansion party these days. I've commented before, still think UTEP's best current bet would be to become a dominant program in C-USA and see what develops long term, but ONLY if there is a complete commitment to excellence.

Quien sabe?
 
Agree with everything. Houston is such a rich recruiting area (as is DFW) they can't be ignored. UTEP has been way to passive during each round and have been burned badly and it appears we are repeating the same mistake. In all of this the breying calves get all the attention and we appear to just sit on our hands. I like Stull and Natalicio but they never seem aggressive or progressive when it comes to athletics. While other schools seem to know what's coming, UTEP is broadsided and unresponsive until it is too late. I'm afraid we are going to wake up and find ourselves in a conference with every directional school in the south. We better find a way to parley ourselves into the MWC or AAC or we might slide down and off the ladder.
 
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LaserCoog said:
UTEP? if one or more AAC teams leave, would that create an opportunity for the Miners? Perhaps, but you simply MUST bring something to the expansion party these days. I've commented before, still think UTEP's best current bet would be to become a dominant program in C-USA and see what develops long term, but ONLY if there is a complete commitment to excellence.

Quien sabe?
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I don't know what the AAC offers UTEP and vice versa. Assuming the AAC gets poached, there are other schools in CUSA that would fit their footprint. Barring anything drastic, UTEP's best hope is the MWC, and I said before, I don't think that happens. But the rumors about UNM are interesting.

On the drastic side, I thought this (admittedly message board) idea was interesting. If the XII raids the AAC, then maybe the eastern AAC/CUSA merge into one conference as well as the western AAC/CUSA. So, we'd be looking at UTEP, Rice, UTSA, UNT, SMU, Tulsa, Tulane, La Tech, USM, UAB (or something like that). Maybe a wash competitively, but at least it's more geographically friendly. An extreme longshot, though.
 
Quick follow-up to recent posts on this topic - yesterday (Thursday) BOTH the President and the Chancellor of The University of Texas tweeted their endorsements for the inclusion of Houston into the Big 12. Red McCombs - UT mega-doner - recently expressed similar sentiments. Combined that with Gov. Greg Abbot's tweet earlier this week, this is new news and big news insofar as the political winds in Austin have shifted dramatically, and recently. Ask Baylor and Texas Tech how important THAT can be.

I realize this is a UTEP board and many posters here don't give a hoot in Hades about UH. However, I share for two reasons. First, in this game of intercollegiate athletic musical chairs, there is obvious and direct potential linkage, impact, and opportunity for other universities. Second, while nothing has yet happened, for any program truly interested and committed to upward mobility, perhaps UH is the latest model - there are certainly others - for helping to propel a program such as UTEP into these high stakes conversations.
 
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Do you guys remember our first season in CUSA? Our first game ever against a CUSA opponent was against UH at the Sun Bowl. A nice crowd of over 45k witnessed an epic game and what many taught would be start of an intense rivalry. I was a senior in high school and I remember that game like it was yesterday.

We were trailing in the fourth quarter before Palmer and the Miners came storming back to take a late lead. UH wouldn't go down so easily they tied it up and had a chance to win it before the end of regulation. A missed FG by UH lead to OT. Demps intercepted Kolb to seal the victory.

Boy have times changed in the last decade.
 
LaserCoog said:
Quick follow-up to recent posts on this topic - yesterday (Thursday) BOTH the President and the Chancellor of The University of Texas tweeted their endorsements for the inclusion of Houston into the Big 12. Red McCombs - UT mega-doner - recently expressed similar sentiments. Combined that with Gov. Greg Abbot's tweet earlier this week, this is new news and big news insofar as the political winds in Austin have shifted dramatically, and recently. Ask Baylor and Texas Tech how important THAT can be.

I remember a few months months ago when I said Texas was backing UH you thought I was crazy. UH deserves it they made the commitment and the sleeping giant has awoken. I think this big 12 expansion is alot to do about nothing. The big 12's days as a power five conference are numbered. The lhn will be turned into the ACC network. UH has the Pac 12 which is way better for the school than the big 12
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In order to have any more Texas teams in the B12, there would have to be a super majority of yes votes on the table. That means 8 other schools would have to vote yes for it. There is Texas and then there is???
 
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