CUSA - Football Championship Game in 2005

[Cheesesteak]

Sat, Dec. 06, 2003

Giannini: C-USA is ready if TCU leaves
League will invite another school should Frogs go to Mountain West

By AL JONES
THE SUN HERALD (Southern Mississippi)

HATTIESBURG - Southern Miss athletics director Richard Giannini said Conference USA will move forward - with or without Texas Christian.

Giannini said Friday that a new school would be added if TCU left for the Mountain West Conference. Although he didn't name any schools, he did say the choice would be from a state that is part of the league's region. That way, C-USA would be able to remain a geographic conference with 12 football playing schools in nine states.

Marshall, Tulsa, Central Florida, Rice and SMU have accepted invitations to join C-USA and will start conference play in 2005.

The conference had 15 schools in 13 states before Cincinnati, Louisville, Charlotte, Marquette, DePaul and Saint Louis announced they would leave after 2005.

"If TCU does leave, we will look at several institutions," Giannini said. "I find it hard to believe that they will leave. Gary Patterson (head coach) is not wanting to leave. If they stay in the Texas market, they would have four conference home games and two or three other games in their state. They could have as many as seven conference games in Texas.

"I think they got caught up in the BCS talk. I hope their decision will be made quickly so the league can move on."

Giannini said there will be a championship game in the new C-USA starting in 2005.

He said he has not spoken with Southern Miss coach Jeff Bower about a contract extension, even though the Golden Eagles this season are 9-3 with a C-USA championship and a date with Utah in the Liberty Bowl.

Bower, who is in his 13th season, has two years left on his contract. Last year, after a 7-6 season, he was not offered a contract extension.

College coaching contracts in the state can not exceed four years.

"I don't want to be in a structure (contract) where you roll it over every year," Giannini said. "Only President (Shelby) Thames has a rollover four-year contract. If you have a four-year agreement, then you have a four-year agreement.

"We will sit down and meet. We will talk about the future. Don't worry, we'll talk. Jeff did a great job. "

Giannini congratulated Bower and his staff on the school's fourth C-USA title in eight years and 10 straight winning seasons. He said he plans to have Bower around for many years.

[Hoofprint]

If Giannini is right that Patterson doesn't want to leave, Patterson should say so publicly, and strong-arm the TCU administration into either staying or going against its head coach -- which would create a nice little soap opera, and then give the school's PR machine a little more work to do as one side or the other backpedals over their statements. But at least a decision would be made and everyone could go on.

[Cheesesteak]

My guess is that if TCU joins the MWC, CUSA will invite Louisiana Tech.

LT is a geographically sensible choice but they have a very low intercollegiate athletics budget along with other disadvantages.