With the departure of UTA, all of a sudden Texas State is the lone Texas school in the Sunbelt.

It's widely known that the MWC was in talks with the 3 new AAC schools before they made their choices. Since the Colorado schools made known their preference for a member in Texas, Texas State and UTEP are the last options for the MWC.

If approached in the future (most likely before the MWC Fox and CBS deals end), would Texas State have enough to gain by going West, to join the Mountain West and leave their Eastern Sunbelt home?

I've always believed in the superiority of Eastern orientation. However, Texas State hasn't exactly been tearing up the Sunbelt. The addition of 3 new members in the East (ODU, Marshall, and JMU) also makes Texas State more alienated culturally.

IMO, the MWC has almost run out of options for future growth. Texas State also has good facilities that would fit in well out West. Could a potential TSU-MWC marriage be transformative and unlock the brand potential that the Bobcats leadership anticipated when they renamed their campus "Texas State University"?

Or are they better positioned to realize their potential in the new Sunbelt?

The MWC isn't taking a project in Texas. Now if Texas State and one other Texas school show they can win now consistently, maybe. The problem is that #14 would realistically be Sam Houston a minimum of 5 years from now given no one is leaving the American.

The only MWC school willing to switch divisions is Boise State, who wants to be in the West. That likely limits the MWC to 14 without making a dip into FCS for Sacramento State, Cal Poly, or UC Davis - even then, there would be some awkwardness with having a third school in the Central Time Zone.

Its hard for me to even imagine a scenario where the Mountain West would even look at a school of Texas States caliber. Not to mention their location compared to Mountain West schools, their institutional profile, and the fact that its in Texas.

It would be a big, hard, definite no from the MW. The fact that Texas State feels lonely isn't anyone's issue but their own.

Are we sure the Sun Belt would even be sad to see them go? Texas State's football program is a disaster and not getting better anytime soon. Basketball is decent but nothing overly impressive. And the Sun Belt increasingly has an eastern orientation.

In some world where Memphis and Boise State head to the Big 12, I could see the MW approaching SMU, with possible mutual interest.

The conference SMU joined in 2013 briefly had Louisville and Rutgers, and had UConn (basketball power, not football), Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston. Subtract Memphis as well, and it's a very different lineupnfor the Mustangs. Add in a bunch of former C-USA pOtEnTiAl, and the AAC's appeal likely lost a lot of luster.

It wouldn't be a slam dunk, but I think SMU would certainly listen to overtures from a MW trying to replace Boise State, and getting into Texas in the process. The MW does have a lot of good stuff, with a mix of land grants, flagships, a military academy, major cities, fan support, and solid basketball. It's geographic isolation will limit it from major raids. I would bet on its long term viability over the AAC's.

I say all that recognizing SMU has lots of reasons to stay in the AAC. There are schools I bet they're happy to affiliate with: Navy, Tulane, Rice, Tulsa. There are three other Texas schools. It's a solid G5. As another poster said, it has an eastern presence, which has a ton of benefits.

To the OP: I had kicked the idea of TXST --> MW for a while in the fall, but I think they would only be a backup after any of the current or incoming AAC schools or maybe even UTEP.

(01-25-2022 08:08 AM)Michael in Raleigh Wrote:  In some world where Memphis and Boise State head to the Big 12, I could see the MW approaching SMU, with possible mutual interest.

The conference SMU joined in 2013 briefly had Louisville and Rutgers, and had UConn (basketball power, not football), Cincinnati, UCF, and Houston. Subtract Memphis as well, and it's a very different lineupnfor the Mustangs. Add in a bunch of former C-USA pOtEnTiAl, and the AAC's appeal likely lost a lot of luster.

It wouldn't be a slam dunk, but I think SMU would certainly listen to overtures from a MW trying to replace Boise State, and getting into Texas in the process. The MW does have a lot of good stuff, with a mix of land grants, flagships, a military academy, major cities, fan support, and solid basketball. It's geographic isolation will limit it from major raids. I would bet on its long term viability over the AAC's.

I say all that recognizing SMU has lots of reasons to stay in the AAC. There are schools I bet they're happy to affiliate with: Navy, Tulane, Rice, Tulsa. There are three other Texas schools. It's a solid G5. As another poster said, it has an eastern presence, which has a ton of benefits.

To the OP: I had kicked the idea of TXST --> MW for a while in the fall, but I think they would only be a backup after any of the current or incoming AAC schools or maybe even UTEP.

Well framed, MinR. I agree with all this.

I’m not even sure UTEP wants to go west and they are west.

Would have to be more money per with long term in mind as well.

Or, desperation.

Texas state is fine right where they are; if nothing else, geography is way worse ( closet conference foe would be UNM, which is still nearly 11 hours away). Even if they were to add another Texas school, I would think that only happens after the likes of Boise and perhaps SDSU leave which significantly weakens the conference.

Texas state has the budget, the facilities and location to dominate the belt; they just need the right leadership to get them over the hump and get rolling.

It’s time for G5 to think out of the box, be strong, and work together.

That way no more ridiculous conference makeups and it won’t matter who Little12 takes if they decide to become C-USA v6.1b(x/n/c).

Texas State doesn’t have this choice.

I think the MWC is more primed to pull a couple of schools from the AAC, depending on if the Big 12 expands and who they take. If they do expand and take Memphis and USF, I think you see SMU start to explore their options outside of the AAC.

The MWC's only expansion priority at the moment appears to be courting Gonzaga as a 12th basketball member to balance Hawaii's football-only membership. We know the MWC has approached the Zags in the past, and there's an unconfirmed assertion by an MWC board poster who claims to have contacts in the Gonzaga athletic department that the conference and school are still talking.

With respect to football, I expect the MWC to stand pat unless and until an opportunity comes along to add new members that strengthen both its football competitiveness and marketability. While I've always liked Texas State's long-term potential, the Bobcats still have a long way to go to meet those criteria.

Texas State won't happen because the MW is more likely to wait for the higher conf's to make any moves around 24-25'. If Memphis gets the call and SMU doesn't I think the MW approaches SMU and maybe even UTSA. In addition I could see the conf adding Gonzaga and Wich St. for Olys as well.

(01-25-2022 05:07 AM)TroyTBoy Wrote:  With the departure of UTA, all of a sudden Texas State is the lone Texas school in the Sunbelt.

It's widely known that the MWC was in talks with the 3 new AAC schools before they made their choices. Since the Colorado schools made known their preference for a member in Texas, Texas State and UTEP are the last options for the MWC.

If approached in the future (most likely before the MWC Fox and CBS deals end), would Texas State have enough to gain by going West, to join the Mountain West and leave their Eastern Sunbelt home?

I've always believed in the superiority of Eastern orientation. However, Texas State hasn't exactly been tearing up the Sunbelt. The addition of 3 new members in the East (ODU, Marshall, and JMU) also makes Texas State more alienated culturally.

IMO, the MWC has almost run out of options for future growth. Texas State also has good facilities that would fit in well out West. Could a potential TSU-MWC marriage be transformative and unlock the brand potential that the Bobcats leadership anticipated when they renamed their campus "Texas State University"?

Or are they better positioned to realize their potential in the new Sunbelt?

Chart obviously done by an App St. fan. They are near the bottom of the Sun Belt in P5 potential. Arkansas St. is near the bottom as well but they have them as #3.

(01-25-2022 09:35 AM)esayem Wrote:  Texas State doesn’t have this choice.

Right. UNT might have. That may be why the AAC went to 14, to keep UNT out of the MWC. Charlotte or UTSA have the MWC's interest in UNT/UTSA/Rice to thank for their admittance into the AAC.

If Texas State is offered a position in the MWC, they should jump/run at the opportunity. It's a far better conference than Texas State could hope to join.

That being said, If the AAC loses Memphis and the MWC loses Boise State, I don't see why either SMU or SMU/Rice/Navy wouldn't all join the MWC. It has a much better mix of state flagships, armed forces academies, land grants, etc than the AAC. And being in the Mountain time zone, there's not much further chance of them being raided.

The Sun Belt West is better for Texas State geographically than the MWC Mountain would be. If Texas State were to really make a move they would probably would want to link up with UTSA, UNT, and Rice more than the MWC teams.

Would the SBC be sad if Texas State wanted to leave? I'm not sure. I think there would be fans from other schools who wouldn't care and some who would.

Texas State should worry more about becoming a competitive force in the Sun Belt more than moving conferences.

The TCU MWC experiment worked out pretty well for everyone. If TXState was willing to fund the entire AD program to make the move it could just might work.

(01-25-2022 05:07 AM)TroyTBoy Wrote:  With the departure of UTA, all of a sudden Texas State is the lone Texas school in the Sunbelt.

It's widely known that the MWC was in talks with the 3 new AAC schools before they made their choices. Since the Colorado schools made known their preference for a member in Texas, Texas State and UTEP are the last options for the MWC.

If approached in the future (most likely before the MWC Fox and CBS deals end), would Texas State have enough to gain by going West, to join the Mountain West and leave their Eastern Sunbelt home?

I've always believed in the superiority of Eastern orientation. However, Texas State hasn't exactly been tearing up the Sunbelt. The addition of 3 new members in the East (ODU, Marshall, and JMU) also makes Texas State more alienated culturally.

IMO, the MWC has almost run out of options for future growth. Texas State also has good facilities that would fit in well out West. Could a potential TSU-MWC marriage be transformative and unlock the brand potential that the Bobcats leadership anticipated when they renamed their campus "Texas State University"?

Or are they better positioned to realize their potential in the new Sunbelt?

Eh, the bolded is news to me, LOL.

My belief all along is that the MW would be unwise to take anyone in Texas other than SMU. If they can't lure SMU away from the AAC, nobody else (in the G5) is worth it. So I don't see why they would have wanted UTSA, UNT or Rice.

Or Texas State.

To me, the MW is not a conference that needs new members or further growth. They are in the best position of any G5 conference moving forward.

As for Texas State, I think the SBC is a good place for them right now.

(01-25-2022 12:06 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(01-25-2022 05:07 AM)TroyTBoy Wrote:  With the departure of UTA, all of a sudden Texas State is the lone Texas school in the Sunbelt.

It's widely known that the MWC was in talks with the 3 new AAC schools before they made their choices. Since the Colorado schools made known their preference for a member in Texas, Texas State and UTEP are the last options for the MWC.

If approached in the future (most likely before the MWC Fox and CBS deals end), would Texas State have enough to gain by going West, to join the Mountain West and leave their Eastern Sunbelt home?

I've always believed in the superiority of Eastern orientation. However, Texas State hasn't exactly been tearing up the Sunbelt. The addition of 3 new members in the East (ODU, Marshall, and JMU) also makes Texas State more alienated culturally.

IMO, the MWC has almost run out of options for future growth. Texas State also has good facilities that would fit in well out West. Could a potential TSU-MWC marriage be transformative and unlock the brand potential that the Bobcats leadership anticipated when they renamed their campus "Texas State University"?

Or are they better positioned to realize their potential in the new Sunbelt?

Chart obviously done by an App St. fan. They are near the bottom of the Sun Belt in P5 potential. Arkansas St. is near the bottom as well but they have them as #3.

bullet,

It was done by athleticdirectoru. They did one on many D1 conferences.

https://athleticdirectoru.com/articles/a...-sun-belt/

I wonder if you have an axe to grind with App State and the Sun Belt. Disparaging comments about the school and the league go back years.