I know this seems far fetched but we are seeing a lot of movement around Texas lately, and I have the feeling that Rice is looking at the bottom line more than any other school.
The Old SWC is actually the ideal model in todays climate.
We know that genie is never going back in the bottle (and logistics make this impossible) but if there is ever a time to bend rules it's in our new Covid reality.

So lets imagine that, as the last former SWC school standing, Rice is able to reinvent the SWC.

What 9 teams could they cobble together into a decent league?
Here are the 9 members I could imagine being in Rice's new SWC. This would be a cool league with regional appeal.
It's not the old SWC but none of the reimagined conferences (like the new big east, new WAC, etc) are even close to what they were.

New Southwest Conference

Rice Owls
Arkansas State Red Wolves
North Texas Mean Green
Texas State Bobcats
UTEP Miners
UTSA Roadrunners
University of Louisiana Ragin Cajuns
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Though note that the Big12, with Texas, TCU, Baylor and Texas Tech, playing in a single round robin, would be closer to "what the SWC was" than that conference, while at least the Big East is closer to the "original" Big East than any other conference.

On the original question, under the current CFP system, none of the schools Rice would need to get signed on in order to get the OTHER schools signed on would be willing to give up the Access Bowl race, and also give up the fight for the Tourney autobid for seven years.

If the 12 team CFP gets up, where the Access Bowl race is changed into the fight to be among the top six FBS champions, maybe the door opens a crack, but even then it's not very likely.

The Southland Conference, even after the raids, and 50% of a once-again large WAC are already like a new SWC. They're just not FBS, nor do they have an old line SWC member in it.

Really this is just another C-USA/SB rearrangement thread.

(07-09-2021 11:24 PM)TroyTBoy Wrote:  I know this seems far fetched but we are seeing a lot of movement around Texas lately, and I have the feeling that Rice is looking at the bottom line more than any other school.
The Old SWC is actually the ideal model in todays climate.
We know that genie is never going back in the bottle (and logistics make this impossible) but if there is ever a time to bend rules it's in our new Covid reality.

So lets imagine that, as the last former SWC school standing, Rice is able to reinvent the SWC.

What 9 teams could they cobble together into a decent league?
Here are the 9 members I could imagine being in Rice's new SWC. This would be a cool league with regional appeal.
It's not the old SWC but none of the reimagined conferences (like the new big east, new WAC, etc) are even close to what they were.

New Southwest Conference

Rice Owls
Arkansas State Red Wolves
North Texas Mean Green
Texas State Bobcats
UTEP Miners
UTSA Roadrunners
University of Louisiana Ragin Cajuns
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Southern Miss Golden Eagles

I like that conference.

It's debatable that the Big East isn't even close to what it was. Providence, UConn, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, and Georgetown were 6 of the 9 1980's Big East members, and they all play double round robin as they did back then. Only Syracuse, Pitt, and Boston College are missing from the classic lineup.

Now the WAC... only one has been a member since 2005 (New Mexico State), and only two for just 10 years (Seattle). That one is a different story.

There won't be a truly new conference as long as the NCAA restricts automatic bids to the basketball tournament.

Besides, if Rice is the only school from the old Southwest Conference, is it really the Southwest Conference? The best you can realistically hope for at this point is Rice, SMU, and Houston all in the same conference - Houston and SMU aren't downgrading from the American. Maybe if the Big 12 is left for dead, with both TCU and Baylor left behind, you might get to five programs from the original SWC. Even then you'll likely have a "non-Texas" division as Iowa State and Kansas State would also likely be stranded.

If you truly want an all-Texas conference, the most likely path to that is for C-USA to lose everyone east of Houston. Texas State (Sun Belt) would be next in line, then C-USA raids the FCS WAC (Lamar, Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston, Tarleton State). It would be questionable whether UTEP would allow NMSU into C-USA, but this might be the one situation where UTEP wouldn't really have a choice but to do so. The only connection to the old SWC would be Rice, which is not enough to truly capitalize on any nostalgia factor.

Might as well toss in ULM too and have divisional play.

(07-10-2021 08:05 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  Might as well toss in ULM too and have divisional play.

NMSU would be a better add. ULM focuses a lot of their recruiting and scheduling in the east.

(07-10-2021 07:08 AM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  It's debatable that the Big East isn't even close to what it was. Providence, UConn, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, and Georgetown were 6 of the 9 1980's Big East members, and they all play double round robin as they did back then. Only Syracuse, Pitt, and Boston College are missing from the classic lineup.

The Big East is doing fine and comparable to any era except the 2005-2013 pressure cooker with Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia, etc. The schools get along and no one is looking elsewhere.

DePaul is the only serious laggard in the league but there was always a sunken log at the end of the conference over the years (Miami, Rutgers, South Florida)

(07-09-2021 11:24 PM)TroyTBoy Wrote:  I know this seems far fetched but we are seeing a lot of movement around Texas lately, and I have the feeling that Rice is looking at the bottom line more than any other school.
The Old SWC is actually the ideal model in todays climate.
We know that genie is never going back in the bottle (and logistics make this impossible) but if there is ever a time to bend rules it's in our new Covid reality.

So lets imagine that, as the last former SWC school standing, Rice is able to reinvent the SWC.

What 9 teams could they cobble together into a decent league?
Here are the 9 members I could imagine being in Rice's new SWC. This would be a cool league with regional appeal.
It's not the old SWC but none of the reimagined conferences (like the new big east, new WAC, etc) are even close to what they were.

New Southwest Conference

Rice Owls
Arkansas State Red Wolves
North Texas Mean Green
Texas State Bobcats
UTEP Miners
UTSA Roadrunners
University of Louisiana Ragin Cajuns
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Southern Miss Golden Eagles

This is basically just a rehash of the discussion about combining CUSA and the Sun Belt and splitting them east-west into different conferences. This is basically just the western version of these proposals. It's just not going to happen without something big shaking up college football.

East:
UAB
USA
USM
Ark St
ULM
ULL

West:
LA Tech
UNT
UTSA
Texas St
Rice
UTEP

Hard pass.

MW or stay put for this UTEP fan.

Some of y'all are making this fantasy much more complicated that it has to be. There is no need to drag ULM into this discussion. Also, when the SWC folded, their were only 8 programs in the conference. Arkansas had already left for the SEC, so why add have more than 8. There is no economic incentive to have more than what is required, so this new SWC won't need Texas State either. This lineup would work well...

New SWC
Rice
North Texas
UTEP
UTSA
Southern Miss
LA Tech
ULL
Arkansas State

Plus, revive the Bluebonnet Bowl at Rice Stadium and have the conference own the bowl game. I'm generally not a fan of regional conferences, but the idea of starting a new SWC is an intriguing idea.

(07-10-2021 08:50 AM)DFW HOYA Wrote:  

(07-10-2021 07:08 AM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  It's debatable that the Big East isn't even close to what it was. Providence, UConn, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova, and Georgetown were 6 of the 9 1980's Big East members, and they all play double round robin as they did back then. Only Syracuse, Pitt, and Boston College are missing from the classic lineup.

The Big East is doing fine and comparable to any era except the 2005-2013 pressure cooker with Louisville, Cincinnati, West Virginia, etc. The schools get along and no one is looking elsewhere.

DePaul is the only serious laggard in the league but there was always a sunken log at the end of the conference over the years (Miami, Rutgers, South Florida)

Big East schools love DePaul - everyone needs a win in conference play & chance to engage alumni & future students in Chicago.

(07-09-2021 11:24 PM)TroyTBoy Wrote:  I know this seems far fetched but we are seeing a lot of movement around Texas lately, and I have the feeling that Rice is looking at the bottom line more than any other school.
The Old SWC is actually the ideal model in todays climate.
We know that genie is never going back in the bottle (and logistics make this impossible) but if there is ever a time to bend rules it's in our new Covid reality.

So lets imagine that, as the last former SWC school standing, Rice is able to reinvent the SWC.

What 9 teams could they cobble together into a decent league?
Here are the 9 members I could imagine being in Rice's new SWC. This would be a cool league with regional appeal.
It's not the old SWC but none of the reimagined conferences (like the new big east, new WAC, etc) are even close to what they were.

New Southwest Conference

Rice Owls
Arkansas State Red Wolves
North Texas Mean Green
Texas State Bobcats
UTEP Miners
UTSA Roadrunners
University of Louisiana Ragin Cajuns
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
Southern Miss Golden Eagles

Looks more like a new South Central Conference than a southwest conference. UTEP is really the only school that is not in the central time zone

(07-10-2021 09:28 AM)dawgonit Wrote:  This is basically just a rehash of the discussion about combining CUSA and the Sun Belt and splitting them east-west into different conferences. This is basically just the western version of these proposals. It's just not going to happen without something big shaking up college football.

Yeah, more AAC fans and Sunbelt fans spinning their wheels when there is nothing here to see. Looking forward to the 2021 football season instead of this silliness.

(07-09-2021 11:24 PM)TroyTBoy Wrote:  I know this seems far fetched but we are seeing a lot of movement around Texas lately, and I have the feeling that Rice is looking at the bottom line more than any other school.

I think this is where you got off on the wrong foot. The current 5-year athletics strategic plan is anything but focus on the bottom line.

https://riceowls.com/documents/2019/4/7/...df?id=8790

Rice is making progress on building the $100M athletics endowment (Stanford model) that will keep our spending near the top of C-USA and in line with programs in the AAC and MWC.

Outside of a Big 12 invite, the closest SWC-like scenario for Rice would be invited to the AAC and be put in the West division, but I don’t think the AAC is interested.

(07-10-2021 01:04 PM)ESE84 Wrote:  

(07-09-2021 11:24 PM)TroyTBoy Wrote:  I know this seems far fetched but we are seeing a lot of movement around Texas lately, and I have the feeling that Rice is looking at the bottom line more than any other school.

I think this is where you got off on the wrong foot. The current 5-year athletics strategic plan is anything but focus on the bottom line.

https://riceowls.com/documents/2019/4/7/...df?id=8790

Rice is making progress on building the $100M athletics endowment (Stanford model) that will keep our spending near the top of C-USA and in line with programs in the AAC and MWC.

How much of that $100 million has Rice raised so far?

Speaking of Rice and Stanford, how is it that Stanford, despite being in an NFL market and having high academic standards, has managed to keep a strong athletic program but Rice hasn’t?