He is looking for a life line out of CUSA. So Tailgas is wrong again:
"On Saturday, Upham
expressed concern about the state of Conference USA and discussed the possibility of TU membership in the Mountain West or Big East.
"I don't anticipate things moving terribly quickly, and right now, it's not clear what the best course of action is," Upham said. "We want to be in a conference where our coaches have the ability to recruit five-star athletes and to be able to say we're going to play in Dallas and Houston, and we're on the big screen. That's what talented football and basketball players are looking for.
"I also want to be in a conference that we can be proud of academically. Losing two of the private schools (SMU and Tulane) in Conference USA is damaging to me, in the way I think about the conference. Whether that forces us to take an action,
I can't speculate. For one thing, it's not our call. We have to have an invitation (to move from C-USA to another league)."
TU's investments in facilities, along with the Golden Hurricane's sustained football success, have positioned the university to attract the consideration of Mountain West officials. Boise State and San Diego State accepted invitations to join the Big East, but in the wake of that conference's continued unraveling, both schools reportedly may decide to stay in the Mountain West. That would make the Mountain West possibility particularly attractive for TU.
"Rumor has it that the Mountain West might take two additional members," Upham said. "The question is, would they take a Tulsa? Or would they take a media a market like Dallas or a media market like Houston? That's been our problem going forward.
"But let me say to you that we're having the necessary conversations, and people know what our intentions are and what our aspirations are. People can see what our record has been."
Six Conference USA schools - SMU, Tulane, East Carolina, Central Florida, Houston and Memphis - have accepted Big East membership invitations. But the luster of a Big East move has been dulled by decisions by Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame (all sports except for football), Louisville and Rutgers to leave the league. Recently, it was announced that seven basketball members - including Georgetown and St. John's - also are planning to split from the Big East.
If the Big East's current television contracts are nullified, membership in the Big East might be no more lucrative than membership in C-USA.
Ultimately, any movement within the Big East or Mountain West could affect TU.
"
What's going to happen to the Big East?" Upham said. "Are they going to try to reform or are they done? If they try to reform, there may be opportunities in the Mountain West or the Big East. It may be that some of the schools that left Conference USA want back. I don't know."
http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsextra/TU...UTLIN37122