(11-15-2014 11:32 AM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 09:17 PM)ohio1317 Wrote:  Not that I see any chance at all of Colorado State being in the Big 12 any time soon, but if the Mountain West did expand, UTEP is at the top of the list. When Conference USA and the Mountain West were planning on merging, the plan was for them to go the Mountain West side for football and I think they were for that. I don't think we have a case of them rejecting the Mountain West. I think we have a case of them not being offered.

UTEP made a decision to join CUSA when Houston/SMU were still in that conference and pre-Boise State BCS buster era. The WAC in that context didn't look like a great bet.

Today they would definitely be interested in MWC 2.0 over CUSA 3.0 I would imagine. There is so much more tradition at the top level now in the MWC than CUSA with all the newbies brought up.

No, they prefer being with Texas schools. Now if UNT and Rice would go with them, then they would do the MWC.

(11-15-2014 12:44 PM)Kittonhead Wrote:  

(11-15-2014 12:40 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  Again why would any western schools leave a stronger conference for a weaker Eastern conference

To get away from Wyoming, Utah State ect....

And get Tulsa and Tulane?

Lol

UTEP would love to be in the same BB league as New Mexico, UNLV, CSU, and SDSU.

They would join the MWC if asked

(11-14-2014 11:01 AM)Phlipper33 Wrote:  UTEP stayed in CUSA before wanting to stay with other schools in Texas. I don't think the MWC could convince them to move on their own. The idea of adding them with UTSA and UNT though surely would be worth looking into though. I'm not sure how you'd align the divisions though, somebody would need to be moved from the Mountain to the West division.

New Mexico doesn't want to be in the same conference as New Mexico St if not mistaken, so I'm not sure they could be added either. I really couldn't see Idaho getting much of a look at this time either.

If (and that's a big if) Colorado St were to join the Big 12, and no other MWC team went with them, I'm not sure they would be replaced with anyone very quickly. Texas St could be a possibility, but I'm not sure they'd be willing to do the TCU thing and be the only Texas school in a western conference. They'd probably be my first target if I was commissioner though.

As others have said - CUSA is not the same conference as when UTEP joined. The loss of Houston and SMU make it much less attractive. But Rice is still there and now UTSA and North Texas. I think most UTEP fans are still more emotionally connected to the MWC though. IMO, UTEP would make the decision to stay in CUSA, but not without some serious discussion.

As for New Mexico's support of NMSU - word is that officially UNM supports NMSU's inclusion in the MWC, but that in reality their position is a political front and real support is tepid at best.

However there apparently have been talks between NMSU and several MWC schools about NMSU joining for Olympic sports only. There is some support for that, including from UNM.

(11-16-2014 02:16 PM)NuMexAg Wrote:  As others have said - CUSA is not the same conference as when UTEP joined. The loss of Houston and SMU make it much less attractive. But Rice is still there and now UTSA and North Texas.

And yet UTEP is still in CUSA. And you're rambling. Your above statement made no sense.

(11-16-2014 02:29 PM)BamaScorpio69 Wrote:  

(11-16-2014 02:16 PM)NuMexAg Wrote:  As others have said - CUSA is not the same conference as when UTEP joined. The loss of Houston and SMU make it much less attractive. But Rice is still there and now UTSA and North Texas.

And yet UTEP is still in CUSA. And you're rambling. Your above statement made no sense.

Sorry for assuming everyone would follow the logic.

1. UTEP made their decision several years ago to NOT leave CUSA partially because they greatly valued games against Houston and SMU.
2. Now that those schools are gone, CUSA is not as attractive to UTEP.
3. The addition of UTSA and UNT to CUSA partially, but not fully, offset the loss of Houston and SMU.
4. If and when another chance comes for UTEP to consider joining the MWC, they will have a more difficult decision than the last time.
5. But, IMO they will decide once again to stay in CUSA.

(11-16-2014 03:15 PM)NuMexAg Wrote:  1. UTEP made their decision several years ago to NOT leave CUSA partially because they greatly valued games against Houston and SMU.
2. Now that those schools are gone, CUSA is not as attractive to UTEP.
3. The addition of UTSA and UNT to CUSA partially, but not fully, offset the loss of Houston and SMU.
4. If and when another chance comes for UTEP to consider joining the MWC, they will have a more difficult decision than the last time.
5. But, IMO they will decide once again to stay in CUSA.

All of that is true, IMHO

(11-14-2014 02:02 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 01:40 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 01:01 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 12:47 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 12:10 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  Stephen F Austin State Univesity

Nope - Northern Arizona University.
Large University - 20K plus
Gets MWC back into Arizona.
Close to UNLV, UNM, SDSU
One of the top 225 Universities in the country
Reunites with old conference mates Boise, Nevada, and New Mexico
Excellent all-around athletic program.

We'll wait for Grand Canyon Univ.

LOL - first off, neither are on the MWC radar.
Second, a small, private, Christian, school that makes it's money on-line isn't very attractive. And they don't deliver the Phoenix market anymore than NAU does.

Academically, the gap between NAU and GCU is wider than the Grand Canyon itself.

You're right neither are on the MW radar.
GCU is going to move back to a non-profit school now that they are financially stable. Their on-campus enrollment is 7500 and are building for 11,000+. That's as small as others like TCU at 10K.
No they don't deliver the Phoenix market and won't, but they will get a piece of it as they transition into a D1 school.
GCU is a long term solution that will be better than NAU in the long run....The MW can wait while GCU develops in the WAC.

side note: NAU has 91% acceptance rate...GCU 32%.

Way too serious man. It was a friendly dig at our MW friends. Watch the video.

(11-16-2014 09:17 PM)Zombiewoof Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 02:02 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 01:40 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 01:01 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 12:47 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  Nope - Northern Arizona University.
Large University - 20K plus
Gets MWC back into Arizona.
Close to UNLV, UNM, SDSU
One of the top 225 Universities in the country
Reunites with old conference mates Boise, Nevada, and New Mexico
Excellent all-around athletic program.

We'll wait for Grand Canyon Univ.

LOL - first off, neither are on the MWC radar.
Second, a small, private, Christian, school that makes it's money on-line isn't very attractive. And they don't deliver the Phoenix market anymore than NAU does.

Academically, the gap between NAU and GCU is wider than the Grand Canyon itself.

You're right neither are on the MW radar.
GCU is going to move back to a non-profit school now that they are financially stable. Their on-campus enrollment is 7500 and are building for 11,000+. That's as small as others like TCU at 10K.
No they don't deliver the Phoenix market and won't, but they will get a piece of it as they transition into a D1 school.
GCU is a long term solution that will be better than NAU in the long run....The MW can wait while GCU develops in the WAC.

side note: NAU has 91% acceptance rate...GCU 32%.

Way too serious man. It was a friendly dig at our MW friends. Watch the video.

Ahhh...I see......last Friday wasn't all too well for me to get anything.

(11-16-2014 02:16 PM)NuMexAg Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 11:01 AM)Phlipper33 Wrote:  UTEP stayed in CUSA before wanting to stay with other schools in Texas. I don't think the MWC could convince them to move on their own. The idea of adding them with UTSA and UNT though surely would be worth looking into though. I'm not sure how you'd align the divisions though, somebody would need to be moved from the Mountain to the West division.

New Mexico doesn't want to be in the same conference as New Mexico St if not mistaken, so I'm not sure they could be added either. I really couldn't see Idaho getting much of a look at this time either.

If (and that's a big if) Colorado St were to join the Big 12, and no other MWC team went with them, I'm not sure they would be replaced with anyone very quickly. Texas St could be a possibility, but I'm not sure they'd be willing to do the TCU thing and be the only Texas school in a western conference. They'd probably be my first target if I was commissioner though.

As others have said - CUSA is not the same conference as when UTEP joined. The loss of Houston and SMU make it much less attractive. But Rice is still there and now UTSA and North Texas. I think most UTEP fans are still more emotionally connected to the MWC though. IMO, UTEP would make the decision to stay in CUSA, but not without some serious discussion.

As for New Mexico's support of NMSU - word is that officially UNM supports NMSU's inclusion in the MWC, but that in reality their position is a political front and real support is tepid at best.

However there apparently have been talks between NMSU and several MWC schools about NMSU joining for Olympic sports only. There is some support for that, including from UNM.

That would work. Other than accepting that football will remain in a different conference, it solves a couple important things like balancing out Hawaii's FB-only status and NMSU basketball joining a stable western league.

There's your proof that NMSU is trying to work out all angles in the west first before being "forced to settle" on the Sun Belt as a full member.

(11-14-2014 12:47 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 12:10 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(11-13-2014 11:41 PM)Zombiewoof Wrote:  These guys

Stephen F Austin State Univesity

Nope - Northern Arizona University.
Large University - 20K plus
Gets MWC back into Arizona.
Close to UNLV, UNM, SDSU
One of the top 225 Universities in the country
Reunites with old conference mates Boise, Nevada, and New Mexico
Excellent all-around athletic program.

The MWC was never in the state of Arizona, UA and ASU were charter WAC members, but left before most of the current MWC ever found a home in the WAC. So this would not so much be a restoring but rather a groundbreaking. Besides I believe the OP was referring to Cal State Humboldt

Yes I am aware of the source of the video, this was a joke hence the smiley for those of you to tightly wound to catch on.

(11-17-2014 12:20 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  

(11-16-2014 02:16 PM)NuMexAg Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 11:01 AM)Phlipper33 Wrote:  UTEP stayed in CUSA before wanting to stay with other schools in Texas. I don't think the MWC could convince them to move on their own. The idea of adding them with UTSA and UNT though surely would be worth looking into though. I'm not sure how you'd align the divisions though, somebody would need to be moved from the Mountain to the West division.

New Mexico doesn't want to be in the same conference as New Mexico St if not mistaken, so I'm not sure they could be added either. I really couldn't see Idaho getting much of a look at this time either.

If (and that's a big if) Colorado St were to join the Big 12, and no other MWC team went with them, I'm not sure they would be replaced with anyone very quickly. Texas St could be a possibility, but I'm not sure they'd be willing to do the TCU thing and be the only Texas school in a western conference. They'd probably be my first target if I was commissioner though.

As others have said - CUSA is not the same conference as when UTEP joined. The loss of Houston and SMU make it much less attractive. But Rice is still there and now UTSA and North Texas. I think most UTEP fans are still more emotionally connected to the MWC though. IMO, UTEP would make the decision to stay in CUSA, but not without some serious discussion.

As for New Mexico's support of NMSU - word is that officially UNM supports NMSU's inclusion in the MWC, but that in reality their position is a political front and real support is tepid at best.

However there apparently have been talks between NMSU and several MWC schools about NMSU joining for Olympic sports only. There is some support for that, including from UNM.

That would work. Other than accepting that football will remain in a different conference, it solves a couple important things like balancing out Hawaii's FB-only status and NMSU basketball joining a stable western league.

There's your proof that NMSU is trying to work out all angles in the west first before being "forced to settle" on the Sun Belt as a full member.

I don't see the MW agreeing to take NMSU's olympic sports and not football. MW has stated....football gets you into the conference. Hence, why BYU isn't part of the MW which would be a better option than NMSU.

(11-17-2014 02:11 PM)sundodger Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 12:47 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  

(11-14-2014 12:10 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(11-13-2014 11:41 PM)Zombiewoof Wrote:  These guys

Stephen F Austin State Univesity

Nope - Northern Arizona University.
Large University - 20K plus
Gets MWC back into Arizona.
Close to UNLV, UNM, SDSU
One of the top 225 Universities in the country
Reunites with old conference mates Boise, Nevada, and New Mexico
Excellent all-around athletic program.

The MWC was never in the state of Arizona, UA and ASU were charter WAC members, but left before most of the current MWC ever found a home in the WAC. So this would not so much be a restoring but rather a groundbreaking. Besides I believe the OP was referring to Cal State Humboldt

Yes I am aware of the source of the video, this was a joke hence the smiley for those of you to tightly wound to catch on.

I consider the MWC to be same as the old WAC - since the charter members were basically the same.

And I am well aware of the joke - on another board my tag line has been for years "I'm a Lumberjack and I'm OK" :)

And yes, NAU is not a candidate for any FBS league

(11-17-2014 02:29 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  I don't see the MW agreeing to take NMSU's olympic sports and not football. MW has stated....football gets you into the conference. Hence, why BYU isn't part of the MW which would be a better option than NMSU.

I apologize if I'm misreading that comment, but it seems to suggest that BYU would like to be in the MW. Of course, BYU wants no part of that.

And I think BYU has firmly worn out its welcome with the Mountain, so the non-interest is mutual.

(11-17-2014 04:35 PM)Native Georgian Wrote:  

(11-17-2014 02:29 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  I don't see the MW agreeing to take NMSU's olympic sports and not football. MW has stated....football gets you into the conference. Hence, why BYU isn't part of the MW which would be a better option than NMSU.

I apologize if I'm misreading that comment, but it seems to suggest that BYU would like to be in the MW. Of course, BYU wants no part of that.

And I think BYU has firmly worn out its welcome with the Mountain, so the non-interest is mutual.

BYU wants to be P5, plain and simple, and I think its time the P5 conferences include them

(11-14-2014 02:02 PM)MWC Tex Wrote:  GCU is going to move back to a non-profit school now that they are financially stable.

No, what is almost certainly at work is what has been seen with other for-profit schools. Because of tightening federal regulations around student loan default rates and specifically targeting for-profit schools with default rate problems (which is most every one of them), GCU is almost certainly doing what several other for-profits have done. They're backsliding into non-profit status, realizing that they can still pay everyone a massive salary in lieu of profit-making shares in the company, so everyone still makes out like a bandit by robbing students and doesn't get targeted by the Feds.

Additionally, with GCU being publicly traded with a cap value over $2bn, it will be quite a feat to successfully pull that off without sending the resulting non-profit into bankruptcy...and I highly doubt they can get anyone to finance a $2bn buyback with that plan anyway, because there's so little likelihood they can repay it. It's different from these closely held for-profits that have pulled this off. I'll believe it when I see it.