(02-23-2017 12:17 PM)XLance Wrote:  

(02-22-2017 06:19 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  In lieu of the public desire of UTEP and Rice to move out of C-USA and into the MWC I was curious as to if there was a point where they could have made the move and altered not only their own destinies but those of several other G5 programs. It seems that on May 4, 2012 was the day that that window shut.

By this point C-USA was down to 8 schools: Marshall, ECU, UAB, USM, Tulane, Rice, Tulsa, and UTEP.
The MWC was down to 7 and FB affiliate Hawaii: Fresno St, Nevada, UNLV, Wyoming, Colorado St, Air Force, and New Mexico.

There had already been talks and an announcement of a merger/alliance between the MWC and C-USA but the hang up was the basketball credits. At this juncture, Rice and UTEP could have simply joined the MWC they could be sitting there comfortable right now and the G5 landscape would have looked radically different.

On May 4, 2014 was the day that the MWC added Utah St and San Jose St instead of the two aforementioned schools and which C-USA announced UTSA, LA Tech, UNT, FIU, and Charlotte's impending membership (ODU followed shortly). These moves sealed UTEP and Rice's fates.

Here's how things might have turned out:

The MWC stays at 10 and continues to remain in talks with Boise St and SDSU and ultimately get them back.
Rice and UTEP's departure leaves C-USA with just Tulsa, Tulane, UAB, USM, ECU, and Marshall, two of which will leave in November. Would this group expanded differently or possibly collapsed?

At this point the WAC still had Idaho, NMSU, SJSU, Utah St, Texas St, UTSA, LA Tech, and non-FB members Denver, Seattle, and UTA.
The SBC line up was UNT, ULL, ULM, Ark St, Troy, USA, MTSU, WKU, GA St, FAU, FIU, and non-FB member UALR.
ODU, Charlotte, GA Southern, and App St were all still FCS.

Maybe WAC football somehow survives.

May 4, 1970 was not such a good day.