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WAC
Oct 28, 2020 11:20:05 GMT -6
Post by Outsider on Oct 28, 2020 11:20:05 GMT -6
Thanks Evan, 1) Define formal and I think you have the answer about invites and SLC schools. 2) The phrases optimal success and ongoing responsibility would mean that everything is considered in any given context and open for discussion.
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WAC
Oct 31, 2020 4:33:38 GMT -6
Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Oct 31, 2020 4:33:38 GMT -6
I’ve been watching WAC message boards as well as the boards of various schools the WAC is rumored to have approached. Here is my take: The WAC clearly intends to add a FCS football conference. The ultimate goal may be to move to FBS but that’s in the future. Until a WAC FBS conference happens NMSU will play football as a FBS independent and in the WAC for other sports.
The conference will be ideally divided into two divisions and consist of teams from Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado & Texas. The new WAC will be made up of current FCS teams from the Big Sky and Southland Conferences as well as move ups from the D2 RMAC and Lone Star. There is also some hope that two current WAC members will opt to add football.
The end result will likely be some combination of the following—
Western Division
Dixie State (current member) Southern Utah Northern Arizona Northern Colorado Weber State CSU Pueblo Colorado Mesa Grand Canyon
Texas Division
Tarleton State Abilene Christian Lamar Sam Houston Stephen F Austin West Texas A&M Angelo State UTRGV
With the right mix this could become a multi bid FCS conference and improve RPI and NET rankings enough for a better single seed or even two bids to the basketball playoffs. Or the WAC’s gambit could fail utterly. The key is to persuade a couple if the more established FCS teams to sign on.
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WAC
Oct 31, 2020 7:57:03 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by jaminthebody on Oct 31, 2020 7:57:03 GMT -6
I’ve been watching WAC message boards as well as the boards of various schools the WAC is rumored to have approached. Here is my take: The WAC clearly intends to add a FCS football conference. The ultimate goal may be to move to FBS but that’s in the future. Until a WAC FBS conference happens NMSU will play football as a FBS independent and in the WAC for other sports. The conference will be ideally divided into two divisions and consist of teams from Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado & Texas. The new WAC will be made up of current FCS teams from the Big Sky and Southland Conferences as well as move ups from the D2 RMAC and Lone Star. There is also some hope that two current WAC members will opt to add football. The end result will likely be some combination of the following— Western Division Dixie State (current member) Southern Utah Northern Arizona Northern Colorado Weber State CSU Pueblo Colorado Mesa Grand Canyon Texas Division Tarleton State Abilene Christian Lamar Sam Houston Stephen F Austin West Texas A&M Angelo State UTRGV With the right mix this could become a multi bid FCS conference and improve RPI and NET rankings enough for a better single seed or even two bids to the basketball playoffs. Or the WAC’s gambit could fail utterly. The key is to persuade a couple if the more established FCS teams to sign on. I’m mostly on board with this, if the plan is to go FBS in the future,the possibility of multiple bids in basketball, and signicantly more media revenue, Is the WAC’s plan to let Chicago State and Seattle walk away or to drop their membership? UNA and NoCo would be great additions. I think the RMAC schools would struggle.
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WAC
Oct 31, 2020 8:28:21 GMT -6
Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Oct 31, 2020 8:28:21 GMT -6
Northern Colorado would help elevate the NET rating for basketball but they are meh for football.
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Post by acutrackfan on Oct 31, 2020 8:59:08 GMT -6
I’ve been watching WAC message boards as well as the boards of various schools the WAC is rumored to have approached. Here is my take: The WAC clearly intends to add a FCS football conference. The ultimate goal may be to move to FBS but that’s in the future. Until a WAC FBS conference happens NMSU will play football as a FBS independent and in the WAC for other sports. The conference will be ideally divided into two divisions and consist of teams from Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado & Texas. The new WAC will be made up of current FCS teams from the Big Sky and Southland Conferences as well as move ups from the D2 RMAC and Lone Star. There is also some hope that two current WAC members will opt to add football. The end result will likely be some combination of the following— Western Division Dixie State (current member) Southern Utah Northern Arizona Northern Colorado Weber State CSU Pueblo Colorado Mesa Grand Canyon Texas Division Tarleton State Abilene Christian Lamar Sam Houston Stephen F Austin West Texas A&M Angelo State UTRGV With the right mix this could become a multi bid FCS conference and improve RPI and NET rankings enough for a better single seed or even two bids to the basketball playoffs. Or the WAC’s gambit could fail utterly. The key is to persuade a couple if the more established FCS teams to sign on. Oscar, laid out like this, I can see a possibility. Of course, this would require 4 schools moving up from D-2 to FCS (WTAM, Angelo, CSU Pueblo and Colorado Mesa) and 2 schools adding football (UTRGV, Grand Canyon). Which division would NMSU go into for b-ball, baseball, VB? In this scenario, possibly the West division. What happens to Cal Baptist, Seattle, and Chicago State? If they stay in the WAC as non-football playing schools, that makes the WAC a mega-conference of 20 schools. Regardless how these questions are answered, for the first time, I am a bit more interested. Frankly, I would love to have in-conference rivals again and this would give us 3 long-time rivals back and still be able to build on growing rivalries with SHSU and SFA. The conference track meet would be HUGE. Northern Arizona is considered one of the 4-5 top distance running schools in the U.S. (D1 national champs just a few years ago). Grand Canyon has a pretty good track team. Track and field is one sport where the SLC flirts with being in the top 10 in the country as a conference and the WAC as proposed above would definitely be a top-10 T&F conference
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Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Oct 31, 2020 9:17:46 GMT -6
TF, I didn’t mean to say all these teams would join. Only that these are the pool of potential candidates. Much like the hundred or so recruits we “offer” only a handful will sign on the dotted line and the WAC like our coaches has them prioritized.
You raise a good point that often gets lost in the discussion. A number of so called minor sports would find themselves in a very competitive conference.
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Post by jaminthebody on Oct 31, 2020 10:01:33 GMT -6
Northern Colorado would help elevate the NET rating for basketball but they are meh for football. I can see UNC putting a significant amount of resources in their football program. They did have quite a bit of success in the 90’s in their time in D2, I think they had 2 natties. And they hired Ed McCaffrey recently, I don’t know how good of a coach he is, but it tells me they wanted to make a big statement that they want people to pay attention and will make investments to improve their program.
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Post by Cap'n Cattitude on Oct 31, 2020 11:58:01 GMT -6
I absolutely love Oscar’s rebuilt WAC. Keeps the Texas flavor, especially for Football, yet offers so much more.
We have had a lot of fun with the Louisiana schools and UCA but we don’t really fit with them. Adding old rivals TSU and WTAMU and keeping Sam, SFA, etc would be an awesome mid major division in a recognized conference.
We all know that our biggest donors are very ambitious for ACU. If this comes together, I think we would jump.
Also, if you talk privately with Alan, he will happily tell you that it’s his ambition to make ACU a basketball school on a national level.
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WAC
Oct 31, 2020 12:48:33 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by wildcatter on Oct 31, 2020 12:48:33 GMT -6
So now we are happy with lone star conference plus some western state schools? I’m not all that interested in that. How many schools can afford the move up to D1? How do state schools go through that decision making process? I get it from a proximity standpoint, but it’s not all that appealing especially from a recruiting standpoint. Every school we used to recruit against we could not throw that D1 label out there, if every D2 school surrounding us also moves up, we will struggle.
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WAC
Oct 31, 2020 12:58:07 GMT -6
Post by bucfan on Oct 31, 2020 12:58:07 GMT -6
I agree that Tarleton moving up to D1 will probably hurt us some in recruiting. If WTAM and Angelo move up to D1 then we really lose a lot of what we can offer west Texas kids.
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WAC
Nov 2, 2020 5:44:52 GMT -6
Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Nov 2, 2020 5:44:52 GMT -6
Matt Brown , the guy who broke the story about WAC expansion, says in his morning’s newsletter that he believes discussions with the #Texas4 and Southern Utah are well along. He expects the WAC to make an an announcement only once their expansion teams are all on board. He also says that while at least two other schools are under consideration, including UCA and Augustana, those discussions are preliminary. He adds that UIW and HBU are not on the table.
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WAC
Nov 2, 2020 8:27:30 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by jaminthebody on Nov 2, 2020 8:27:30 GMT -6
Matt Brown , the guy who broke the story about WAC expansion, says in his morning’s newsletter that he believes discussions with the #Texas4 and Southern Utah are well along. He expects the WAC to make an an announcement only once their expansion teams are all on board. He also says that while at least two other schools are under consideration, including UCA and Augustana, those discussions are preliminary. He adds that UIW and HBU are not on the table. Augustana is surprising. I suppose that means that Chicago State would not be leaving then.
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WAC
Nov 2, 2020 8:29:29 GMT -6
Post by OscarWildeCat, Admin on Nov 2, 2020 8:29:29 GMT -6
Matt Brown , the guy who broke the story about WAC expansion, says in his morning’s newsletter that he believes discussions with the #Texas4 and Southern Utah are well along. He expects the WAC to make an an announcement only once their expansion teams are all on board. He also says that while at least two other schools are under consideration, including UCA and Augustana, those discussions are preliminary. He adds that UIW and HBU are not on the table. Augustana is surprising. I suppose that means that Chicago State would not be leaving then. Augustana would be a deal breaker for me.
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WAC
Nov 2, 2020 8:55:53 GMT -6
Post by bogeyman on Nov 2, 2020 8:55:53 GMT -6
Do we think that future FBS is one of the talking points?
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Post by acumedic on Nov 2, 2020 8:58:44 GMT -6
Do we think that future FBS is one of the talking points? Yep I’m out on that too. Trips to South Dakota for a move up D2. Doesn’t sound like we’d be upgrading.
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