SMU is one of few schools that is built better for the new NIL era than most P5 programs.
Realignment 2022
- Thread starter jdubb66
- Start date
They had a decent trial run in the 80’s
That is a fact! They have to beg people to go to the game. I see billboard's all of the place, but never hear anyone say. "Hey how bout those Pony's" It's crazy how TCU moving to the Big 12 put them so far ahead of SMU here locally! People do get up for TCU games and they are playing at all the bars.
Only time I see SMU stuff here is during their rivalry game. Unless I’m near the campus I don’t see any SMU stuff. Lots of Tech, UT, and a healthy sprinkling of UNT
Nick Saban Wants Alabama Balance, Not Competitive Balance in NCAA College Football - Sports Illustrated All Hogs News, Analysis and More
Despite Tide coach's words, he's afraid of world where the little guy can actually compete
www.si.com
This a good article that explains the potential of SMU and why so many power 5 schools fear the "sleeping giant."
I know this isn't really exciting news for Miner fans, but it is related to CUSA where we are stuck for now at least. So every now and again I get lucky, like when I knew Jacksonville St. was being added to CUSA, because I was in the right place at the right time. Well the latest I heard is CUSA is deciding if they'll add one more team and go to 10 and the two top choices would be SFA or Eastern KY or add 3 teams and go to 12. If they go 3 it'd most likely be the 2 mentioned above and not sure on the 3rd, didn't hear other candidates.
It's public knowledge Eastern Kentucky and Tarelton applied and were rejected. SFA would be a horrific add in my opinion. They bring no market its La Tech without the tradition. Their football stadium would need to be renovated. Expansion is all about football. I don't see what SFA brings. They were good last year but Carthel is not going to be there long. He'll be gone after this year with another successful season. Then I don't know what happens to SFA football. CUSA should wait and see what happens with the expansion mess. If FCS schools are needed SDSU and NDSU should be the first calls. Followed by Missouri State and Illinois State. Somebody is going bring up basketball. Expansion has zero to do with basketball. SFA brings zero value at all. We got SHSU who has absolutely dominated them for three decades and I have serious doubts they will have success in FBS. SFA would be a terrible addition.
I don't disagree with you, however those are two teams I heard. As far as E. Kentucky, they were rejected, because they weren't there yet in certain ways. E. Kentucky thought is still making a push and raising money for athletic improvements. So that's why they're still in the running. With all that said I also would much rather the additions of NDSU and Montana St. and one more from the west. You mentioned Missouri St. who was also rejected by CUSA back in November as well, so things can always change.
That's interesting cuz it seems CUSA is trying to call themselves the New 9.
newsadvance.com
Doesn't seem like they're in a hurry to add anyone.
Ian McCaw Q&A, Part 2: ASUN and Conference USA
Liberty has enjoyed a successful four-year run so far in the ASUN Conference, and it enters its final season in the league before joining Conference USA.
Doesn't seem like they're in a hurry to add anyone.
There is no reason for them to. They didn’t even add UALR and UTA when they had the chance. Teams will be added to CUSA if and when their media partner(s) tell them to.
CUSA doesn’t have any competition to add these crappy teams anyway. They can take their time.
Exactly. They need to sit on the bench and watch what happens with the two western FBS conferences. If, and that's a big if, the MW calls UTEP and or NMSU then CUSA can focus on tightening up the footprint. Adding anyone from the FCS ranks right now would be a huge mistake. Unless of course for whatever dumb reason the TV executives ask for them.
Im sure E. Kentucky and SFA have way more interest in CUSA then CUSA has in them at the time. They could be names for the future, but I'm ok If CUSA stays put for now. The situation with Conference Realignment is so damn crazy though you have to have contingency plans and that may be all it is at the time.
Depends on what the CUSA officials are hearing. If they believe they are about to lose 2 or more schools they might be in a hurry to boost their numbers. Just a thought and not saying it's a good one.
If they were to lose 2 schools, again, there is no rush because the SBC, MAC, AAC, and MWC are not taking Tarleton St and EKU. CUSA can get them at any time.
Why SHOULD they? 99% of ticket sales would be from UTEP and NMSU fans. Fans that won’t be getting hotel rooms or spending their time looking at El Paso’s attractions. SHSU and LaTech fans don’t even attend their own home games, they’re sure as fvck not traveling to El Paso to watch them.
WKU, FIU, MTSU, JSU, and Liberty are all much further away and won’t travel here either. Just as no Texas based UTEP fans would travel to those places either.
The conference tournament probably won’t be at the Star, but it’s sure as fvck not going to be close to the 2 most outlier western schools. If Liberty wants to be hosting it, they’re gonna be hosting it.
The venues of both UTEP and NMSU could be used. Both schools would want it to enhance their chances. The city of El Paso has wanted it in the past for exposure and the few hundred traveling basketball fans. And the conference would enjoy the ticket sales.
I'm guessing you don't work for an events or tourism related business.
I’m guessing you don’t remember the 2014 CUSA tournament. When it was a ghost town for non-UTEP games. LaTech was the #1 seed and MTSU was the #3 seed and they didn’t bring any fans then either. Tulsa won it and they didn’t bring any fans either.
But you think Jacksonville St and SHSU are going to? Okay.
Very true. I'm still holding out hope that all the articles I'm seeing that suggest that San Diego State should be added by the PAC 12/10 come to fruition and UTEP finally gets a spot in the MWC.
If UTEP went to the MWC and then MTSU changed it's mind about the MAC so they and WKU were suddenly gone the conference would be down to 6 with only 4 of them at the fbs level. It takes time for schools to transition from fcs so maybe Nattybry is on to something.
I don't think The Pac12 will add SDSU. I think they will stand pat and ESPN will save them and Oregon and Washington will get higher payouts from their new tv deal than the other 8 schools. This is my thought today tommorow the Pac 12 could blow up.
More problematic for UTEP is Craig Thompson's statement 6 schools have reached out for admission. It's pretty easy to figure out who. UTEP and NMSU are the only Western FBS schools who would want in. That leaves the question who are the other four. There are credible reports that the ladder from FCS to FBS maybe taken away and the divisions hardened. With that in the background I think the other four schools are NDSU SDSU Montana and MSU. If those are the six options I don't think we're in the top four.
1. North Dakota State
2. South Dakota State
3. Montana
4.Montana State
5. UTEP
6. NMSU
I don't see us getting into the MWC if there is only one or two spots.
Where did you get that from?
https://www.ncaa.com/news/football/article/2022-07-11/making-sense-fcs-conference-realignment
FCS move ups are not more attractive than UTEP. El Paso county has more people than all of North Dakota and the state of Montana has about the same population as the El Paso/Las Cruces DMA.
The MWC will not stoop to FCS schools. If an opening occurs, UTEP will be their 1st pick. It's our time but an opening has to be there and so far there isn't one.
The only thing that will affect FCS move ups are the tougher div 1 requirements which have not been totally decided or revealed.
Attendance suffers when the host team is no longer playing but all session tickets were sold and El Paso bid for the tourney again a couple of times which means they and UTEP and CUSA did ok financially regardless of the bad optics of an empty arena in the champ game. UAB and Birmingham won the bids and had much worse attendance and ticket sales.
NDSU and SDSU would certainly be picked over UTEP. It pains me to write that. The MWC doesn't value the El Paso market. It doesn't bring them anything. NDSU and SDSU don't have huge markets but their brands are bigger. NDSU does get a nice chunk of the twin cities market. Kids from the twin cities have went to NDSU for years. Walk around the twin cities and and you'll see tons of NDSU gear. Their presence in the twin cities dwarfs any representation UTEP has in any major market. Both those schools would be taken over us and it would not be close.
I could see us getting possibly over Montana and MSU. Montana has slipped the past decade. 15 years ago they were the school everyone wanted. Now not so much.
