From C-USA board

[Nacho]

interesting article in the thread titled CUSA future:

<A HREF="http://www.killerfrogs.com/cusa" TARGET=_blank>www.killerfrogs.com/cusa</A>

[Charleston Pony]

CUSA could possibly earn a BCS invite if, in the aftermath or the expected ACC expansion and Big East demise, they were able to pull off a 14 school all sports conference that looked like this:

NORTH: Louisville, Cincy, Pitt, W.Va, Va Tech, ECU & Marshall

SOUTH: S.Fla, UAB, Memphis, So. Miss, Tulane, TCU & Houston

CUSA and the Big East are positioned to battle for the label of "best non-BCS conference" or "most likely to be invited to the BCS party". Of course, the MWC could expand to 12 by adding Hawaii, Fresno, Boise St and either Nevada or UTEP and they'd be right there, too.

SMU is in a position to hurry up and wait to see what everyone decides. It's like those sandlot games you played as a kid...you really don't want to be the last one picked, but we're certainly not far from it right now.

[Nacho]

Bennett is on record in the DMN as wanting to be in a regional conference with TCU and Houston.

SMU has 3 scenarios:

1--join a revamped C-USA
2--form a regional conference with TCU/Houston
3--add TCU/Houston to the WAC

I find #3 to be the most unlikely since the MWC will most likely raid the western WAC.

My personal preference is to form a regional conference since C-USA would be another far-flung conference with little chance of being a BCS conference, especially if the BE goes to 8-9 keeping VT and WV.

[SMUstang]

I think both 2 and 3 are very unlikely. I can't see us convincing Houston and TCU to leave C-USA and come to either the WAC or a new SWC that has neither a bowl alliance or a TV package.

[Charleston Pony]

Re: the formation of a new SWC...that league would have NO automatic invite to the NCAA bball tourney and only TCU would bring a bowl game to the football table. As much as a lot of us would like to see that happen, it remains the most unlikely scenario of all.

[Nacho]

I thought you of all people CP were the champion of the regional conference. It makes no economic sense to join the eastern version of the WAC (C-USA) unless it is a BCS conference. It makes no sense to stay in the WAC if the MWC raids the western schools. Going regional may not be perfect but I don's see anything out there that is for SMU. Maybe in the future if spots open up in the Big 12 we might have a chance if we are doing well and seen as competitive in football and basketball.

[Hoop Fan]

It might be a longshot, but SMU needs to stay in the Mountain West picture. This may be contrarian, but they have a regional conference now, the only reason they expand is to attract BCS and media attention. Its almost considered a foregone conclusion that Fresno, Boise, Hawaii and Nevada are their expansion candidates. Now, Nevadas a decent program, but certainly no better than SMU. You have to believe the Mountain Goats still would like a recruiting presence in Texas. If I am SMU, I am working that angle for all its worth.

[Nacho]

I hear you HF but I would rather take my chances as an independent that hook up with those lying goats again. You can't trust them. Good luck to them and anyone who joins them.

[Water Pony]

I agree the Mtn. West and its' core members are not to be trusted. They helped create the problem by expanding the WAC to 16 and solved it by ditching eight schools, including UTEP, who was a long termmember in good standing:

Here is the El Paso point of view on WAC and Mtn. West expansion:

<A HREF="http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/sports/todaysstories/20030525-117457.shtml" TARGET=_blank>http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/sports/todaysstories/20030525-117457.shtml</A>

Also, the Mtn. West would make our regional strategy worse with New Mexico our nearest rival. Our only real options are either as a leader in a new WAC East or Conference USA West. Status quo is not an option. Therefore, without a strong SW oriented Division within the WAC or Conf. USA., I vote for Independence and spend five plus years becoming the Protestant Notre Dame. Long live Doak Walker.

[Hoop Fan]

Hey, I'm the posterboy for independence in football if it comes to that. And, I resent the Mountain Goats as much as anybody. But remember, the premise is that the MWC would be positioning itself as a 12 team league to try to get access to the BCS. Are you guys tellin me that you'd rather play in a regional league and forego a BCS chance? I'd swallow my pride and give it a try for survival. We can always regionalize down the road.

[EastStang]

Let's say for argument the WAC blows up, we don't get invited to CUSA and we don't want to go to the Sun Belch Conference. We could arguably form a rogue football conference (one that does not have 8 members) for the sole purpose of scheduling games in Oct./Nov. The members would be Rice, UTEP, La. Tech, SMU, Tulsa and any other SW strays we can find or even keep SJS for the next few years. We could then join the Missouri Valley Conference for basketball if we wanted, or with six teams staying together we would still be the WAC for basketball. That would make us independent for football but give us some scheduling security. That would give us arguably 2/3 guaranteed home dates per year and we could fill in with three or four others per year to keep us 1-A.

[Nacho]

Wow ES what a downer!

Actually I think we are going to end up in C-USA, along with TCU, Houston and Rice. That's not bad. It could be a lot worse.

[EastStang]

That's my hope, too. But we've been let down sooo many times, I wanted to at least show a workable independent contingency plan to allow for independence without having to play 10 of 12 games away.

[Hoop Fan]

yea Eaststang, that is similar to the alliance concept I have floated before to fill up October and November games as an independent. It assumes MVC or modified Sun Belch for hoops. That is a last resort to me, I'd rather join an all sports league like the Mountain West even with all the warts it might have. Whether we want to admit it or not the MWC is sitting the closest of any mid major to getting BCS consideration in 2006.

[Nacho]

I think I have seen them all but I have not seen one scenario where SMU goes to the MWC. You never go wrong by betting against conventionaal thinking regarding SMU, so who knows. That conference has so little appeal for me. It has even less than the WAC.

I think the MWC will go with a regional conference even though DFW is a major market. It would shock the heck out of me if we went there.

I can see Boise, Hawaii, Nevada and UTEP joining the goats. I think Fresno may be the odd man out. Their admissions policies are a big, big negative. Unless they agree not to take any more partial or non-qualifiers I don't see how the MWC would let them in.