New Mexico State president Garrey Carruthers sent out a short survey for faculty and staff members regarding New Mexico State's conference future.

Link

I really hate that y'all are going through this . . . IMO, The Sun Belt's decision was short-sighted . . . NMSU should have been an all sports invite . .

I hope that everything works out for your school, as well as your Athletic Programs.

Y'all deserved a better hand than the one you were dealt . . . Hang Tough.

Still hopeful things will work out for the NMSU program

(05-04-2016 11:00 PM)Bobcat87 Wrote:  I really hate that y'all are going through this . . . IMO, The Sun Belt's decision was short-sighted . . . NMSU should have been an all sports invite . .

I hope that everything works out for your school, as well as your Athletic Programs.

Y'all deserved a better hand than the one you were dealt . . . Hang Tough.

I agree I really wanted to see NMSU be added for all sports.

(05-04-2016 11:00 PM)Bobcat87 Wrote:  I really hate that y'all are going through this . . . IMO, The Sun Belt's decision was short-sighted . . . NMSU should have been an all sports invite . .

I hope that everything works out for your school, as well as your Athletic Programs.

Y'all deserved a better hand than the one you were dealt . . . Hang Tough.

Agree . . I want NMSU as an all sports member of the SBC. However, NMSU must emphasize Football if they want any FBS conference to seriously consider them.

NMSU currently places all their eggs in the Basketball basket and pays only lip service to Football and that is where they screwed up IMHO. Come on NMSU get your Football act together and WIN, WIN, WIN Football games in your last two years in the FBS.

What are the real options for NMSU??? Independence, they could make that run for a couple years but it isn't sustainable. Drop to FCS, I don't think that is as necessary as it was for Idaho, NMSU has a better location and facilities. Conference options, MWC, CUSA........ I don't see CUSA adding them, even if they lose UTEP, CUSA will just contract their footprint. MWC will need to lose a few teams before NMSU is in their sights.

Just a bad place for NMSU, need to get that football program in better shape so the MWC would want you, about your only option as I see it.

(05-05-2016 08:53 AM)Usajags Wrote:  What are the real options for NMSU??? Independence, they could make that run for a couple years but it isn't sustainable. Drop to FCS, I don't think that is as necessary as it was for Idaho, NMSU has a better location and facilities. Conference options, MWC, CUSA........ I don't see CUSA adding them, even if they lose UTEP, CUSA will just contract their footprint. MWC will need to lose a few teams before NMSU is in their sights.

Just a bad place for NMSU, need to get that football program in better shape so the MWC would want you, about your only option as I see it.

I wanted to see them added for all sports. they have a following here in the dfw area and many kids from here are recruited by them.

Don't forget NMSU still has 2 more years in SBC football.

That's quite a lot of time for an opening to happen in CUSA or the SBC.

And unlike SBC schools, NMSU doesn't have exit fees when CUSA calls. SBC schools just won't find CUSA worth its time unless CUSA splits into 2 conferences and bulks back up to 10 schools and unlikely scenario.

Maybe we didn't add NMSU as full member last time around so we could let go of Idaho and let them sink to FCS. Next spring meetings we turn around and give them their invite.

I have a feeling our relationship with NMSU is not completely over.

(05-05-2016 06:00 PM)Usajags Wrote:  Maybe we didn't add NMSU as full member last time around so we could let go of Idaho and let them sink to FCS. Next spring meetings we turn around and give them their invite.

I have a feeling our relationship with NMSU is not completely over.

I agree . . I just do not think that door was permanently closed.

(05-05-2016 07:19 PM)DoubletapWolf Wrote:  

(05-05-2016 06:00 PM)Usajags Wrote:  Maybe we didn't add NMSU as full member last time around so we could let go of Idaho and let them sink to FCS. Next spring meetings we turn around and give them their invite.

I have a feeling our relationship with NMSU is not completely over.

I agree . . I just do not think that door was permanently closed.

The problem would still be a travel partner but now that CUSA TV money has imploded we can work to poach UTEP and double down in Texas football giving NMSU the needed travel partner.

(05-05-2016 09:26 PM)Georgia_Power_Company Wrote:  

(05-05-2016 07:19 PM)DoubletapWolf Wrote:  

(05-05-2016 06:00 PM)Usajags Wrote:  Maybe we didn't add NMSU as full member last time around so we could let go of Idaho and let them sink to FCS. Next spring meetings we turn around and give them their invite.

I have a feeling our relationship with NMSU is not completely over.

I agree . . I just do not think that door was permanently closed.

The problem would still be a travel partner but now that CUSA TV money has imploded we can work to poach UTEP and double down in Texas football giving NMSU the needed travel partner.

nmsu would be a good school to have if the sbc had enough teams for east/west divisions. that would ease the effect of them being a geographical outlier, leave each school room on their schedule for a cpl. of nice ooc games and set up a conf. championship game. we would just need uta to restart football or add moststate to fill out a western division.

(05-06-2016 07:25 AM)runamuck Wrote:  

(05-05-2016 09:26 PM)Georgia_Power_Company Wrote:  

(05-05-2016 07:19 PM)DoubletapWolf Wrote:  

(05-05-2016 06:00 PM)Usajags Wrote:  Maybe we didn't add NMSU as full member last time around so we could let go of Idaho and let them sink to FCS. Next spring meetings we turn around and give them their invite.

I have a feeling our relationship with NMSU is not completely over.

I agree . . I just do not think that door was permanently closed.

The problem would still be a travel partner but now that CUSA TV money has imploded we can work to poach UTEP and double down in Texas football giving NMSU the needed travel partner.

nmsu would be a good school to have if the sbc had enough teams for east/west divisions. that would ease the effect of them being a geographical outlier, leave each school room on their schedule for a cpl. of nice ooc games and set up a conf. championship game. we would just need uta to restart football or add moststate to fill out a western division.

10 makes the most sense right now but if UTA adds football we would need to then look at a 12th football school.

West Division could then be:
NMSU
UTA
Texas St
stAte
ULL
ULM
(New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas & Louisiana is a tight footprint for the west)

East could be:
USA
Troy
GSU
GS
Coastal
App St.
(Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina & North Carolina would be a tight footprint in the east as well)

If Little Rock wanted to stay we could then go unbalanced or add one non-football school to get to 14 for Olympics.

(05-05-2016 08:53 AM)Usajags Wrote:  What are the real options for NMSU??? Independence, they could make that run for a couple years but it isn't sustainable. Drop to FCS, I don't think that is as necessary as it was for Idaho, NMSU has a better location and facilities. Conference options, MWC, CUSA........ I don't see CUSA adding them, even if they lose UTEP, CUSA will just contract their footprint. MWC will need to lose a few teams before NMSU is in their sights.

Just a bad place for NMSU, need to get that football program in better shape so the MWC would want you, about your only option as I see it.

I think FBS independence is probably their best bet for the time being. I'll disagree with you about having a better location than Idaho (solely-based on existing conference footprints). Geography benefits an FCS Idaho in a way that it doesn't help NMST. Idaho as part of the Big Sky has conference mates Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. They have six conference mates within 600 miles and they also get to restore historic rivalries with from Big Sky conference mates.

New Mexico State on the other hand has never played at the FCS / IAA level. Their rivals are UTEP and UNM. By playing at FBS, they get to retain these games at home. The Big Sky doesn't offer the same proximity for conference mates. Northern Arizona is the only conference mate within that same 600 miles.

There is also a dearth of FCS football conference in the western half of the United States. Southland plays in eastern Texas and Louisiana, SWAC plays through the south, Missouri Valley plays in the Midwest and Big Sky is everyone out west. That's it.

The WAC isn't a great permanent solution as it is a land of misfit toys that could lose pieces at any moment.

Continue to try and play as an FBS independent. Schedule H/H deals with 1 FCS, UNM/UTEP, games against western CUSA/SBC teams, and anyone else who is willing to travel out there.

The SBC could work out a schedule deal, we give you three games, two on the road, one home, and you giv SBC 4 basketball games each year. [/align]