Confirmation Of Meeting Between C-USA And MWC, Houston To MWC, And BYU Had WAC Heavy Schedule Set Up In 2011
by Jeremy Mauss on Aug 20, 2010 12:55 PM PDT
in Conference Expansion
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PrintNews again is going at hyper speed as there is confirmation of the meeting C-USA and MWC officials which took place in Colorado Springs, and the meeting did include Craig Thompson as well as C-USA commissioner Critton Banoskwy talking about television, scheduling, and the BCS. Looks like this is a real possibility of trying to get in on an auto-bid to the BCS with a cross over game between the two conference champions. While this seems like an innovative or crazy idea (you decide?) to gain a BCS bid, but what is more crazy is that there is some twitter chatter from some reliable people that say Houston is bound for the Mountain West.
Seeing reports that Houston is going to MWC.
Dennis Dodd
dennisdoddcbs
The question to be asked is why would this be happening if the two leagues are trying to get together to create an auto bid. The idea may have already been shot down by BCS Executive Director Bill Hanckock but I can not say for sure, but it makes sense for the Mountain West to then turn to Houston to add them. They will help in BCS criteria but unless they are able to join the MWC in 2011, which I doubt, their stats will not count in the current cycle.
Instead of posting something new here is more info form Dennis Dodd:
Just got off the phone with Craig Thompson. "I have had no communication with Houston."Dennis Dodd
dennisdoddcbs
MWC and CUSA trending toward more of a partnership instead of acting alone. Houston probably stays put.Dennis Dodd
dennisdoddcbs
Just to play hypothetical here lets say Houston joins the MWC (something I have been saying for years, and before they were really good at football) this gets the Mountain West to 12 teams if BYU stays and this may sway them to stay. That makes C-USA at eleven and I can see them snagging Louisiana Tech from the WAC which would help them out greatly to reduce travel, and that would eventually kill of the WAC for football and basketball.
Moving on to this: BYU was so close to going independent and getting a WAC heavy football schedule. It was so close that a schedule was already drawn up for them in 2011:
WAC commissioner Karl Benson said Friday that the league had a schedule of games for BYU against WAC members to help fill the Cougars' 2011 season.
They were:
• BYU at Fresno State;
• BYU at Hawaii;
• Utah State at BYU;
• Nevada at BYU;
• San Jose State at BYU;
• New Mexico State at BYU.
Even by adding Utah, Texas and others the schedule is only slightly better then any other MWC schedule, but I guess if they get a better television package and rights to put games on BYU-TV it makes sense.
As of now BYU still has yet to officially say anything and the date to leave the Mountain West in 2011 is September first, and by all accounts the West Coast Conference is not in the mix since BYU has not returned calls to the WCC.
This is all going way too fast, and have no clue what will end up happening, but I am still sticking with my initial reaction that has BYU coming back to the Mountain West as they had Houston to get to 12 teams. The agreement with Conference USA does not seem to benefit the Mountain West all that much since they have routinely sent teams to the BCS where C-USA has not been close. Only way it gets done if they are treated as BCS league money wise and perhaps the two leagues share the bowl pay out equally, or maybe a 60/40 to the winner while sharing the money between the two leagues.
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ESPN's Jo Schad has some tweets up
looks like he’s spoken directly to MWC commish Thompson.
here’s his tweets: http://twitter.com/schadjoe
Money Tweet:
Thompson said the MWC has “shown a willingness to work through some TV issues” w BYU
That’s not saying BYU is listening or carrying. Just that at least MWC is either talking or listening to TV issues.
Colorado Rockies correspondent at My Team Rivals (www.mtrmedia.com/rockies) and my own site Rockies Reporter (www.rockiesreporter.wordpress.com) and one of the top Rockies writers at the Bleacher Report.
In case you are wondering about the 12th school being Hawaii
Unless there’s a shift in the continents, Hawaii’s isolation is a deal breaker. If BYU opts to remain in the MWC, and the league needs to add a 12th member, the Warriors still aren’t on the invitation list. Word on the boulevard is TCU wants to bring in Houston; New Mexico wants to invite UTEP.
Colorado Rockies correspondent at My Team Rivals (www.mtrmedia.com/rockies) and my own site Rockies Reporter (www.rockiesreporter.wordpress.com) and one of the top Rockies writers at the Bleacher Report.
Too bad about those travel costs, because UH could definitely bring the Honolulu television market and Houston can’t deliver the Houston market.
We want to build a university our football team can be proud of. -- Dr. George Lynn Cross
Hmm
Houston 6th largest metro area at 5.9 million vs. Honolulu with the 57th largest metro area at 909,000. Even if UH only took 20% of the Houston market that’s still 25% more than Hawaii could deliver even at 100%. I have absolutely nothing against Hawaii, but I don’t want to see them anywhere near consideration for the MWC. They were one of the main reasons we split from the WAC in the first place because of travel costs and length of trips. It’s probably not so bad now that the NCAA allows an extra home game to anyone who schedules @UH, but still I don’t think it’s feasible long term and I don’t think Craig Thompson wants to do anything to piss off TCU at the moment.
It’s not how many will watch in Houston, it’s how many more will watch in Houston because of University of Houston. Very few people care about Houston except those who went there. It isn’t a brand like UT or A&M. Thinking it will help tap into the Houston market is daft.
We want to build a university our football team can be proud of. -- Dr. George Lynn Cross
by marktgarten on Aug 21, 2010 10:33 AM PDT up reply actions
As a native Texan
I can assure you all that nobody cares about UofH in Texas. It’s thought of as a crappy commuter school with poor academics. If/when the Cougars resume playing average-to-poor football, everyone here will tremendously regret their enthusiasm. There were a ton of years where UofH struggled to average a meager 15,000 people (i.e. most of the 90s and the early 2000s). Hell, even when they’re decent few people care – they were 80th in attendance in 2009.
People just don’t care about the University of Houston in Texas.
by VA Libertarian on Aug 21, 2010 6:46 PM PDT up reply actions
UTEP and UNM
Were big rivals in the old WAC. While Houston cant deliver the tv numbers since its a pro town, Texas, A&M, then maybe Houston. They make up in good football and help BCS status, and get the mtn on basic directv and basic cable those are pluses.
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by Jeremy Mauss on Aug 20, 2010 3:16 PM PDT up reply actions
if the mwc gets houston i almost guarantee byu comes back to the fold.
that would make a strong mwc. especially after boise could go undefeated this year and actually play for bcs ncg and houston could go 13-1. they have a cg and they won all three of thier aq bcs games last year. houston is even bettter this year and the rest of conference usa is worse. especially east carolina who gave houston their loss in the cg. utep gave houstonna loss too as well as air force in the bowl game.
I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. Glory favors the bold. Chance favors the prepared mind. Luck, well i have that too. University of Utah goes to the Pac-12 conference in 2011. I expect them to compete immediately for the conference CG. Brock Lesnar will defeat Cain Velasquez. Womens MMA, the next big thing in sports. 2 weeks till the first game of college football. UTAH vs Pitt. September 2nd 2010.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Aug 20, 2010 3:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Recruiting
I think one advantage the MWC has is that it has a footprint in both SoCal and Texas recruiting grounds. Now you add in a NoCal team and the possibility of another Texas team.
According to some Fresno fans
They own the market from San Francisco to Sacramento to Reno and down to the central Valley.
Of course, they also think that Pat Hill is the best non-BCS coach and that Fresno is at least the 3rd best non-BCS team.
Everyone hates a pink-shirt-wearing communist.
by displacedute on Aug 20, 2010 3:20 PM PDT up reply actions
MWC Expansion
BYU … not sure what the future holds for you. If you leave the MWC … then good luck and good bye. If you stay, you just strengthened your position as the most despised team in the league. But I kinda suspect you like being in that position. I can’t blame you for wanting to improve your situation. However, I think the way you went about it was underhanded. Not illegal … but definitely unethical.
New MWC Teams? My sentimental side says UTEP .. My business side says Houston. If BYU leaves, then both would be fine with me.
agreed.
I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. Glory favors the bold. Chance favors the prepared mind. Luck, well i have that too. University of Utah goes to the Pac-12 conference in 2011. I expect them to compete immediately for the conference CG. Brock Lesnar will defeat Cain Velasquez. Womens MMA, the next big thing in sports. 2 weeks till the first game of college football. UTAH vs Pitt. September 2nd 2010.
by wolfmanshowlforever on Aug 20, 2010 3:34 PM PDT up reply actions
Agreed as well
Houston certainly makes more sense from a business standpoint, as it has the bigger market and better football team.
But I can’t help but feel for UTEP, who I really have a soft spot for. They’re also a better basketball school, and their fanbase is more rabid. Whereas in Houston, the UofH is a commuter school with poor academics, UTEP is the heart and sole of most people in West Texas. Unfortunately, El Paso metro is about 1/8th the size of Houston metro.
I also have to give UTEP credit for loving the idea of being in the Mountain West and not worrying about a bigger conference (like Boise is/was), whereas Houston would join but still keep it’s eye on the Big XII. The MWC will always be a silver medal to Houston, and they may try to use it as a stepping stone to bigger things (assuming, of course, they ever find a way in to a Big XII that wants nothing to do with them).
by VA Libertarian on Aug 20, 2010 5:31 PM PDT up reply actions
Not sure where you get your facts from but Houston is one of the top ranked schools in the country in many facets including the #1 Entrepreneurship program in the country as per the Princeton Review. It’s law school is a Tier 1, with several of it’s specialized programs ranked in the top 10.
It’s law school might be Tier I, but the school itself is Tier II. That means its below the top 350 or so schools in the country. Just ask U.S. News & World Reports.
It’s a crappy commuter school. Trust me.
by VA Libertarian on Aug 21, 2010 6:50 PM PDT up reply actions
If they both leave....
Then I’m not sure what I’d like to see. I know that Wyoming does not want to be what would be the ‘western division,’ as it prefers to stay with its Front Range partners CSU & Air Force. Adding two Texas teams likely gives the Cowboys the bump to the west, which would not go over well in Laramie (and/or in Fort Collins and Colorado Springs)
by VA Libertarian on Aug 20, 2010 5:33 PM PDT up reply actions
ESPN is saying
That Utah State claims it was first contacted about joining the MWC, so if they both leave, I’d expect the addition of Utah State and one of the Texas schools, if anything. I’m still not sold that Houston wants in, and I don’t think a UTEP/Utah State expansion plan helps the conference much.
by VA Libertarian on Aug 20, 2010 6:19 PM PDT up reply actions
I think I've said this before
but I hope the merger doesn’t happen. We are not on the same level as C-USA and shouldn’t act like it.
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UNLV is going all the way this year!
Utah State
Yes. I read the article about Utah State claiming that the MWC asked them to join the league first. Honestly, I have to question that claim. I know it came from their AD?/Prez?, but really, what interest would the MWC have in Utah State? What do they bring to the table? Unless I hear it from Thompson, it’s nothing more than hearsay. I’m not trying to disrespect Utah State, I just don’t get it.
Most of our current TV money comes from Utah
If both Utah and BYU were to leave, we would lose so much TV money because The Mtn. would get taken out of Utah. Adding Utah State keeps The Mtn. in Utah even if that means that there are less viewers, there still is a lot of the infrastructure in Utah left there.
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UNLV is going all the way this year!
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