OT: WAC, CUSA, MWC and SunBelt Happenings

[TexanMark]

Lots of movement below us the past few days.

The WAC is dead as a FB conference for the time being...UTSA, TX State, Utah State, San Jose State and La Tech all moving. NM St and Idaho either have to downgrade and join the Big Sky, maybe NM St gets a lifeline with the SunBelt or they go Indy and offer themselves up to November games in Provo. Idaho I think is definitely screwed even though they were once in the SunBelt. Boise State is looking for a home for their non FB sports and the WAC dying screws up their plan.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...-large-wac-on-its-death-bed-and-thats-a-shame

C-USA is expanding: Newbies FIU (SunBelt) and UTSA (Southland/FB Newbie/WAC) will join more established schools UNT (SunBelt) and LaTech (WAC). UTSA is the fastest rising program in college football history (faster than the directional FL schools in the 90s). 2011 First year indy, 2012 WAC provisional 1A, 2013 CUSA provisonal 1A...they play in the AlamoDome and averaged 35,521 in their first season.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/brett-mcmurphy/18873583

Sunbelt is rumored to be adding TX St (Southland/WAC) and UTexas-Arlington (Southland) along with GaSt (Indy newbie) to replace UNT and FIU which are leaving to C-USA. TX State is a really good add for the SunBelt. I expect they won't stay there too long.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/brett-mcmurphy/18911274

Finally the MWC is adding San Jose St and Utah St from the WAC
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...-state-appear-headed-to-mountain-west-in-2013

The merger/alliance of the MWC and CUSA is still being discussed.

Finally, Rutgers is still mulling over unsolicited mega-offers among the SEC, Pac 10 and Big 10...then again they might skip college and enter directly into the NFL for 2013 (some say their ordained destiny as befitting the original national champ of 1869)

 

[cuseincincy]

All I can think is "there but for the grace of John Swofford goes SU".

2015 Big East Conference Football - Temple, Rutgers, UConn, Villanova, Georgetown, Buffalo...actually now that I think about it maybe UConn, Temple and Rutgers will just end up in the Patriot League for football.

 

[Scooch]

All I can think is "there but for the grace of John Swofford goes SU".

This really can't be said enough.

I know there is a large amount of hand-wringing among our hoops-centric fans about leaving the Big East. But the long-term security this move has ensured our athletic program cannot possible be overstated.

 

[TexanMark]

This really can't be said enough.

I know there is a large amount of hand-wringing among our hoops-centric fans about leaving the Big East. But the long-term security this move has ensured our athletic program cannot possible be overstated.

Now let's hope the WVU revenge inspired doomsday scenarios they concoct do not materailize.

The ACC needs to get $18M or so per team.

 

[SU2NASA]

Florida State and Clemson ain't walking out that door.

 

[oldpinepoint]

I'll be curious to see what happens with Boise St.

 

[TexanMark]

I'll be curious to see what happens with Boise St.

The Big West said no...not sure if they asked the conference with Gonzaga in it yet...

 

[oldpinepoint]

The Big West said no...not sure if they asked the conference with Gonzaga in it yet...

Wonder if the Big East will step up or if the other conferences say, sure you can join but we want you for all sports.

 

[CarolinaCuse]

Florida State and Clemson ain't walking out that door.

Not to mention that even if they did (which, I doubt will happen), the remaining schools in the southeast ACC are academically well respected, with many that are cornerstone state institutions in an area of the country seeing population growth.

 

[cuseincincy]

Wonder if the Big East will step up or if the other conferences say, sure you can join but we want you for all sports.

I don't see the Big East stepping up. No way do Providence, Seton Hall etc. want to send their track and volleyball etc. team to Boise and vice versa. I would bet Boise would go indy for all other sports before they join the BE for all sports.

 

[TexanMark]

Update: The feeding frenzy continues

ODU and Charlotte will be added to C-USA in the future--to bring it to 14 teams.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/brett-mcmurphy/18923863

 

[SU2NASA]

Update: The feeding frenzy continues

ODU and Charlotte will be added to C-USA in the future--to bring it to 14 teams.
http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/blog/brett-mcmurphy/18923863

The crazy thing is, C-USA will actually have some semblance of geographic sense.

 

[TexanMark]

The crazy thing is, C-USA will actually have some semblance of geographic sense.

Agreed...they'll stretch from Norfolk to El Paso

Much tighter than the Big East...El Paso and FIU will be the geographic outliers. Maybe UTEP and NM St join the MWC and CUSA adds either TX St, MTSU, FAU or James Madison fill the slot left by UTEP.

 

[echosofmanley]

An aside: looks like Butler to A10 in hoop w/VCU and George Mason on the way.

 

[SU2NASA]

Agreed...they'll stretch from Norfolk to El Paso

Much tighter than the Big East...El Paso and FIU will be the geographic outliers. Maybe UTEP and NM St join the MWC and CUSA adds either TX St, MTSU, FAU or James Madison fill the slot left by UTEP.

And even then they'll have UTSA and North Texas.

 

[TexanMark]

And even then they'll have UTSA and North Texas.

UNT is North Dallas Area (Denton)
UTSA is San Antonio

Here in Texas: El Paso is like in another world...nearly 600 miles of nothing between San Antonio and El Paso along I-10. The civilization belt ends about 50-100 miles west of I-35 in TX.

All the people and money lie roughly in the triangle from San Antonio to DFW to Houston-Galveston.

This is intended for others (not SU2NASA) who do not know TX geography

 

[BlazeOrange]

I'll be curious to see what happens with Boise St.

Are the rest of their sports, academics, etc. so bad that they couldn't swing a B12 invite? I could see a TCU Part II situation.

 

[Upstate]

Butler seems to be off to the A-10, as well.

 

[echosofmanley]

Butler seems to be off to the A-10, as well.

A10 already getting deep, looking to add VCU and George Mason also.
A10 tourney in Brooklyn starting next year.

 

[gocraz4dasu]

A10 adding VCU, Butler, and George Mason is a great move but I may be biased because I have family and friends at both GMU and especially VCU. Always dug the VCU campus too.

I like the C-USA's move to add ODU, that's an up and coming school especially for football and basketball. They are always competitive n basketball and they just started that football team up recently, i know someone who is part of their first recruiting class a couple years back. They are located on a recruiting hotbed so they can pull some really talented kids from the coast.

 

[Upstate]

Brett McMurphy ‏ @McMurphyCBS
Utah State, San Jose State to join Mountain West in 2013, sources tell @CBSSports. Official announcement could come by Friday