MWC senario

[ponyboy]

We like being able to actually attend our away games. But that's just us.

[EastStang]

you know, all things aside, unless SMU were to wind up in the Big 10 or some other outlandish scenario, maybe CUSA and its current alignment and possibilities for member losses and subsequent additions warrants discussion.

Marshall, UCF, ECU, Memphis are the most likely to be targets/leave. Who replaces them? Sunbelt teams like mentioned before? Is it Troy, W. Kentucky, La Tech and MTSU? Texas St and/or UTSA who are moving up? Every one of those equals games with attendance around 12,000, with the possible exception of the two Texas schools.

Yes, it would be nice for SMU to even go to the MWC, but if not...what's left?

In most scenarios I've seen, UAB, USM and Marshall remain with the Western 6 in CUSA. That's a 9 team conference that with the exception of Marshall is geographically sensible. If Marshall wants to stay, fine, if not, sub in La. Tech and move on. With 9 teams you have an 8 game conference schedule, no cross-overs and you can regroup and decide down the road if you want to jump to 12, or stay put. My preference rather than recruiting FCS teams and Sunbelt teams is to stand pat for now.

[SMUstang]

Air Force
Boise State
BYU
Colorado State
New Mexico
San Diego State
TCU
UNLV
Utah
Wyoming

that's how it will look in 2011.

But in 2012 BYU and Utah will be gone for sure. Air Force and/or Colorado State and/or New Mexico will probably be gone. Then what?

[1983 Cotton Bowl]

At that point you have the dog poo conference.

Here's my dream as an SMU alum (and I emphasize the word "dream").

Big-12 blows up. UT and A&M bail. OU and OSU bail. Neb. and Mizzou go to the Big-12.

Pac-10 expands by taking Colorado and Utah.

Big East gets raided by Big-10 and responds by taking certain C-USA East teams.

Leftovers of Big-12 band together with certain MWC and C-USA West teams to create a new conference. SMU joins TCU, BYU, KU, KSU, Texas Tech, Baylor, UH, Colorado State, Boise State, Iowa State, and 1 or 2 others.

Totally far-fetched, I know. But that is the best possible scenario for SMU that I can think of.

[deepellumfrog]

I think in this type of scenario Fresno State is a more likely possibility than SMU, UTEP is also a strong candidate.

DE Frog,

When you went to MWC, I predicted your fans and non-revenue sports would hate being isolated in the Central Time Zone. What has been the actual experience (leaving aside that FB has benefited from a stronger strength of schedule)? Doesn't Fresno make it more lop-sided for you? Even UTEP doesn't make it easier?

Unless MWC gets auto-bid, I still don't see the long term benefits of MWC, especially if you experience more than two losses a year. No smack? Just questions.

I don't think it has hurt us as much as some people think. I usually go to to one away game a year, and I actually enjoy hitting the Springs or San Diego much more than Starkville or Greenville or the other CUSA-villes. And I think our AD has done a good job of keeping us local in OOC, this year for example we have Baylor and Donkey Punch State at home, then you on the road, as well as an 'away' game at JerryWorld against Oregon State. I haven't noticed issues or complaints with the time zone issue to this point, but I am not that close. The only benefit of the MWC without an auto bid is our TV contract, more money, admittedly less exposure, but no Weds Thurs games. And of course we are taking a chance hoping that by aligning ourselves with the large western state schools, we might get into the BCS club. Time will tell.

Yeah, Fresno and UTEP make it a bit more lopsided, and I personally would rather have SMU- I am just not sure the rest of the membership buys that at the expense of the two teams I mentioned.

[Water Pony]

Thanks, Frog, for the thoughtful response.

"People, I just want to say, you know, can we all get along? Can we get along? Can we stop making it, making it horrible for the older people and the kids?...It’s just not right. It’s not right. It’s not, it’s not going to change anything. We’ll, we’ll get our justice....Please, we can get along here. We all can get along. I mean, we’re all stuck here for a while. Let’s try to work it out. Let’s try to beat it. Let’s try to beat it. Let’s try to work it out."

Rodney King

[EastStang]

TCU rolled the dice figuring that CUSA was not going to ever be an auto-bid conference. Either their plan will pay off, or not. Time will tell. If BYU and UU leave them behind, it will look like the river cards turned up bad. But they tried and I while I thought it would not happen at the time and still don't (and believed and still believe that there were TCU voices pushing that for other agendas), they gambled on moving up and they can be happy that they took action to change their destiny.

[Stallion]

No EastStang-it has already paid off big dividends. They made it to a BCS Bowl Game. They did that by earning respect by beating top programs inside and out of conference. They have raised their profile by playing in a better conference and it is perpetuating itself because recruits see it as a strong, nationally competitive program. Even if the MWC does not become a BCS Conference TCU's decision has been an unqualified success and has positioned TCU to elevate the program in the event of realignment The MWC is universally considered a much more competitive conference than CUSA.

[Frog Barrister]

SMUstang... Saying all those teams will be gone in 2012 is just wishful conjecture. Any conference realignment scenario could happen I guess but worrying about 2012 is pointless.

[deepellumfrog]

SMUstang... Saying all those teams will be gone in 2012 is just wishful conjecture. Any conference realignment scenario could happen I guess but worrying about 2012 is pointless.

cause according to the mayans, we'll all be dead anyway....

[PK]

SMUstang... Saying all those teams will be gone in 2012 is just wishful conjecture. Any conference realignment scenario could happen I guess but worrying about 2012 is pointless.

cause according to the mayans, we'll all be dead anyway....

Good point deepellumfrog.

[SMUstang]

IF the Big XII loses Nebraska and Missouri to the Big 10 and Colorado to the Pac 10, they will be hard pressed to find replacements. They will no doubt look to the MWC at least for BYU and possibly for Air Force Academy as well and possibly TCU. That would help them keep the Colorado market and give them the Utah market.