PurpleOut said:
SFAJack_76 said:
PurpleOut said:
SFAJack_76 said:
Not in agreement that the WAC would be a lateral move. The three years prior to last, WAC MBB had an RPI of 15, 16, and 17. Out of 32, and dramatically better than the SLC stuck at 30. Put the mentioned SLC schools in the mix, and it gets even better. NM State is solid. GCU is improving under Bryce Drew, who was very successful at Valpo. Tarleton could be legit with Gillispie as coach. Who in the SLC is getting better? Why can't the WAC get to being a multi bid league?
And two years prior they were 31st (behind the SLC). Regardless of that year, even in their best years as a conference...their best team (NMSU) could only get a 12-seed. Being an average to below average RPI conference will rarely be in the conversation for an auto-bid.
Upside potential with the WAC vs upside potential with the SLC. No contest.
What makes it no contest for you? Not arguing just curious of your reasoning.
We'd have to invest more...to potentially have a tougher route...to potentially achieve the same result.
And that's just for hoops. We'd have to invest a ton more to get our other programs to travel to California, Seattle, etc on a continuous basis.
Potential. The SLC is what the SLC is going to be. Conference leadership gets well deserved criticism, however a significant amount of the membership will never be more than they are. What more can we really accomplish spending another five years or more in this conference? Definition of crazy?
Is there risk in changing conferences? Of course. There would be some increase in costs, although I don't think travel costs go up a ton with divisions in all sports except football, and m/w BB. I also have to believe there is an increase in revenues. If the WAC has a growth vision, and Texas is a meaningful part of that vision, the potential upside is strong. If we are going to achieve our goals, we have to have tougher routes. We have to have tougher competition.
Ivey and his team have a vision for the athletic department. Dr. Gordon has a growth vision for the University that is supported by the athletic vision. My opinion is that we can't keep doing the same thing for another five years, expecting different results, and achieve the growth goals. Change is scary. Or, it can be exciting.