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.