UTSA Roadblock to TXST's FBS Aspirations?

[TexasTerror]

Several amongst the TXST fan base have really been taking shots at UTSA as they build up their football program. UTSA has been at the brunt of many critics since they announced football was coming on board as people from different factions just doubted the success...

Sure, UTSA still has not played, but their actions have spoken volumes thus far and could it conceivably make it more difficult for TXST to go FBS? Could it slow down the process for TXST in achieving their goal and potentially turn off Bobcat fans who want to see FBS sooner than later?

Not really sure. I guess that remains to be seen, especially in wake of the conference realignment.

Either way, UTSA is putting their best foot forward...

Not only have they hired Larry Coker as the head coach, they have done a hell of a job scheduling. They have home-and-home arrangements (either straight up or 2-for-1) with Baylor, Kansas State, Arizona State, Arizona and Houston. Rumored deals include the naval institutions, Rice and Oklahoma State among others.

Not too bad for a school that has yet to play a down. Having the well known coach was not a bad start, but the scheduling is already better than some of what we've seen from the MAC and Sun Belt schools for the most part...

[JSU02]

. Rumored deals include the naval institutions, Rice and Oklahoma State among others.


Hmmm, I guess one of those "naval institutions" is the Naval Academy, but as for the other????? Navy State? Navy Tech? Navy Southern?;)

[TexasTerror]

Hmmm, I guess one of those "naval institutions" is the Naval Academy, but as for the other????? Navy State? Navy Tech? Navy Southern?;)

Slipped up... xbangx You knew what I mean!

[MplsBison]

Hmmm, I guess one of those "naval institutions" is the Naval Academy, but as for the other????? Navy State? Navy Tech? Navy Southern?;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Merchant_Marine_Academy#Sports

xnodx

[msusig]

Several amongst the TXST fan base have really been taking shots at UTSA as they build up their football program. UTSA has been at the brunt of many critics since they announced football was coming on board as people from different factions just doubted the success...

Sure, UTSA still has not played, but their actions have spoken volumes thus far and could it conceivably make it more difficult for TXST to go FBS? Could it slow down the process for TXST in achieving their goal and potentially turn off Bobcat fans who want to see FBS sooner than later?

Not really sure. I guess that remains to be seen, especially in wake of the conference realignment.

Either way, UTSA is putting their best foot forward...

Not only have they hired Larry Coker as the head coach, they have done a hell of a job scheduling. They have home-and-home arrangements (either straight up or 2-for-1) with Baylor, Kansas State, Arizona State, Arizona and Houston. Rumored deals include the naval institutions, Rice and Oklahoma State among others.

Not too bad for a school that has yet to play a down. Having the well known coach was not a bad start, but the scheduling is already better than some of what we've seen from the MAC and Sun Belt schools for the most part...

I can't blame them for trying to go FBS. I have to admit that it would be nice to see some of those schools play at McNeese, but will never happen until MSU grows and has the same ambitions. And I don't see McNeese growing with Louisiana continuing to cut funding to the universities. But it is good that they are trying to give the universities more control of their tuition.

[Green Cookie Monster]

I am also an alum of TXST, they dont have the market to go FBS. UTSA has a viable market, facilities and corporate sponsorship. TXST is a suitcase school and I remember many a weekend when tumbleweed would blow through campus because everyone had gone home. Or everyone would go to 6th street in Austin.

I dont think UTSA is a roadblock, being located in San Marcos is the roadblock.

[TexasTerror]

I am also an alum of TXST, they dont have the market to go FBS. UTSA has a viable market, facilities and corporate sponsorship. TXST is a suitcase school and I remember many a weekend when tumbleweed would blow through campus because everyone had gone home. Or everyone would go to 6th street in Austin.

I dont think UTSA is a roadblock, being located in San Marcos is the roadblock.

Interesting perspective...but let me play devil's advocate...?

However, San Marcos is a 'bigger city/town' than Troy is. Troy has had a fairly small town and they have seemingly had success in the Sun Belt. Their big corporate sponsor is Movie Gallery and like the school in San Marcos, they have a bit of competition with Alabama and Auburn not too far away (plus an upcoming in-state rival in South Alabama brewing down south).

TXST is sandwiched between the University of Texas and UTSA, but UTSA is a mid-major type of program while Troy is building up their institution in a market where, they got their share of competition.

[JSU02]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Merchant_Marine_Academy#Sports

xnodx

I did not know about the USMMA, but I did know about the Coast Guard Academy.

[JSU02]

Interesting perspective...but let me play devil's advocate...?

However, San Marcos is a 'bigger city/town' than Troy is. Troy has had a fairly small town and they have seemingly had success in the Sun Belt. Their big corporate sponsor is Movie Gallery and like the school in San Marcos, they have a bit of competition with Alabama and Auburn not too far away (plus an upcoming in-state rival in South Alabama brewing down south).

TXST is sandwiched between the University of Texas and UTSA, but UTSA is a mid-major type of program while Troy is building up their institution in a market where, they got their share of competition.

If you want your company to go down the drain, just sign up to sponsor troy.
Before Movie Gallery (now bankrupt) Stadium, it was Richard Scrushy (Ex-Health South CEO, now felon) Field.

As for their market, Troy is next door to the middle of no-where and between the Montgomery and Dothan, Alabama TV markets. Not that Jacksonville is a metropolis by any means, but at least it has 250,000 residents within a 30 minute drive, and within an hour of Birmingham and metro Atlanta.

[MplsBison]

I am also an alum of TXST, they dont have the market to go FBS. UTSA has a viable market, facilities and corporate sponsorship. TXST is a suitcase school and I remember many a weekend when tumbleweed would blow through campus because everyone had gone home. Or everyone would go to 6th street in Austin.

I dont think UTSA is a roadblock, being located in San Marcos is the roadblock.


How hard is it for those students to drive back to San Marcos on Sat for tailgating and a big home game?


Your argument goes both ways.

[MaximumBobcat]

I am also an alum of TXST, they dont have the market to go FBS. UTSA has a viable market, facilities and corporate sponsorship. TXST is a suitcase school and I remember many a weekend when tumbleweed would blow through campus because everyone had gone home. Or everyone would go to 6th street in Austin.

I dont think UTSA is a roadblock, being located in San Marcos is the roadblock.

How recent of an alum are you? If you say earlier than 2004-06, than your argument holds no weight because things have changed dramatically in those years.

Have you been to the school recently at all?

[Green Cookie Monster]

What changed in two years? '04-'06?

Yes, I was there two years ago.

[MaximumBobcat]

What changed in two years? '04-'06?

Yes, I was there two years ago.

-playoff run
-incoming freshmen only know it as TXST (bye SWT)
-increased school pride (major factor)

It's become a first choice school for a lot of these freshmen.

I graduated in '08 and never experienced the empty campus on the weekends you're talking about. What year was it you graduated?

Sure some people go to 6th street, but most students spend the majority of the time on the Square in downtown San Marcos. it's packed every weekend and busy most weeknights.

There's enough students/people in the San Marcos/New Braunfels/Kyle area to support the team when it goes to FBS. Throw in the the alums from SA/ATX that would drive in to town for each game and you've got yourself a decent crowd to market to.

[TexasTerror]

I said this on BFs.com and a Bobcat agreed with me, so worth posting here, I think as it relates to TXST faithful who say that whatever UTSA does as far as scheduling is a moot point...


And I do not think it's almost a moot point, because this shows they are taking the steps at a rapid pace to get things in order. Scheduling these games makes them MUCH MORE attractive to a potential FBS conference suitor.

And the fact of the matter, it does. An FBS conference would have a hard time not liking a school that can schedule home-and-homes with the major BCS conferences. The conference profile only grows when you beat a major BCS program. Playing them at home helps...

[Green Cookie Monster]

-playoff run
-incoming freshmen only know it as TXST (bye SWT)
-increased school pride (major factor)


What is wrong with SWT? It's just a name. If changing the identity by name only makes my diploma more valuable, woohoo. If they added a medical center, research campus, professional school (law, pharmacy, vet, etc.) or offered terminal PhD's in depth, then maybe it could be called Texas State. Otherwise, it's just a name change like GM and the New GM.

It will be very difficult to fiscally maintain a competitive FBS program with the Austin and SA media markets locked up by local competition. I wish them well.

[MaximumBobcat]

If they added a medical center, research campus, professional school (law, pharmacy, vet, etc.) or offered terminal PhD's in depth, then maybe it could be called Texas State.

It will be very difficult to fiscally maintain a competitive FBS program with the Austin and SA media markets locked up by local competition. I wish them well.

Well, they did recently start the Ingram School of Engineering in 2007 I believe, as well as expanded the McCoy College of Business. Research has recently exploded on campus as well, TXST is one of "the" places to be for nano-tech right now.

As for the FBS venture, you're correct it will be difficult, but we'll never know if we don't try.

[McNeese75]

Tx State just needs to go ahead and hire this guy and seal the deal :D

http://www.impawards.com/tv/posters/friday_night_lights.jpg

[TexasTerror]

UCA's beat writer suggests that UTSA is a natural fit for C-USA while TXST is most likely in the mix for a WAC or Sun Belt spot.


That brings us to the Southland Conference. Texas-San Antonio, which was set to be a football-playing member in the SLC in 2012, now plans to compete as FCS independent in football in 2011. Working along the template set by South Florida when it worked itself into membership in the Big East, UTSA will officially file its plans in 2012 to become a full-fledged FBS member by 2014 and will await a conference invitation, which is a certainty because of the San Antonio market. UTSA seems a natural for the Conference-USA western mix of Southern Miss, Tulane, Rice, Houston, SMU, Tulsa and UTEP.

It was questionable from the beginning how long UTSA would remain in the Southland, which consists of generally smaller schools in medium to small markets other than the major cities in Texas and Louisiana, where it is overshadowed by the major conferences.

A question at the next round of meetings by the SLC will be whether to allow UTSA to compete in the league in other sports while football is using that anchor to shop for an FBS home.

Texas State is in the midst of a serious and well-publicized fundraising and facility-enhancement drive to move to become an FBS member after the moratorium is lifted in 2011. The Sun Belt and the WAC are at the heart of that speculation for conference affiliation.

http://thecabin.net/news/2010-05-30/hear-rumblings-some-kind-ncaa-shakeup-coming

[txstatebobcat]

I just don't see UTSA blocking TxSt's FBS aspirations just yet. The WAC, Sunbelt, CUSA and even MWC aren't safe and at least one if not more may have to take FCS schools just to survive. This realignment will create plenty of room for many FCS schools who wish to move up. Whether its going to be next year or five years from now is anybody's guess at this time.

UTSA is doing some great things, but they made a huge mistake when they made their 2011 schedule. All that progress in promoting the school is going to take a nosedive in 2011. Just look at their inaugural schedule:

2011 UTSA Football Schedule
Sept. 3: Northeastern State
Sept. 10: McMurry
Sept. 17: at Southern Utah
Sept. 24: Bacone College
Oct. 1: at Sam Houston State
Oct. 8: South Alabama
Oct. 15: at UC Davis
Oct. 22: at Northwestern State
Oct. 29: Georgia State
Nov. 12: at McNeese State
Nov. 19: Minot State

While this is a pathetic schedule by FCS standards it is going to be murderers row for a first year team. What's worse is that San Antonians in general know absolutely nothing beyond BCS level schools. They may easily go 4-7 in their first year and if they do better than 5-6 then it will be a testament to their coaches. Not that it will matter since most San Antonians will have abandoned them by the time they play Georgia State. If they start with 35,000-45,000 in their first game then they will be lucky to have 10,000 against Minot State. Then the road runners will find out why University of Houston quit playing in the astrodome and why Tulane is desperate to build their own stadium.

[TexasTerror]

UTSA is doing some great things, but they made a huge mistake when they made their 2011 schedule. All that progress in promoting the school is going to take a nosedive in 2011. Just look at their inaugural schedule:

2011 UTSA Football Schedule
Sept. 3: Northeastern State
Sept. 10: McMurry
Sept. 17: at Southern Utah
Sept. 24: Bacone College
Oct. 1: at Sam Houston State
Oct. 8: South Alabama
Oct. 15: at UC Davis
Oct. 22: at Northwestern State
Oct. 29: Georgia State
Nov. 12: at McNeese State
Nov. 19: Minot State

While this is a pathetic schedule by FCS standards it is going to be murderers row for a first year team. What's worse is that San Antonians in general know absolutely nothing beyond BCS level schools. They may easily go 4-7 in their first year and if they do better than 5-6 then it will be a testament to their coaches. Not that it will matter since most San Antonians will have abandoned them by the time they play Georgia State. If they start with 35,000-45,000 in their first game then they will be lucky to have 10,000 against Minot State. Then the road runners will find out why University of Houston quit playing in the astrodome and why Tulane is desperate to build their own stadium.

Unfortunately, from the stand point of a start up program, they had no choice. I am sure the fans are upset about the scheduling, but it's just how it goes.

I was amused when so many TXST fans (hey - you are doing it yourself) bashed their first schedule by the program, but it is not like you even qualify as a counter in that first year of existence in order to schedule FBS games.

Again, further point that UTSA is doing publicity to build up their future schedules. They want their fans to know the timeline (which they put in EVERY release) and that their schedules are moving quickly towards what fans want to see.

The level-headed UTSA fans are just excited about football and the good thing is that they'll be able to take advantage of those fans just excited about football for the first year or two, before they ramp up the schedule with FBS games and home-and-homes that would make many current mid-major schools jealous.

[txstatebobcat]

I know the first year doesn't count or matter, but for UTSA's fight to find and keep the average San Antonio fan the 2011 is a disaster. First no teams that may get the average S.A. fan exited and 4-5 teams that will probably kill the road runners with three others that stand a good chance of beating a 1st year team.

Just taking a page from you and telling it like it is, at least that is what you always say when you bash something.

[centexguy]

Larry Coker seems intent on building the program with high school recruits and not FBS or JUCO transfers, which probably means they will not win right away. They are probably planning on having small crowds the first few years until the FBS teams start coming in to play. If UTSA gets enough corporate and city support then they'll make it through the first few years of losing and relatively small fan support.

[TexasTerror]

Larry Coker seems intent on building the program with high school recruits and not FBS or JUCO transfers, which probably means they will not win right away. They are probably planning on having small crowds the first few years until the FBS teams start coming in to play. If UTSA gets enough corporate and city support then they'll make it through the first few years of losing and relatively small fan support.

I wonder how well their ticket sales are going...

From the looks of it, UTSA may be outreaching to corporations to buy into their efforts. Not only to buy up tickets, but to pour sponsorship dollars (and trade) into their program.

You may bring a valid point. If UTSA can average 15-20k these first two years, which does not seem to be a big reach, they may be able to substantially increase their attendance with the games against the FBS programs that they have signed on.

[slycat]

I am also an alum of TXST, they dont have the market to go FBS. UTSA has a viable market, facilities and corporate sponsorship. TXST is a suitcase school and I remember many a weekend when tumbleweed would blow through campus because everyone had gone home. Or everyone would go to 6th street in Austin.

I dont think UTSA is a roadblock, being located in San Marcos is the roadblock.

UTSA is a much bigger suitcase school. In general, Texas St sports are better supported then UTSAs as well.

[TexasTerror]

Good ole RJ stirring the pot...a mutual acquaintance in a new SWAC?


UH still needs to get money raised and facilities built, but there could be something exciting happening, too. How about a Big 12 with UH, Rice, Baylor, SMU, TCU, UTEP, Sam Houston, North Texas, Texas State and UTSA in the mix.

Hey, wait, we don't have to call it the Big 12, do we? Let's come up with our own name. How about The Southwest Conference? How's that for an idea? Anyway, it's as perfect an arrangement as could be hoped for. First, it'll be a conference built on natural rivalries — Rice-UH, SMU-TCU, etc. Second, it'll have almost all the relevant TV markets: Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, El Paso, Waco.

http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2010/06/uhs_invitation.html

[slycat]

Good ole RJ stirring the pot...a mutual acquaintance in a new SWAC?



http://blogs.chron.com/sportsjustice/archives/2010/06/uhs_invitation.html

Baylor would be taking a major hit if this happened.