If the SMU to CUSA rumors are true

[Cheesesteak]

...then SMU would have secured a position in one of the top two overall (currently) non-bcs conferences.

Assuming the following:

* Louisville and Cincinnati to BE (plus possibly UCF)

* Army leaves CUSA as announced

* Marshall, UCF, SMU and Tulsa or Rice to CUSA

* Subsequently, some combination of BSU, FSU, Hawaii, Nevada and UTEP would probably migrate to the MWC. MWC might leave Texas completely (ignore UTEP and Rice). SJSU looks to be less appealing unless academics torpedo FSU as a contender or Wyoming departs D1.

* LA Tech. might join the SBC or go independent with hopes later joining CUSA if an slot opens (more realignment, UAB drops out of D1).

Based on recent performance the revised CUSA could be the strongest (currently) non-BCS conference in basketball top to bottom. Football (top to bottom) should command national attention within a few years.

MWC could be the strongest (currently) non-BCS conference in football for now top to bottom. The MAC is having a very impressive year in football but I see a restructured CUSA and MWC being clearly stronger than the MAC within a few years.

Unless unique traditional/historical considerations exist geography and revenue enhancement/expense control now seem to be forcing much-needed logic into D1 intercollegiate athletics.

Only the desires of programs much stronger than ours (Miami and VT) could have started the dominoes tumbling.

I hope that SMU gets lucky and Rice is in any future conference that we call home.

Go ponies!

[SoCal_Pony]

I would like to see us stay in the same conference as Rice. If we do part ways, I doubt we’ll play each other much in football, at least not at Ford.

Had Rice been our season opener opponent instead of OSU, we wouldn’t have drawn over 20k in attendance and that is unacceptable for this program for a non-conference opponent. Sad to say, but NTSU would then make a more interesting opponent than Rice and would definitely draw more fans. Baylor should be targeted as our ultimate non-conference opponent.

I realize I’m getting way ahead of things, but my point is, separating us from Rice conference-wise will end our relationship as we know it and that’s too bad.

[Hoop Fan]

Don't count your chickens people, or Owls or anything else. While I think we would have the edge on Rice because of facilities, there is another Owl (Temple) that could come into play. Memphis might just want them Temple AND Tulsa for basketball purposes. Throw in Marshall and UCF and we get squeezed by politics. Stranger things have happened. Geographically it doesn't make sense but who knows. And CUSA is quite a baseball league and in a tiebreaker might just see value in Rice baseball more than our soccer or swimming success. We have been burned by CUSA before and being a Mustang fan how confident can we be after 3 previous snubs?

[Cheesesteak]

While I don't know any more about realignment than the next person, Temple doesn't seem to make sense as a prospective CUSA member.

Temple has the seventh or eighth most wins in D1 men's BB history, but, the program is currently in a downward cycle.

John Cheyney (Temple HC) will play any team in any arena but he understands that the financial heart of Temple BB rests in regional rivalries (conference and non-conference) in the northeast and midwest.

Temple FB has a good coach in Bobby Wallace but the program is unable to recruit competitively against regional rivals.

Except for the August 30th "city rivalry" game against Villanova (25-30,000 in attendance to preview the Philadelphia Eagles new Lincoln Financial Field - also new home to Temple FB), Temple attracts less than 5,000 spectators to home football games including contests against nationally ranked BE teams like Miami, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, etc.

Temple, at the BE's request, is leaving the BE (Temple is a football only member) after the 2004 season.

Like fellow Mustang fans I'm keeping my fingers crossed.