CUSA - UTEP Article

[Cheesesteak]

Friday, April 30, 2004
Commissioner: 'Now we can move forward'

By Andy Katz
ESPN.com

Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky was relieved Friday night to finally be done with expansion and re-alignment after adding UTEP to give the league 12 members beginning in 2005.

It had been a long, difficult year for Banowsky since Miami caused the cross-country dominoes in a number of conferences by looking to leave the Big East for the ACC.

"Now we can move forward,'' Banowsky said.

He's right -- for now.

But the expansion issue is hardly going to go away. Plenty of teams in Conference USA, the Big East, and the WAC still have an eye on further movement.

UTEP athletic director Bob Stull said Friday night that the Miners left the WAC because they wanted to be with Texas teams SMU and Rice, and nearby Tulsa in Oklahoma, which all agreed to leave the WAC earlier this year for Conference USA in 2005. That move was done as a response to the Big East grabbing CUSA members Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette, DePaul and South Florida for 2005, TCU going to the Mountain West, and Charlotte and Saint Louis leaving for the Atlantic 10.

Conference USA also grabbed Marshall and Central Florida for 2005, out of the MAC and Atlantic Sun, respectively. But UTEP wanted to be with the Texas schools and joining a league that had Houston and Tulane was appealing, too. Stull said the Miners are a part of the state system based in Austin so it wanted to have games near its alumni. He cited that members in the WAC were also looking to get into the Mountain West. He didn't name them but he meant Fresno State, Hawaii, Boise State and Nevada.

Stull should find comfort in that SMU, Rice, Tulsa, Tulane, Southern Miss, UAB and Houston probably won't be going anywhere, since no other league appears interested. Add UTEP to this group and that makes for an eight-team league if Conference USA were ever to break up again.

It's not a crazy scenario, either. Memphis desperately wanted and still wants to be in the Big East. The Tigers made a serious play to get invited when the Big East had to find members to replace Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College. The first two leave for the ACC in August, the latter departs in 2005.

East Carolina was on a list of Big East possible invitees, too, but couldn't crack the first ballot. The Pirates would desperately like to jump out of Conference USA and into the Big East, or certainly the ACC, if ever given the chance. And new Conference USA members Marshall and Central Florida were also on the Big East's long list. They would likely jump at the chance to join the Big East if that call ever came.

If the 16-team Big East breaks up in the next five years, then these four teams will be first in line trying to get an invitation. Big East football will have eight members in 2005, which means seven league games. The Big East could always be looking for another team, especially if Notre Dame ever leaves as an all-sport, save football, member. And while the Big East is promoting itself as a solid group of 16, those inside the league still believe a day will come when the football-playing members will split from the non-Division I-A or no football-playing schools.

Banowsky said Conference USA would have two divisions, although he doesn't know the makeup yet. He said the league would play eight football games and an undetermined number of basketball games. He's not sure if there will be a football championship game, although the league would qualify for one with 12 members.

But this league will still struggle to get a decent television contract. So, too, will the WAC, which is now looking at adding North Texas, Idaho and/or Louisiana-Lafayette. The WAC has Louisiana Tech alone in the Central time zone, and is adding Mountain time zone teams New Mexico State and Utah State for 2005 to go along with Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada and San Jose State.

The WAC ended up being the last carcass to get pilfered with the Sun Belt probably next to be picked apart by the WAC. The WAC still has plenty of quality teams, with regional football powers in Boise State, Fresno State and Hawaii and now a hoops Sweet 16 team in Nevada. But, all of these teams would like to be someplace else. So, too, would a few members in Conference USA. The desire to keep moving wasn't quenched with UTEP's move Friday night.

It might just be another move on the conference alignment chessboard in a game that never seems to end.

[Cheesesteak]

The WAC ended up being the last carcass to get pilfered with the Sun Belt probably next to be picked apart by the WAC. The WAC still has plenty of quality teams, with regional football powers in Boise State, Fresno State and Hawaii and now a hoops Sweet 16 team in Nevada. But, all of these teams would like to be someplace else. So, too, would a few members in Conference USA. The desire to keep moving wasn't quenched with UTEP's move Friday night.

It might just be another move on the conference alignment chessboard in a game that never seems to end.