(10-13-2021 02:06 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 01:51 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:37 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:35 PM)Chappy Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 07:51 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  So Rice badly wants out of CUSA.

Who doesn't?

And he's right about their academics and endowment. Unfortunately, while that counts for something, it doesn't count for as much as, say, a winning football team.

Rice needs to do like SMU did with Larry Brown and make a splash basketball hire to put them on the map in BBall. A small school with high academic standards like Rice will never be able to be consistently good in football, but they could make noise in basketball.

They haven’t been to the ncaa tournament since 1970 and have been to 4 NITs since 1990. They will never be able to make noise in basketball.

SMU was all but the same story and went out and made a splash basketball hire and became relevant immediately. Rice if they wanted to could afford to go hire a Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall, big name with baggage that would make them relevant immediately.

SMU made 4 Ncaa appearances from 1984-1993 and 2 NITs in 1984 and 2000. That’s a lot more respectable than Rice’s post season history.

For an 18 year old kid that wasn't born when any of that happened it's just as ancient and meaningless history. I know this because ECU was in a league with SMU at the time, prior to Larry Brown they were every bit the terrible program that ECU/Tulane/Rice were/are. SMU had the money and the stomach to hire known and proven winner and cheater Larry Brown, and he won almost immediately and of course got busted for cheating almost immediately, but it was completely worth it they became relevant overnight. Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

(10-13-2021 01:20 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:43 PM)Pony94 Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:15 AM)MinerInWisconsin Wrote:  Wouldn't the Rice AD already be aware of interest from the AAC? So is he saying these things to advertise Rice's interest in firming up those interests or is he worried that the AAC is passing on Rice? Is he also saying that the MWC isn't of interest to Rice?

Passing unless firm, significant upgrades committed

Thinking along these lines, yeah: where is Rice’s support coming from? Because i can think of a few who might see them as the anchor they are athletically. SMU maybe more than most. Tulane and Tulsa might be cool with them…have to imagine others won’t be. Like, I don’t know if I’m Temple, I like trading trips to Houston and it NOT being for a Cougars team who shows up and plays well. I don’t think Temple cares much for this addition. Or, rather, I don’t think Philly media likes the conference makeup Temple is in if it adds Rice. Those two aren’t the same.

The folks Temple are disappointed that Houston is leaving. We can only speculate as to what they may think about Rice specifically. But other than having the same concerns as many do regarding Rice’s commitment to athletics (huge concern obviuosly), I can’t think of other reasons for Temple to find Rice objectionable and I can find reasons why they would want Rice as a member.

As for the media, does anyone care about Mike Jensen’s opinion? Even he recently wrote a piece in which he conceded that the AAC is Temple’s best option as long as it’s sponsoring football. Or he was at least forced to do so because of the quotes he got from his interviews.

The Athletic releases an article today where they spoke to various ADs and coaches and listed Rice among then toughest G5/Indy jobs (in terms of being successful). The consensus was whether there was a commitment to football.

https://theathletic.com/2885974/2021/10/...3zy4aYAe92

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:06 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 01:51 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:37 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:35 PM)Chappy Wrote:  Rice needs to do like SMU did with Larry Brown and make a splash basketball hire to put them on the map in BBall. A small school with high academic standards like Rice will never be able to be consistently good in football, but they could make noise in basketball.

They haven’t been to the ncaa tournament since 1970 and have been to 4 NITs since 1990. They will never be able to make noise in basketball.

SMU was all but the same story and went out and made a splash basketball hire and became relevant immediately. Rice if they wanted to could afford to go hire a Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall, big name with baggage that would make them relevant immediately.

SMU made 4 Ncaa appearances from 1984-1993 and 2 NITs in 1984 and 2000. That’s a lot more respectable than Rice’s post season history.

For an 18 year old kid that wasn't born when any of that happened it's just as ancient and meaningless history. I know this because ECU was in a league with SMU at the time, prior to Larry Brown they were every bit the terrible program that ECU/Tulane/Rice were/are. SMU had the money and the stomach to hire known and proven winner and cheater Larry Brown, and he won almost immediately and of course got busted for cheating almost immediately, but it was completely worth it they became relevant overnight. Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

Our second or third largest basketball donor decided that he'd rather self-fund a run for governor of Virginia than further upgrade our basketball program.

Time will tell if that gamble pays off!

But in all seriousness, most Rice fans actually like our current basketball coach. The program is slowly but steadily getting better.

(10-13-2021 01:06 PM)Bogg Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:40 PM)seaking4steel Wrote:  Waiting for All4One to mention how CUSA will survive realignment. Its pretty telling that everyone in the conference has eyes elsewhere.

Oh, they'll survive, at least in a technical sense. They might wind up at 8 with an affiliate or two, but they'll survive. Just aren't enough spots elsewhere for the conference to go away entirely.

There are if AAC goes to 12 and MWC and MAC go to 14. That would leave 16 between SBC and CUSA.

(10-13-2021 01:31 PM)Attackcoog Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 12:42 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 11:41 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:19 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:12 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Rice has always been in a good position to rejoin a better conference. If only it ever really put into its athletics and kept at it as such, their current situation would be much different. Maybe even in a major conference by now. But, they don’t, so, now they’re not.

I mean, we know they’ve been active. Approaching the MWC, approaching the Big XII (maybe more than once)…AAC in its current state is going to be status quo, imo, or, just a shell of what it used to experience in CUSA back in 2010-13. Nothing against the AAC, either, but…if Rice doesn’t get a new home out of this? Fallen waaay back.

I get the impression, too, that they look to Tulane and SMU, when they should look at TCU and Baylor. Or, stop looking with disgust what Houston has been doing. Spend and win to get in.

When you have both Buffalo and Stony Brook spending money to win? I could see both of them leaping in front of Rice for the AAC.

Stony Brook!?!?

They’re in the best media market in the country and nobody knows who they are!

Yeah. That Seawolves 2020 campaign kinda stalled out. They tried to pull a Colorado State and have funds reallocated to expand the stadium (which still wouldn’t meet AAC standards), but got nixed by the governor.

They are well behind Buffalo, who has its own issues. Now, I like Buffalo over Rice for the AAC because they are a more consistent football and basketball program than Rice, but, those “value-add’s” aren’t how these decisions are made. And, again, Buffalo has its own issues, including venue problems of its own.

If you’ve ever actually ever been to Rice stadium you’d know Rice has venue issues as well. You literally pee against a painted wall that drains into a trough. The bones are good—great sight lines and view of the surrounding area---but it’s seriously in need of updating. I mean—the old splinter filled wood benches are long gone—but there is still a lot left to do. For example---the restrooms on the second level don’t even work.

I’ve heard that even the more recent updates didn’t address all of the stadium’s woes. Never been there, but would like to go just because of its history. I suspect that the historical component puts a school like that in a bind. It garners respect, but it’s not fan-friendly anymore with its infrastructure. Like, I couldn’t imagine ripping it down to rebuild, but a face-lift to its inner guts is cost-prohibitive, as well.

Tudor Fieldhouse doesn’t look like much fun. Reminds me of a less open/more dark Tom Gola Arena (where La Salle plays).

It seems that with Rice's AD writing that letter, they may have been passed over. Looks like a hail mary to me. Maybe it's a note, "don't forget about us". I mean every AD in CUSA has made a pitch to the AAC. Every team has some value, potential and strengths. Look the leading candidate, UAB. They didn't have football 4 years ago and only won their first every bowl game a couple years ago. Any team with resources can be successful.

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

(10-13-2021 02:28 PM)DaBigBlue Wrote:  It seems that with Rice's AD writing that letter, they may have been passed over. Looks like a hail mary to me. Maybe it's a note, "don't forget about us". I mean every AD in CUSA has made a pitch to the AAC. Every team has some value, potential and strengths. Look the leading candidate, UAB. They didn't have football 4 years ago and only won their first every bowl game a couple years ago. Any team with resources can be successful.

There was no letter written. This was an interview with the school paper, the Rice Thresher. Nothing earthshaking in the content. And not much revealing either.

(10-13-2021 02:37 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

True there's more to it than just that, but like you said all the issues that make it arguably impossible to win at Rice are self imposed.

(10-13-2021 02:54 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:37 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

True there's more to it than just that, but like you said all the issues that make it arguably impossible to win at Rice are self imposed.

Well if Stanford can win, Rice can win.

(10-13-2021 03:02 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:54 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:37 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

True there's more to it than just that, but like you said all the issues that make it arguably impossible to win at Rice are self imposed.

Well if Stanford can win, Rice can win.

The pool of kids that can meet those academic standards are tiny, and Notre Dame/Stanford/Northwestern are going to get the cream of that crop, and Rice is going to be behind Duke and Vandy as well in that pecking order. You can't swim only in that recruiting pool at the G5 level and win. SMU doesn't swim only in that pool. Even Tulane no longer swims only in that pool. Rice has to be willing to take the types of kids Tulane and SMU take if they want to win. If they only want to take the types of kids Stanford takes they can't win, nowhere near enough exist and Rice is last choice.

(10-13-2021 03:53 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 03:02 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:54 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:37 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

True there's more to it than just that, but like you said all the issues that make it arguably impossible to win at Rice are self imposed.

Well if Stanford can win, Rice can win.

The pool of kids that can meet those academic standards are tiny, and Notre Dame/Stanford/Northwestern are going to get the cream of that crop, and Rice is going to be behind Duke and Vandy as well in that pecking order. You can't swim only in that recruiting pool at the G5 level and win. SMU doesn't swim only in that pool. Even Tulane no longer swims only in that pool. Rice has to be willing to take the types of kids Tulane and SMU take if they want to win. If they only want to take the types of kids Stanford takes they can't win, nowhere near enough exist and Rice is last choice.

It's crazy to me that, with their resources, they could be a good football team next season if they wanted to be. If they've been reaching out to the Big 12 and AAC, why on Earth haven't they flipped that switch?

Houston we have a problem!

(10-13-2021 03:02 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:54 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:37 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

True there's more to it than just that, but like you said all the issues that make it arguably impossible to win at Rice are self imposed.

Well if Stanford can win, Rice can win.

Stanford’s enrollment is considerably larger but I get the point, Rice could fund a competitive program but chooses not to.

Honestly, I kind of don’t blame them—it’s not like the Houston market is suddenly going to convert to Rice fans with a few great seasons.

Maybe some of these urban academic citadels would be better served being beasts in D3 or forming a Patriot/Ivy style FCS conference.

(10-13-2021 04:19 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 03:02 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:54 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:37 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

True there's more to it than just that, but like you said all the issues that make it arguably impossible to win at Rice are self imposed.

Well if Stanford can win, Rice can win.

Stanford’s enrollment is considerably larger but I get the point, Rice could fund a competitive program but chooses not to.

Honestly, I kind of don’t blame them—it’s not like the Houston market is suddenly going to convert to Rice fans with a few great seasons.

Maybe some of these urban academic citadels would be better served being beasts in D3 or forming a Patriot/Ivy style FCS conference.

The problem with an Ivy or D3 strategy is the distances down here. Even 'close' teams like Tulane are further away than the span of the Ivy League or typical D3 conference.

(10-13-2021 11:41 AM)esayem Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:19 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 10:12 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  Rice has always been in a good position to rejoin a better conference. If only it ever really put into its athletics and kept at it as such, their current situation would be much different. Maybe even in a major conference by now. But, they don’t, so, now they’re not.

I mean, we know they’ve been active. Approaching the MWC, approaching the Big XII (maybe more than once)…AAC in its current state is going to be status quo, imo, or, just a shell of what it used to experience in CUSA back in 2010-13. Nothing against the AAC, either, but…if Rice doesn’t get a new home out of this? Fallen waaay back.

I get the impression, too, that they look to Tulane and SMU, when they should look at TCU and Baylor. Or, stop looking with disgust what Houston has been doing. Spend and win to get in.

When you have both Buffalo and Stony Brook spending money to win? I could see both of them leaping in front of Rice for the AAC.

Stony Brook!?!?

They’re in the best media market in the country and nobody knows who they are!

You're more likely to see Albany and that isn't happening.

(10-13-2021 04:55 PM)loki_the_bubba Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 04:19 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 03:02 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:54 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:37 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

True there's more to it than just that, but like you said all the issues that make it arguably impossible to win at Rice are self imposed.

Well if Stanford can win, Rice can win.

Stanford’s enrollment is considerably larger but I get the point, Rice could fund a competitive program but chooses not to.

Honestly, I kind of don’t blame them—it’s not like the Houston market is suddenly going to convert to Rice fans with a few great seasons.

Maybe some of these urban academic citadels would be better served being beasts in D3 or forming a Patriot/Ivy style FCS conference.

The problem with an Ivy or D3 strategy is the distances down here. Even 'close' teams like Tulane are further away than the span of the Ivy League or typical D3 conference.

There’s a D3 conference of all AAU schools that has a giant footprint. This would be a similar idea

(10-13-2021 04:19 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 03:02 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:54 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:37 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

True there's more to it than just that, but like you said all the issues that make it arguably impossible to win at Rice are self imposed.

Well if Stanford can win, Rice can win.

Stanford’s enrollment is considerably larger but I get the point, Rice could fund a competitive program but chooses not to.

Honestly, I kind of don’t blame them—it’s not like the Houston market is suddenly going to convert to Rice fans with a few great seasons.

Maybe some of these urban academic citadels would be better served being beasts in D3 or forming a Patriot/Ivy style FCS conference.

You don't think so? Texans are terrible. If the cougars keep being terrible at football in the Big 12, and the rockets have a bad season, a 10-win Rice would be a hot ticket.

Look at Miami. They are another small private(lol) with a terrible pro football franchise in town. (and if any of you are old enough to be Dan Marino fans, shoosh)

(10-13-2021 04:19 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 03:02 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:54 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:37 PM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(10-13-2021 02:16 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Unlike UTSA or sadly even ECU Rice if they just decided they wanted to do it could go drop huge money to hire insert your massive name coach with baggage. They could go pay Rick Pitino or Greg Marshall 3 million a year to come coach at Rice, and Rice would instantly be nationally relevant. The only thing stopping Rice from doing something like that is Rice themselves.

QFT, though, culturally, Rice would also have to challenge its recruiting practices and maybe try for kids it may have previously passed on, too. It’s a bigger lift for the school than it appears, but, yeah, Rice itself put that on its own back.

True there's more to it than just that, but like you said all the issues that make it arguably impossible to win at Rice are self imposed.

Well if Stanford can win, Rice can win.

Stanford’s enrollment is considerably larger but I get the point, Rice could fund a competitive program but chooses not to.

Honestly, I kind of don’t blame them—it’s not like the Houston market is suddenly going to convert to Rice fans with a few great seasons.

Maybe some of these urban academic citadels would be better served being beasts in D3 or forming a Patriot/Ivy style FCS conference.

The problem for Rice is that there is noone else around ike them in Division 3 or like a patriot/Ivy school. The nearest such schools are in the UAA-Washington, Mo. and Emory.

So they need to try to get with SMU and Tulane.