Apathy hurts school's BCS case
2:35PM ET

Houston Cougars

Steve Campbell of the Houston Chronicle has a fairly exhaustive look
at the hurdles that are keeping Houston from being a top BCS
conference candidate. Outside of usual suspects such as the need for
stronger teams, better facilities and increased attendance, this one
stands out: The Houston athletic department had a donor base in 2009
of barely more than 2,000 people. That's what tiny Northeastern
University in Boston, which just dropped its football program, is
targeting in a current pledge drive.

As a point of comparison, Boise State has more than 5,000 donors and
East Carolina more than 7,500. Given that Houston is the third
largest school in Texas, its number (2,043) is downright embarrassing.

While the Cougars have the benefit of a large TV market, Campbell
said the market is useless without interest (see the many arguments
against the Big Ten taking Rutgers). Houston's attendance figures and
donor rolls show that no one particularly cares about the Cougars.

Until that is resolved, Campbell said, Houston likely will remain on
the outside looking in.

Campbell writes: "The UH alums living in this area outnumber the
entire population of Boise. Those UH alums could change the course of
Cougars history if they care to do so. There is so much strength in
those numbers, so much potential, if only UH can harness and
galvanize it."

Northeastern has 16K students. There is nothing 'tiny' about it.

UH has over 30K

Problem is, UH is still very much a commuter school with lots of non traditional students who don't care about the "traditional" 4 year college experience. It's tough to get top students who want a traditional 4 year college experience to pick UH over A&M just down the road and heavy recruiting from UT, TTU, LSU and Ole Miss.

(06-16-2010 10:34 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  UH has over 30K

I know, it's just a silly comment. I wouldn't expect anyone to say 'tiny Duke University', when it has around 3K fewer students than NEU.

(06-16-2010 10:34 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  UH has over 30K

Problem is, UH is still very much a commuter school with lots of non traditional students who don't care about the "traditional" 4 year college experience. It's tough to get top students who want a traditional 4 year college experience to pick UH over A&M just down the road and heavy recruiting from UT, TTU, LSU and Ole Miss.

Thanks

(06-16-2010 10:36 PM)whitey Wrote:  

(06-16-2010 10:34 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  UH has over 30K

Problem is, UH is still very much a commuter school with lots of non traditional students who don't care about the "traditional" 4 year college experience. It's tough to get top students who want a traditional 4 year college experience to pick UH over A&M just down the road and heavy recruiting from UT, TTU, LSU and Ole Miss.

Thanks

That's the old UH. There is new leadership with the right vision that is changing the dynamics of the university for the better. It won't happen over night, but it is in progress.

University of Houston Master Plan

Here is the Master Plan presentation. http://www.uh.edu/about/initiatives/mast...tation.pps

A taste of the atmosphere at the Houston - Texas Tech game. Game Day Highlights

Two videos that show student support.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gm-19fMB2Nw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r37-24Isa...re=related

Is there a risk to adding Houston to the Big East? Yes, but it is worth the risk. This is not the same UH I experienced as a student and it's a great time to be a Houston Cougar.

UH also suffers from the outdated "Cougar High [School]" moniker among its old SWC brethren, half of whom are in the Big XII.