By Denny O'Brien
©2012 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.

In many circles, the recent additions to Conference USA were little more than a punch line. Collectively, Charlotte, Florida International, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, and Texas-San Antonio are far from football royalty.

Considering that two of the newcomers have never competed in the Football Bowl Subdivision and one has never played a down at any level, some have concluded that C-USA took a major step back.

That’s the flawed rationale of many fans of the remaining C-USA schools. That mindset has fueled harsh criticism of the league and member school administrators involved in the process. Evidently some were under the impression that C-USA could poach the Southeastern Conference or Big 12.

Critics are also taking a shortsighted view of what C-USA’s new members can potentially deliver. While big-time success isn’t attached with any of the additions, the infrastructure for success already is in place:

CHARLOTTE: The 49ers play in the largest city in North Carolina and will provide a geographic conference rival for ECU. That’s something the Pirates haven’t experienced in the football side of the equation since they were members of the Southern Conference.

Charlotte is the biggest talent hotbed in North Carolina, and it’s reasonable to expect the 49ers to eventually convince their share of thoroughbreds to stay home. The shrewd decision to build a state-of-the-art on campus facility should help with that.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL: With Central Florida’s exit, C-USA needed to retain a presence in the Sunshine State, so where better than South Florida? The Miami area is as concentrated with youth and high school blue chippers as any city in the country.

At worst, FIU is a less mature version of Central Florida, albeit with a much higher ceiling. The Miami talent incubator and better location could easily propel the Panthers past the in-state Knights.

LOUISIANA TECH: Ruston is far from major market status, but Tech has the most football history of any of the C-USA additions. The Bulldogs have been playing since 1901 and stake claim to 25 conference titles and three national championships from lower divisional play.

Tech is the reigning WAC champion, and Sonny Dykes has the Bulldogs on the rise. Geographically, Louisiana Tech is situated well to draw talent from Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas in addition to its talent-rich home state.

NORTH TEXAS: Keeping Dallas-Fort Worth a part of the league footprint was a priority, and North Texas easily delivers that. Given its impressive new football home, the ceiling is much higher for the Mean Green than for neighboring Southern Methodist.

Combine the new stadium with a new league, and a talent upgrade is all but a given. Considering that North Texas doesn’t possess the academic challenges of SMU, don’t be surprised to see the Mean Green charge past the Mustangs in the next few years.

UT-SAN ANTONIO: The Roadrunners deliver a major market in talent-rich Texas that also is a tourist destination of historical interest. It will instantly become the can’t-miss road trip in C-USA.

In just one year, UTSA has surpassed exiting C-USA programs Houston and SMU in attendance, and a jump to C-USA should build on that momentum. The Roadrunners’ impressive fan following should help lure solid talent to the Alamo Dome.

What shouldn’t be overlooked in this reconfiguration and expansion of Conference USA is the fact that the league added new members and large television markets without extending its geographic footprint. Each one of the new members resides within a state already a part of C-USA, which should help nurture needed rivalries.

The addition of Old Dominion, should it decide to move up to C-USA, would further strengthen that.

When you look beyond the next few years, the case can be made that Conference USA’s additions propel it higher than its current pigskin positioning. And when comparing it to the geographically challenged Big East, it’s probably more stable.