Happy Fathers Day! Was down in San Antonio this week and ended up running into an old UTEP alum and booster. We chatted and for whatever it’s worth. He was told by Senter that MWC approached UTEP and then the interest was mutual. Apparently Utep is expected to have an even share of TV revenue with the other all sports schools with the exception of UNLV and Air Force. Also funds from the departed CUSA schools as well as NIL Revenue sharing is meant to even the playing field and raise UTEPs NIL when they join MWC. We shall see I guess!
New MWC Possibility:
- Thread starter nattybry
- Start date
Can you ask your friend whether he and other boosters will start pressuring Wilson about canning Senter's ass
I asked his opinion and he’s said it’s half n half for Golding support. He also said what apparently many upset Miner fans aren’t getting is that the extension was on the table after the team almost made the NCAA, returned most of the team and started off well in non conference. It wasn’t just done recently.
If that’s what happened that’s BS. Heads need to roll. Golding’s overall failures should have factored into his eventual firing. Even if an extension was on the table it could have and should have been pulled due to his failures. This isn’t the bill for the Arena and we’re stuck saying “The money’s there, we have to build it.”
Pretty much everybody here, at least those that assumed there was an extension “in the works”, thought that it was due to the solid start to the season, and the “strong” finish of the season before.
That makes Senter and Golding liars.
I agree ☝️ if that is in fact the case which has been said by multiple sources, why couldn’t it have been rescinded? Obviously Senter made up his mind and stuck to it.
100% speculation here but they only explanation that seems like it would make even an incompetent AD consider continuing thee extension would be for Golding to tell Senter he had the pieces but one of them turned out to be toxic and poisoned the locker room.
Its hard to imagine even Senter buying any other explanation.
Its hard to imagine even Senter buying any other explanation.
Golding said he knew or had an idea why the team floundered spent the stretch, but didn’t want to say. There was definitely something that changed. However ultimately he’s the HC and he’s responsible for keeping the team focused!
I know that this Blog has become doom and gloom and mostly negative, but here’s a little positive light on the subject of moving to MWC and being able to compete. No one seems to be mentioning that Walden and Utep Football is not only #1 in CUSA, but would be #1 in MWC too against the teams staying. I know Walden still has to prove he can do something with them, but doesn’t that count for something? I mean he’s doing it with a small NIL budget and by the time the Miners start MWC it’ll be year 3 of the top recruiting classes and most likely an increased budget. Anyways just trying to throw some hope out there when most on here think we won’t compete and will be at the bottom of Football and Basketball. As far as Basketball sorry I don’t currently have anything positive to share lol 😆
We've got a pretty good rifle team too.
I’m sorry Natty, but no amount of hype or optimism is going to get me on the bandwagon, not until we see actual results on the field. At the end of the day, Walden is still a Senter hire, and that alone gives me pause. Terry brought in some of the top recruiting classes in the G5 and what did that get us? A team that barely finished two games above .500 at best.
I don’t care how much money is or isn’t in the program, the pattern stays the same, all talk, no results. I’ll give Walden credit, he seems to be doing the right things so far. He’s got energy, he’s building relationships, and he’s checking all the boxes. But let’s be real none of that matters if it doesn’t translate to wins. So until we start stacking actual W’s and showing we can compete consistently, I’m staying cautious. Show me on the scoreboard not in the papers.
I don’t care how much money is or isn’t in the program, the pattern stays the same, all talk, no results. I’ll give Walden credit, he seems to be doing the right things so far. He’s got energy, he’s building relationships, and he’s checking all the boxes. But let’s be real none of that matters if it doesn’t translate to wins. So until we start stacking actual W’s and showing we can compete consistently, I’m staying cautious. Show me on the scoreboard not in the papers.
I belive I kinda said that. I said he has to prove he can do something with those recruits of course. However the facts are facts and that is Utep would have the top recruiting classes the last two years amongst the MWC teams that are left. It’s very likely it’ll be 3 years in a row once we start officially. While obviously as Miner fans we have to have a very high level of caution, it’s something to keep on eye on. We’ve always talked about recruiting terribly here at Utep in football and that being one of the main issues. Well now we’ll soon see what happens when we recruit we’ll!
Yeah, he said he didnt want to put anyone on blast but he knew. Also said that when the season went south guys were already talking to their people and agents looking for new spots to play
Players wanting to transfer is not a valid excuse in 2025. Golding has shown he’s a poor recruiter and coach and now he’s revealed himself to be incapable of surviving in the NIL era.
UTEP should have never agreed to an extension with Golding unless he took a reduced salary, or there was a reduced buyout clause. Time and Golding’s lack of results were working against him to our benefit.
But going back to football, Walden still has to win me over on the field but he’s done a tremendous job off the field. His work ethic, his ability to recruit and retain talent along with his relentless drive to fundraise and champion this university are his biggest strengths at this moment. I know people have high hopes for this year, and I hope the staff can be more dynamic and adaptable as the second season starts. That’s the type of guy we need in basketball.
I think the MWC still has some decent markets. They have Vegas, Chicago, ABQ, El Paso, SJ... Let's hope that helps the media deal. Let's be real, anything is better than CUSA, travel cost will also help.
Yeah I agree, we will see. I don’t necessarily have any predictions for this year in football. I’m in wait and see mood. I do believe though if and that’s still a Big If, Walden’s team shows vast improvement and wins at least 6 games, year 3 could be special as the recruits will start to take shape.
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Scotty wants to go up. UTEP is but a stepping stone on his journey. He has something to prove. This is Golding’s pinnacle. Even though he is on borrowed time, he can probably anticipate collecting 2.something mil over the next 3 years. His energy level has come wayyy down since he arrived. He’s got nothing to prove really.
Worst case scenario? He flames out but then Golding just picks up the phone, calls his old buddy Beard, and lands a job as an assistant. Probably making more money and facing double the pressure he does now as a head coach.
I’m with you. I’m not going to make any grand proclamations. If Walden can win more than last year and look better doing it, that’s a win for me. I’m a UTEP fan, I’ll set the bar low. And if a school wants to buy him out after an amazing season…. he’s earned it.
Interesting. Basically, these are G5 schools making a jump but who do not have the wealth as compared to those who left. The P5's were built upon decades of work and investment, some close to 100 years. But P5's need G5s for scheduling or it gets cannibalistic
Please help a poor dummy out here.
1. I don't understand what the post about Hawaii and MWC media rights has to do with PAC12 media rights?
2. Kinda dfferent topic. I have completely lost track of player compensation. Is NIL still theoretically independent of the school? Is the school allowed to pay players directly separate from NIL and are there any limits?
3. Are there any limits at all to transfers?
I can only speak to the first question. Early on he threw out the $6 million per team for the new MW media deal and a lot of people ran with it. But now more reliable reports are surfacing that suggest the Pac12’s media deal is likely to land around $7 million per school.
That puts things into perspective.
If the Pac12 is only pulling in $7 million, there’s just no realistic way the Mountain West is getting $6 million per team. That’s why I keep saying temper expectations until the ink is dry. But apparently that’s unheard of.
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Well because most of us have never and aren’t saying 6 million, we’re saying half of the PAC Deal around 3.5 million-4 million while you’ve stated you don’t see how it’ll be much higher than the CUSA deal.
go back and read what i said and have been saying all along. Those aren’t my words.
Direct quote from you Corona:
“We still don’t know if the new tv deal will really be that improved over CUSA”
Yeah, that’s pretty much what I’ve been saying. I figured the MW payout might land somewhere around $2 million per school. But when you factor in the buyout costs from CUSA and the buy in fees to join the MW we’re probably looking at a break even situation for the first couple of years.
Still it’s early. There are a lot of moving parts and we’ll have to wait and see how everything shakes out once the dust settles. CUSA’s media deal is up in 2027, so that’ll be a good benchmark to compare where things stand financially between the two leagues. They might be very similar.
- While the conference is losing high-profile members like Boise State, a memorandum of understanding guarantees at least $3.5 million in revenue to the seven remaining full members.
- The MW has agreed to maintain the current media-rights revenue distributions of no less than the current $3.5 million per year per school, utilizing other revenue sources if necessary.
- It's not clear how this will affect new members like UTEP and NIU.
I’ve read that too, but from what I understand, that $3.5 million figure only applies to the current MW teams. There’s no reason to assume we’d be getting the same payout if the value of the new deal ends up being lower.
Plus it’s hard to ignore the instability. Schools like UNLV and New Mexico will always have one foot out the door. That’s probably going to be the reality of whatever watered down version of a conference we end up in.
I’m not all that hyped about joining the MW. In a few years most of our traditional rivals could be gone anyway. Instead of facing old familiar teams, we’ll be building rivalries with Utah South, North Arizona, and whatever other FCS programs get called up.
Laugh all you want but every opinion I share is grounded in current evidence not filtered through orange colored glasses.
I’m not just talking about just Utep. I’m talking about the whole MWC, so it’s not orange colored glasses. Which by the way I need some of those they’d look cool! You keep saying you don’t believe or think the MWC TV deal will be much different than CUSA after the defections and additions. I’m saying it is and will continue to be higher than CUSA. Also that UTEP is much better off in the MWC now. You have said you’re not so sure and aren’t really happy with the move. I’m countering by saying Financially, Travel, School Rival Familiarity, etc… it’s a step up. This is where we disagree and I look forward to when the official numbers come out and we can revisit this discussion.
I agree, short term, this looks like a solid move. But as I’ve said many times before, I always play the long game and focus on the full picture. With the PAC managing to survive, it’s only a matter of time before they start slowly bleeding the Mountain West dry, school by school. The conference we’re joining now will likely look very different five years down the line and not necessarily in a good way.
Add to that the fact that Senter has essentially cemented his legacy at UTEP with this move. With job security locked in and retirement comfort secured for his family, what real incentive is there for him to not continue his string of bad hires and questionable extensions.
So yes, short term? It’s fine. But long term? I’m not nearly as convinced.
I get ya, but we couldn’t wait for the unlikely off chance that the PAC would’ve came calling or stay in the CUSA with MWC offering. So the move I think was smart. The PAC moved off the remaining schools for a reason and UNLV and Air Force have contracts in place for now. Hopefully in 5 years UTEP has done enough to make us attractive. It’s a lot to hope for though, cause we’ve always been the ugly single friend not the pretty and popular one.
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