(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

A little earlier than that. It happened after Houston/SMU/UCF announced their departure but before C-USA expanded by adding La Tech, FAU, et al. It happened during the time Cowen was working on the MWC merger - Benson tried to make an end around.
Sun Belt's lure was regional opponents, something ECU (or some at ECU) had been wanting if they couldn't get into the Big East. Had it happened, it might have resulted in an effective sun belt/C-USA merger, and then an east/west split.


As for UTSA, if they rejected the MWC it had to have been during the time that Houston and SMU were gone because they weren't offered a C-USA spot until they announced their departure. Also at that time, Boise and SDSU were out of the MWC (as it ended up, temporarily). Per UTEP and UTSA, a lot of Texas schools gain value from being in a league with Texas schools.

(04-17-2014 11:19 AM)KAjunRaider Wrote:  

(04-17-2014 07:59 AM)WIowl Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 10:28 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  The JMU president basically said that the Belch doesn't meet their academic or athletic criteria and values.

If you want to play FBS football, sometimes you're not with your academic peers/values (like Rice).

And do those FBS football players have the same entrance standards, academically, as the general student on that campus ? At Vandy, for instance, they do not.

They've gotten a few out of our county who were lucky if they could have gotten into MT.

USM turns down plenty of general applicants, but my understanding is that scholarship athletes need only meet NCAA requirements.

(04-16-2014 12:45 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:43 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

I bet your administration couldn't keep a straight face during that conversation.

I believe they contacted Marshall, ECU, UAB and Southern Miss about joining. I respect their efforts, but it just wasn't happening.

It was widely reported that the SBC invited Charlotte back in 2012, but we declined.

UTEP was offered by the Mountain, UTEP turned it down to stay with the texas schools (smu, houston and Rice)

well, at least that is the rumor I saw on the MW board and the UTEP board

(04-17-2014 11:51 AM)919R Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:45 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:43 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

I bet your administration couldn't keep a straight face during that conversation.

I believe they contacted Marshall, ECU, UAB and Southern Miss about joining. I respect their efforts, but it just wasn't happening.

It was widely reported that the SBC invited Charlotte back in 2012, but we declined.

Had Charlotte been invited to CUSA just yet? Would be interesting to know if Charlotte declined SBC with no CUSA invite pending.

(04-17-2014 11:58 AM)RedParallax Wrote:  

(04-17-2014 11:51 AM)919R Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:45 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:43 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

I bet your administration couldn't keep a straight face during that conversation.

I believe they contacted Marshall, ECU, UAB and Southern Miss about joining. I respect their efforts, but it just wasn't happening.

It was widely reported that the SBC invited Charlotte back in 2012, but we declined.

Had Charlotte been invited to CUSA just yet? Would be interesting to know if Charlotte declined SBC with no CUSA invite pending.

Supposedly the invite was on the table. Crapp State fans still think "we stole their invite".

(04-17-2014 11:58 AM)RedParallax Wrote:  

(04-17-2014 11:51 AM)919R Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:45 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:43 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:38 PM)baruna falls Wrote:  Sun Belt approached ECU right before we left for the AAC.

I bet your administration couldn't keep a straight face during that conversation.

I believe they contacted Marshall, ECU, UAB and Southern Miss about joining. I respect their efforts, but it just wasn't happening.

It was widely reported that the SBC invited Charlotte back in 2012, but we declined.

Had Charlotte been invited to CUSA just yet? Would be interesting to know if Charlotte declined SBC with no CUSA invite pending.

No, but we weren't willing to completely sell out the basketball team to join the SBC.

The administration knew CUSA would be a step down from the A10, but they also believe it can be a multi-bid conference. They did not feel the same about the SBC.

(04-17-2014 12:32 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

(04-17-2014 11:58 AM)RedParallax Wrote:  

(04-17-2014 11:51 AM)919R Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:45 PM)MUsince96 Wrote:  

(04-16-2014 12:43 PM)Niner National Wrote:  

I bet your administration couldn't keep a straight face during that conversation.

I believe they contacted Marshall, ECU, UAB and Southern Miss about joining. I respect their efforts, but it just wasn't happening.

It was widely reported that the SBC invited Charlotte back in 2012, but we declined.

Had Charlotte been invited to CUSA just yet? Would be interesting to know if Charlotte declined SBC with no CUSA invite pending.

No, but we weren't willing to completely sell out the basketball team to join the SBC.

The administration knew CUSA would be a step down from the A10, but they also believe it can be a multi-bid conference. They did not feel the same about the SBC.

A year or two prior to getting invites from CUSA and Sun Belt, Charlotte was seeking football-only membership in the SoCon, CAA, Big South and maybe some other FCS conferences. Each one of those conferences wanted us to join as full members and we turned them down. This was when we only had FCS ambitions and needed a home to make scheduling less difficult.

(04-17-2014 09:38 AM)mufanatehc Wrote:  True, but CUSA had academic peers for Rice when they joined (Tulane, SMU, Tulsa)

Tulane yes, SMU probably, but Tulsa not so much.

Most likely the school and conference aren't going to say "We appreciate the offer, but no thanks", since that's just a bit rude.

(04-16-2014 10:24 AM)Rabonchild Wrote:  Has C-USA ever extended an official invitation to a school to join the conference and been rejected by that team.

If the key word here is "official", then the answer is definitely no.

Unofficially, it's a bit trickier, but I've never heard of it happening and I doubt that it did. I was paying close attention when the league was getting started in '94-'95 and then for another decade until UTEP agreed to join as the #12 team on April 30, 2004 (it was the Miners or La. Tech).

(04-17-2014 12:54 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(04-17-2014 09:38 AM)mufanatehc Wrote:  True, but CUSA had academic peers for Rice when they joined (Tulane, SMU, Tulsa)

Tulane yes, SMU probably, but Tulsa not so much.

I'm curious why you disregarded Tulsa. I'm not familiar with any details about the academic programs or entrance requirements of the three schools, but I do know that Tulsa's admission rate (40.7%) is lower than SMU's (53.8%).

(04-17-2014 04:40 PM)Volkmar Wrote:  

(04-17-2014 12:54 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(04-17-2014 09:38 AM)mufanatehc Wrote:  True, but CUSA had academic peers for Rice when they joined (Tulane, SMU, Tulsa)

Tulane yes, SMU probably, but Tulsa not so much.

I'm curious why you disregarded Tulsa. I'm not familiar with any details about the academic programs or entrance requirements of the three schools, but I do know that Tulsa's admission rate (40.7%) is lower than SMU's (53.8%).

Tulsa was ranked #86 by the US News and World Report in 2012.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreview...5/rankings

SMU was ranked #60.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreview...rsity-3613

And just for the record, here are the current NATIONAL UNIVERSITY academic rankings according to U S News & World Report for the 2014-2015 CUSA schools. The rankings are 2013 rankings.

Rice - #18
UAB - #152
LA Tech - #190
Charlotte - #201
ODU - N/R
USM - N/R
UNT - N/R
UTEP - N/R
UTSA - N/R
Marshall - N/R
MTSU - N/R
WKU - N/R
FIU - N/R
FAU - N/R

The "not ranked" schools are listed in no particular order.

from what I remember in 2003 When the ACC first announced the raid on the big east it would have left the Big East with five football playing members. At the time CUSA was considered a major conference for basketball. CUSA went after Pitt, WVU, Va Tech, etc. If CUSA had held strong they would have been left with no choice. Pitino made public statements about wanting Louisville to be in the Big East and Louisville made it known to Pitt etc that they would leave if asked. Faced with Louisville jumping ship Cincinnati agreed to go as well. At this point CUSA was forced to look for replacements. The ACC raid hit some snags and they were forced to take Va Tech instead of Cuse and BC was blocked by NC State. Eventually that got worked out and BC left as well which led to USF moving to the big east as well.

At this time CUSA was looking at adding UCF, Toledo, Northern Ill and some others. TCU started a move for bringing in SMU, Rice, and Tulsa so they could be in a conference of their peers. The Eastern members balked. TCU got Tulane on board and then there was talk of trying to create the Magnolia conference again with TCU, Tulane, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, Army, Navy etc. Faced with the defection of TCU and Tulane along with the loss of Louisville, Cinci, and USF in football the Eastern members caved to TCU who promptly announced they were too good to be in a conference with the likes of SMU and Rice and went to the MWC. CUSA them replaced them with UTEP.

Because of the TCU gambit CUSA only offered UCF and Marshall from the MAC. I still hate TCU for what they did but in the long run I think CUSA was better off with what ended up being a southern based conference.

(04-17-2014 08:10 PM)bladhmadh Wrote:  Because of the TCU gambit CUSA only offered UCF and Marshall from the MAC. I still hate TCU for what they did but in the long run I think CUSA was better off with what ended up being a southern based conference.

I haven't gotten over TCU's dishonesty, either. They've now finished 2 years in the Big <12, and may those 2 years in football (11-14) and MBB (20-43) be the blueprint for all the years that follow.

In hindsight, letting the Frogs into the league was the worst strategic decision C-USA has made in 19 years. Should've let them continue to rot in the WAC.

I think James Madison would rather play Old Dominion every year than Liberty.

(04-18-2014 03:00 AM)David Krysakowski Wrote:  I think James Madison would rather play Old Dominion every year than Liberty.

I think they have decided to play Temple every year

I doubt it. you usually don't make a formal invitation without knowing in advance the answer. I have no doubt overtures have been made and turned down. Mia of Oh may be one of those cases. By the time an invite goes out the deal is done.

(04-17-2014 07:36 PM)HogDawg Wrote:  And just for the record, here are the current NATIONAL UNIVERSITY academic rankings according to U S News & World Report for the 2014-2015 CUSA schools. The rankings are 2013 rankings.

Rice - #18
UAB - #152
LA Tech - #190
Charlotte - #201
ODU - N/R
USM - N/R
UNT - N/R
UTEP - N/R
UTSA - N/R
Marshall - N/R
MTSU - N/R
WKU - N/R
FIU - N/R
FAU - N/R

The "not ranked" schools are listed in no particular order.

This just confirms that Rice is on an island.