UT Dallas moving to NCAA division II and the Lone Star Conference.

A great move for them. I hope this is a step to eventually reclassifying to division I. Even with this "upward" move, this is not even close to reflecting the stature of the university. UTD is R1 and Texas Tier One. They would make a fantastic natural rival for UTA. Best of luck to the Comets.

https://utdcomets.com/news/2023/7/19/bas...rence.aspx

How long does a D-III to D-II transfer take? I wonder if this means the WAC is looking at new members in TX via the Lonestar Conference.

UTD has a lot of potential. Long term (very long term mind you) they have the potential to be Dallas's team rather than SMU.

Long-time coming. Very underrated university.

Future Southland or WAC school. DavidSt has been calling this for years.

A school in a weird spot. Way too big to be in D3 but at the same time they're in the middle of a heavily saturated sports market, not even counting for the fact the UT/A&M/OU the region's main teams as far as fan support. I do agree with OP that their ceiling could be as a UTA rival but the idea that they'll ever have football and become Dallas's team is not realistic.

They don't have a football program.

(07-20-2023 04:42 PM)Just Joe Wrote:  A school in a weird spot. Way too big to be in D3 but at the same time they're in the middle of a heavily saturated sports market, not even counting for the fact the UT/A&M/OU the region's main teams as far as fan support. I do agree with OP that their ceiling could be as a UTA rival but the idea that they'll ever have football and become Dallas's team is not realistic.

This is true. Its reputation is as a tech school and as a nerd school. It's a big school, and it's well regarded academically.

There's just not enough oxygen for it to get much of a fan base. Sure, the Metroplex is big and growing fast. But it is indeed a heavily saturated sports market, starting with the four pro franchises.

UTD will do well in Division II as long as they fund it properly.

I think this post is correct: their ceiling is as a rival to UTA. But Division I is way down the road for them, if at all.

(07-20-2023 04:42 PM)Just Joe Wrote:  A school in a weird spot. Way too big to be in D3 but at the same time they're in the middle of a heavily saturated sports market, not even counting for the fact the UT/A&M/OU the region's main teams as far as fan support. I do agree with OP that their ceiling could be as a UTA rival but the idea that they'll ever have football and become Dallas's team is not realistic.

Another strike against them is a large portion of their student body are international students.

(07-20-2023 03:34 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  How long does a D-III to D-II transfer take? I wonder if this means the WAC is looking at new members in TX via the Lonestar Conference.

3 year process beginning in 2024 after D2 accepts them as provisional members. According to the release, they'll join LSC in 2025 and the final year would be 2026.

UT-Dallas has over 20,000 students. I agree they are totally out of place in D3.

UT-Austin is not growing its student body to keep up with the massive growth taking place in Texas, so UTSA, UT-Dallas, UT-Tyler, UTRGV, etc. will all benefit in terms of numbers and quality of their incoming students. UTEP and UTPB maybe not so much because they are so far away from population centers in Dallas/Houston/Austin/San Antonio.

UT-Dallas will eventually be D1. My guess is that a conference will emerge from WAC/Southland/Lone Star with all or almost all members being from Texas.

(07-20-2023 03:34 PM)Troy_Fan_15 Wrote:  How long does a D-III to D-II transfer take? I wonder if this means the WAC is looking at new members in TX via the Lonestar Conference.

It's a 3 year reclassification period for anyone moving to D2 except a D1-to-D2 move is 2 years.

(07-20-2023 03:29 PM)UTArlingtonMaverick Wrote:  UT Dallas moving to NCAA division II and the Lone Star Conference.

A great move for them. I hope this is a step to eventually reclassifying to division I. Even with this "upward" move, this is not even close to reflecting the stature of the university. UTD is R1 and Texas Tier One. They would make a fantastic natural rival for UTA. Best of luck to the Comets.

https://utdcomets.com/news/2023/7/19/bas...rence.aspx

Well that would be a disaster for us. From North Texas, Texas State, Stephen F. Austin, the Sun Belt Conference to UT-Dallas.

They averaged 338 in men's basketball this year in a 20-6 performance. They have an all-time winning percentage of .623. Their gym is the same as the high school my son is zoned for. Can we aim a little higher than this as a rival?

A non-conference game here and there, but nothing about this screams rival at this point in time.

Sure they aren't much to write home now, especially since they were D-III. But as a D-I team they could build a viable program. It would just take some time.

I already struggle with the idea that our peers are passing us up, primarily because we don't sponsor football. We went from being toe-to-toe with TCU in baseball for DFW's premier program to an NCAA tourney drought past a decade now with the Frogs and DBU making national noise. Our basketball team briefly tasted a glimpse of what we could be and made a decision that put us back in the stone age. The women's basketball team hit a snag with injuries to go from preseason favorites to the eighth seed. Volleyball used to compete with Texas-Austin for State's best program and now we haven't made a tourney in two decades. Softball, despite P5-caliber player amenities, is mired in mediocrity.

And now, as we watch long-time and former rivals UTSA and North Texas go to the AAC, the Sun Belt elevate its performance and perception, lost Sam Houston in joining CUSA, we're looking at the Comets to take their place.

It's too bad chess isn't an NCAA sport; UTD would already be Division I in that....

(07-20-2023 03:35 PM)C2__ Wrote:  UTD has a lot of potential. Long term (very long term mind you) they have the potential to be Dallas's team rather than SMU.

They should maybe start by trying to become Richardson's team.

(07-20-2023 11:42 PM)FoUTASportscaster Wrote:  I already struggle with the idea that our peers are passing us up, primarily because we don't sponsor football. We went from being toe-to-toe with TCU in baseball for DFW's premier program to an NCAA tourney drought past a decade now with the Frogs and DBU making national noise. Our basketball team briefly tasted a glimpse of what we could be and made a decision that put us back in the stone age. The women's basketball team hit a snag with injuries to go from preseason favorites to the eighth seed. Volleyball used to compete with Texas-Austin for State's best program and now we haven't made a tourney in two decades. Softball, despite P5-caliber player amenities, is mired in mediocrity.

And now, as we watch long-time and former rivals UTSA and North Texas go to the AAC, the Sun Belt elevate its performance and perception, lost Sam Houston in joining CUSA, we're looking at the Comets to take their place.

UTA should have never dropped football in the first place, or they would still be in the SBC or be now in the AAC instead of Rice.

(07-20-2023 04:22 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Future Southland or WAC school. DavidSt has been calling this for years.

Not happening. He also called NIU and NDSU to the Big 12. How are those calls going?

For all the experts here, which current D1 school started as D3, and made the transition from D3 to D2 and D2 to D1?

Obviously, St Thomas does not count.