(02-18-2019 11:08 AM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 10:39 AM)Ourland Wrote:  Winning and having facilities that are on par, or better, than everyone else's would make us more interesting as well. Independence could lead to the end of our football program. I wouldn't be willing to risk that.

We won in 2013 and nobody cared. Recruiting actually fell. Our facilities are better than many in our current peer group.

Doing nothing can also lead to the end of our football program. It almost has numerous times

The problem is, what you describe as making us more interesting is something that every other school is trying to do, and they have vastly fewer impediments. So your plan is to somehow be significantly better than everyone else at something (because we choose a harder path)

Make us more interesting to whom? The guy who just wants to watch good football? THAT guy is watching the top 25

We have to make that viewer CONNECT to Rice... and IMO that is through academics... not athletics. I've suggested numerous ways to make our gameday more interactive... encourage people to come to the stadium for the live experience, but let them keep up on other games as well.

Recruiting fell off in 2013 because the best programs left the conference. Our facilities are about equal to those of our peers, but Rice Stadium remains an oversized dump, and it's supposed to be our crown jewel. We're forced to play in the facilities arms race with everyone else, because that's one element that gets the attention of better conferences and better recruits. It has to be an economic engine on gameday. We'll have to do better than everyone else in this area, despite the harder path.

I think you're absolutely right about marketing to the academically inclined sports fans of Houston. It would work. I don't feel we need to be an independent to do it.

(02-18-2019 02:28 PM)Ourland Wrote:  Recruiting fell off in 2013 because the best programs left the conference. Our facilities are about equal to those of our peers, but Rice Stadium remains an oversized dump, and it's supposed to be our crown jewel. We're forced to play in the facilities arms race with everyone else, because that's one element that gets the attention of better conferences and better recruits. It has to be an economic engine on gameday. We'll have to do better than everyone else in this area, despite the harder path.

I think you're absolutely right about marketing to the academically inclined sports fans of Houston. It would work. I don't feel we need to be an independent to do it.

To your first comment and last... That only shows that we are not in control of our marketing or destiny, but are instead tied to people, all of whom would leave for a better opportunity if they had the chance.
We need to be the ones leaving CUSA, not the ones left.

I don't feel we NEED to be independent... I just feel we need more control than bowing to CUSA and being portrayed every week as 'just one of many similar schools' in their advertising. Financially, the conference gives us nothing. Marketing wise, the conference currently hurts us. Recruiting wise, based on your comment and I don't disagree a lot, we seem to be hampered by our peers... so they hurt recruiting.

What they give us is easy scheduling and a home for non-rev sports. I'm not sure that's a good trade.

Given the value of a Rice education vis a vis any other g5 in the country, I think I'd be willing to put some focus on making Rice a national presence (at least sub p5) in non-revs before going independent or seriously limiting our affiliation with CUSA... and THEN, put that same focus on the value of a Rice education into recruiting not against UTSA (which would be a layup on a value basis) but into going after the guys with great potential who end up at lower to middle p5 schools, most of which are vastly closer to us in academic ranking than any of CUSA. You can be a star in CUSA, featured every week as opposed to the 4th or 5th guy mentioned in the Big12... on a team that wins as opposed to losing most games... and still get enough exposure by playing LSU etc, but not so much that you risk your career. The Ed Oliver approach.... just perhaps with a little more of a school focus... the 3 or 4 star recruits, not the 5 star.

Where would Rice park their BBall+Olympic sports? Best realistic options are Southland, the WAC, and the Summit League.

Maybe moving to a regional conference like the Southland will help Rice save more on travel to spend on football?

(02-18-2019 10:03 PM)canewton Wrote:  Where would Rice park their BBall+Olympic sports? Best realistic options are Southland, the WAC, and the Summit League.

Maybe moving to a regional conference like the Southland will help Rice save more on travel to spend on football?

I don't know, but the Southland or Sun Belt would be most likely . Both are a competitive step down from CUSA.

(02-19-2019 09:11 AM)Ourland Wrote:  

(02-18-2019 10:03 PM)canewton Wrote:  Where would Rice park their BBall+Olympic sports? Best realistic options are Southland, the WAC, and the Summit League.

Maybe moving to a regional conference like the Southland will help Rice save more on travel to spend on football?

I don't know, but the Southland or Sun Belt would be most likely . Both are a competitive step down from CUSA.

According to Sagarin, in terms of men's college basketball, the Sun Belt is #16, C-USA is #17, and the Southland is #31.

The Massey Composite has the conferences at 15, 17 and 29, respectively.

So barely better right now, and this is a down year in CUSA basketball. Overall, the Sun Belt is perceived as weaker than CUSA, but not by much.

I wasn't sure which thread to post this under and I didn't start a new one, but the American Athletic Conference, which includes former rivals like Tulane, UH, Memphis, Tulsa, and SMU, signed a new $1 Billion, 12-year media rights deal with ESPN. I didn't do the math, but according to the article, that works out to $83.3 million per year, with Tulane set to receive $6.94 million each year as part of the deal. That is a $5 million per year increase over their current deal.

I look forward to hearing CUSA's new deal. If anyone invents a time machine and goes back in time, please tell Rick Greenspan and David Leebron to invest in some sandwich boards.

(03-20-2019 02:54 PM)mrbig Wrote:  I wasn't sure which thread to post this under and I didn't start a new one, but the American Athletic Conference, which includes former rivals like Tulane, UH, Memphis, Tulsa, and SMU, signed a new $1 Billion, 12-year media rights deal with ESPN. I didn't do the math, but according to the article, that works out to $83.3 million per year, with Tulane set to receive $6.94 million each year as part of the deal. That is a $5 million per year increase over their current deal.

I look forward to hearing CUSA's new deal. If anyone invents a time machine and goes back in time, please tell Rick Greenspan and David Leebron to invest in some sandwich boards.

Remember the Parliament posts about how UConn would be in the ACC real soon and then the AAC wouldn’t be any better than C-USA and weren’t UH and SMU foolish for paying those exit/entrance fees? Good times.

But some of the teams are complaining because a majority of the games will be on ESPN +

(03-20-2019 03:05 PM)Gravy Owl Wrote:  

(03-20-2019 02:54 PM)mrbig Wrote:  I wasn't sure which thread to post this under and I didn't start a new one, but the American Athletic Conference, which includes former rivals like Tulane, UH, Memphis, Tulsa, and SMU, signed a new $1 Billion, 12-year media rights deal with ESPN. I didn't do the math, but according to the article, that works out to $83.3 million per year, with Tulane set to receive $6.94 million each year as part of the deal. That is a $5 million per year increase over their current deal.

I look forward to hearing CUSA's new deal. If anyone invents a time machine and goes back in time, please tell Rick Greenspan and David Leebron to invest in some sandwich boards.

Remember the Parliament posts about how UConn would be in the ACC real soon and then the AAC wouldn’t be any better than C-USA and weren’t UH and SMU foolish for paying those exit/entrance fees? Good times.

I also remember the ones where we were lambasted as heathens for questioning the existence of Greenspans plan and questioning his cronyism and lack of competence. He rewarded this air cover by giving unprecedented extensions to two program decaying coaches.

No where else can people be 0-fer on everything and still be allowed to make decisions. I applaud their ability to fail upwards, while proudly destroying whatever we had left of an athletics department.

(03-20-2019 03:08 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  But some of the teams are complaining because a majority of the games will be on ESPN +

Standards. SMH

(03-20-2019 04:45 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(03-20-2019 03:08 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  But some of the teams are complaining because a majority of the games will be on ESPN +

Standards. SMH

We've been stockholm syndromed into believing that clapping while watching people pull a Gameel Al-Batouti on our program is a perfectly acceptable thing.

They make 7 million a year, we make 0.25. Amazing isn't it. But hey, at least we didn't lose our dignity with sandwich boards.

(03-20-2019 04:56 PM)Antarius Wrote:  We've been stockholm syndromed into believing that clapping while watching people pull a Gameel Al-Batouti on our program is a perfectly acceptable thing.

I knew I recognized that name, but google had to tell me why. Not one for steering away from controversy, are you?

(03-20-2019 06:22 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(03-20-2019 04:56 PM)Antarius Wrote:  We've been stockholm syndromed into believing that clapping while watching people pull a Gameel Al-Batouti on our program is a perfectly acceptable thing.

I knew I recognized that name, but google had to tell me why. Not one for steering away from controversy, are you?

Now that's provocative, even for Ant.

(03-20-2019 06:27 PM)Wiessman Wrote:  

(03-20-2019 06:22 PM)I45owl Wrote:  

(03-20-2019 04:56 PM)Antarius Wrote:  We've been stockholm syndromed into believing that clapping while watching people pull a Gameel Al-Batouti on our program is a perfectly acceptable thing.

I knew I recognized that name, but google had to tell me why. Not one for steering away from controversy, are you?

Now that's provocative, even for Ant.

There's a whole backstory about that one flight, full of conspiracy theories, politics, everything else, if you weren't aware...

(03-20-2019 09:19 PM)I45owl Wrote:  There's a whole backstory about that one flight, full of conspiracy theories, politics, everything else, if you weren't aware...

I'm quite aware. Hence my comment.

(03-20-2019 09:21 PM)Wiessman Wrote:  

(03-20-2019 09:19 PM)I45owl Wrote:  There's a whole backstory about that one flight, full of conspiracy theories, politics, everything else, if you weren't aware...

I'm quite aware. Hence my comment.

And hence my reference. There's facts and there's political crony explanations and justifications for everything; shrouded with excuses, great guy theorems, power structure protectionism, culture (be it religious or good ol boy) defense and a complete apathy for facing reality.

It may be controversial, but it's pretty damn accurate.i prefer the NTSB, seemingly several people here prefer the Egyptian version of a dystopian blameless reality.

(03-20-2019 03:08 PM)Fort Bend Owl Wrote:  But some of the teams are complaining because a majority of the games will be on ESPN +

I have ESPN+ and for $5 a month it's a great deal. I bought it for the boxing and soccer, but they have since added UFC, pretty much every college sport, and some fantastic original programming. I think the American did as well as anyone could have expected and if you are someone like Boise State or Army, I'd be curious if you reconsider joining the conference. They have essentially become the Middle Class of D1 athletics dwarfing the other G5 conferences and there is no reason to believe that any other G5 conference can come close to this deal.

Also perhaps most importantly they did not have to give grant of rights which means if there is realignment in 2025 or earlier, any school can leave without penalty. Given the Pac 12's financial struggles, I've got to believe a Central Time Zone addition comes at some point.

I had ESPN + as well, but I cancelled it after basketball season ended. Perhaps I'll look into something like Hulu Live, but I'd prefer to give my money to media services that seem to be on the ascent (Netflix, Hulu, Disney + perhaps in a few months), rather than groups like ESPN which seem to be on freefall. It's been decades since I've watched a Sportscenter.

Thanks for the reminder. I'll wait until the season actually ends, though.