(06-25-2015 07:19 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I'm one of very few Rice fans that like CUSA. I see at as not just a good geographic fit, but also the best place we can be to develop some meaningful rivalries. CUSA also has a lot of room to grow. It'll get stronger as time goes on.

Rice is on an academic island in CUSA, with no true rivals, and the conference is not a long term option for the university. The administration gets it and has stated this repeatedly.

(06-26-2015 09:38 AM)WIowl Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 07:19 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I'm one of very few Rice fans that like CUSA. I see at as not just a good geographic fit, but also the best place we can be to develop some meaningful rivalries. CUSA also has a lot of room to grow. It'll get stronger as time goes on.

Rice is on an academic island in CUSA, with no true rivals, and the conference is not a long term option for the university. The administration gets it and has stated this repeatedly.

You're both right, to a large extent. However, I for one am not convinced any other G5 conference (MWC or AAC) is a step up, at least not a significant one.

(06-26-2015 01:18 AM)Dragonz Lair Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 06:40 PM)bladhmadh Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 04:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  ODU and (most of) its fans wanted the best conference it could get. That's CUSA. It would have been better with East Carolina, but anyone paying a lick of attention knew that they'd been hustling to get out of town for more than a decade, so you couldn't really do any long-term planning with them.

I'll go so far as to say that if CUSA kept East Carolina, attracted Navy and improved its basketball, CUSA would be better for ODU than the American. And even with the first two not happening, if the hoops gets better and ODU finds a rival or two, it would at least be in the ballpark.

ODU used be conference mates with UAB, UNCC, and WKU. Those were some heated basketball games and will be again. UAB wanted ODU in CUSA

UAB, Charlotte, WKU, ODU, VCU - good times!...UAB fans DEFINITELY wanted ODU in the conference

That was a GREAT basketball conference and I'm happy to get most of the old gang back together again. I also think Empty Sue is a really nice substitution for Feces U...good athletics without the smell...and they give ODU fits too.

I'm very happy with CUSA as it's currently constructed. In addition to the above schools, UTEP and LT have strong BB programs, Rice is improving, D'Antoni had Marshall moving in the right direction late, and even FIU and UTSA showed glimmers.

Of course I wish the conference weren't so spread out. I also wish I were younger and richer. We all do the best we can. However, I'm definitely not in the doom & gloom camp. I've seen really close competition on both the gridiron and hardwood, and a lot of growth the past two years. Given time, and commitment by the members, and it's just going to get better, IMO.

Heck, ODU and Tech fans can't stand each other already, and we've only known each other for two years! (Just kidding!)

(06-26-2015 09:38 AM)WIowl Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 07:19 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I'm one of very few Rice fans that like CUSA. I see at as not just a good geographic fit, but also the best place we can be to develop some meaningful rivalries. CUSA also has a lot of room to grow. It'll get stronger as time goes on.

Rice is on an academic island in CUSA, with no true rivals, and the conference is not a long term option for the university. The administration gets it and has stated this repeatedly.

Vanderbilt, Baylor, Stanford are all on an "Academic Island" you are gonna have to learn to get used to it. Enjoy the success CUSA has afforded you in Football and baseball.

(06-26-2015 10:11 AM)Maryland Monarch Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 01:18 AM)Dragonz Lair Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 06:40 PM)bladhmadh Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 04:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  ODU and (most of) its fans wanted the best conference it could get. That's CUSA. It would have been better with East Carolina, but anyone paying a lick of attention knew that they'd been hustling to get out of town for more than a decade, so you couldn't really do any long-term planning with them.

I'll go so far as to say that if CUSA kept East Carolina, attracted Navy and improved its basketball, CUSA would be better for ODU than the American. And even with the first two not happening, if the hoops gets better and ODU finds a rival or two, it would at least be in the ballpark.

ODU used be conference mates with UAB, UNCC, and WKU. Those were some heated basketball games and will be again. UAB wanted ODU in CUSA

UAB, Charlotte, WKU, ODU, VCU - good times!...UAB fans DEFINITELY wanted ODU in the conference

That was a GREAT basketball conference and I'm happy to get most of the old gang back together again. I also think Empty Sue is a really nice substitution for Feces U...good athletics without the smell...and they give ODU fits too.

I'm very happy with CUSA as it's currently constructed. In addition to the above schools, UTEP and LT have strong BB programs, Rice is improving, D'Antoni had Marshall moving in the right direction late, and even FIU and UTSA showed glimmers.

Of course I wish the conference weren't so spread out. I also wish I were younger and richer. We all do the best we can. However, I'm definitely not in the doom & gloom camp. I've seen really close competition on both the gridiron and hardwood, and a lot of growth the past two years. Given time, and commitment by the members, and it's just going to get better, IMO.

Heck, ODU and Tech fans can't stand each other already, and we've only known each other for two years! (Just kidding!)

I was reviewing all the Conference realignment pages on Wiki and they all show that there is no such thing as perfect marriages in college sports at our level. You can be too regionalized "SWC" or too spread out like "WAC" I mean look at all the dead football conferences like Metro, Great Midwest, SWC, Big West, Big East. Each had strong moving parts that melded into another bigger and better conference. We are all here as a matter of both convenience and because of a deficiency in some way on each programs part. I prefer to root for CUSA as a whole and solidify ourselves as the tallest midget in a Giants world.

(06-26-2015 10:16 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 09:38 AM)WIowl Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 07:19 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I'm one of very few Rice fans that like CUSA. I see at as not just a good geographic fit, but also the best place we can be to develop some meaningful rivalries. CUSA also has a lot of room to grow. It'll get stronger as time goes on.

Rice is on an academic island in CUSA, with no true rivals, and the conference is not a long term option for the university. The administration gets it and has stated this repeatedly.

Vanderbilt, Baylor, Stanford are all on an "Academic Island" you are gonna have to learn to get used to it. Enjoy the success CUSA has afforded you in Football and baseball.

Baylor?

(06-26-2015 10:11 AM)Maryland Monarch Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 01:18 AM)Dragonz Lair Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 06:40 PM)bladhmadh Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 04:17 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  ODU and (most of) its fans wanted the best conference it could get. That's CUSA. It would have been better with East Carolina, but anyone paying a lick of attention knew that they'd been hustling to get out of town for more than a decade, so you couldn't really do any long-term planning with them.

I'll go so far as to say that if CUSA kept East Carolina, attracted Navy and improved its basketball, CUSA would be better for ODU than the American. And even with the first two not happening, if the hoops gets better and ODU finds a rival or two, it would at least be in the ballpark.

ODU used be conference mates with UAB, UNCC, and WKU. Those were some heated basketball games and will be again. UAB wanted ODU in CUSA

UAB, Charlotte, WKU, ODU, VCU - good times!...UAB fans DEFINITELY wanted ODU in the conference

That was a GREAT basketball conference and I'm happy to get most of the old gang back together again. I also think Empty Sue is a really nice substitution for Feces U...good athletics without the smell...and they give ODU fits too.

I'm very happy with CUSA as it's currently constructed. In addition to the above schools, UTEP and LT have strong BB programs, Rice is improving, D'Antoni had Marshall moving in the right direction late, and even FIU and UTSA showed glimmers.

Of course I wish the conference weren't so spread out. I also wish I were younger and richer. We all do the best we can. However, I'm definitely not in the doom & gloom camp. I've seen really close competition on both the gridiron and hardwood, and a lot of growth the past two years. Given time, and commitment by the members, and it's just going to get better, IMO.

Heck, ODU and Tech fans can't stand each other already, and we've only known each other for two years! (Just kidding!)

I'm not in the doom and gloom camp either. I don't think this conference is detrimental to any of our programs in any way whatsoever, likely even the opposite. I was strictly speaking from inside and about my not having that same personal connection with this conference that I previously enjoyed in our last conference. That's really all. It's obvious that at the current time this is the best place for us, I wasn't trying to say that all. Just expressing my personal feelings as an alumni of Old Dominion.

(06-26-2015 10:24 AM)07owl Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 10:16 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 09:38 AM)WIowl Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 07:19 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I'm one of very few Rice fans that like CUSA. I see at as not just a good geographic fit, but also the best place we can be to develop some meaningful rivalries. CUSA also has a lot of room to grow. It'll get stronger as time goes on.

Rice is on an academic island in CUSA, with no true rivals, and the conference is not a long term option for the university. The administration gets it and has stated this repeatedly.

Vanderbilt, Baylor, Stanford are all on an "Academic Island" you are gonna have to learn to get used to it. Enjoy the success CUSA has afforded you in Football and baseball.

Baylor?

Ok then Northwestern...

Point being you aren't going to the AAC because they already have enough private schools with low average football attendance and little market share. Try just enjoying being the smartest kid in the room for once.

(06-26-2015 10:32 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  Point being you aren't going to the AAC because they already have enough private schools with low average football attendance and little market share. Try just enjoying being the smartest kid in the room for once.

But Rice would be the smartest kid in the room in all G5 conferences. I don't see them getting into a P5 conference any time soon.

(06-26-2015 10:37 AM)T_Won1 Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 10:32 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  Point being you aren't going to the AAC because they already have enough private schools with low average football attendance and little market share. Try just enjoying being the smartest kid in the room for once.

But Rice would be the smartest kid in the room in all G5 conferences. I don't see them getting into a P5 conference any time soon.

It was just a figure of speech. Try not to look to deep into it.

(06-26-2015 10:39 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 10:37 AM)T_Won1 Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 10:32 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  Point being you aren't going to the AAC because they already have enough private schools with low average football attendance and little market share. Try just enjoying being the smartest kid in the room for once.

But Rice would be the smartest kid in the room in all G5 conferences. I don't see them getting into a P5 conference any time soon.

It was just a figure of speech. Try not to look to deep into it.

I was agreeing with you... where are they going to go? They have no peers really. Tulane is kind of close, I guess. Ivy League? Not regional.

Consensus on the Rice board seems to want the MWC, not the AAC.

(06-26-2015 10:16 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 09:38 AM)WIowl Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 07:19 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I'm one of very few Rice fans that like CUSA. I see at as not just a good geographic fit, but also the best place we can be to develop some meaningful rivalries. CUSA also has a lot of room to grow. It'll get stronger as time goes on.

Rice is on an academic island in CUSA, with no true rivals, and the conference is not a long term option for the university. The administration gets it and has stated this repeatedly.

Vanderbilt, Baylor, Stanford are all on an "Academic Island" you are gonna have to learn to get used to it. Enjoy the success CUSA has afforded you in Football and baseball.

That's a good point. Rice is CUSA's "academic island" just like Vandy, Baylor, Stanford and Northwestern are for their P5 conferences. The Owls should wear that title with pride.

(06-26-2015 10:24 AM)07owl Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 10:16 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 09:38 AM)WIowl Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 07:19 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I'm one of very few Rice fans that like CUSA. I see at as not just a good geographic fit, but also the best place we can be to develop some meaningful rivalries. CUSA also has a lot of room to grow. It'll get stronger as time goes on.

Rice is on an academic island in CUSA, with no true rivals, and the conference is not a long term option for the university. The administration gets it and has stated this repeatedly.

Vanderbilt, Baylor, Stanford are all on an "Academic Island" you are gonna have to learn to get used to it. Enjoy the success CUSA has afforded you in Football and baseball.

Baylor?

HAHA. Now you're just being tacky.

(06-26-2015 11:12 AM)ExcitedOwl18 Wrote:  Consensus on the Rice board seems to want the MWC, not the AAC.

That makes NO sense, considering Rice voluntarily left the WAC back in 2004 when it included most of the same schools in the MWC today.

Some folks will just never be satisfied.

(06-26-2015 10:16 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 09:38 AM)WIowl Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 07:19 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I'm one of very few Rice fans that like CUSA. I see at as not just a good geographic fit, but also the best place we can be to develop some meaningful rivalries. CUSA also has a lot of room to grow. It'll get stronger as time goes on.

Rice is on an academic island in CUSA, with no true rivals, and the conference is not a long term option for the university. The administration gets it and has stated this repeatedly.

Vanderbilt, Baylor, Stanford are all on an "Academic Island" you are gonna have to learn to get used to it. Enjoy the success CUSA has afforded you in Football and baseball.

Standford? Hmmm...UC Berkeley, UCLA, and USC is pretty good academic company to have.

(06-26-2015 11:20 AM)monarchman Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 10:16 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 09:38 AM)WIowl Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 07:19 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I'm one of very few Rice fans that like CUSA. I see at as not just a good geographic fit, but also the best place we can be to develop some meaningful rivalries. CUSA also has a lot of room to grow. It'll get stronger as time goes on.

Rice is on an academic island in CUSA, with no true rivals, and the conference is not a long term option for the university. The administration gets it and has stated this repeatedly.

Vanderbilt, Baylor, Stanford are all on an "Academic Island" you are gonna have to learn to get used to it. Enjoy the success CUSA has afforded you in Football and baseball.

Standford? Hmmm...UC Berkeley, UCLA, and USC is pretty good academic company to have.

The point still stands. When someone asks which is the smartest school in the Pac12, who are they gonna automatically say??

(06-25-2015 11:36 AM)AndreWhere Wrote:  Plenty of AAC fans wouldn't mind our presence.

So what's the hold up?

(06-26-2015 11:13 AM)HogDawg Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 10:16 AM)pilot172000 Wrote:  

(06-26-2015 09:38 AM)WIowl Wrote:  

(06-25-2015 07:19 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I'm one of very few Rice fans that like CUSA. I see at as not just a good geographic fit, but also the best place we can be to develop some meaningful rivalries. CUSA also has a lot of room to grow. It'll get stronger as time goes on.

Rice is on an academic island in CUSA, with no true rivals, and the conference is not a long term option for the university. The administration gets it and has stated this repeatedly.

Vanderbilt, Baylor, Stanford are all on an "Academic Island" you are gonna have to learn to get used to it. Enjoy the success CUSA has afforded you in Football and baseball.

That's a good point. Rice is CUSA's "academic island" just like Vandy, Baylor, Stanford and Northwestern are for their P5 conferences. The Owls should wear that title with pride.

Baylor actually has a higher admission rate (57.5%) than Texas does (40%). Even UTSA's admission rate is 60%. And yeah, I get that admission rates don't tell the whole story, but I'm just making the point that in no way, shape, or form is Baylor on any island in the Big 12.

By contrast, Stanford has an admission rate of 5.7%. So in a sense, you could say they're on an island in the Pac-12 even though Cal is at 17.7%, USC is at 17.8%, and UCLA is at 20.4%. Baylor is a private institution, is expensive, and has a great medical school, but they're just not worthy of being put on that list you have going there.