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I Root For: Lamar Cardinals
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RE: WAC Football
(04-23-2020 11:26 AM)dancingNMSUaggie Wrote: (04-22-2020 10:13 PM)Itinerant Texan Wrote: (04-22-2020 06:06 PM)wisdomgymrat Wrote: (04-22-2020 05:38 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote: (04-22-2020 02:04 PM)DavidSt Wrote: Lamar wants FBS for some years now. If the WAC invited them with the other Texas schools in 2010-2113 time period? Lamar might be in SBC or independent right now, and Tarleton State may have gotten their spot in the Southland.
The talk is that Lamar, Sam Houston State, SFAU and Incarnate Word wants FBS, and could join New Mexico State in the WAC to restart WAC FBS. UTRGV wants to restart football to go FBS. West Texas A&M (former FBS independent) do have access to an FBS size stadium could be one to look at. Midwestern State does have a stadium close to 15,000 could be a future member. As 20 members in Lone Star Conference with UTD looking to move up from D3 to D2, I could see more Texas schools making a jump to D1. Any conferences with more than 16 gets a little too much, and egos get in the way.
Please post a recent article stating that Lamar “wants FBS”. While you’re at it, please post articles for Sam Houston, Stephen F Austin, and Incarnate Word “wanting FBS” as well. UIW had less than 3,000 fans at their last home game and plays in a 6,000 seat stadium, but yeah they want FBS football. Okay Dave
I totally agree with you. Incarnate Word will never... I repeat NEVER get an FBS invite. UTSA took that money market.
COVID-19 halted all talks for now. I really don't see the current football playing schools, nor the possible SLC defectors going FBS as well. If the WAC gets football again, It will be FCS only. Maybe...years and years down the road... get to FBS.
So back to the initial conundrum: is the WAC willing to forfeit its FBS ticket just to spearhead a new FCS league. Or, would it be more logical to court a select group of D2 move-ups and SLC defectors that are capable of meeting FBS standards to revive a WAC FBS league. The latter gives NMSU Football a home, and those select TX SLC teams a legit reason to bolt for the WAC. For the likes of SFA, Sam and Lamar to move up from FCS to a FBS conference makes a ton more sense than a lateral FCS to FCS move, especially for a conference as grographically-friendly as the SLC. The 15k capacity requirement narrows down all potential candidates significantly. Yes, we know the near term plan for Tarleton is to play as an FCS independent and get Memorial Stadium up to snuff. During that time I believe the WAC commish will bring more LSC schools into the fold as WAC/FCS independents and bring the SLC defectors over to a newly formed FBS WAC when the dust has settled. There is a reason Chancellor Sharp was so bullish on Tarleton joining the WAC way back when everybody else (Lonn included) wanted the SLC. That reason/vision may very well be "parking" all the larger and capable A&M LSC schools into an eventual FBS WAC 2.0
(04-23-2020 10:26 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote: WAC football isn’t going to be coming back at the FBS level. The claim to a grandfather clause that would allow them to come up is a flimsy one. WAC football at the FCS level makes a lot more sense and is more feasible. they have 2 members now and finding 5 more, internally or externally, is doable but still no small task
So here is one thing I don't know. I do know that the WAC has the FBS card. However, if the WAC chooses to start an FCS football league does that forfeit the right to start an FBS league in the future? Solid factual answers please, not Mr Flimsy facts.
It looks like the FBS "golden ticket" is available whether the WAC sponsors FCS first or directly to FBS according to this.
Quote:...On page 62, the report has a section labeled "Conference Notes", which includes this NCAA bylaw.
NCAA Bylaw 20.4.2.1.1
Eligibility for Reclassification - Before a Football Championship Subdivision institution may apply for reclassification to the Football Bowl Subdivision, the institution must receive a bona fide invitation for membership from a Football Bowl Subdivision conference or a conference that previously met the definition of a Football Bowl Subdivision conference.
The WAC compliance officer confirmed that if they got eight football-playing schools, even if they're all FCS, they could join FBS as the revived WAC. The WAC certainly fits the description at the end of a league that "previously met the definition of a Football Bowl Subdivision conference"...
(emphasis added)
The quote above was in this SB Nation (Underdog Dynasty article). SB Nation article dated May 5, 2016 (The article has a link to the University of Idaho Collegiate Consulting report, but that link is now broken.) If someone wants to spend the time, a link is probably still someplace on the internet since the report was released to the public in 2016. I recall a lot of discussion at the time; especially concerning the Western Athletic Conference's ability to restart its sponsorship of FBS football. Even so, the quote is based on results of a report based on discussions with WAC officials. It is definitely not a primary source (probably not even secondary or tertiary). It does provide an avenue for additional research, though.
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As an FYI in reference to the posts immediately above this one about WAC schools I am a fan of, I don't "have a dog directly in the hunt" as far as the WAC goes, but I have been a fan of the conference since the 1960's. One of the best football games I ever saw was a game in the '90's between two former WAC members, Colorado State and Wyoming in the snow. WAC football in an earlier time was wild and WACky. The games were just plain fun to watch whether a fan or not. I had additional interests in recent years when former conference mates moved to the WAC. First former Southland Conference members Louisiana Tech and then Texas State, UTSA, and Texas-Arlington joined the WAC.
Then, UTRGV, with roots from UT-Pan American, a former American South Conference and Sun Belt Conference mate joined the WAC. One of Lamar's women's head basketball coaches, Larry Tidwell, went from Lamar to UTPA/UTRGV, also. Although I don't know if I'd consider UTRGV a rival because we don't get to play enough games in all sports against each other in recent years, there have been several competitive basketball games in years past. I think one game in 1981 during the Pat Foster years may still have the Fieldhouse attendance record of 5,649. Based on UTRGV's media guide, the UTPA Broncs / UTRGV Vaqueros vs LU Cardinals men's basketball teams have played each other 75 times with the Cardinals leading the series 42-33. The last time was in 2018.
Although it has been quite a while, the Cardinals and the New Mexico State Aggies had a pretty good history in football from the mid 1960's through the mid 1970's. The two competed in 10 football games during that period with 4 games in Beaumont and 6 in Las Cruces. The Aggies won 6 of the games with the Cardinals taking 4. Although not a sell out, the Aggies drew pretty well in Beaumont back then with an attendance of 13,747 in 1969. Lamar's stadium capacity back then was 17,500.
Whether I directly support a WAC member school or not, I support the conference.
(This post was last modified: 04-24-2020 04:17 PM by LUSportsFan.)
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