Why we won't get into the Belt

[sportkid]

Stray,
Thanks for being a voice of reason and reiterating what I posted late last week. Perception is our ally at this time. I would rather give that perception a shot in the WAC rather than let reality hit us in the Sun Belt. There isn't much difference but like I said in some earlier posts, we have four former conference mates that seem to like us and will have a say in the next go around. Ask them if they perceive the WAC as being better than the Sun Belt. Staying separated from our competition right now benefits us.

SK

[EJ]

But at what financial cost?

We desparately need a plan for the future...

[TYLERTECHSAS]

Well put Straydawg and Sportkid!

[sportkid]

EJ,
Does anybody have a rough figure to show how much we would save annually if we went to the Belt? My guess would be that while we would save money, it wouldn't be enough to make any dramatic improvements to the program within the next 3 years. At least not enough to catch up with some of the improvements started by ULL & UNT. While I think a move to the Sun Belt would be a bad move, I would feel better about it if we had a specific plan to use the money saved. A plan that we would all know about and we could all strive and work for together. We just don't have that right now. A move to the Belt without a plan would be BAD. Although I would rather have a plan that keeps us in the WAC and gets us in CUSA in the near future, I would be so excited about just having any plan that I might would consider supporting a move to the Belt. Until then ...

SK

[oledawg66]

Guys, I agree whole heartedly that we need to have a plan and that plan should include using all of the resources available to Tech to improve our facilities and marketing. But, I keep saying this. Ruston, Louisiana is not ever going to be a fit for what CUSA "perceives" themselves to be. Ruston did not fit their plans 7-8 years ago, it did not fit today, and it is not going to change in the future. All of our bickering among ourselves is not going to change the fact that JO and company "plan" to keep us in the WAC with no improvements to facilities and marketing strategies until we are passed up by the Ulalas and the UNT's. Much as I hated em when I worked in city government, it is time to bring in a consultant firm to develop a "master plan" for the athletic growth and future of Louisiana Tech University. Maybe a good economic impact study and marketing plan would open even DR's eyes.

[EJ]

Guys, I agree whole heartedly that we need to have a plan and that plan should include using all of the resources available to Tech to improve our facilities and marketing. But, I keep saying this. Ruston, Louisiana is not ever going to be a fit for what CUSA "perceives" themselves to be. Ruston did not fit their plans 7-8 years ago, it did not fit today, and it is not going to change in the future. All of our bickering among ourselves is not going to change the fact that JO and company "plan" to keep us in the WAC with no improvements to facilities and marketing strategies until we are passed up by the Ulalas and the UNT's. Much as I hated em when I worked in city government, it is time to bring in a consultant firm to develop a "master plan" for the athletic growth and future of Louisiana Tech University. Maybe a good economic impact study and marketing plan would open even DR's eyes.

MARSHALL made it without a large market because they HAD A PLAN... hire competent staff, win, sell tickets, recruit, raise funds, market, improve facilities...

It is not rocket science people. But, it is increasingly evident that a LARGER outside influence is needed to push things forward.

[DeepGreen]

EJ,
Does anybody have a rough figure to show how much we would save annually if we went to the Belt? My guess would be that while we would save money, it wouldn't be enough to make any dramatic improvements to the program within the next 3 years. At least not enough to catch up with some of the improvements started by ULL & UNT. While I think a move to the Sun Belt would be a bad move, I would feel better about it if we had a specific plan to use the money saved. A plan that we would all know about and we could all strive and work for together. We just don't have that right now. A move to the Belt without a plan would be BAD. Although I would rather have a plan that keeps us in the WAC and gets us in CUSA in the near future, I would be so excited about just having any plan that I might would consider supporting a move to the Belt. Until then ...

SK

La Tech would save $471,542.39 in travel expenses should they move to the Sun Belt. Seriously, I have no idea on how much could be saved. Just suppose it is $400,000 annually? First thing I'd do is dump your current football coach and earmark a certain percentage of the savings to be added to whatever you currently pay your head coach towards a new coach that can move football in the right direction - that is, the New Orleans Bowl. Next, I'd take the rest of the travel savings and be certain that the salvagable or new assistant coaches are paid well. The end result would be a football team that wins games in the Sun Belt, with the exception of North Texas, of course, wins championships and receives the kind of media coverage that comes with winning. Some will ask me, "what has it done for North Texas"? Well, just go to our website and see the results of winning in the form of new facilities at NT. Once these are in place, our recruiting will start to really take off. Like Harry on gomeangreen.com said, and I'm paraphrasing, "it's not so much about needing to replace Fouts Field where it's only used 5 times a year for football, it's about building new, state of the art facilites that are used all year long".

And don't ask me why I'm interested in La Tech coming to the 'Belt. I guess I just see the handwriting on the wall for the WAC, and I really and truly would hate to see LTU end up broke and out of the D1A football business. I can't see how LTU can manage to "go it alone" in the WAC without any EWAC conference mates. Plus, no doubt that LTU would strengthen the Sun Belt the same way North Texas would have strengthened the WAC had things worked out with expansion in the EWAC.

[arkstfan]

EJ,
Does anybody have a rough figure to show how much we would save annually if we went to the Belt?

North Texas claimed their travel costs dropped over $300,000 when they left the Big West for the Sun Belt (pre-jet fuel surcharge days). At the time men's and women's basketball and volleyball had the advantage of some travel pairings in California that required one flight in order to play two games and the Sun Belt offered 3 swings like that. Now it is expected in 2005 that the Belt will offer 5 single flight pairings.

Tech's savings would likely exceed that $300,000 figure and I suspect those numbers are sitting on one if not more desks in Ruston.

[EJ]

Tech's savings would likely exceed that $300,000 figure and I suspect those numbers are sitting on one if not more desks in Ruston.

I suspect you are correct. :icon_wink

[oledawg66]

I wonder if that 300 thou, along with some donations, would be enough to enclose the north endzone to include a couple of real ticket booths and some modern concesson stands. With that completed, I wonder if it would be enough for a down payment on a jumbotron . . . .

[DeepGreen]

I wonder if that 300 thou, along with some donations, would be enough to enclose the north endzone to include a couple of real ticket booths and some modern concesson stands. With that completed, I wonder if it would be enough for a down payment on a jumbotron . . . .

Hardly. When UNT returned to D1A football back in 1994-95, they expanded the stadium by roughly 10,000 seats to meet the NCAA 30K seat requirement. Those were aluminum seating on steel supports in each end zone. The cost in 1994: $1,000,000. Not sure would it would cost today.

[dawg80]

quote:

"Think about this: 2 years ago what did most of us think of the MAC? 2 years from now what could some think of the Sun Belt? I think what it took the MAC years and years to do the SBC will cut more than just in half with a similar success.

I do think some (not all) of you posters on BB&B have made Wright Waters seem to be the 2'nd coming of Lucifer, but he is not that at all. If any of you sat down long enough with the man you'd soon find out that he is quite level thinking and most stable for a non BCS conference commissioner for what they've all had to put up with in recent years."

First, PMG, puhleeeze don't come here and try to slip that one by about the Belt = MAC in two years. Of course, I'm talking about the upper half of the MAC. In some ways, the Belt is half as good as the lower part of the MAC already. The difference in the quality of play between the upper MAC and the WAC as a whole vs. the Belt is a gulf! You will note that Tech fans advocating a move to the SBC (actually, accepting it as inevitable) do NOT mention as a reason the quality of play in the Belt. The Belt sucks in football. After a few years of being in the Belt, Tech will suck too when our recruiting go sours.

Next, Wrong Waters tried several times to get out of the Belt himself. He applied for a job at Ohio State, then with the Big 10 and ACC conferences. Those are the ones I know about. Waters is still in the Belt because he was rejected by others. The same is true for everyone, every entity, in the Belt: there because no one else wants you. That'll be the same reason Tech "ends up" in the Belt.

[bustle]

Alta,
What is your point? Right now, the Sun Belt needs us more than we need them. If we need them, then they will gladly accept us. Every single school in the Belt knows that adding Louisiana Tech would be beneficial to their league. We could tell the Sun Belt to kiss our ass and they would still gladly take us. They need warm bodies right now. I'm not worried about them, I'm worried about us. You are right about us being lacking in all of those areas but right now, we are still a value to the Belt. What you heard was just posturing by a league trying to act proud. I'm not convinced nor do I really care.

SK

YOU CANT REALLY BELIEVE THAT??? LOL!!!!

what if you are wrong???? See ya'll downnthe road jack!!!!

Bustle...

ps better get those facility improvements in gear, 2006 is right around the corner....

or

you can send that volleyball team to Hawaii.... LOL!!

[bustle]

The WAC is a good gamble. CUSA is the right fit for us, but we have to hang tight for at least a year and, at the most 2 years. I HATE what they did, but that is really where we need to be. Going to the Sun Belt knocks us down a peg and out of contention. It is worth the gamble. geedawg, have you ever ran a business??????

you are sure that you are a lock for CUSA in a few years, huh???

not with the facilities you have now.

Some of the Sunbelt schools on the other hand???????

RIP....

[CHAMP9901]

I AM REALLY TORN ON WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THE CONFERENCE SITUATION. YOU GUYS NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT CUSA WAS ORIGINALLY SET UP AS A BASKETBALL CONFERENCE FOR POWER SCHOOLS IN LARGE METROPOLIS AREAS AND INNER CITIES. (MEMPHIS, CINCINATTI, MARQUETTE, DEPAUL, ST.LOUIS, ECT...) i AM AWARE THAT WITH THE POWER CONFERENCE MOVEMENT THAT IS BEING DOMINATED BY FOOTBALL BOWLS AND TV MONEY. I THINK CONFERENCE USA IS NOW TRYING TO BE A BALNCED CONFERENCE. UTEP WAS A STRANGE SELECTION TO ME, BUT OUR ATHLETIC BUDGET IS ABOUT 8 MILLION LESS THAN THE LOWEST CUSA BUDGET AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF GREENVILLE NC. RUSTON WOULD CERTAINLY BE THE SMALLEST CONFERENCE LOCATION. SURE I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO BE IN THE CUSA, BUT WE ARE NOT. THE WAC IS O.K. BUT IT IS A LONG WAY AWAY.