Rice, SMU, Tulsa May Join C-USA Early

[MetroEagle]

Hello Everyone,

Please see the article below that appeared in Friday's edition of The Idaho Statesman. The story, by sportswriter Chadd Cripe, reports Rice, SMU and Tulsa may join Conference USA this year instead of 2005. The article also reports the Mountain West Conference is expected to issue TCU an invitation later this month.

Here's the text of the article:

The Western Athletic Conference may trade Tulsa, Rice and SMU for New Mexico State and Utah State a year earlier than expected.

The Big East and Conference USA have had conversations about completing their membership overhauls this summer instead of 2005, WAC commissioner Karl Benson said, a decision that would affect the WAC, Sun Belt and Mid-American conferences.

The 10-team WAC is losing three teams to Conference USA, including Humanitarian Bowl participant Tulsa, and gaining two from the Sun Belt.

“Everyone would like to have this done as soon as possible and not go through a lame-duck year,” Benson said. “We have been a supporter of getting it done for '04 if possible.”

Tulsa athletic director Judy MacLeod said the Hurricane would like to move immediately. They would need the WAC's permission because of the late notice.

“The WAC has been good to us,” said MacLeod, whose school joined in 1996. “But when you're in the position where you've already announced that you're leaving, that lame-duck year is tough on everybody.”

Any changes would have to begin with the Big East, which is adding Cincinnati, Louisville and South Florida from C-USA for football and some non-football schools. The conference already has lost Miami and Virginia Tech to the ACC for 2004 and is scheduled to lose Boston College in the next couple years.

If the Big East makes its changes now, then Conference USA will want to pull in newcomers Rice, Tulsa and SMU of the WAC and Central Florida and Marshall of the MAC.

“It has to start with the Big East and Conference USA,” Benson said. “... If they agree to do it, then we'll follow.”

MacLeod hasn't gotten involved. She expects the conference commissioners and school presidents to make the final decision.

“It will take a lot of work, and a lot of cooperation from everybody,” she said. “If one league doesn't want to do it, it will have that domino effect.”

The biggest challenge could be the football schedules. The WAC already has released its schedule. Another problem is the Mountain West, which still hasn't made its expansion decision. The conference is expected to invite TCU from Conference USA sometime this month, which could prompt C-USA to take Louisiana Tech from the WAC and further complicate a quick transition.

WAC members Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii also have been mentioned as potential Mountain West additions.

“We haven't fully looked at where the games are and where the holes would be (in the football schedules),” Benson said. “It certainly would not be an impossible task, but it would be a difficult task.”

Hope your new year is off to a great start,
Marc

[Casey]

If Conference USA agrees to that, it would create a scheduling nightmare, so I would bet it isn't that likely. Just a guess, of course.

[Southland]

Originally posted by Casey:
If Conference USA agrees to that, it would create a scheduling nightmare, so I would bet it isn't that likely. Just a guess, of course.

It is all contingent on some major dominos falling…

(1) The Sunbelt lets Utah State and New Mexico State leave for the WAC early. This would give the WAC enough schools to continue with SMU, Rice and Tulsa leaving early.

(2) The Big East agrees to let Boston College go early. This would pave the way for its acquisition of the CUSA schools

(3) CUSA lets Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida, Marquette, DePaul, Charlotte and St. Louis go early.


If (1) happens, we would probably leave early. However, I doubt the Sunbunk would allow that, since their league is facing extinction once the 2004 Division 1A requirement rules are implemented in August.

[Charleston Pony]

I felt when this talk 1st started that being able to pull off these moves for 2004 would depend on the Big East's releasing B.C. and it's pretty clear the ACC, CUSA and the WAC are in favor of accelerating these moves...but the more I think about this, you may be right that the Sun Belt will be the conference that ultimately has a problem with this.

These moves would leave the Sun Belt with only 7 football members (Idaho, UNT, Ark St, La-Laf, La-Mon, Troy St & Midd Tenn) They are going to be dependant on Fla Int & Fla Atl for their long term survival. Would the NCAA make an exception and allow those schools to jump to I-A in 2004?

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...wasnt this the weekend the MWC was rumored to be meeting to discus expansion again? The more I think about it, I like La Tech to replace TCU if the Frogs do bolt for the MWC. After this weekends grueling road trip to Fresno and Reno, I'm reminded of our goal to create a more regional schedule. Having Tulsa, Rice, Houston, Tulane & La Tech in our division and playing TCU every year goes a long ways towards doing that. Since football attendance is critical to our I-A survival, I've got to believe La Tech will be a better home draw than Temple.

[OldPony]

A better sports program and better draw. Temple doesn't bring much except a good basketball team- not great but good.

[OldPony]

Temple might help our b'ball recruiting and possibly FB too if we can get a budget to go to NJ and Philly to try to establish some ties. If Philly TV shows Temple games a lot, the added exposure in the mid-atlantic regon could help. They won't draw flies to our home games in either sport though.

[Cheesesteak]

Charleston Pony and OldPony -

In another thread "Memplis BB coach would welcome Temple" I identified some of the weakenesses in Temple's football program.

You also participated in that discussion.

I attend at least two Temple men's basketball games every season. Temple basketball has been slowly slipping for a few years. Of course, a few star recruits can quickly turn a program into a big winner.

Temple basketball has a long tradition of recruiting "academically challenged" players and giving them a shot at a college degree in Coach John Chaney's program that places an emphasis on discipline.

Some Temple players were successful in college and some (like at many schools) could not succeed in the classroom, no matter how soft their academic programs were.

My friends who are ardent Temple fans have deep concerns about some players Temple has been recruiting for the past half-decade.

"These kids not only don't belong at Temple they don't belong in any college" are occasional comments from knowledgable Temple insiders.

Even the press is getting the story out. The Friday, January 9th Philadelphia Inquirer had the following at the top of page D4 in the College Basketball Section by Mike Jensen: "For the third straight season, Temple has lost players-and games-to academics. This time, Michael Blackshear sat out a month, hurting Temple's depth, and now that he is back, freshman point guard Mario Taybron is ineligible. And the biggest academic loss of all was Brian Polk who could have alleviated a lot of Temple's current problems by making some jump shots."

I would be very excited to watch any SMU teams play in the northeast and I like Temple but I urge caution about Temple as a potential CUSA member.

[OldPony]

I think we are in agreement. Temple doesn't bring anything EXCEPT the exposure to the Mid-Atlantic area (BTW- NY and Philly don't consider themselves as Northeast). I'm sure Chaney still recruits his under performers on the basis that all standardized testing is unfair and that he will continue to do so. He will continue to have good but not great teams. La Tech would bring better crowds but no exposure outside of the area. I haven't heard anyone proclaiming LaTech as a model of academic excellence either.

[MetroEagle]

I don't know that there's an easy answer for this. If TCU leaves (which seems likely), I don't favor Louisiana Tech. My preference would be Temple, not only for the television market, but to provide a closer conference opponent for Marshall and East Carolina. After Temple, I would look at either UTEP or trying to lure away Miami of Ohio.

Also, I'm not bothered by the idea of Army and Navy splitting a membership as Navy's AD has proposed. Under this proposal, Army and Navy would each play four conference games in football. Say whay you will, but there's a certain cache to having Army and Navy in the conference, plus seeing a game at Army is a treat in itself.

[Sam I Am]

We now know the answer to question of whether the conference transfers will occur early or not. NOT!
:thumbdown:

[EastStang]

I would favor Temple because they would bring a openning (albeit small) to a large TV market which is what networks look at for TV contracts. They would also possibly give Army, Navy, Marshall and East Carolina some comfort that our conference will not be purely southwestern. I too echo the Army and Navy move. They travel well and would be nothing but positive for our conference and Annapolis is only 30 minutes away from me.