UTEP Moving To MWC Per Mike Price

[MeanGreen61]

http://csnbbs.com/showthread.php?tid=567073

[PlummMeanGreen]

So UTEP are telling all their urban alums in the Greater Houston and North Texas Metroplex....up yours?

Why the "get our old rivals back in football" talk if you were losing to those rivals most of the time as it stands?

OK, maybe good for baskeball but UTEP has once again removed themselves from the Alliance's largest

state footprint save California. Did they recruit the state of California that effectively anyhow?

Maybe tomorrow they will change their minds because (after all) it's the NCAA's of the 2,000's where

it seems everyone wants to be where they presently ain't.

GMG!

[playoffpush]

Maybe UTEP has some sort of plan to still play in DFW and in Houston every other year or so.

[Mean Green 93-98]

It makes absolute geographic sense for UTEP. Still, I would have loved to be in C-USA with them.

[Harry]

Geographically it makes sense but I know their alums really want to stay in Houston and Dallas...very important connection for them.

I would like to see them stay.

[El Paso Eagle]

LET ME SAY ... THIS WOULD SUCK!!!!!

As I said before, I think this move only happens if UTEP get's "cross-over" games with the Texas teams as part of the Alliance/Merger. Strog UTEP support in Dallas and Houston areas.

[Daddy Dumpsalot]

Anything is better than the sunbelt right now, but I'm starting to get more depressed about the look of the new CUSA. Who will they replace UTEP with?

A lot of the pull to join their conference was to be able to play some recognizable and established schools, i.e. Houston, UCF, Memphis (looked forward to having them at the pit), UTEP, East Carolina. (intentionally left out SMU)

[MeanGreenTexan]

If UTEP does this, they better hope the Alliance works out. Otherwise, they just lost a heckuva lot of recruits.

This makes no sense.

[UNTexas]

I can tell you as someone who lived in El Paso, that El Paso isn't Texas other than geographically speaking. People speak like EP is close to DFW, Houston, or any Texas city of any size for that matter. It's not. California is closer. It is pretty secluded no matter what.

A lot of the average people on the street there don't know who Rice, Tulsa, UNT, Tulane, UTSA are but they know who New Mexico or NMSU are. They are moving back to the conference teams they use to play minus BYU, San Diego State, ect.

Good for them either way. If it's better for them then it's great for my friends who are big supporters. It would have been fun to play them if we were in the same conference but it's not like anyone is missing out on anything by not going to El Paso itself. We will be better off from a fan's perspective to go other places that are closer and in better cities.

[UNTcrazy727]

I hope they stay. I'd be willing to bet they'd bring the most fans to Apogee than any other CUSA school.

[Harry]

Even though we may be in separate conferences we could still have games with each other. Sort of like friends with benefits.

[Mean Green 93-98]

A lot of the average people on the street there don't know who Rice, Tulsa, UNT, Tulane, UTSA are but they know who New Mexico Tigres de la UANL or NMSU Erik Estrada are.

Fixed.

[Green Mean]

As many UTEP alums that are probably in the DFW/Houston/SA corridor I imagine there are also probably a lot of UTEP alums all over New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, and California. I don't think it's a terrible move for them.

Edited April 26, 2012 by Green Mean

[GrandGreen]

I don't understand all the ado about UTEP going West. People point to NT and UTEP being big rivals, my question "when". They have played a lot of games against one another but I can't ever remember that being a big game on either side.

I think UTEP thought being in CUSA would benefit them with more association with the state of Texas and help recruiting. Now they have done that and they probably recognize that being in a Western conference is better suited to them.

UTEP moving west probably opens the CUSA door for La Tech. I had rather be a conference mate of UTEP but La Tech has a better football program and is a lot closer.

[casual fan]

UNT, UTSA, TS, TT, HOUSTON, & UTA are all public schools with enrollments over 30,000 and in the same basic geographic area. UTEP is smaller and should relate better to the MWC rather than the future CUSA. What ever the conference, we need to get FB & BB rivalries going with Texas schools in our area.

[UNTcrazy727]

UNT, UTSA, TS, TT, HOUSTON, & UTA are all public schools with enrollments over 30,000 and in the same basic geographic area. UTEP is smaller and should relate better to the MWC rather than the future CUSA. What ever the conference, we need to get FB & BB rivalries going with Texas schools in our area.

Let's try to shoot a little higher than UTSA, TXST, and UTA for future rivalries. I'd much rather play UTEP.

[Eastwood Eagle]

Let's try to shoot a little higher than UTSA, TXST, and UTA for future rivalries. I'd much rather play UTEP.

True, but once UTSA and Texas State get their feet wet I would like to play them and be in the same conference as them. That being said- I hope they do not go to CUSA with us.

However, I would actually prefer UTSA/TXST over FAU/FIU.

[GTWT]

I can tell you as someone who lived in El Paso, that El Paso isn't Texas other than geographically speaking.

I also lived in El Paso and I had a totally different sense. My friends & acquaintances thought of themselves as Texans. When they sent their kids to college, it was to a Texas college. When they left for job opportunities, it was to DFW or Houston. El Paso is the western-most Texas city, but it's still Texas.

[GL2Greatness]

UTEP had better years with Price in their last year in the WAC and first in CUSA

CUSA has not helped them much

and you never know who the MWC might add perhaps UTEP knows the MWC is looking at UTSA or TxState

[El Paso Eagle]

and you never know who the MWC might add perhaps UTEP knows the MWC is looking at UTSA or TxState

Who knows... perhaps they (CUSA and MWC) both go after UNT

Edited April 26, 2012 by El Paso Eagle

[Mean Green 93-98]

UTEP had better years with Price in their last year in the WAC and first in CUSA

CUSA has not helped them much

and you never know who the MWC might add perhaps UTEP knows the MWC is looking at UTSA or TxState

Or they might know that C-USA is looking at UTSA.

[foutsrouts]

Let's try to shoot a little higher than UTSA, TXST, and UTA for future rivalries. I'd much rather play UTEP.

I agree. Enrollment is certainly one of many factors, but if it were a primary factor in who you associate with, the Big 12 would be knocking down our door since we are bigger than all of the upcoming Big 12 members besides Texas. On an optimistic side note, we win big in USA/MWC and that knock could come much quicker than any of us could have imagined. Ya never know.

[GL2Greatness]

Or they might know that C-USA is looking at UTSA.

so are you saying they are trying to get away from CUSA and UTSA even though their entire reason for leaving the WAC for the CUSA was to play Texas teams and they still have Rice in CUSA and UTSA would be a second team and UNT might be a third team?

[Mean Green 93-98]

so are you saying they are trying to get away from CUSA and UTSA even though their entire reason for leaving the WAC for the CUSA was to play Texas teams and they still have Rice in CUSA and UTSA would be a second team and UNT might be a third team?

Do you really think they wanted to be in C-USA to play any Texas teams? If that's all they wanted, they could have done better in the Southland. No, they wanted to be in C-USA to be associated with the former SWC teams.

[El Paso Eagle]

Do you really think they wanted to be in C-USA to play any Texas teams? If that's all they wanted, they could have done better in the Southland. No, they wanted to be in C-USA to be associated with the former SWC teams.

Dallas and Houston markets have been very key to UTEP. That is why I have to believe if they are going the MWC route they will have an agreement to pay cross-over (or whatever you want to call them) games against teams in the Dallas and/or Houston areas