So let's say we get into CUSA

[oldguystudent]

At the team's current level we'd be in for a few more years of serious butt whippings. Everyone here ok with that in favor of the greater, long-term good?

[Eastwood Eagle]

No doubt about it. I think it could actually produce a quicker turnaround with a new stadium, Mac, and a better conference I think that would make us more attractive than some currents CUSA schools.

Edited November 2, 2011 by Eastwood Eagle

[Green Mean]

Just get into the better conference and we go from there. So yes it is a no brainer and I'd be willing to take some more beatdowns if it meant we were in a better conference and still committed to building a winning athletics program.

[JRock]

One thing at a time.

JRock

[TheTastyGreek]

We play a lot of sports.

Some of them we're actually pretty damn good at.

CUSA membership would be a big boost to those sports.

[greenjoe]

I don't know much about CUSA football, but some teams, Rice, Tulane, Memphis, and UAB I think we can compete with today. Tulsa is very tough. I don't know about UTEP but a better conference means better teams. Right ? So, if we play better teams, there should be no surprise if some of those teams pound us. At least, hopefully, for just a little while.

We need to win at whatever level and in whatever conference we play in.

GO MEAN GREEN

[herdfan1rh]

Hey guys, Marshall alum, booster and fan here. I floated the idea of adding North Texas as one of the three teams to replace the teams we are losing on our board. I think most Herd fans would be fine with you all taking SMUs place in the west division... Maybe add FIU and Ohio in the east and shift So. Miss to the west. That would get CUSA back to 12 teams and add three quality markets/fan bases. How does this sound to you all?...

Cusa East... ECU, Marshall, UAB, Memphis, FIU, Ohio

Cusa West... North Texas, So. Miss, Rice, Utep, Tulane, Tulsa

And yes, the alliance still happens. The Wac loses Boise, but adds Utah State to have 10 teams. Conference champs still play each other.

[Green Mean]

We play a lot of sports.

Some of them we're actually pretty damn good at.

CUSA membership would be a big boost to those sports.

Serious question...but how would our other sports do in CUSA? I mean this as an honest question so would our teams be able to hold their own if not be better in our other sports? To me the big question would be basketball...CUSA is a pretty good basketball conference and I am wondering how our basketball program would be affected if we were to move into CUSA.

[Eastwood Eagle]

Serious question...but how would our other sports do in CUSA? I mean this as an honest question so would our teams be able to hold their own if not be better in our other sports? To me the big question would be basketball...CUSA is a pretty good basketball conference and I am wondering how our basketball program would be affected if we were to move into CUSA.

With our incoming class developing over the next several years to their potential, I could see us being a top player in the CUSA.

[PlummMeanGreen]

At the team's current level we'd be in for a few more years of serious butt whippings. Everyone here ok with that in favor of the greater, long-term good?

Like one of the Southern Miss posters over at the CUSAbbs board said (and I liberally paraphrase): "Everyone that has come into CUSA has upgraded their programs to higher levels than when they came in."

The USM poster then went onto say how 2 or 3 schools had some pretty bad football programs with multi-season losing streaks when they were invited to join CUSA.

CUSA is an upgrade if for nothing else our going to Rice and Tulane every other year plus all the other fine schools in the league. North Texas endowment coffers are similar or higher than a few CUSA schools now; of course, no where close to Rice or Tulane's but who the heck else can match theirs?.

Also, several CUSA schools have pretty healthy alumnus numbers living in the North Texas Metroplex which means they can drive from anywhere within minutes to get to the Mean Green Village and Apothee Stadium to see their team play.

We have already proven in regular season and bowl games that we can pull in some nice viewership in this area. One alum pointed out to me today how one of the NO's Bowl games we had the 2'nd largest rated minor bowl game Nielsen ratings among very, very many minor bowl games on ESPN during that bowl season. As I recall, we didn't that badly at all in our other ESPN-televised bowl appearances.

So.........what the heck is CUSA waiting on? For the MWC to make a secret trip to Denton and grab North Texas plus............... this top TV market for their own league?

GMG!

Edited November 2, 2011 by PlummMeanGreen

[DeepGreen]

Serious question...but how would our other sports do in CUSA? I mean this as an honest question so would our teams be able to hold their own if not be better in our other sports? To me the big question would be basketball...CUSA is a pretty good basketball conference and I am wondering how our basketball program would be affected if we were to move into CUSA.

Baseball would remain the same for the foreseeable future. The other sports would be competitive. Out recruiting will definitely improve and I'd say our "silent alumni" will wake up.

[Mean Green Matt]

Serious question...but how would our other sports do in CUSA? I mean this as an honest question so would our teams be able to hold their own if not be better in our other sports? To me the big question would be basketball...CUSA is a pretty good basketball conference and I am wondering how our basketball program would be affected if we were to move into CUSA.

I think they would be better off. Can you imagine recruiting against TCU (Big 12) and SMU (Big East) if we are still in the SBC. If we take the step up with them, then relatively (at least outside of football), we will be in the same position as we are now.

[herdfan1rh]

On a side note, I think NT could be competitive right now with UAB, Tulane, Rice, etc in football. Also, it would be a great move in hoops. Memphis is always a power and Marshall, So. Miss, Utep and Uab all have good programs. Add NT and its another quality basketball team.

[GrandGreen]

Some would argue that NT is not competitive in the Belt in football. I really don't see any programs in the Western division of CUSA that are much better than the Belt. Tulsa being the one exception at this time. A move up in conference would automatically elevate the program, more conference money, better recruiting, etc. In fact I think NT would be in excellence position to move to the top of the division in all sports. I don't see years of butt whippings at all.

[island eagle]

Like one of the Southern Miss posters over at the CUSAbbs board said (and I liberally paraphrase): "Everyone that has come into CUSA has upgraded their programs to higher levels than when they came in."

The USM poster then went onto say how 2 or 3 schools had some pretty bad football programs with multi-season losing streaks when they were invited to join CUSA.

CUSA is an upgrade if for nothing else our going to Rice and Tulane every other year plus all the other fine schools in the league. North Texas endowment coffers are similar or higher than a few CUSA schools now; of course, no where close to Rice or Tulane's but who the heck else can match theirs?.

Also, several CUSA schools have pretty healthy alumnus numbers living in the North Texas Metroplex which means they can drive from anywhere within minutes to get to the Mean Green Village and Apothee Stadium to see their team play.

We have already proven in regular season and bowl games that we can pull in some nice viewership in this area. One alum pointed out to me today how one of the NO's Bowl games we had the 2'nd largest rated minor bowl game Nielsen ratings among very, very many minor bowl games on ESPN during that bowl season. As I recall, we didn't that badly at all in our other ESPN-televised bowl appearances.

So.........what the heck is CUSA waiting on? For the MWC to make a secret trip to Denton and grab North Texas plus............... this top TV market for their own league?

GMG!

I would love for North Texas to play in Houston and New Orleans every other year...and have another Texas team (UTEP in addition to Rice). We would actually get a little coverage in the Houston paper. As it is now, the Galveston paper covers North Texas better than the Houston Chronicle does.

[Eagle1855]

No doubt about it. I think it could actually produce a quicker turnaround with a new stadium, Mac, and a better conference I think that would make us more attractive than some currents CUSA schools.

Maybe, of course then we're battling with two BCS schools in our own back yard and another one in Houston, as well as the other four that already reside in Texas.

So...7 of the (current) 10 D-1A programs in Texas will be affiliated with one of 3 different BCS conferences. Tough roads ahead, I imagine.

I may be the only one that thinks UH and SMU getting invites was the worst thing in the world that could have happened to us, but I stand by it.

Edited November 2, 2011 by Eagle1855

[BadKarma]

I agree that we do suffer a bit with only a few non-aq teams remaining in state, however, the way I see it, we instantly have the best football venue in C-USA, one of the better basketball facilities, academically I'd put as against anyone, and I see this as a plus to get the "under the radar" recruits that propelled us to success in the early century (weird saying that). I don't see much of a growing pain era against the CUSA lower teams, and I would see us definitely being able to compete at a level with Rice, UTEP, Memphis, Marshall and UAB right away. The smart move for both parties is us to move into SMU's place.

I don't think we're far away from 7 or 8 wins. I could easily see us moving into that 8 win slot next year with savvy JUCO recruiting. I think C-USA recognizes that. I also think we have a good hand to play with one wild card in the Mountain West that I see barnstorming their way to an AQ conference very soon- San Diego State. If MW loses SDSU, they will desperately need to replace a large market almost immediately, and I could see them as viable for invitation to possibly the Big 12, which Tubberville has already mentioned, in the very near future. This gives us two ways to fill that void as well- large market and another footprint in Texas. Either way, ladies and gents, I don't see us long in Sun Belt.

Imagine a possible recruiting pipeline out west? Being in Cali, I'd love to see us get some of that west coast speed.

[Eagle1855]

Imagine a possible recruiting pipeline out west? Being in Cali, I'd love to see us get some of that west coast speed.

Here's where I do agree with you: we'll have to start recruiting outside of Texas.

We now have 7 programs ahead of us in the pecking order for recruits just in our state ALONE, never mind the rest of the programs in the Big 12 and the SEC.

Texas Tech and Baylor have got to be really bummed about this whole TCU and UH thing. Oh you mean we don't have to go to Waco or Lubbock and we can still play BCS football? Awesome.

[herdfan1rh]

Im all for you guys in cusa, and im sure the new stadium is nice. But Marshall has a relativly new stadium that seats 40k. ECUs stadium is new, beautiful and seats 58k and So. Miss stadium is also incredibly nice and has a much bigger capacity... I think youd be competitive against the lower level cusa teams. Lower level Cusa teams = Good sbc teams.

[wardly]

Like one of the Southern Miss posters over at the CUSAbbs board said (and I liberally paraphrase): "Everyone that has come into CUSA has upgraded their programs to higher levels than when they came in."

The USM poster then went onto say how 2 or 3 schools had some pretty bad football programs with multi-season losing streaks when they were invited to join CUSA.

CUSA is an upgrade if for nothing else our going to Rice and Tulane every other year plus all the other fine schools in the league. North Texas endowment coffers are similar or higher than a few CUSA schools now; of course, no where close to Rice or Tulane's but who the heck else can match theirs?.

Also, several CUSA schools have pretty healthy alumnus numbers living in the North Texas Metroplex which means they can drive from anywhere within minutes to get to the Mean Green Village and Apothee Stadium to see their team play.

We have already proven in regular season and bowl games that we can pull in some nice viewership in this area. One alum pointed out to me today how one of the NO's Bowl games we had the 2'nd largest rated minor bowl game Nielsen ratings among very, very many minor bowl games on ESPN during that bowl season. As I recall, we didn't that badly at all in our other ESPN-televised bowl appearances.

So.........what the heck is CUSA waiting on? For the MWC to make a secret trip to Denton and grab North Texas plus............... this top TV market for their own league?

i think they are waiting for official announcement by Big East which could come this friday, as Boise trustees meet thursday. CUSA could lose up to 4 members, and UAB program has financial problems.[ they were denied permission to build on campus stadium.] so CUSA needs some clarity as to how many members they will have left after Big East gets thru with them.

GMG!

[BadKarma]

Im all for you guys in cusa, and im sure the new stadium is nice. But Marshall has a relativly new stadium that seats 40k. ECUs stadium is new, beautiful and seats 58k and So. Miss stadium is also incredibly nice and has a much bigger capacity... I think youd be competitive against the lower level cusa teams. Lower level Cusa teams = Good sbc teams.

Obviously, those stadiums are great, and a much better environment than anything we deal with in the Belt, but with capacity easily upped to 50,000, we could be the crown jewel of many conferences, rivaling even AQ's.

Your conference did great things to lift other teams to different places. I think it's a win-win for everyone.

[Mean Green Matt]

Im all for you guys in cusa, and im sure the new stadium is nice. But Marshall has a relativly new stadium that seats 40k. ECUs stadium is new, beautiful and seats 58k and So. Miss stadium is also incredibly nice and has a much bigger capacity... I think youd be competitive against the lower level cusa teams. Lower level Cusa teams = Good sbc teams.

That sounds just a tad arrogant if you are assuming we would never be able to compete against the top tier CUSA teams...that may not be what you mean, but thats how I interpret that statement.

[kalebschumann]

Obviously, those stadiums are great, and a much better environment than anything we deal with in the Belt, but with capacity easily upped to 50,000, we could be the crown jewel of many conferences, rivaling even AQ's.

Your conference did great things to lift other teams to different places. I think it's a win-win for everyone.

Take off those green colored glasses amigo.

[Mean Green Matt]

Take off those green colored glasses amigo.

I didn't really see anything "homerish" about his statement. If you take away the wing, expand to 50k+, I think it could compete with the best of them. The perception of the stadium is what it is because of the campus it sits on and the team that plays in it. Hopefully that perception will soon change...it also needs to be full.

[BadKarma]

Take off those green colored glasses amigo.

Outside of size, give me a stadium that can compete with Apogee? Seriously? Have you been to OU? Their stadium is huge, but not nearly as nice. Size alone doesn't make for top tier facilities. I've been to the Rose Bowl, Autzen, Sun Devil Stadium, Qualcomm on a very regular basis, Washington Stadium, Kyle Field, Royal, and a number of other "premiere" venues- I'd put Apogee pound or pound against any of them.

Houston and UCF is going to the Big East, Cinci has been twice to BCS games after building themselves up in C-USA prior to Big East, TCU built strong in C-USA prior to Mountain West and now to the Big 12. So, my statement is not overblown.

We have a lot to offer any conference from a facilities standpoint, academic reputation and market footprint, even if we only get a moderate amount of DFW paying attention.

Our one liability is butts in the seat for all sports. The apathy towards football is understandable, however, hoops is inexcusable. If we had respectable crowds at all events, we'd be able to write our ticket to a non-AQ affiliation of our choice.

There's a difference between unrealistic expectation and vision. Unrealistic green colored glasses is expecting our team to not make idiotic mistakes while being outgunned from a talent standpoint. Knowing the assets that you have and understanding how they can entice new conference affiliations is vision.