Finally...TCU to MWC

[kabo11]

TCU set to join Mountain West
By Damien Pierce
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Fort Worth: Where the Mountain West begins.

After months of deliberating and number-crunching, Texas Christian University will accept an invitation next week to join the Mountain West Conference beginning in the 2005-06 school year, high-ranking university officials said.

TCU expects to receive a formal invitation as early as Monday, the sources said, adding that the school's athletic committee will recommend to trustees that the school leave Conference USA.

[tylerdawg]

The game is ON now.

[HogDawg]

Well, the first shoe has dropped. This is important because this is a two step process.

I heard the TCU "announcement" this morning as I was driving to work. But just as I predicted, the "official" announcement (press conference) won't come until next week. (In Dwayne's poll I had predicted that TCU would hold their news conference on Tuesday of next week).

Anyway, I spoke with Jim Oakes at 7:45 this morning about this issue. Jim is definately on top of things. He said that CUSA won't likely fill TCU's spot until March. He said that CUSA officials (the school presidents) are insisting that they need to go through a "deliberate" process, and will officially look at 6 schools (LA Tech, UNT, UTEP, Temple, Miami & Toledo).

My opinion: Louisiana Tech is the horse to beat for the last CUSA spot. The geography doesn't work well for the last three schools (Temple, Miami and Toledo) and UTEP shot themselves in the foot with the Mike Price hire. UNT will never get a bid because SMU won't allow it.

HD

[sportkid]

HD,
I hope you are right about Tech being the horse to beat in this race. However, you might not want to brag about your prediction on the "official" announcement. I seem to remember you predicting a mid-December announcement as well
Anyway, I'm glad that you spoke to Oakes and that he is on top of this. If CUSA is going to make this a deliberate, month-long process, then Oakes needs to meet with every school prez & AD personally to push Tech. I know this is a stretch but how 'bout a short-term plan to promote Tech to CUSA. It looks like we have about a month & a half to really push ourselves. I think with the right plan, we can solidify ourselves into CUSA. With the wrong plan (or even worse, no plan), .... wel I don't want to even think about that right now.

SK

[Dawgbitten]

Dan Reneau needs to be with Jim Oakes doing the same thing!

[THEarmada]

I'm so stinkin tired of waiting...March? Are you kidding me. Holy Crap.

Go DAWGS!!!

[markay714]

HD,
I gotta ask how UTEP's hire of Mike Price was a shot in the foot? I'm surprised to hear you say/admit that given that you didn't think it was a good hire. Are the CUSA member schools the ones that are unhappy with it in general or just a particular school or two? It seems to me that UTEP would create as much of a travel problem as the northeast schools even apart from the Mike Price hire.

[killerdawg]

My opinion:[/b] Louisiana Tech is the horse to beat for the last CUSA spot. The geography doesn't work well for the last three schools (Temple, Miami and Toledo) and UTEP shot themselves in the foot with the Mike Price hire. UNT will never get a bid because SMU won't allow it.

HD

I hope you're right, but I don't see C-USA changing its long-time strategy in the next 1 1/2 months.

We all know where Temple is located, but Toledo and Miami are in one of the most populous (per sq mile) states in the nation. The latter 2 have been pretty good on the football field in the last few years also.

I've said all along that the longer this drags out, the less chance Tech has.

I think we're in for another C-USA screwover.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

Dan Reneau needs to be with Jim Oakes doing the same thing!

AMEN!

[HogDawg]

HD,
I gotta ask how UTEP's hire of Mike Price was a shot in the foot? I'm surprised to hear you say/admit that given that you didn't think it was a good hire. Are the CUSA member schools the ones that are unhappy with it in general or just a particular school or two? It seems to me that UTEP would create as much of a travel problem as the northeast schools even apart from the Mike Price hire.

Markay, you are correct to be surprised at my comment about Price in this thread. I thought the Mike Price hire was a good one for UTEP, but............now I'm learning something about "politics". I'm hearing (and I can't say from where) that the CUSA presidents didn't like the Price hire at all.

In reality, I don't think UTEP is being seriously considered for CUSA membership. In reality, I think Louisiana Tech is the ONLY school being seriously considered. But the CUSA presidents have to "go through the motions" of making it look like they did their homework.

HD

[markay714]

I hope you're right, HogDawg! I'm starting to get my hopes up again....hopefully they won't be as dashed as some of my previous Tech ones of late!

[glm47]

Quite frankly, we don't stack up too well against other 1-A schools because of our lack of committment to athletics.

Reneau seems to think that a 1-A program can survive by as long as they have a good women's basketball program. That's a recipe for bankruptcy.

But hopefully we'll smoke and mirror our way into CUSA.

[Dawgbitten]

CUSA has always been a smoke and mirror conference, so maybe we will fit right in!

[Dallas Dawg]

I thought the Mike Price hire was a good one for UTEP, but............now I'm learning something about "politics". I'm hearing (and I can't say from where) that the CUSA presidents didn't like the Price hire at all.

HD,

For what it's worth, I agree. Old what's-his-name, (my CRS strikes again) the president down at Tulane has had a lot of stroke in the C-USA re-shuffling. If makes sense he and the new private school members can't be excited by the idea of a public school with a new head coach with the "outlaw" rep. of Price coming into the league.

I agree that Tech is the logical front-runner. But something tells me the Dawgs are a long way from a sure thing.

Dallas Dawg

[champion110]

Well, at least one of the shoes has dropped. I don't understand the wait until March. Other conferences (besides the MWC) have acted quick when losing a member. CUSA did with SMU, Rice, and Tulsa. I don't like this wait...... All they have to do is state that they were expecting this and they have been working on a replacement.