I don't know why we are being so hard on Afflicted or anyone that is complimentary of Rice. If I recall correctly, the last time HRS was sold out, it was not due to a sea of blue and gray flooding the stands. Everyone has different opinions and different backgrounds. Those are minor things. In my opinion, supporting Rice football is the major thing.

(06-16-2015 07:35 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  And, lets not forget, we've cut A LOT of fat with underperforming programs like SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa. Replacing them with Louisiana Tech, UNT, and UTSA, was an upgrade.

I'm confused (not really). In a separate thread you propose that "Rice should organize A CUSA Academic Consortium".

How are Tulane, Tulsa and even SMU underperforming vs. the other schools you named in that regard?

(06-16-2015 11:29 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 07:35 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  And, lets not forget, we've cut A LOT of fat with underperforming programs like SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa. Replacing them with Louisiana Tech, UNT, and UTSA, was an upgrade.

I'm confused (not really). In a separate thread you propose that "Rice should organize A CUSA Academic Consortium".

How are Tulane, Tulsa and even SMU underperforming vs. the other schools you named in that regard?

I think he was referring to their football programs, which would be true.

(06-16-2015 12:24 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 11:29 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 07:35 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  And, lets not forget, we've cut A LOT of fat with underperforming programs like SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa. Replacing them with Louisiana Tech, UNT, and UTSA, was an upgrade.

I'm confused (not really). In a separate thread you propose that "Rice should organize A CUSA Academic Consortium".

How are Tulane, Tulsa and even SMU underperforming vs. the other schools you named in that regard?

I think he was referring to their football programs, which would be true.

Tulsa was underperforming? IIRC, they routinely beat us up.

(06-16-2015 12:29 PM)Antarius Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 12:24 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 11:29 AM)Tomball Owl Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 07:35 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  And, lets not forget, we've cut A LOT of fat with underperforming programs like SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa. Replacing them with Louisiana Tech, UNT, and UTSA, was an upgrade.

I'm confused (not really). In a separate thread you propose that "Rice should organize A CUSA Academic Consortium".

How are Tulane, Tulsa and even SMU underperforming vs. the other schools you named in that regard?

I think he was referring to their football programs, which would be true.

Tulsa was underperforming? IIRC, they routinely beat us up.

Tulsa has fallen off a cliff the last few years. 3-9 and 2-10 and attendance is horrible. Tulane's attendance is also about as pathetic as ours. ~23k last year. So by that measure UNT and UTSA certainly have more potential than Tulsa and Tulane. Also academically, UTSA is trying hard for Tier 1 as well, though not sure how that's going for them. I recently met a young man who just spent 2 years at UTSA and is transferring to Rice this fall to finish his degree. He told me all about the Tier 1 effort.

(06-16-2015 07:35 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 10:01 PM)Baconator Wrote:  Geez...tough crowd!

You're telling me. I've never been anything but complimentary to Rice and their place in the hierarchy of CUSA.

I guess I'm just not being clear.

No matter how much you (or Afflicted) support (or respect or admire or whatever other term you want to use) Rice, Your PRIMARY alliance is with another school.

For Afflicted, it is with a school who specifically made different choices than we have with regard to CUSA... which he supports. Now, perhaps some of you have a different experience with Afflicted than I do, but it pretty regularly seems (to me) that while he holds 'high' hopes for Rice, he holds far higher ones for UH. The subtle bigotry of reduced expectations.

I respectfully disagree with that position.

Bo for you, it's not personal... but if you find yourself regularly disagreeing with people who are actually vested in this program, you're right that it MIGHT be that we are myopic and haughty and whatever else you want to think....

OR it could be that your priorities for Rice don't match with our priorities for Rice because we prioritize Rice differently.

I find the fact that you agree with someone like Afflicted who has (imo) low expectations for Rice (relative to his expectations for UH) to be telling. No offense, but just a few weeks ago, your school was at risk of being kicked out of CUSA... so I understand why you now want to improve and strengthen CUSA... But it wasn't that long ago that even UAB fans were talking about moving on from CUSA.... and while it may or may not come to pass that it is an improvement, certainly UH moved on because they believed that would be the case.

CUSA is where we are and we should strive to make it as good as it can be... but let's not fool ourselves for one single moment that every one of our conference brethren would leave us in a heartbeat if they thought it was best for THEM. Afflicted's MAIN priority did just that, and Bo's main priority is (for the moment) just happy not to be choosing between the MAC and the Belt.

Like MOST on here, I'm interested in what is best for Rice. If that is good for these other schools as well, then great. If it's not, then while I'll certainly consider it (because being 'ugly' isn't good in the long term) it probably won't stop me. If it's best for Rice, it's what I want.

Why doesn't the AAC add those schools?

(06-16-2015 01:17 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 07:35 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 10:01 PM)Baconator Wrote:  Geez...tough crowd!

You're telling me. I've never been anything but complimentary to Rice and their place in the hierarchy of CUSA.

I guess I'm just not being clear.

No matter how much you (or Afflicted) support (or respect or admire or whatever other term you want to use) Rice, Your PRIMARY alliance is with another school.

For Afflicted, it is with a school who specifically made different choices than we have with regard to CUSA... which he supports. Now, perhaps some of you have a different experience with Afflicted than I do, but it pretty regularly seems (to me) that while he holds 'high' hopes for Rice, he holds far higher ones for UH. The subtle bigotry of reduced expectations.

I respectfully disagree with that position.

Bo for you, it's not personal... but if you find yourself regularly disagreeing with people who are actually vested in this program, you're right that it MIGHT be that we are myopic and haughty and whatever else you want to think....

OR it could be that your priorities for Rice don't match with our priorities for Rice because we prioritize Rice differently.

I find the fact that you agree with someone like Afflicted who has (imo) low expectations for Rice (relative to his expectations for UH) to be telling. No offense, but just a few weeks ago, your school was at risk of being kicked out of CUSA... so I understand why you now want to improve and strengthen CUSA... But it wasn't that long ago that even UAB fans were talking about moving on from CUSA.... and while it may or may not come to pass that it is an improvement, certainly UH moved on because they believed that would be the case.

CUSA is where we are and we should strive to make it as good as it can be... but let's not fool ourselves for one single moment that every one of our conference brethren would leave us in a heartbeat if they thought it was best for THEM. Afflicted's MAIN priority did just that, and Bo's main priority is (for the moment) just happy not to be choosing between the MAC and the Belt.

Like MOST on here, I'm interested in what is best for Rice. If that is good for these other schools as well, then great. If it's not, then while I'll certainly consider it (because being 'ugly' isn't good in the long term) it probably won't stop me. If it's best for Rice, it's what I want.

Why doesn't the AAC add those schools?

It's no big deal. I'm over it. If you ever want to find out what kind of fan I am, come see me in The Roost and lets drink some beers. I'm the easiest one to find. I wear a navy blue shirt with an OE "R" on the front and I'm the only one waving a flag.

(06-16-2015 03:02 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  I wear a navy blue shirt with an OE "R" on the front and I'm the only one waving a flag.

Is it a red UH flag?

(I'm actually kidding with this one.)

There is more enthusiasm in the Roost than in the R Room. It seems that the glass deadens sound and the view is not as good. However, the R room has better temperature control and the ability to look at other games on television.

(06-16-2015 03:02 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 01:17 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 07:35 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 10:01 PM)Baconator Wrote:  Geez...tough crowd!

You're telling me. I've never been anything but complimentary to Rice and their place in the hierarchy of CUSA.

I guess I'm just not being clear.

No matter how much you (or Afflicted) support (or respect or admire or whatever other term you want to use) Rice, Your PRIMARY alliance is with another school.

For Afflicted, it is with a school who specifically made different choices than we have with regard to CUSA... which he supports. Now, perhaps some of you have a different experience with Afflicted than I do, but it pretty regularly seems (to me) that while he holds 'high' hopes for Rice, he holds far higher ones for UH. The subtle bigotry of reduced expectations.

I respectfully disagree with that position.

Bo for you, it's not personal... but if you find yourself regularly disagreeing with people who are actually vested in this program, you're right that it MIGHT be that we are myopic and haughty and whatever else you want to think....

OR it could be that your priorities for Rice don't match with our priorities for Rice because we prioritize Rice differently.

I find the fact that you agree with someone like Afflicted who has (imo) low expectations for Rice (relative to his expectations for UH) to be telling. No offense, but just a few weeks ago, your school was at risk of being kicked out of CUSA... so I understand why you now want to improve and strengthen CUSA... But it wasn't that long ago that even UAB fans were talking about moving on from CUSA.... and while it may or may not come to pass that it is an improvement, certainly UH moved on because they believed that would be the case.

CUSA is where we are and we should strive to make it as good as it can be... but let's not fool ourselves for one single moment that every one of our conference brethren would leave us in a heartbeat if they thought it was best for THEM. Afflicted's MAIN priority did just that, and Bo's main priority is (for the moment) just happy not to be choosing between the MAC and the Belt.

Like MOST on here, I'm interested in what is best for Rice. If that is good for these other schools as well, then great. If it's not, then while I'll certainly consider it (because being 'ugly' isn't good in the long term) it probably won't stop me. If it's best for Rice, it's what I want.

Why doesn't the AAC add those schools?

It's no big deal. I'm over it. If you ever want to find out what kind of fan I am, come see me in The Roost and lets drink some beers. I'm the easiest one to find. I wear a navy blue shirt with an OE "R" on the front and I'm the only one waving a flag.

(06-16-2015 04:59 PM)75src Wrote:  There is more enthusiasm in the Roost than in the R Room. It seems that the glass deadens sound and the view is not as good. However, the R room has better temperature control and the ability to look at other games on television.

(06-16-2015 03:02 PM)Afflicted Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 01:17 PM)Hambone10 Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 07:35 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 10:01 PM)Baconator Wrote:  Geez...tough crowd!

You're telling me. I've never been anything but complimentary to Rice and their place in the hierarchy of CUSA.

I guess I'm just not being clear.

No matter how much you (or Afflicted) support (or respect or admire or whatever other term you want to use) Rice, Your PRIMARY alliance is with another school.

For Afflicted, it is with a school who specifically made different choices than we have with regard to CUSA... which he supports. Now, perhaps some of you have a different experience with Afflicted than I do, but it pretty regularly seems (to me) that while he holds 'high' hopes for Rice, he holds far higher ones for UH. The subtle bigotry of reduced expectations.

I respectfully disagree with that position.

Bo for you, it's not personal... but if you find yourself regularly disagreeing with people who are actually vested in this program, you're right that it MIGHT be that we are myopic and haughty and whatever else you want to think....

OR it could be that your priorities for Rice don't match with our priorities for Rice because we prioritize Rice differently.

I find the fact that you agree with someone like Afflicted who has (imo) low expectations for Rice (relative to his expectations for UH) to be telling. No offense, but just a few weeks ago, your school was at risk of being kicked out of CUSA... so I understand why you now want to improve and strengthen CUSA... But it wasn't that long ago that even UAB fans were talking about moving on from CUSA.... and while it may or may not come to pass that it is an improvement, certainly UH moved on because they believed that would be the case.

CUSA is where we are and we should strive to make it as good as it can be... but let's not fool ourselves for one single moment that every one of our conference brethren would leave us in a heartbeat if they thought it was best for THEM. Afflicted's MAIN priority did just that, and Bo's main priority is (for the moment) just happy not to be choosing between the MAC and the Belt.

Like MOST on here, I'm interested in what is best for Rice. If that is good for these other schools as well, then great. If it's not, then while I'll certainly consider it (because being 'ugly' isn't good in the long term) it probably won't stop me. If it's best for Rice, it's what I want.

Why doesn't the AAC add those schools?

It's no big deal. I'm over it. If you ever want to find out what kind of fan I am, come see me in The Roost and lets drink some beers. I'm the easiest one to find. I wear a navy blue shirt with an OE "R" on the front and I'm the only one waving a flag.

Very true. I wish they'd do something in The Roost to attract more people and to make them feel a little more comfortable in the heat. A big canopy and some fans would be nice. It could be the best of both worlds.

(06-16-2015 07:35 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 10:01 PM)Baconator Wrote:  Geez...tough crowd!

You're telling me. I've never been anything but complimentary to Rice and their place in the hierarchy of CUSA.
I see Rice as a signature CUSA program. A cornerstone of the conference. I see no reason why Rice and CUSA can't make this a great home to roost.
It's not like any of our programs are going to be collecting P5 money anytime soon. And, short of that, there is no incentive to move to the MWC or even the AAC.
Bailiff is a very good CUSA coach. There is a reason that the Owls are doing better now than you have in the previous version of CUSA and the WAC. And, lets not forget, we've cut A LOT of fat with underperforming programs like SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa. Replacing them with Louisiana Tech, UNT, and UTSA, was an upgrade. It's a great neighborhood for your President to consort with. I know your basketball coach is happy now that UAB is staying.

I hate to be THAT guy, but you as a UAB have no right to call anybody's program underperforming. Especially considering the situation your program was in.

(06-17-2015 02:40 PM)Farmer Jack Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 07:35 AM)BoKnows Wrote:  

(06-15-2015 10:01 PM)Baconator Wrote:  Geez...tough crowd!

You're telling me. I've never been anything but complimentary to Rice and their place in the hierarchy of CUSA.
I see Rice as a signature CUSA program. A cornerstone of the conference. I see no reason why Rice and CUSA can't make this a great home to roost.
It's not like any of our programs are going to be collecting P5 money anytime soon. And, short of that, there is no incentive to move to the MWC or even the AAC.
Bailiff is a very good CUSA coach. There is a reason that the Owls are doing better now than you have in the previous version of CUSA and the WAC. And, lets not forget, we've cut A LOT of fat with underperforming programs like SMU, Tulane, and Tulsa. Replacing them with Louisiana Tech, UNT, and UTSA, was an upgrade. It's a great neighborhood for your President to consort with. I know your basketball coach is happy now that UAB is staying.

I hate to be THAT guy, but you as a UAB have no right to call anybody's program underperforming. Especially considering the situation your program was in.

I understand that, and you'll get no arguments from me.
Nevertheless, I think in the future, Rice will start to see that this last episode actually helped UAB. The support I've been seeing is greater now than ever before. The UAB brand is also more recognizable today than it was yesterday.
Birmingham is such a big asset to the conference (as seen by the basketball tourney). We're at the fulcrum of the CUSA footprint, and - quite honestly - UAB brings a great package to the conference and a great ally and peer (both academically and athletically) to Rice.

We all carry the same banner. The best thing to ever happen to Rice was to get away from the Tulanes, Tulsas, and SMUs. Do you really want to be in a conference with UConn or Houston when they're looking to leave? I think ECU will someday regret parting ways with ODU and Charlotte. Those programs have great upside.
With the 14 team CUSA, Rice has all the same markets we had with the last conference, but with more athletic upside. Let's get that television deal done, and meet up in Birmingham for the tournament, brothers.