UTEP and football alliance breakdown?

I'm saying this looks to be the best divisional makeup when UTEP's Conference USA and the Mountain West form an alliance in football.

Basically, the Mountain West accepts UTEP as a member — in all sports.

There could even be these subdivisions within the division to help ease travel costs. Remember, you have to pay to fly all sports teams, not just the football team and two basketball teams:

Mountain West

West Division

Fresno State
Hawaii
Nevada
UNLV
———
UTEP
Air Force
Colorado State
New Mexico
Wyoming

Conference-USA

East Division

Southern Mississippi
Rice
Tulane
Tulsa
———
Alabama-Birmingham
East Carolina
Marshall
Memphis

Note: If another school, or two, leave, here are some schools that could fill voids:

West Division

(New Mexico State, Utah State)

East Division

(UT San Antonio, Louisiana Tech)

Comments

[Jefe]

Joe,
You may want to refresh your list.

Nevada, Hawaii & Fresno St. are more than likely, going back to the WAC.
This move will save each school $5 million in exit fees, when they broke from the WAC last year.
The WAC is campaining really hard for the schools to move back!
Air Force will follow Navy in the Big Least.

With TCU leaving & Boise moving all it's other (non-FB) teams back to the WAC.
The Mountain Waah is irrelevant and you still want part of that sinking ship?

[binks]

Nevada and Fresno already said no to the WAC commish about returning. They are going to be in the MWC and/or Alliance. Not the WAC.

Right now, Hawaii is a only a football member of the MWC and/or Alliance. There other sports are still in the WAC.

I hope the Alliance doesn't not add anymore teams. You are only dividing up TV money and profits further by bringing in more teams.

[Jinho Park]

I like an SWC Light the best:

UTEP
NMSU
UTSA
Texas State
Rice
New Mexico
Tulsa
North Texas

It makes economic sense and keeps the UTEP footprint in Texas

[Willie]

North Texas is who they need to target. . . Texas, Dallas area, great in all Olympic sports, good in basketball and getting better in Football. Plus a new stadium.

[JAY BUTLER]

HAVING HAD A CHANCE TO LOOK AT THE BASKETBALL SCHEDULES OF ALL SCHOOL IN THE NATION MOST HAVE PLAYED 8-9 OR EVEN 10 GAMES BY NOW UTEP IS THE ONLY SCHOOL IN THE NATION THAT HAS ONLY PLAYED A MINIMAL 5 GAMES THE LEAST OF ANY SCHOOL. HOW CAN YOU BUILD A WINNING PROGRAM IF THEY DON'T COMPETE AND ARE NOT PLAYING COMPETATIVE GAMES?

[The watcher]

Don't go to the MWC. CUSA should expand itself and not be party to some bastardized conglomeration of conferences.

[LC Ray]

In the last two threads, I've read so many posts describing how UTEP deserves better than we have. In reality our football team isn't now and historically hasn't been a winner. The basketball team hasn't fared well lately. Yet we still have posters writing as if we have control of where we should be. Reality is that UTEP isn't in demand and other organizations will dictate how this all comes out. The only thing UTEP can do is watch out for their own good.

With all these teams moving out of MWC and CUSA, we should remember that these teams are paying exit fees. They are also leaving money behind that the confenences picked up from these teams playing in bowls. So now CUSA would split the pay back of these funds from a 12 way split into a 9 way split. The size of the pay back for each team should increase by 25%. That should make UTEP's shortfall a little easier to take.

If the MWC and CUSA decide that it makes sense for UTEP to move to the MWC, then UTEP would be able to make the move that so many UTEP fans have been clammering for. Could UTEP manage to procure something extra for doing so. Besides a no conference change-over fee, perhaps UTEP could demand to get the higher of the two conference pay out.

As far as MWC and CUSA forming an alliance, that brings them up to a combined 17 teams in football. That alleviates these conferences from having to try and draw in other teams to make up for those leaving. It allows for a championship game, which is big in keeping their TV deals. As for Joe's idea of a new alignment for this new alliance, I see good possibilities in it for UTEP.

[ernestag]

Utah St. won't leave the WAC, New Mexico St. is barely hanging on to it's FBS status. Fresno St., Nevada & Hawai'i are still headed for the Mountain West. The WAC even with the addition of Boise St.'s weak non-football programs is a step down from the MWC. UTEP could move to the MWC along with San Jose St., if Louisiana Tech and North Texas join C-USA. The MWC has already fired the first salvo against the BCS, C-USA should do the same.