...I do. It would be great to have a new conference with majority TX teams and regional schools. Of course UT, Tech, & A&M would be excluded for obvious reasons. But away include UH, Rice, UTEP, SMU, TCU, and Baylor (they don't really belong in the Big 12). Who else I know I forgetting some one? Point being I rather see more TX teams play each other regularly than see UH v. Army, or San Jose St. v Rice not very interesting rivalry.
You went to Baylor? You must have had a miserable time there with your liberal views. I'm looking forward to the CUSA West. CUSA overall will be very solid in baseball and should provide some exellent games. Hopefully UH can bring its program up after a disappointing season last year. Rice needs the intracity competition.
I miss the SWC. I had just moved to Texas and gotten used to it when it broke up. C-USA West will be OK, but a lot of teams are missing: the Big 12, of course, and TCU (I don't know what they're thinking right now. No one likes them lately). Many Rice fans think that the Texas teams or those close by - Rice, UH, SMU, TCU, Baylor, Tulsa, UTEP (maybe; they're really closer to New Mexico and don't fit into any neat scenario right now), Tulane, and (I hope) Louisiana Tech - would make a good regional conference. Much easier for people to get interested in the games when road trips aren't that far away and the other team is someone you've heard of. When there is a substantial fan section at each game from the other team, and perhaps their band and cheerleaders. Still, I hate that Division IA has been effectively split and we will never have regular meetings with the BCS types again except as their "body bag" games. So much for history and tradition.
I find it funny the good football programs (which run athletic depts.) currently in the WAC are going to remain in the WAC...Boise, Fresno, and Hawaii.
I believe that C-USA will start its division play in football with a C-USA championship game between the division winners in 2005. East Division: Marshall Memphis UCF UAB Southern Miss East Carolina West Division: Houston Rice Tulane Tulsa SMU UTEP I forget why TCU is bailing out. UTEP was more then willing to take their place.
Mountain West football is stronger than C-USA football. TCU is hoping the Mountain West is next in line for BCS status.
Why doesn't Baylor belong in the Big 12? Our football and men's basketball team (the two main sports) may be bad but otherwise, we compete just fine. Funny how UT and A$M alums want to kick Baylor out and bring someone else in like say Arkansas. Just another team they couldn't beat on a consistent basis.
Well, there's no honor in racking up wins over a helpless D-IAA caliber opponent. Arkansas'd never go for it, but as they're a competitive program, I'm definitely in favor of making the invitation. It would certainly improve the Big 12. And it would lower the number of Big 12 programs with a player-murdered/posthumously-framed-as-a-drug-dealer incident to zero. Always a plus.
Bet it never happens. The BCS doesn't want to share their lucrative little deal with anybody else. This arrangement gives their athletic departments about 10 times the budget of the non-BCS schools.
Pfft. Like I care about volleyball. Besides, the Wahine haven't won a title in a while despite some pretty awesome talent, and the Men's title got taken away, cause one of the players played in a pro league overseas (but if it means anything, he didn't get paid).
Riiighhtt. Because Baylor is full of nothing but neocons, militias, and militant baptists right? Please. Baylor's student body was a LOT more liberal than a that of a few other schools in this state. There's a school called Texas A&M a few miles south on 6, you might wanna focus your attention on. For that matter, Texas Tech's student body, not to mention the local populace, was maybe the most closed minded & ultra conservative group of people I have ever come across - and I speak as a former student of Tech. Now as for the tired "Baylor doesn't belong in the Big 12" crap. Who does then? UH? LMFAO! The Big 12 needs Baylor, they don't need another mediocre public school - they already have enough of those. Baylor provides education/private institution cover to the Big 12, and - most importantly to the AD's of the other 11 schools - an easy "W" on the fball calendar. I miss the Big 12 too, maybe even more now that we have to hear UH grads incessant whining about Baylor in the Big 12 & the massive conspiracy that shut them out. UH needs to increase it's academics & grad rate, along with recruiting before worrying about ANY other school.
Our grad rate data is skewed, thanks to us being a commuter school. The academics will be in better shape when we get Tier 1 funding from the state - at this pace, in 15 years or so.
