CUSA and MWC Merge
Conference-USA and the Mountain West Conference announced their plans to merge into one big happy family. The move was a result of defections by schools in both conferences.
Air Force, Colorado, UNLV, New Mexico and Wyoming are the leftover members from the MWC. East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Mississippi, Texas-El Paso, Tulane, Tulsa and the University of Alabama at Birmingham are the leftover member from CUSA.
Coming into the MWC for the 2012 season are Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii.
The new conference is expected to begin play in the 2013 season.
This is not a new partnership for the two conferences as they served as the "Champion versus Champion" format for the Liberty Bowl which was started in 1997-1999, both conference champions faced each other.
The merger will affect the bowl lineup. CUSA is currently aligned with Liberty Bowl vs. SEC, Hawaii Bowl vs Hawaii/WAC, Armed Forces Bowl vs MWC/BYU/Service Academies, Beef O Bradys Bowl vs Big East, New Orleans Bowl vs Sunbelt, Military Bowl vs ACC/Service Academies and the TicketCity Bowl vs Big 10.
The MWC has their lineup of Las Vegas Bowl vs PAC 12, Poinsettia Bowl vs WAC/Service Academies, Independence Bowl vs ACC and the New Mexico vs PAC 12.
Both conference overlap in the Armed Services Bowl.
Also television deals have to be reworked as both conferences are in the middle of television contract negotiations with the CBS Sports Network that run through the 2015-2016 season. In place for the MWC is an option to extend their contract for four years.
In addition to the CBS agreement, CUSA has a deal that runs through the 2015-2016 season with Fox Sports.
Details of the TV deal have to be worked out. Before the loss of the CUSA schools, television industry sources pointed out there are no television markets attractive to them from CUSA if SMU and Houston left. With speculation the new conference could go to 24 teams which means they would be looking to get schools that could deliver in television markets.
While details of the what the conference will look like is forthcoming, the plan is to keep all regional rivalries in place in the divisions to maximize fan involvement in the new conference.
Hawaii will be a member in football only.
Other issues to be worked out is a possible NCAA change to allow the new conference to play 14 games. Right now the NCAA limits the conference games to 13. CUSA is planning to kept its conference championship game with the winner of that championship facing the winner of the MWC side of the house for the overall championship.
The hope of the new conference is to get a BCS bid. The Big East is trying to keep its bid by adding new schools from CUSA. If the Big East works it out the earliest the new conference could get a bid is 2018.
Air Force, Colorado, UNLV, New Mexico and Wyoming are the leftover members from the MWC. East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Mississippi, Texas-El Paso, Tulane, Tulsa and the University of Alabama at Birmingham are the leftover member from CUSA.
Coming into the MWC for the 2012 season are Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii.
The new conference is expected to begin play in the 2013 season.
This is not a new partnership for the two conferences as they served as the "Champion versus Champion" format for the Liberty Bowl which was started in 1997-1999, both conference champions faced each other.
The merger will affect the bowl lineup. CUSA is currently aligned with Liberty Bowl vs. SEC, Hawaii Bowl vs Hawaii/WAC, Armed Forces Bowl vs MWC/BYU/Service Academies, Beef O Bradys Bowl vs Big East, New Orleans Bowl vs Sunbelt, Military Bowl vs ACC/Service Academies and the TicketCity Bowl vs Big 10.
The MWC has their lineup of Las Vegas Bowl vs PAC 12, Poinsettia Bowl vs WAC/Service Academies, Independence Bowl vs ACC and the New Mexico vs PAC 12.
Both conference overlap in the Armed Services Bowl.
Also television deals have to be reworked as both conferences are in the middle of television contract negotiations with the CBS Sports Network that run through the 2015-2016 season. In place for the MWC is an option to extend their contract for four years.
In addition to the CBS agreement, CUSA has a deal that runs through the 2015-2016 season with Fox Sports.
Details of the TV deal have to be worked out. Before the loss of the CUSA schools, television industry sources pointed out there are no television markets attractive to them from CUSA if SMU and Houston left. With speculation the new conference could go to 24 teams which means they would be looking to get schools that could deliver in television markets.
While details of the what the conference will look like is forthcoming, the plan is to keep all regional rivalries in place in the divisions to maximize fan involvement in the new conference.
Hawaii will be a member in football only.
Other issues to be worked out is a possible NCAA change to allow the new conference to play 14 games. Right now the NCAA limits the conference games to 13. CUSA is planning to kept its conference championship game with the winner of that championship facing the winner of the MWC side of the house for the overall championship.
The hope of the new conference is to get a BCS bid. The Big East is trying to keep its bid by adding new schools from CUSA. If the Big East works it out the earliest the new conference could get a bid is 2018.
Posted by EagleTalkNet at 2/14/2012 2:53 PM 
Categories: Football, North Texas
Tags: north texas football mean green football UNT football
Categories: Football, North Texas
Tags: north texas football mean green football UNT football
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