I wouldn't say it murdered the WAC... it just made it more MAC-like.

You've got a few top-tier teams (Fresno, Boise, Hawai'i) and a significant number of bottom feeders (Idaho, NMSU, SJSU).

The top-tier teams are solid in any conference and can play with anyone. The bottom-tier are fodder for the ESPN Bottom 10.

With the exception of the MWC, all the "President's Coalition" (I hate the term non-BCS) conferences are like that.

I think CUSA should have done this instead. Added Marshall, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, and UTEP instead of UCF. I think UCF is going to be a dud for CUSA.

CUSA
Western Division
Houston
Rice
SMU
TCU
Tulsa
UTEP

Eastern Division
East Carolina
Marshall
Memphis
Southern Miss
Tulane
UAB
-------------------------------------------------------
Actually some of this should have took place back in 1995/96. The 4 remaing SWC schools plus Tulsa, UTEP, Lousiville, Memphis, Cincinnati, Tulane, Southern Miss and East Carolina should have grouped up and made this.

CUSA
Western Division
Houston
Rice
SMU
TCU
Tulsa
UTEP

Eastern Division
Cincinnati
East Carolina
Louisville
Memphis
Southern Miss
Tulane

SportsKC, there's no way any of this could have happened. TCU's big alumni donors did NOT want SMU in their conference at all, and they were extremely displeased when their president decided to vote for their inclusion. When TCU received a Mountain West invite, the big alumni boosters put a lot of heat on their president to accept the invitation.

What the hell is the difference between a Texas Christian and a Southern Methodist?

Almost all chirstians in Texas are methodists, and almost all southern methodists are in Texas.

Baptist is the primary faith in Texas (5 million), not Methodist (1 million). There are more Catholics there (4 million) than Methodists.

There is no such thing as "southern methodist." Southern is a geographical designation, not a denominational one. You must be thinking of Southern Baptist (4 million of the 5).

http://www.texasalmanac.com/religion/religion_chart.pdf

Actually baptists are at 4.54 million and catholics are at 4.37 million.

But I see I was wrong about methodists.

Anyway, no, I was actually referring to methodists who live in the south when I said "almost all southern methodists live in Texas".

I bet I am right about that, though.

Actually the Methodists are spread throughout wide swaths of the South. I saw a map of denominations by county in the US and you can still see the routes of the Methodist circuit riders 200+ years later.

And in 10 years in the MWC, people in the metroplex will probably be asking, "What is the difference between a Texas Christian football program and one at Southern Methodist?" (without a good answer).

Within 3 years the answer will be one is a sorry, bottom feeding MWC football team in Ft. Worth and the other is a sorry, bottom feeding CUSA football team in Dallas. Neither one of them can hang with UNT.

I would probably have shot for this with L. Tech getting the nod if TCU bolted or this still was not good enough for Temple.

Temple
Central Florida
East Carolina
Marshall
Memphis
UAB

Texas Christian
Houston
UTEP
UNT
Tulane
Southern Miss


Temple is a well know school in a huge TV market with a well established basketball program. Central Florida adds a large schools in a nice market. Marshall adds a very well known up and coming football school. UTEP adds a boost in attendence for Houston and more visibility for the conference in Texas as well as some name recognition in basketball and added attendence to the league home attendance average. I think Price was hired before TCU left and I knew he would make UTEP a winner in short order, so I am counting that as another reason i'd have pushed for the Miners. UNT is a good football school and would help Houston's attendance a little (admittedly, not much).

If TCU blocked UNT---fairly likely--- I'd have brought La. Tech in and UNT would be my insurance if TCU left. If TCU blocked UNT and Temple declined, I might try to entice Texas State into making the jump. Failing that, Rice would be a decent pickup. (Both with the idea of helping Houston's attendance/costs.)

No way in hell would I ever have invited SMU.

SMU has a very good all-around sports program, Dallas market and a brand new football stadium, look for that program to rebound.

As for North Texas, they do great against the Sun Belt schools but I don't know how they would do in C-USA. SMU still is a better choice than North Texas, maybe not football wise but all-around a better choice.

Look for ECU to go to BE for football only in February 2005.

What happens to their other sports?

ECU other sports to A-10.

Why would the A-14 want ECU?