CSU to Big 12

[ragtimejoe1]

While it will never happen under the current regime, we have just as much a chance of leaving for a P5 than anyone else does if were only looking at off the field attributes.

I disagree with this. We have some decent to nice facilities but we don't have a market, no national appeal, small fan base that attends games, no real advertising appeal, and no chance at developing those.

While others' chance is slim at getting a P5 invite, ours is 0.

Our fan base goes to games?

Buys tickets?

[McPeachy]

The travesty in the entire situation, is that CSewe has primed themselves for a move, while UW has sat idly by and done very little. CSewe (Frank / Graham) really did position the school for this by hiring McElwain / Miles / Eustachy, and paying them at the top of the conference. They also gained a TON of press with the on-campus stadium thing, and whether or not we agree, it certainly aids to talk of realignment. The stadium project got CSewe more press and face-time since damn near anything at that poop of a school.

The last 10 years at UW, even with the blip MWC tournament championship this past March, have been largely trying to just keep up with our downgraded conference (no TCU, Utah, bWHYu), and failing at even doing just that.

I think you undervalue our coaches. I have no argument for the Sheeps stadium. Kudos for them. But the Bohl hiring and Shyatt's pedigree are just as valuable as McElwain and Pukestachy. And our renovated basketball facility is way better and more of a draw than that gymnasium they have down there. AND, the HATC is a bigger draw nationally than anything CSU, BYU, ANYONE can boast about right now. While it will never happen under the current regime, we have just as much a chance of leaving for a P5 than anyone else does if were only looking at off the field attributes.

I completely did not intend to undervalue our current coaches. I would take Shyatt over Eustachy anyday, without question. I also agree though, that 1/2 of the AA is better than anything in FC. The lower half. And yes, the HATC is a huge draw, but let's see that get done first - as well as the other 1/2 of the AA. The HATC is not getting the press even near what an on campus stadium is getting in Colorado. Hopefully that changes, we'll see.

I think maybe Miles was a notch up from Shyatt a couple years ago. And I know that Miles was heads and shoulders above Heath LOL. McElwain is a notch up on Bohl as it sits right now - and the jury is still out, but I have brown and gold glassed faith it won't be that way in 3 or so years. I don't think we need to bring up who was a better coach between McElwain & Christiansen.

It took McElwain & Miles to make UW move. Remember the "million-dollar" comment? UW has been nothing shy of followers and keepers-up for the past 10 years...which was my primary point. We needed to be (and continue to need to be) the visionary, the buzz, the hype, the leader...not the follower. In our world these days, it is all about the mentions, retweets, blogs, editorials, articles, and likes.

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

While it will never happen under the current regime, we have just as much a chance of leaving for a P5 than anyone else does if were only looking at off the field attributes.

I disagree with this. We have some decent to nice facilities but we don't have a market, no national appeal, small fan base that attends games, no real advertising appeal, and no chance at developing those.

While others' chance is slim at getting a P5 invite, ours is 0.

I do not disagree with most of your points. My comment was directed at the poster earlier mentioning coaches and facilities as a reason CSU may have had a shot at moving or realigning. Rereading my post, I didnt do a great job of getting my point across. We do not have the market thats for sure.

Where I do disagree is current and future facilities. If/when the AA gets done, it will be the premiere arena this side of the country. The HATC is going to be a game changer. It will be the best facility of its kind in the country, if not all of North America.

[ragtimejoe1]

Where I do disagree is current and future facilities. If/when the AA gets done, it will be the premiere arena this side of the country. The HATC is going to be a game changer. It will be the best facility of its kind in the country, if not all of North America.

I do agree and think our facilities are very good for a G5 member and good for college sports in general. I think they can help with recruiting, but the best facilities in all of college sports wouldn't get us P5 invite. The best facilities in all of college football + 40K avg football attendance + multiple 10+ win seasons + a NY6 bowl game win + multiple NCAA appearances + a couple of Sweet 16 runs + ...... still won't get us a P5 invite.

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

Where I do disagree is current and future facilities. If/when the AA gets done, it will be the premiere arena this side of the country. The HATC is going to be a game changer. It will be the best facility of its kind in the country, if not all of North America.

I do agree and think our facilities are very good for a G5 member and good for college sports in general. I think they can help with recruiting, but the best facilities in all of college sports wouldn't get us P5 invite. The best facilities in all of college football + 40K avg football attendance + multiple 10+ win seasons + a NY6 bowl game win + multiple NCAA appearances + a couple of Sweet 16 runs + ...... still won't get us a P5 invite.

I don't think theres any arguing that. Screw the P5.

[joshvanklomp]

Thought this column from a small-town KS sports editor was interesting...

It’s time for the Big 12 to be the Big 12 once again, and after last year’s debacle of seeing TCU and/or Baylor – both sporting only one blemish to its record – getting left out of the first-ever playoff is and should be an embarrassment to the conference. It’s time for a change.

However, Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsey told the Associated Press at the media days: “We have to recruit better. We have to develop better. We have to play better. We have to win the big games when we have a chance to win the big games.”

Will that really help matters? Doubt it.

Why would a recruit want to come play for a Big 12 school when he knows he won’t have an opportunity to play for a national title? Same can be asked about the coaches. As far as the big games are concerned, is there truly a “big game” with no true championship? Even with a new tiebreaker procedure in place, the rest of the nation will see a tie, and things will continue to be status quo until they add two more teams and bring back the championship game.

Until then, it does not bode well for the conference.

There is a simple solution to the matter – add the Colorado State University Rams and the University of Wyoming Cowboys.

http://www.chanute.com/sports/article_e ... 4a09f.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

Thats kinda crazy he named both schools outright. I would welcome that. Better conference, much better recruits. Bohl's type of football fits the Big 12 too. We would fit well. Lets hope this gains some traction. We do indeed have one of the better rivalries in all of college sports.

[laxwyo]

I like that guy

[BeaverPoke]

I've always thought that if Wyo or CSU wanted to go P5 it would be the Big12, and if the Big12 wanted to add a couple programs that actually fit geographically, and fit in, and had a real rivalry, Wyo and CSU were the two they should go after.

But, even then it makes like... zero sense. Okay, it makes like the tiniest bit of sense ever. Just a small sliver.

Too bad Wyo and CSU aren't constantly Top 25 teams bringing 30K+ per game talking about expanding stadiums out of NECESSITY. It would actually make a little bit more sense.

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

I've always thought that if Wyo or CSU wanted to go P5 it would be the Big12, and if the Big12 wanted to add a couple programs that actually fit geographically, and fit in, and had a real rivalry, Wyo and CSU were the two they should go after.

But, even then it makes like... zero sense. Okay, it makes like the tiniest bit of sense ever. Just a small sliver.

Too bad Wyo and CSU aren't constantly Top 25 teams bringing 30K+ per game talking about expanding stadiums out of NECESSITY. It would actually make a little bit more sense.

I think both could make the jump to top 25 teams with a move like this. The recruiting game would be a lot easier thats for sure

[BeaverPoke]

I've always thought that if Wyo or CSU wanted to go P5 it would be the Big12, and if the Big12 wanted to add a couple programs that actually fit geographically, and fit in, and had a real rivalry, Wyo and CSU were the two they should go after.

But, even then it makes like... zero sense. Okay, it makes like the tiniest bit of sense ever. Just a small sliver.

Too bad Wyo and CSU aren't constantly Top 25 teams bringing 30K+ per game talking about expanding stadiums out of NECESSITY. It would actually make a little bit more sense.

I think both could make the jump to top 25 teams with a move like this. The recruiting game would be a lot easier thats for sure

Recruiting would go up overnight. But the issue then becomes that we aren't trying to get 3 stars and 4stars to compete with UNLV and New Mexico with their 2s and 3s, we are then getting 3s and 4s to compete with Oklahomas, Oklahoma States, Texas', Baylors, and TCU's 3s, 4s, and 5s.

But yes, all it takes is a single "up" year in a conference like that to change national perception.

You edge out a couple decent wins one year in the MWC and end up in the Vegas Bowl versus in talks about a NY6 bowl or the playoff.

An 8 win season in the MWC got us murdered by TEMPLE in the New Mexico Bowl.
An 8 win season in the Big12 gets us a # next to our name and a potential big game changing 4 recruit or two coming to town.

[joshvanklomp]

It'll be interesting to see if the B1G raids the Big XII for Oklahoma and Kansas, as has been speculated. That would be a blow to the Texas schools, which I could see the Longhorns go to SEC or Independent. Then maybe some sort of conglomeration between the Pac-12, Big XII and MWC into two leagues, dividing based on who's willing to shell out the money?

More likely though on our end involves joining with the western AAC schools Tulsa, SMU, Houston and/or Tulane

[Yabadabadoo]

With the facilities upgrades on deck, and if Bohl makes Wyoming a perennial MWC contender, then maybe the idea of a Big 12 move at some point makes sense instead of it being merely a pipe dream?

For the time being - give me the MWC.

[laxwyo]

I actually think the wrestling in big12 will help our standing amongst the other members. If we have a few good years, who knows

[joshvanklomp]

Where do the Cowboys wrestle? AA?

[cali2wyo]

Where do the Cowboys wrestle? AA?

Typically in the same venue as volleyball, UniWyo Sports Complex. There have been a few matches in the AA that bring a bigger crowd, like when ok state came a few years back. It may have been that match, but I also remember a wrestling/men's basketball double header where both events were held in the AA.

There was also a match in the IPF before a football game either this past season or the previous year

[bladerunnr]

One thing that separates csewe from Wyo. - number of students. They now have almost 35k students. The stadium will be built. And as someone who lives here, fort Collins and the entire northern Colorado population just keeps growing (too much for my taste). So it's not absurd to think csewe could get consideration to the big 12.

However, the goofy rumor I keep hearing is that they want Nebraska back. And I know many Nebraska alum who think the jump to the big 10 has been a huge mistake. Other than Ohio state, fans there don't seem to care about playing Illinois or Northwestern or Purdue or many of the other so so big 10 teams.

[joshvanklomp]

Other than Ohio state, fans there don't seem to care about playing Illinois or Northwestern or Purdue or many of the other so so big 10 teams.

Part of it probably has to do with the fact that they haven't been playing very well lately and just made a questionable hire at HC.

I think Stewart Mandel summed up the unlikeliness of the move back to the Big 12 perfectly:

Nebraska left the Big 12 in 2010 due in large part to the league's chronic dysfunction (fueled at that time by Missouri openly lobbying to join the Big Ten). Five years later, the Big 12 is still marked by divisiveness, odd marriages and questions about its stability. So yes, absolutely, Nebraska is going to reverse course on the steady, markedly unified and filthy rich (and about to get that much richer) Big Ten to go back to the Big 12.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-footba ... ers-072915" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[WyoBrandX]

I have to agree with BeaverPoke on this one. The best thing we could do is say to our hated rival and friendly neighbor university (CSU) is "Let's team up - improve our facilities, put together a plan, and make ourselves a package deal to the Big 12 or some other conference."

I don't think either school could do it alone - and they probably can't do it together - but combined, they have a good chunk of the unpopulated region of the West's market. New facilities, improve records, market the heated rivalry - and it may just work.

Wyoming and CSU have almost always been in the same conference. Hell, they own the Y-cross ranch together. It is time to come up with a good plan.

Laramie really needs to continue their plan to 50k residents. I believe that would simplify these things more. They don't need to grow huge - they just need to be big enough to make students feel isolated and in a city. I'd think this would help recruiting...

I'd really like to see Wyoming lighten up some of its liquor laws. More brew pubs and restaurants and places that can provide entertainment as a break from the hard core drinking establishments out there. This is more of a recruiting and quality of life thing IMHO.

[BJC]

hard core drinking establishments

Now I know I am old...because I understand exactly what you are saying