(06-13-2021 10:40 AM)BlueDragon Wrote: (06-12-2021 05:07 PM)FirstandGoal Wrote: (06-12-2021 04:25 PM)Todor Wrote: (06-12-2021 01:04 PM)Bobcat2013 Wrote: (06-12-2021 10:38 AM)YesCubanB Wrote: Also IntermentTexan talked about the “efficiency” of Texas schools that we are going to witness. You know efficiency from a state that can’t even keep the power running if the weather dips below 30 degrees.
Ngl, thats kind of a low blow there, it was way colder than that.
As to your main point though I still dont see what has changed about any of these schools to make them more qualified to be FBS than the last time they got passed over. I know people like to use the word potential but then why havent they met this potential after 100+years of existing?
Precisely. And the answer is nothing. Its the first time I have heard of changing conferences before doing the the study to see if the reason for the change makes sense or is feasible. And to explain it, referencing the future study as some kind of "proof" of why the move makes sense.
I can't speak about any of the other Texas schools but I am pretty sure Lamar was looking for an FBS conference twelve years ago but none would offer them a spot. In about 2007 or 2008 when they announced their intention to restart the football program the intent was to get to a FBS conference. Lamar has the facilities to meet FBS capacity minimums and I am sure there is enough financial support if a small addition to seating is necessary to make it happen. The bigger question is can they get attendance, but who you play has an effect on that so if seats sold counts as opposed to butts in the stands I believe that is achievable also.
Lamar over time has just ended up in the wrong part of Beaumont. Sitting next to Petrochemical Plants doesn’t do much for the University. The area is just not the greatest. Although nice to have the stadium on campus I think it would’ve been a better idea to have located out on I10. Ford Park stole that idea I guess.
I have to agree with you about the location of the campus. I'd support moving the campus if we could get a StarTrek transporter to move it where we wanted. On the good side, the campus is located next to two freeways and a few miles from IH10 so access is easy. The campus is also centrally located for much of the student population.
I agree some folks don't care for the area. I personally found a lot of good points when I grew up and lived there. I liked it there. I might still be there if I hadn't been transferred away. It's a great area for people who like boating, fishing, and water skiing. The Neches River is great for boating and water-skiing. Fishing is pretty good up river north of the Neches River / Pine Island Bayou confluence. That's where the Neches River Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve starts. Driving, the southern part of the Big Thicket Preserve starts at the Beaumont city limit at Pine Island Bayou.
Heading north, there are two major lakes (Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend) within an hour's drive. Going the other direction, the Gulf is about 30 miles away. My wife and I like touring older homes and buildings as well as museums. There are several in the area if you are into that type of thing. If you are a bird watcher (I'm not), the area is part of flyways for several birds. If you want big city, but don't want to spend all your time there, downtown Houston is only 80 miles away. Galveston is about the same distance while driving along the coast possibly stopping at several public beaches on the way there. Louisiana is 30 miles the other direction. The winters are usually comfortable. I used to start swimming as early as February, and start water-skiiing at least by late March or Apriil. The water was still cold that early, but it was comfortable out of the water. To contrast, we're just having our "spring" pollen where I now live, and had snow on the ground a couple of weeks ago.
On the bad side, the humidity is bad meaning often around 90-100%. When i was growing up, one could always tell when the wind was blowing from the north because of the odor from the papermill in Evadale. The area is highly industrialized with numerous petro-chemical plants. Some folks don't care for that. I worked in the energy business so I had no problems. Plus, I could get into the woods or on the river in a few minutes and get away from the industry if I wanted to. I could be at beaches in less than an hour if I wanted some variety.
To get this back to the WAC, I believe the conference is well positioned for taking one of many paths. I'm for a move to FBS, but would accept another path as well.
One of the advantages I see with the changes and new membership is an excuse to see a lot more of the western US. I like to visit college and university campuses. I'll have a bunch of new ones on my todo list now. The "Boss" and I haven't been to Seattle, St. George, or Stephenville, yet. We've only driven through Las Cruces, but liked what we saw. We drove through Riverside on our way back from Santa Barbara several years ago. That was a nice drive. I used to live in Sacramento so I have one of the associates covered. It has been so long that I probably need a refresher, though.