Conference Realignment: Why UTEP Deserves to be in the MWC Discussion
by Adrian Mac on Apr 16, 2010 3:54 PM MDT
in NCAA Conference Realignment
16 comments
The writer, Michael Rueckert, uses a series of factors to assemble a list of likely candidates. The factors are pretty much standard fare when it comes to this sort of thing. He considers: the size of each school's media market, attendance, and recent football success. He also considers ESPN's "Prestige Rankings" and Dennis Dodd's "Decade Rankings." UTEP was undoubtedly dragged down by the somewhat subjective "Prestige" and "Decade" rankings.
There are currently nine teams in the Mountain West. Once conference realignment hits, which could be tomorrow for all we know, the league will at the very least replace any departed members and will undoubtedly consider expanding to 12- so as to allow itself to host a league championship in football. If the Pac 10 and Big 10 get to 12 teams, the last thing the MWC would want is for the final weekend of the season to showcase USC vs. Oregon, Ohio State vs. Penn State, Texas vs. Nebraska, Florida vs. LSU, while the MWC's marquee game is TCU vs. Wyoming or any other regular season game. The MWC wants to be included in the BCS discussion. A conference title game would help place the league on equal footing with the rest of the college football heavyweights on the seasons final, and most important, weekend.
So, the MWC could be adding three, or more, teams if the Pac 10 selects Utah or BYU as an expansion candidate. I'm not by any means saying UTEP should be the #1 candidate, or even the #2. I'm just saying that to dismiss UTEP instantly is ridiculous. If the Mountain West does expand, or replaces existing members, I think several factors give UTEP a compelling argument for admission. .
The Odd Man Out
WAC Commissioner Karl Benson really blew it in 1996. The WAC was then a 9 team league (BYU, UNM, Wyoming, SDSU, UTEP, AFA, CSU, Fresno State-1992 add, and Hawaii). After the SWC disbanded, Benson went expansion crazy and added teams that had no reasonable or geographic rivalry with his established league. The WAC expanded to 16 teams (adding SMU, Rice, TCU, UNLV, Tulsa, and San Jose State) and stretched from Hawaii to Houston. It was insane.
Why'd Benson go for Rice, SMU, Tulsa, and other schools that really never had a place in the league? Easy. He was chasing the golden media markets. Benson believed, foolishly, that just because you have a league team in Dallas or Houston, other members would benefit from recruiting those areas and television numbers would instantly skyrocket since people in those markets would obviously want to watch the hometown team play. Makes sense, I guess.
The problem, is that Benson was wrong. People in Houston and Dallas didn't care to see Wyoming or San Jose State when they came to town. They were used to watching A&M and Texas not UTEP and Utah. What many tend to forget is that once the Big 12 formed, Houston and Dallas lost any sense of a true connection to local college teams. Make no mistake, Texas could play at Jerry World tomorrow, against Sam Houston State, and you'd have 90,000 there and good ratings. The problem is that SMU, Houston, or Rice simply don't cause anybody in those towns to slow down and take notice. Even when they're good.
After Benson formed his "super-conference" Almost immediately, old members were upset at the increased travel times, unorthodox scheduling, and loss of traditional rivalries. Rick Majerus hated it. Everyone hated it. Travel was ridiculous. There were no natural rivalries anywhere. A league that had lasted over 30 years and that was familiar with itself was suddenly pairing Hawaii and SMU in games that nobody cared about. The league was bloated and it had to be put down. When the MWC formed, longtime member UTEP was left behind.
Here's why I think the MWC would be smart to consider UTEP the next time expansion occurs.
1. Rivalries
Let's not discount the fact that for 32 years (1967-1999) the Miners were in the WAC with BYU, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado State. The WAC's storied basketball history was built on a ferocious rivalry between UTEP and BYU during the 1980's and early 1990's. UTEP is a natural geographic rival for New Mexico. We're not talking artificial rivalries here. BYU and UTEP hated each other. Don't believe me? Watch this.
The Miners and New Mexico are natural geographic rivals as they share common recruiting grounds. When an El Pasoan burns UTEP and goes to UNM, he instantly becomes despised. I remember Lobo All-American Kenny Thomas, a former EP Austin standout, getting booed time and time again when the Lobos played UTEP. So, do booing and fights make for a compelling argument for conference admission? Not exactly. But, it doesn't hurt. Full stadiums look good on television. I don't see a lot of football fans getting riled up for Nevada vs. San Diego State in San Diego or Reno. How many fans might go to that one? 16,000? I don't see the masses in Houston blowing off an Astros game to watch the Coug's take on Wyoming.... in anything. Which brings me to the second factor....
2. Attendance & Market Support
Take a look at the following chart comparing attendance figures at UTEP and the candidates identified by the MW-Connection.
Football/Basketball Attendance Figures for 2009 & 5 Year Average (From NCAA)
| School | Football 2009 Att. | 5 Year Avg. | Basketball 2009 | 5 Year Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise State | 32,782 | 31,192 | 4,044 | 4,263 |
| Fresno State | 33,578 | 37,118 | 8,969 | 10,621 |
| Nevada | 17,500 | 17,086 | 6,953 | 7,924 |
| Houston | 25,242 | 20,935 | 3,814 | 4,326 |
| Tulsa | 22,502 | 23,107 | 5,783 | 5,752 |
| SMU | 21,348 | 18,078 | 2,835 | 2,806 |
| UTEP | 29,010 | 38,843 | 8,675 | 9,125 |
I included basketball attendance to show a broader point. Whenever expansion talk happens, Houston and SMU will instantly be mentioned because they are in huge media markets. What difference does it make if you are in the nation's 5th or 10th largest media market if nobody in those markets cares to see you live or on TV in college athletics two marquee sports? Houston has over 30,000 students at their campus yet they average under 21,000 fans at football games over 5 years. SMU get's 2,800 a game in basketball. There are good high school programs in Dallas that could get more fans than that. Really.
Over the last five years (I used 5 years because the NCAA site only has team by team attendance through 2004), UTEP has averaged more football fans per game than all of the other teams mentioned. Fresno State is right there. Boise packs their stadium, and I'm sure if they added more seats they'd be full too. The other schools simply have atrocious local support. Houston had their most successful season in 20 years, and had a home game with Texas Tech on their schedule, yet they still averaged 4,000 less fans a game than UTEP who probably had their most disappointing season under Mike Price in 2009. SMU has a beautiful campus and has lots of tradition. But, in a year where they made a bowl game, they averaged under 22k fans a home game. Doesn't Odessa Permian beat that at Ratliff?
UTEP, even in bad seasons, has incredible city wide support that dwarfs the love Houston, SMU, and Tulsa get in their respective cities. When Coach Price has UTEP winning, the Miners will easily average over 40,000 per game on the gridiron and sellouts are common (52,000). In basketball, most El Paso fans still don't know where or what "Marshall" is but there are still over 9,000 at the Don per home game. Even in years where Houston and SMU made huge strides in football, their local support doesn't come near UTEP's. Imagine when they have down years. And, they will.
Houston and Dallas are professional sports towns. And when locals take the time to follow college sports, they follow the Big 12. That's the honest truth. TCU was a point or two away from the BCS National Championship Game and they had all of one sellout in Ft. Worth this year. Why so bad? Even TCU's Cancellor blames their attendance woes on "conference affiliation." If Dallas doesn't support a MWC team that's as good as TCU, how will they treat SMU?
UTEP's Weak Link: Football Success
Admittedly, UTEP hasn't done themselves any favors in football. Mike Price has gone 34-38 over the last six seasons with two bowl appearances (both losses). Meanwhile, the other teams being tossed around have been very good (for the most part). The Miners have made 3 bowl appearances overall this decade. They lost all three.
- Houston: Six bowl appearances in the last seven years (1-5 in those games though); Won some big games last year (Oklahoma State, Texas Tech) and peaked at #12 in the rankings before losing.... to UTEP. Kevin Sumlin is doing a heck of a job and drew interest from several BCS jobs (notably Tennessee)
- Nevada: Five straight bowl appearances (1-4); Can't seem to get past Boise State in the WAC but who can? Good, consistent program.
- Fresno State: Always a tough out. Pat Hill is one of the best out there and the Bulldogs routinely give BCS foes fits.
- Boise: They are the best non-BCS football program out there. Period.
- SMU: Had a good 2009, but have been generally terrible for most of the last 20 years. One bowl appearance this decade (a win against Nevada in last year's Hawaii Bowl). June Jones is delivering after getting a hefty pay day.
UTEP has been a model of inconsistency, whereas teams like Nevada are the opposite. Nevada isn't crashing the BCS party anytime soon, but they aren't going 2-10 either. UTEP, on paper, has a very talented 2010 squad. But, they could easily finish 5-7 and most El Pasoan's wouldn't be surprised. The difference between El Paso and these other cities is that El Pasoan's will actually be there to see UTEP go 5-7.
On the hardwood, UTEP is probably the best and most consistent program in the bunch. Nobody else can claim 3 NCAA Tournament Appearances this decade. But, when it comes to realignment, football is what matters. There's no disputing that. Even Coach K's opinion didn't matter when the ACC switched it up and brought in Florida State and Miami.
How I'd Rank the MWC Candidates
Like I said, I don't think UTEP would or should be the MWC's #1 target should they expand in the future. After looking at all the candidates, I'd probably rank them like this.
1. Boise State:. Boise has paved their own way with incredible, consistent success in football. They would instantly give the MWC a more legitimate standing the auto-bid discussion. A Boise vs. Utah or TCU title game would be a great draw and would compete with anything the major conferences could produce on the seasons final weekend.
2. Fresno State: The Bulldogs are consistently competitive in football and basketball. Unlike Houston and SMU, they draw large crowds seemingly across the board. Fresno State and UTEP have the most local support in terms of attendance figures. The Bulldogs and Boise would bring a nice emerging football rivalry over to the MWC. Fresno expands the MWC presence in California.
3. Everyone Else: After Boise and Fresno State, I think the MWC could literally take anyone else in this pool, UTEP included.
UTEP: UTEP is in the 22nd largest city in the country and they are the only show in town. The Miners are El Paso's professional sports team. They don't have to compete with MLB, the NBA, or the NFL the way Houston and SMU do. UTEP's attendance figures blow the others (save Fresno) away. The Miners have strong, contentious rivalries and deep-rooted history with the core MWC members. UTEP is also a natural geographical fit, being just a three and a half hour drive away from UNM. UTEP has arguably the best athletic facilities of any of the candidates (including Boise and Fresno).
Houston: I don't buy that the Cougars can bring in the Houston media market. The college market in H-Town is already owned by Texas and A&M. The Cougars have porous facilities and little to no local support. Kevin Sumlin is doing a heck of a job and I'm a big fan of Mack Rhoades. He'll get that athletic department going in the right direction, but he has a lot of work to do. Houston might have a better football program than UTEP right now (so does Tulsa and Nevada), but success is cyclical. If Houston can't draw local support when they are winning, what happens if their program loses a step after Sumlin inevitably leaves to greener pastures?
Tulsa: Tulsa is 309 miles from Ft. Worth and at least 700 miles away from every other MWC school. Tulsa, the city, has had some significant downtown redevelopment and recently hosted the C-USA B-Ball Tourney (empty seats are awesome!). Tulsa doesn't compete with professional sports teams for fans, but they compete with something a lot worse: Oklahoma and Oklahoma Stone. Like Houston, Tulsa is in Big 12 Country. As someone who constantly visits the Tulsa World website to find links for the Dig, I know that it's a rare day where a Sooner and Poke aren't on the front page (the World lists Tulsa third on their banner, too). Tulsa has a good football program and they didn't miss a beat after Steve Kragthorpe left and Todd Graham came in. Sadly, nobody in that state cares to take notice.
SMU: A great academic institution, and an emerging threat in football, SMU has a long, storied and controversial history. I still don't like them for the MWC (for the exact same reasons I had with Houston).
Nevada: The Wolfpack have a natural rivalry with UNLV and have been consistent in football. Of all the potential candidates not named Boise, Nevada is in the smallest media market and town. I also can't get over the fact that they average 17,500 fans per home game over the last 5 years (all bowl seasons).
Potential MWC Candidates Media Market & City Size
| Media Market | City Population & Rank |
|
|---|---|---|
| Boise State | 112 | #100 (205, 314) |
| Fresno State | 55 | #36 (476,050) |
| Nevada | 108 | #93 (217,016) |
| Houston | 10 | #4 (2,242,193) |
| Tulsa | 61 | #46 (385, 635) |
| SMU | 5 | #8 (1,279,910) |
| UTEP | 98 | #22 (613,190) |
Thoughts?
1 recs |
16 comments
|
Email
Print
Comments
Great Argument, Adrian!
I couldn’t agree more with your points and evidence especially in regards to geographic location and attendance. But, Benson has his own agenda and at the end of the day it
comes down to money and “prestige”. Plus, UTEP might have a better chance if Price could have gotten a couple bowl games over the last two years when things looked promising and the football team faded down the stretch, especially last year. Don’t get me wrong the basketball team has remained consistent but football brings in the big money and UTEP hasn’t been able to get over the hump. They have been competitive, but haven’t been able to get the wins. Boise state is a shoe in with Fresno in a great position, but I agree UTEP should be in the conversation.
by LaOnda on Apr 16, 2010 4:55 PM MDT via mobile reply actions
Nice stuff
Before I leave a longer comment (I need to head back to work) The attendance figure is key, but I would argue that Houston is on the uptick in both programs. Plus, I do agree that UTEP should be a team considered for MWC expansion if they go to 12 teams OR they need to replace utah, BYU, or TCU. However, if all 3 from the MWC are gone the MWC is out of luck and the WAC will decide who they want since the MWC would have 7 teams and that would be one less to be an FBS league.
I remember teams hating to play UTEP especially in hoops and they would be a good rivalry.
What an article
With only Boise St. really being able to do anything to help in the BCS, UTEP now seems like a pretty favorable addition. After Boise St, the only reason we would add 2 more schools is for a conference championship. I agree with Jeremy that Houston is climbing their way up the ladder, but it still has a long way to go. UTEP is it for El Paso and could easily draw way more fans than Houston or SMU would. The only problem is that UTEP hasn’t had a strong season to impress the MWC in the last 2 years, and the only time for expansion would be this summer. UTEP could impress the MWC in the next couple of years and really help their cause. The only way I see them getting in though is if we only expand and add Boise St. right now (which seems more likely because our commissioner is very conservative and will try to add as little teams as possible) ane then expand later to the 12 teams for a championship game once we have the BCS AQ. If that were to be the case and our commissioner were to take a hard look at the facts that you have described, I think UTEP might have a chance. The good news for the MWC would be is that if UTEP were to get good at football, you wouldn’t be sacrificing anything in basketball, where with other candidates you would, actually UTEP might actually improve the conference by basketball terms too.
Rebel Rock
In regards to Houston
I grew there until I was 20 and I know its Texas and A&M for the college and a pro town. I used to think Houston would be good for the media size just because The Mtn. channel would be on DirecTv as a regional sports channel, and on a affordable tier. And I get your point that who cares if it is there if no one watches. Attendance is another interesting figure and I am not so sure how much weight it has, but it is a good indicator of support.
My main reasons to put Houston at number two for the MWC to grab is because they seem to be FINALLY putting things together as a consistent good team, the Houston market helps, and it would help TCU with a travel partner for the minor sports. I think Fresno is over rated as a second choice, because they are really in central California, but they did have a good rivalry with BYU (but who didnt in the old WAC days) and they are usually solid in football.
Now, if the MWC goes to 12 Boise is obvious but the rest are not and I can see Houston/Tulsa (one of those two) Nevada, Fresno, or UTEP. I do not buy SMU at all to be in the MWC and the only reason would be to have a travel partner. I think UTEP would be 4th, but if say only Utah goes to the Pac-10 in expansion and the MWC wants 12 teams I think UTEP would get an invite in.
Potential New Recruits
Any word on potential new recruits? If so, let us know…
In regards to Houston, they have one of the worst facilities and fan support in college athletics. If any conference sees that as a determining factor they’ll never get in. Plus, I’m not sure if Houston fits in the MWC landscape—no natural or geographical rivalries. They’re holding out hope for the Big 12 anyway…
they would fit with TCU
Plus that they are actually getting good in football and are decent in hoops. Football is the main reasoning.
by Jeremy Mauss on Apr 17, 2010 11:35 PM MDT up reply actions
Houston
Are u talking about the same team that couldn’t make it to the weak cusa conference title game? the same team that got raped by air force? u mean the team that got shredded by our miners? r u thinking of the team that can’t stop anyone? well, if u think they’re good or getting good I can’t convinced u. It’s a good thing u don’t make re-alignment decisions. Good luck with porreous facilities and lack of fan/alumni support…
by MinerManiax on Apr 18, 2010 4:54 PM MDT via mobile up reply actions
...
That was a bit harsh I think, and you have to admit that Houston Football is in much better shape than UTEP’s at the moment.
I was referring to football
As for hoops they have been up and down the past decade with some decent and not so decent teams.
by Jeremy Mauss on Apr 20, 2010 9:46 AM MDT up reply actions
Well..
apparently Tim Floyd was walking two recruits around campus today, not sure who they were, but there is a short video of them up on Kyyote’s site.
Found out...
that there were 3 recruits. They are Rashanti Harris, Michael Haynes and Desmond Lee. Rashanti Harris currently plays at Georgia St. and Haynes is being recruited heavily by Duke.
Re-alignment, UTEP should try and get another Conference together...
First off, nice write up A-MAC. But I look at things a bit different.
This all essentially comes down to who the PAC-10 wants as the 12th team, and by all accounts they’ve wanted Utah and BYU from the start. There’s also a thought it could be Utah and Colorado, eventhough I see no way Utah goes Pac-10 if BYU doesnt.
Lets say Colorado is the team, then the BIG 12 easily grabs TCU. No doubt about it.
So where does this leave us? I for one, dont want us to go into the MWC if Utah and BYU arent there, there’s no point.
Why alienate the Alumni and our large fan base in East Texas to go play Wyoming, Air Force, SDSU, Colo St and UNLV? I can care less about those teams now. Its been 10 years and I heard through the grapevine at the CUSA Tournament that Air Force was really the school that kept us out when the MWC was formed. Screw them, without BYU and Utah, those schools are nothing.
So that leaves me with a crazy proposal, and here is where UNM comes into the conversation. Lets say the Pac-10 takes UTAH and BYU, that leaves MWC scrambling big time. I say we go behind MWC’s back and guage where the Lobos stand in all this. UTEP and NMSU should align (its about time, seriously) and and pull UNM in their direction. Lets say we get UNM on board. Then we go after Houston, Tulsa, SMU, Rice, Tulane, and UNT in Denton.
That leaves us with what I call a new “Southwest Conference.”
UTEP, UNM, NMSU, Houston, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, UNT, Tulane
Nine schools in solid TV markets, all with their own qualities in FBall or Basketball, and Baseball.
Memphis is making a big push to go the Big East anyways, and I think they got a good shot because DePaul’s administration is not very happy to be in that Conference anymore, and I dont think the B-East minds adding another subpar football team, they care about B-Ball.
But this of course is all speculation. Again the MWC is screwed if Utah and BYU leave. But if for some reason, lets say Colorado and Boise leave to the Pac-10, TCU goes Big12 and that leaves some spots available for the MWC to pick from the WAC or CUSA. In that case, I wouldnt mind making the move to the MWC, but I want BYU and Utah in the package, otherwise its pointless. Sorry this was long, but re-alignment is always an interesting topic.
Interesting
But the problem is there is no marquee school. Houston is the best football school and the biggest name. UTEP has been solid with Mike Price, but I don’t see UNM leaving the MWC to form this new league. They would rather go to the WAC then the league you proposed. Plus, I think if the MWC is down to 6 or 7 teams with BYU, TCU, and Utah leaving the WAC should grab three schools to get to 12. New Mexico, UTEP and perhaps UNLV to make it 12.
by Jeremy Mauss on Apr 17, 2010 11:39 PM MDT up reply actions
I'd love to see a revambed SWC with an emphasis on Texas Schools (non-Big 12)
The problem is that the MWC has already established itself as the premier non-BCS league and has a strong TV contract established. The groundwork has been laid. The MWC could afford to lose a Utah if it replaces them with Boise State and stays competitive in football
I don’t see the Big 12 adding TCU at any point. The Big 12 doesn’t need a stronger presence in Dallas since UT pulls in the Dallas media market already (and Texas Tech/.A&M have large alumni bases there too). I don’t think UT wants another Big 12 school in Texas anyway and from what I can tell, what UT says goes in the Big 12. They are the cash cow there and the insane media attention they got for even being mentioned in the Big 10 discussion will keep the league office wanting to keep Texas happy.
Realignment is a damn interesting topic because the ripple effects are so unknown. Who would have thought that UTEP would be in a league with Marshall and UCF? Hopefully, Bob Stull is keeping in close touch with other AD’s and is keeping as many options as open as possible. Because, the worst thing that could happen, to UTEP, is if the MWC cherry picks Tulsa, Houston, and SMU (or a combination of those) and leaves UTEP behind again (with no chance at any sort of revamped SWC).
At that point, UTEP might have to seriously consider rejoining the WAC (which might not have Boise or Fresno for all we know) or stay in C-USA which will probably look to add UL-Lafayette or North Texas. If Memphis leaves, and I agree that they will find a way into the Big East, then the C-USA will be a very, weak league.
www.minerrush.com
tcu
would be a good fit if they lose a southern division team.
by Jeremy Mauss on Apr 20, 2010 9:47 AM MDT up reply actions
I would like utep but houston is just a bigger city.
your argument would have to come down to utep and fresno. i would like to see numbers on those two cities.
I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. I was building a house, I don't deserve this, deserves have nothing to do with it. Bang. "Unforgiven" I drink your milkshake. I drink it up! "There Will BE Blood". Hell is just a word, the reality is much much worse." Event Horizon". Now remember, when things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean, I mean plumb, mad dog mean. cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live or win. That's just the way it is. "The Outlaw Josey Wales".
by wolfmanshowlforever on Apr 27, 2010 3:31 PM MDT up reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Certain photos copyright © 2010 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
