OT: Is Transition Cleared Tarleton on the Move Again?

[Techster88]

The Mountain West has held deep and serious discussions with FCS Tarleton State, sources tell
@YahooSports
. MWC needs one more full member to qualify as a conference. Talks between the Texas-based FCS school and the conference have progressed.

Hard to believe this school that was D2 less than 5 years ago is being considered by a FBS conference

[MooseLodge]

The Mountain West has held deep and serious discussions with FCS Tarleton State, sources tell
@YahooSports
. MWC needs one more full member to qualify as a conference. Talks between the Texas-based FCS school and the conference have progressed.

Hard to believe this school that was D2 less than 5 years ago is being considered by a FBS conference

Tarleton has been experiencing pretty robust growth for two decades, but I highly doubt that the Mountain West is going to stoop low enough to extend an offer to a very middling FCS program. UTEP I can see. At least they are a middling FBS program. If Tarleton is going to shoot for FBS, by far their most viable option is the Sunbelt.

[Goods]

Generically speaking, what I can't understand is how no one else in power thinks this growth is unsustainable.............. AND most of the SEC, half of the B1G, a couple ACC and some of the Big 12 will eventually break away and form their own professional conference anyway, which will relegate the new FBS schools back to basically FCS.

[BuffaloChip]

Generically speaking, what I can't understand is how no one else in power thinks this growth is unsustainable.............. AND most of the SEC, half of the B1G, a couple ACC and some of the Big 12 will eventually break away and form their own professional conference anyway, which will relegate the new FBS schools back to basically FCS.

The Professional Collegiate Athletic Association is only a couple years away, IMO. They'll corral the right FB schools. Pull in some of the BB schools for their BB tv package. Then boogie down the road. moeymoneymoneymoneymoney as the song goes

Everybody else can get back to a more realistic athletic association approach.

[MooseLodge]

Generically speaking, what I can't understand is how no one else in power thinks this growth is unsustainable.............. AND most of the SEC, half of the B1G, a couple ACC and some of the Big 12 will eventually break away and form their own professional conference anyway, which will relegate the new FBS schools back to basically FCS.

The Big 10 and SEC are quasi-breaking away currently, and I don't think they are inviting anyone else to the party.

[Techster88]

Tarleton has been experiencing pretty robust growth for two decades, but I highly doubt that the Mountain West is going to stoop low enough to extend an offer to a very middling FCS program. UTEP I can see. At least they are a middling FBS program. If Tarleton is going to shoot for FBS, by far their most viable option is the Sunbelt.

Mind boggling for me they are even in the conversation.

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

Mind boggling for me they are even in the conversation.

I think the same thing about how WT and Texas State took different paths.

I remember in 1980 when WT went to Oklahoma State on the road and won and then two weeks later they played a lowly D2 school from the LSC in Texas State at home.

Now Texas State is FBS playing Texas Tech and Arizona State at home while WT buses it to Alpine, Texas and getting blown out the last D2 game played in Canada.

Looks like ACU and Tarleton have transitioned nicely while Commerce is floundering.

[MooseLodge]

I think the same thing about how WT and Texas State took different paths.

Hardin-Simmons has it worse. They were once in the Border Conference with Tech, UTEP, BYU, Arizona, ASU, UNM. Their enrollment is around 1,000 now, and over half of the enrollment are on non-scholarship sports teams.

To be fair, WT was never particularly in its class playing D1, the Joe Kerbel years excepted. They won the Border Conference one time - in 1950. Joe Kerbel had the most success by far, going 68–42–1, when he was the first coach in Texas to recruit black athletes. He got a lot of mileage out of that, getting NFL All Pro players such as Duane Thomas and Mercury Morris, to play in Canyon.

Bill Yung went 26-27-1, actually a respectable record in the context of WT, during the Missouri Valley years, including the huge win at Oklahoma State. But by that time, there was lots of red ink flowing in the athletic department. Huge yearly deficits that just kept growing on the balance sheet, until there was an all-out athletic budget crisis in around 1983. Due to budget constraints, there was also very few sports at WT. By 1985-ish, WT was down to football, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, and tennis. Basically three sports for men, three for women.

Texas State has definitely grown, but it is in Austin's backyard and is the fallback for many students that do not get admitted to Texas. Most universities around the country are getting smaller, not larger. There are a lot of reasons for this.

My question is, where is Division 2 football going in Texas, and what are WT's options going forward? I am sure those things are frequently being discussed at WT.

[JakeTAMUC]

I think the same thing about how WT and Texas State took different paths.

I remember in 1980 when WT went to Oklahoma State on the road and won and then two weeks later they played a lowly D2 school from the LSC in Texas State at home.

Now Texas State is FBS playing Texas Tech and Arizona State at home while WT buses it to Alpine, Texas and getting blown out the last D2 game played in Canada.

Looks like ACU and Tarleton have transitioned nicely while Commerce is floundering.

Commerce is headed in the right direction. Year 3 of the transition with new coaches in just about every sport since the move. Volleyball and soccer are both at the top of the conference. Football should win 3 or 4 conference games this year. Both basketball teams are competitive and improving (men have a game vs UConn this year on FOX). Softball hasn’t been very good but OU will be in town for a scrimmage during homecoming. It’s a tedious process, but it’s a whole new world.

[MooseLodge]

Commerce is headed in the right direction. Year 3 of the transition with new coaches in just about every sport since the move. Volleyball and soccer are both at the top of the conference. Football should win 3 or 4 conference games this year. Both basketball teams are competitive and improving (men have a game vs UConn this year on FOX). Softball hasn’t been very good but OU will be in town for a scrimmage during homecoming. It’s a tedious process, but it’s a whole new world.

If Commerce is at the top of the conference for volleyball, I don't know if that tells me more about Commerce or the conference. With all due respect, Commerce will not be competitive in the D1 world, other than perhaps compared to the other shoe-string schools in that conference - and there are a bunch. We are really playing games with labels.

[Techster88]

https://www.texasfootball.com/articl...nsition-to-fbs

interesting article

Simply put, Tarleton currently has the attendance, funding, and most of the infrastructure and facilities that would attract any FBS Group of Six conferences, and the Texans have a plan in place for the remaining infrastructure and facilities needed to move to FBS.

from the article

[Techster88]

On another note the state of Football in the LSC minus Central Washington is atrocious.

I have watched WT bad football
I have watched Angelo ST just north of average not good
I have watched TAMK slightly above average at best awful at worst
i Have watched UTPB has some talent but plays flat as an abandoned tractor tire decades ago. Maybe just bare minimum talent in key positions is the reason

I have watched MSU Texas not good feisty bunch


whether or not you agree with my assessment of the Texas schools or not, you cannot deny this is a watered down league compared to years gone by.

[MooseLodge]

https://www.texasfootball.com/articl...nsition-to-fbs

interesting article

Simply put, Tarleton currently has the attendance, funding, and most of the infrastructure and facilities that would attract any FBS Group of Six conferences, and the Texans have a plan in place for the remaining infrastructure and facilities needed to move to FBS.

from the article

You've just got to have enough students to tax. Nothing magical about it. They are the ones paying the freight. I am guessing less than 10 percent of Tarleton's athletic budget is coming from outside of that program.

[JakeTAMUC]

If Commerce is at the top of the conference for volleyball, I don't know if that tells me more about Commerce or the conference. With all due respect, Commerce will not be competitive in the D1 world, other than perhaps compared to the other shoe-string schools in that conference - and there are a bunch. We are really playing games with labels.

Honestly it’s not realistic to expect just about any school to compete for a national title in volleyball. 16 of the last 20 years have been won by 4 programs. Tech, smu, tcu, unt, and college station won’t be winning either. Bottom line is that the overall experience at this level is leaps and bounds better for the athletes compared to the D2 world.

[Buffalo/Islander Alum]

Honestly it’s not realistic to expect just about any school to compete for a national title in volleyball. 16 of the last 20 years have been won by 4 programs. Tech, smu, tcu, unt, and college station won’t be winning either. Bottom line is that the overall experience at this level is leaps and bounds better for the athletes compared to the D2 world.

Not questioning the experience as I feel WT has missed that boat and was arguably set up 10 years ago better than the current former LSC schools there except ACU.

Question is will Commerce function as a Northern Iowa type school or flounder like Northern Colorado?

It seems like Tarleton has made the transition faster and more effective.