Key tweets, and it's all gone to Hell.

[UConnJim]

UTEP has a bigger brand historically and they have a fanbase. They regularly get over 40,000 to games at the Sun Bowl. Also, if we have to do a scheduling agreement for basketball, UTEP is much preferred over Texas State.

They averaged 18.2k fans last year and they have had one game with 40k or more fans in the past decade.

 

[Drew]

They averaged 18.2k fans last year and they have had one game with 40k or more fans in the past decade.

Shhhhh don’t let facts get in the way. Shizzle is cooking

 

[shizzle787]

Shhhhh don’t let facts get in the way. Shizzle is cooking

They averaged 18.2k fans last year and they have had one game with 40k or more fans in the past decade.

They literally had 41,000 two weeks ago against FCS Southern Utah... and over 40,000 for North Texas only two years ago.

 

[upstater]

They literally had 41,000 two weeks ago against FCS Southern Utah... and over 40,000 for North Texas only two years ago.

I would also add they are part of U. Texas, so that's not nothing.

 

[UConnDan97]

I would also add they are part of U. Texas, so that's not nothing.

And UTEP will bring the El Paso metro area which is about 700,000 people. San Marcos is smaller, and although they're likely considered part of the Austin metro, I'm guessing folks in Austin only care about a team with two horns on the helmet...

 

[Kembafan]

Everyone in the Pac-12 found a new home except OSU and Wazzou. Goes to show how expensive it is to keep the bottom dwellers of a conference and how little value those bottom dwellers have when a conference is dissected piece by piece.

Yeah and I guess that goes to the whole idea behind realignment. These “legacy” conferences were made when college sports wasn’t entirely about money.

 

[UConnJim]

They literally had 41,000 two weeks ago against FCS Southern Utah... and over 40,000 for North Texas only two years ago.

So, 2 games in 10 years and an average of 18.2k fans last year. That is not "regularly" get over 40k fans.

 

[ZooCougar]

There is always a New Mexico State or UT-Amarillo available

 

[ZooCougar]

UTEP has a bigger brand historically and they have a fanbase. They regularly get over 40,000 to games at the Sun Bowl. Also, if we have to do a scheduling agreement for basketball, UTEP is much preferred over Texas State.

UTEP has nothing. NOTHING.

Those attendance figures are just tickets distributed.

 

[Urcea]

“Want” to only add one more member or “can’t”?

PAC needs one more full member and MWC needs two. Where are all these programs gonna come from? Western block of Sun Belt I guess? Are they gonna wanna leave to join the giant cluster that these two leagues have created?

Move up a bunch of FCS schools?

What a mess.

Three slots; there's three CUSA/Sun Belt teams (Texas State, UTEP, NMSU). I would imagine some combination of the above will go. Doesn't necessarily preclude a UConn move

 

[WrenchFan69]

I may be changing my mind here on who I want in the PAC with us. Texas St has a bunch of positives, but I just really like UTEP. I wonder if separating them from NM State could be a problem? Maybe PAC gets UTEP, Texas St stays in the Sun Belt, Sac St moves up to join the MWC with NM St?

 

[UConn Dan]

Locking in my prediction:

Texas State > PAC
UTEP and NMSU > MW
UConn football only > PAC
Gonzaga basketball et al > PAC

UConn annual basketball game with Gonzaga plus one additional PAC game.

No or limited exit fee for us.

Done by Friday night.

 

[Tdaley]

Locking in my prediction:

Texas State > PAC
UTEP and NMSU > MW
UConn football only > PAC
Gonzaga basketball et al > PAC

UConn annual basketball game with Gonzaga plus one additional PAC game.

No or limited exit fee for us.

Done by Friday night.

I wouldn’t hate this!

 

[WrenchFan69]

Locking in my prediction:

Texas State > PAC
UTEP and NMSU > MW
UConn football only > PAC
Gonzaga basketball et al > PAC

UConn annual basketball game with Gonzaga plus one additional PAC game.

No or limited exit fee for us.

Done by Friday night.

I'd sign up for that in a heartbeat

 

[Kembafan]

“Want” to only add one more member or “can’t”?

PAC needs one more full member and MWC needs two. Where are all these programs gonna come from? Western block of Sun Belt I guess? Are they gonna wanna leave to join the giant cluster that these two leagues have created?

Move up a bunch of FCS schools?

What a mess.

Mess is right. Now there’s two unstable conferences out west. Ridiculous. All of this is being determined by the timing of contracts and exit fees, which is wild to think about. It’s even conceivable that the pac12 would’ve gotten a much better media deal if their media contract expired after this year instead of last, and nobody would’ve defected.

 

[Chonky]

Locking in my prediction:

Texas State > PAC
UTEP and NMSU > MW
UConn football only > PAC
Gonzaga basketball et al > PAC

UConn annual basketball game with Gonzaga plus one additional PAC game.

No or limited exit fee for us.

Done by Friday night.

No one wants 8. No stability.

Texas St and UTEP to PAC
NMSU and a Dakota FCS to MWC

—Pause—

PAC wants Gonzaga as a 10th all sport member. With us to complement as a FB tenth. Gonzaga balks cuz this PAC ain’t what they envisioned. This drags out awhile.

MWC sits awhile cuz they have no choice. It’s really not an attractive conference anymore for an upgrade for, say, NIU.

Eventually they both get to 10 somehow. 50/50 it involves us and Gonzaga.

 

[BlueHen]

Locking in my prediction:

Texas State > PAC
UTEP and NMSU > MW
UConn football only > PAC
Gonzaga basketball et al > PAC

UConn annual basketball game with Gonzaga plus one additional PAC game.

No or limited exit fee for us.

Done by Friday night.

Works for me.

I like the cut of your jib.

 

[shizzle787]

Locking in my prediction:

Texas State > PAC
UTEP and NMSU > MW
UConn football only > PAC
Gonzaga basketball et al > PAC

UConn annual basketball game with Gonzaga plus one additional PAC game.

No or limited exit fee for us.

Done by Friday night.

The fourth one in the parlay I'm not buying. I don't think Gonzaga looks the Pac-12 and jumps.

 

[WrenchFan69]

No one wants 8. No stability.

Texas St and UTEP to PAC
NMSU and a Dakota FCS to MWC

—Pause—

PAC wants Gonzaga as a 10th all sport member. With us to complement as a FB tenth. Gonzaga balks cuz this PAC ain’t what they envisioned. This drags out awhile.

MWC sits awhile cuz they have no choice. It’s really not an attractive conference anymore for an upgrade for, say, NIU.

Eventually they both get to 10 somehow. 50/50 it involves us and Gonzaga.

I think the PAC wants 8 + us and Gonzaga, giving 8 conference games for football and 16 for basketball.

 

[UConn Dan]

The fourth one in the parlay I'm not buying. I don't think Gonzaga looks the Pac-12 and jumps.

Agree that’s the toughest call from the outside but Brett McMurphy/Action Network are sticking by their source and reporting that Gonzaga to PAC is done deal so there’s that gnawing at me.

 

[shizzle787]

Agree that’s the toughest call from the outside but Brett McMurphy/Action Network are sticking by their source and reporting that Gonzaga to PAC is done deal so there’s that gnawing at me.

The Gonzaga AD shooting it down directly makes me think it's not going to happen.

 

[WrenchFan69]

The Gonzaga AD shooting it down directly makes me think it's not going to happen.

The Gonzaga AD said "the reporting was inaccurate" when the question was "are you going to the PAC." That's as non-committal as it gets. Likely just not in a position to announce it, rather than it not happening.

 

[WrenchFan69]

 

[UConn Dan]

The Gonzaga AD shooting it down directly makes me think it's not going to happen.

My take is that they were going PAC 12 but still attempting one last swing at Big 12.

 

[Chonky]

My take is that they were going PAC 12 but still attempting one last swing at Big 12.

Hmmm
Sounds familiar.