The best chance for SMU to join a BCS conference now...

[SMUer]

OK, I think I've got it. Mark Cuban creates HDNet Football channel and recruits members of defunct BigXII, BigEast and combines them with the best-of-the-best MWest, WAC, CUSA members to form 4 new 9-team conferences. All other sports stay in current conferences. Each team plays each member of its conference (8 games), plus 4 at-large games (other HDNet conference teams, Sun Belt, CUSA, whatever), so 12 games total. Each HDNet conference winner/runner-up goes to a 8-team playoff system, and eventually a "national champion" emerges. Huge marketing campaign "only proven national champion". etc. Season games played Wed, Thurs, Friday and Sunday night. No team will play a Sunday then a Tuesday or a Friday then a Tuesday, etc. Sunday games only before bye-weeks. Media would love it. BCS teams would look like chickens/fattened cows. Texas is just too much of a football hot-bed to not have a) a conference b) regional rivalries.

Three letters: X. F. L.

Only with built-in, constantly renewing fan support...lifelong interests.

[westexSMU]

Tulsa seems to be mentioned on here a lot. Sure they have had some good teams, but they have a small TV market so to speak. Aren't they a smaller school than Rice ? They certainly don't have the money Rice has. Tulsa just doesn't make much since to me in a bcs realignment. Not much growth potential.

[goldenstang]

Pretty sure Tulsa is smallest school in FBS.

[PonyKai]

I think it's the smallest at 2,700 hundred students...I might be off on the number.

[Charleston Pony]

I think it's the smallest at 2,700 hundred students...I might be off on the number.

but they have better "community" support than SMU or Rice (by comparison). It shows in their attendance

[03Mustang]

Wake Forest is about the same size