New WAC

[SWC Grey Hair]

East Conference
SMU
Rice
Houston
Tulane
Tulsa
La Tech

West Conference
Fresno
SJSU
UTEP
Hawaii
Boise
Nevada

What do you think?

[Hoofprint]

Not bad. Not perfect, but you're right in the thought that Houston and Tulane should be in SMU's conference.

[PK]

Why not TCU instead of Tulane????

[Charleston Pony]

What can the WAC possibly offer Houston and Tulane that would make them want to make this move? CUSA has a better TV contract and bowl line-up and their travel demands aren't any greater than the WAC's.

We can only hope this ACC thing happens and it completely alters the landscape of college football.

[SWC Grey Hair]

Tulane and Houston will want to join us due to travel cost savings since they will play 5 conference football games in the east conference and they will get better home attendance with regional profile of teams and a better opportunity to establish rivals. What we don't realize is that CUSA is not a financial succcess for these schools. They do get better media exposure now but with the realignment they may be left totally out in the cold. TCU is too arrogant to see the reality of what is about to happen to them and think they are too good for this conference. We will see. It is going to be interesting.

[PK]

SWC Grey Hair, I am assuming that the only reason Houston and Tulane would even be available is because CUSA will have imploded, therefore TCU should also be available. Therefore TCU should replace Tulane on your list. I still don't see being tied in with the left coast teams as there is zilch reason for a rivalry with them. We should be able to come up with 12, or at least 8, decent Div 1-A teams in Texas and the surounding states to not require traveling to the west coast at all.

For instance:
SMU
TCU
Rice
Houston
Tulane
Tulsa
La Tech
UTEP

and then depending on what happens to some of the other conferences:
New Mexico
UNT
UAB
maybe one of the other western CUSA teams or maybe Colorado State.

BTW, this wouldn't be a new WAC...maybe a new SWC.



[This message has been edited by PK (edited 05-10-2003).]

[Charleston Pony]

SWC Grey Hair: I agree with PK on this. Forget about the WAC. If this ACC expansion deal happens in 2006, there will be a significant ripple effect and we need to be thinking in terms of a new SWC (or a new gulf coast conference), rather than a new WAC.

If the Big East attempts to survive by raiding the CUSA's eastern most teams (Louisville, Cincy & possibly S.Fla and/or ECU), an opportunity might present itself to reunite with TCU, Houston and possibly aligning with Tulane, Memphis, S.Miss. & UAB. Those CUSA schools would probably be in the driver's seat, so the question is: "would they like to join up with SMU, Tulsa and either La Tech or Rice to form a 9 member league"...or do you think in terms of 12 by taking all the WAC east schools and looking at C.Fla to form a conference that spreads from El Paso to Orlando?

If no major change occurs, the WAC does need to think about adding 2 members and expanding to 12 schools. I don't think you water the conference down significantly by adding Utah St in the west and either NMSU, UNT or La-Laf in the east. Utah St is clearly the best available in the west and the 3 teams I mentioned in the east all have strengths and weaknesses, but are all improving. The problem is that somebody in the league has issues with all three of them as a conference mate. UTEP has always resisted an alignment with NMSU, it seems we have always steered clear of UNT and La Tech has tried to distance themselves from former SunBelt mate La-Lafayette.

I find this entertaining to talk about and speculate "what if?"...and you know a lot of schools presidents and athletic directors are doing the same right now. It's all about what you might be able to sell to the TV networks when the deals are renegotiated and that is going to happen very soon.

[SWC Grey Hair]

I don't disagree that if CUSA breaks up we should leave the WAC and form our own conference but if that does not happen, I still think we might get Houston and Tulane to join us in an eastern WAC alignment due to their financial and attendance problems. I believe the only way to get TCU back into our conference is for them to have no other options. They think they belong in a BCS conference which is not realistic.

If we can ever get a "new SWC" started who knows what might happen down the road. Baylor might be available in a few years;as well as TTech and OSU.

[Water Pony]

Two scenarios on Miami moving to ACC from a writer:

<A HREF="http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2003/Columnists/Fiu/COW/Cavalcade_of_Whimsy.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.collegefootballnews.com/2003/Columnists/Fiu/COW/Cavalcade_of_Whimsy.htm</A>

Look down into article to find it. Unfortunately, in his Plan Two, Conf. USA makes other plans by adding Big East team to it, effectively limiting a westward move.