We should have just merged when both conferences had 8 teams and which ever conference was going to receive less in exit fees and ncaa credits, that conference would merge into the other and just viewed as a sunk cost.

(07-27-2012 11:25 PM)mistabinks Wrote:  Some fans want to play comparable mid major "name" schools. Some fans want a tight regional conference. Right now it seems only the latter is getting their way.

How can UTEP possibly play in a tight regional league short of forming a conference with NMSU, UNM, Wyoming, Air Force, Colorado State, Wyoming and somehow convincing Arizona, ASU, and/or Colorado to leave the Pac?

that's it, we need to join the Pac and tell them we're a package deal with UNM, all or nothing.

edit: Forgot to put this in.... Mista doesn't want a regional conference, none of us UTEP fans have an issue with travel.

(07-28-2012 01:42 AM)randaddyminer Wrote:  We should have just merged when both conferences had 8 teams and which ever conference was going to receive less in exit fees and ncaa credits, that conference would merge into the other and just viewed as a sunk cost.

That's no good!

(07-28-2012 03:11 AM)Saint Greg Wrote:  

(07-28-2012 01:42 AM)randaddyminer Wrote:  We should have just merged when both conferences had 8 teams and which ever conference was going to receive less in exit fees and ncaa credits, that conference would merge into the other and just viewed as a sunk cost.

That's no good!

Actually, I don't think 16 is a good number for the purpose of scheduling, 18 makes more sense, so we would still have 2 spots open.

(07-27-2012 11:25 PM)mistabinks Wrote:  

(07-27-2012 09:48 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  I feel sorry for East Carolina, Tulsa and Southern Miss.

What about UTEP! You can feel bad for us too!

I would feel bad for UTEP, but the Miners have an easy out. They can join the MWC tomorrow.

(07-28-2012 01:42 AM)randaddyminer Wrote:  We should have just merged with the MWC when both conferences had 8 teams and which ever conference was going to receive less in exit fees and ncaa credits, that conference would merge into the other and just viewed as a sunk cost.

Exactly.

(07-27-2012 11:45 PM)GCEagle Wrote:  Might as well add a bunch of garbage teams, this conference could not possibly get any worse.

You have two options.....pursue membership in the WAC/MAC/Sunbelt....or build this league right like CUSA is doing. Adding schools that make sense for the long term of CUSA. I personally like the vision and direction this league is going for the long-term over the aforementioned conferences including the MWC and the Big East. Some of you obviously can see and understand these moves while others cant. I'm 100% on board with what CUSA is going to accomplish. I think Banowsky has out smarted Thompson and CUSA will come out way better in the end.

(07-28-2012 12:28 AM)Kronke Wrote:  

(07-27-2012 10:14 PM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(07-27-2012 09:48 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  I feel sorry for East Carolina, Tulsa and Southern Miss.

Stop hijacking the thread.

Besides, talk about feeling sorry for somebody. I feel sorry for Houston. You guys will get crushed consistently in BE basketball with no rivalries in the league other than SMU. Have fun with that....lol

SMU + Boise, Louisville, Cincy, etc. will do just fine. Thanks.

Have fun playing a bunch of FCS startups, that are now considered your equals :)

We'll see how fine you are when Louisville, Uconn, Rutgers head off to the ACC and leave you guys holding the bag stuck in a conference with a basketball first mentality. You can talk about the FCS startups all you want but a couple of those "FCS" schools are already outperforming Houston in many areas such as fan support. I'd gladly put my money on the long term success of ODU over Houston for example. I'd also put my money on the long term success of UNT or UTSA over SMU.

(07-28-2012 03:31 AM)CougarRed Wrote:  

(07-27-2012 11:25 PM)mistabinks Wrote:  

(07-27-2012 09:48 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  I feel sorry for East Carolina, Tulsa and Southern Miss.

What about UTEP! You can feel bad for us too!

I would feel bad for UTEP, but the Miners have an easy out. They can join the MWC tomorrow.

The MWC no longer has the upper hand. CUSA is the more desirable conference now. Just ask UTSA. They had options. There is a reason they chose CUSA. Their leaders see the vision and future direction that CUSA is after.

I got a feeling that Texas State and FAU are locks in the near future. Who the other schools might be is probably yet to be determined. If I had to guess, I think Georgia State and maybe Delaware would be the front runners for additional spots. Those are two schools with big enrollmets in big tv markets that fit well geographically and expand the exposure of CUSA.

I think that once BYU and Air Force finally convince the Big East to leave them alone, the Big East will add Fresno State.

At that point, C-USA should at least TRY to get New Mexico, UNLV, Colorado State (and with those 3 leaving perhaps Air Force will come along too). If Air Force still passes, go for Wyoming, I guess. They all very well may say 'no', but that's when we should make the phone call.

No more Texas-based schools. We don't want to become a little Southwest Conference within CUSA. We also do not want to water down our Lone Star State/CUSA product and give any semblance of a recruiting edge to any school presently not in CUSA or those on the way. I don't think Brit Banowsky has Texas in mind for any potential expansion whatsoever. Most from CUSA have already expressed on this board this>>>>>>>>>NO MORE SCHOOLS FROM TEXAS. Most all of us from Texas concur.

If there were any immediate expansion Middle Tennessee best fits CUSA's footprint by getting the Volunteer State back into CUSA; by filling in a glaringly huge hole in the present CUSA map which the Blue Raiders program would do plus MT would bring in another large metro area, ie, the Greater Nashville market. Non Big 5 NCAA FBS conferences such as CUSA must have as many large city markets in its consortium to most likely stay on the NCAA FBS map as it is.

CUSA has all the necessary TV markets in Texas that it needs and I think most of CUSA's Texas schools would agree. Why bring in more schools with no NCAA FBS background, history or legacies and whose markets are already covered now by CUSA? Hasn't that been a constant theme on this board when it concerns NCAA FCS schools?

Some on this board do not want to hear this, but the Big East is hardly a sure thing "long term" project for those who are heading east, but they will probably have to find that out the hard way after a few years go by and the TV money is simply not there any longer there thus making the Big East a very travel un-friendly athletic budget liability for those schools not located on the eastern seaboard and....... isn't it TV thats driving that train in the first place? It sure as hell ain't having a cluster of next door or adjacent to your state rivalries that made it enticing.

Lest all have forgotten, this is the "non Big 5 conferences" NCAA of today--not the one of past decades which rarely had any conference membership changes.

As they say.............stay tuned.

GMG!

(07-27-2012 10:17 PM)RUNVSFD MINER Wrote:  

(07-27-2012 10:05 PM)blunderbuss Wrote:  

(07-27-2012 10:04 PM)RUNVSFD MINER Wrote:  I've been all for staying in CUSA.

But if they choose to expand too much, then the conference will be on the verge of completely losing its identity.

CUSA lost it's identity the day we lost UL, UC, USF, Marquette, DePaul & Marquette. The identity was one of the best mid major hoops conferences in the nation. I think the expansion is a good way to create a new identity. 16 works out better for scheduling and travel. It essentially is 2 bus leagues under the same banner.

But we aren't even talking comparable programs anymore.
Opinions will vary, and all are entitled to it, but I see the writing on the wall.

Really? Who was the 2nd most successful bball program in the ORIGINAL CUSA (you know, before UTEP was even in CUSA)?

(07-27-2012 11:25 PM)mistabinks Wrote:  [quote='CougarRed' pid='8105753' dateline='1343443710']
I feel sorry for East Carolina, Tulsa and Southern Miss.

What about UTEP! You can feel bad for us too! While we weren't in CUSA 1.0, our fall from grace is pretty substantial as well considering who we spent decades with in the old WAC.
___________________________________________________________________

Neither were ECU or Tulsa.

(07-28-2012 07:17 AM)Chappy Wrote:  I think that once BYU and Air Force finally convince the Big East to leave them alone, the Big East will add Fresno State.

At that point, C-USA should at least TRY to get New Mexico, UNLV, Colorado State (and with those 3 leaving perhaps Air Force will come along too). If Air Force still passes, go for Wyoming, I guess. They all very well may say 'no', but that's when we should make the phone call.

This is correct.

It appears very likely that at least 1 more school will leave the MWC for the nBE, likely Fresno St as you said. AFA just re-stated that they want to stay in their region and not throw their non-fb sports under the bus. The problem then for a now 10 team MWC, which becomes a 9 team league in the event of losing Fresno St, their expansion options are almost non-existent and additional poaching puts them at real risk of remaining a viable FBS conference. The MWC just publicly slapped both Idaho and NMSU by telling them they are not wanted and to go to their plan B, whatever that is. I'd say at that point it is entirely possible that the 4 front range schools and UNLV will be more open to the possibility of joining C-USA.

And part of this expansion is the affect of creating a safety net for all our schools. Much easier to have a landing place if the league eventually breaks up or is poached significantly. For example, say ECU and kin in the east and south decide to quit C-USA some years down the road and form that regional conference they desire. Why would we in the west care much at that point when we already have a ready made conference of our own?

(07-27-2012 09:48 PM)CougarRed Wrote:  I feel sorry for East Carolina, Tulsa and Southern Miss.

I'm sure you realize that those 3 are almost half of the available conference votes. (8 right now total). They could put an end to expansion but apparently have not. BB said in this article that he was all for holding off for a while but the board (school presidents) wanted to continue looking into expansion. I would be willing to be that the ECU prez is one of the more vocal advocates of further expansion. Wasn't he the one saying that 32 was a good number back in January?

(07-28-2012 07:17 AM)Chappy Wrote:  I think that once BYU and Air Force finally convince the Big East to leave them alone, the Big East will add Fresno State.

At that point, C-USA should at least TRY to get New Mexico, UNLV, Colorado State (and with those 3 leaving perhaps Air Force will come along too). If Air Force still passes, go for Wyoming, I guess. They all very well may say 'no', but that's when we should make the phone call.

Gotta go for CSU and WYO if you want AFA. That would probably be the best possible option if it's do-able. I personally believe the point of further expansion is for the specific reason of splitting into 2 different leagues several years down the road. I'm talking 10 years or so out when more schools have developed in the SBC and FCS.

What are we fighting about?

Adapt & survive, adapt & survive.... that's all C-USA is trying to do.

(07-28-2012 05:45 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  

(07-27-2012 11:45 PM)GCEagle Wrote:  Might as well add a bunch of garbage teams, this conference could not possibly get any worse.

You have two options.....pursue membership in the WAC/MAC/Sunbelt....or build this league right like CUSA is doing. Adding schools that make sense for the long term of CUSA. I personally like the vision and direction this league is going for the long-term over the aforementioned conferences including the MWC and the Big East. Some of you obviously can see and understand these moves while others cant. I'm 100% on board with what CUSA is going to accomplish. I think Banowsky has out smarted Thompson and CUSA will come out way better in the end.

Well I'll just go ahead and say the truth, I don't want ECU to be here long term. If we are it means we have become completely irrelevant. I don't care about the long term potential of any of these schools. As long as every school here would take a Big East invite we are essentially all screwed. They'll keep getting raided, keep taking whatever larger market teams we groom for them, and the rest of us will have to keep picking up the pieces over and over again. I'm tired of it.