Tuesday, October 12, 1999C-USA adds Texas Christian, passes on SMU
East Carolina will become full member
BY MIKE DeCOURCY
The Cincinnati EnquirerThe University of Cincinnati saw its neighborhood grow when Conference USA voted Monday to include TCU and elevate East Carolina to full membership.
South Florida, which will move its football program to Division I-A in 2001, will begin playing Conference USA football in 2003.
As a result of the expansion, which will occur in 2001-02, C-USA's football league will grow to 11 teams and its basketball operation to 14.
The league's presidents voted unanimously to expand at a meeting in New York. East Carolina already was a C-USA member in football and competes in the Colonial Athletic Association in other sports. TCU belongs to the Western Athletic Conference.
Stopping short of adding a 12th team for football means the league will not be able to stage a championship game, although it does leave open the possibility Navy could join Army as a football-only member in the future.
Surprisingly, the league did not vote to include SMU in its expansion plans. Conference commissioner Mike Slive had talks with that university about the possibility of joining in the six weeks since he was assigned by the league's presidents to investigate expansion. Slive would not discuss whether a vote was taken on SMU, but he said the matter was dead for now.
“It's a great program,” Slive said, “but as we got down to the end of the day, size was an issue.”
Slive refused to discuss the financial terms, but TCU reportedly will be asked to pay $5 million, including a $3 million initial payment.
He was not clear about the value of expanding Conference USA after just four full years of operation. He rejected the notion, however, expansion was being undertaken in case some members move to other conferences.
“I think the presidents have looked down the road,” Slive said, “and are trying to build as good a league as we can across the board. Our long-term goal is to be as good a I-A comprehensive conference as we can be.”
The Western Athletic Conference is the only league that has thus far attempted to operate with more than 13 members in basketball. It collapsed last year, when eight league members citing scheduling problems and lack of cohesion left to form the Mountain West Conference.
“I think 14 is manageable,” Slive said. “I think it can be done.”
It's difficult to see what benefit UC might gain from the expansion. Bearcats fans have not been enthusiastic about the Southern partners they already have.
In the past two seasons, basketball games against Conference USA's National Division members sold out the Shoemaker Center only half the time and drew an average of 12,432. Games against American Division members — the teams UC plays on a home-and-away basis each season — sold out 70 percent of the time and drew 12,954, just 222 short of capacity.
“The deliberations of the expansion were really focused on by the conference office and the presidents,” UC Athletic Director Bob Goin said. “My job as an athletic director is to play ball.”
East Carolina's elevation to full-time membership is puzzling given its lack of basketball success competitively and financially.
The Pirates finished seventh last season in the Colonial, which ranked 18th out of 30 leagues by the Ratings Percentage Index, and were the 204th ranked team out of 310 in Division I.
ECU averaged 3,954 fans at 7,500-seat Minges Coliseum. That building has undergone a $12 million renovation that C-USA construed to demonstrate an enhanced commitment to basketball.
Its television market is ranked 105th, making it the second-smallest in the league.
NEW MEMBERS
TEXAS CHRISTIAN
• Location: Fort Worth, Texas
• Current conference: Western Athletic
• Enrollment: 7,240
• Stadium: Amon G. Carter Stadium (46,000)
• Arena: Meyer Coliseum (7,186)
• Last bowl appearance: Sun Bowl, 1998
• Last NCAA Tournament appearance: 1998
• Will join: 2001-02
EAST CAROLINA
• Location: Greenville, N.C.
• Current conference: Colonial for all sports, C-USA in football
• Enrollment: 17,479
• Arena: Minges Coliseum (7,500)
• Last NCAA Tournament appearance: 1993
• Will join: 2001-02
SOUTH FLORIDA
• Location: Tampa, Fla.
• Current conference: C-USA for all sports, independent in football
• Enrollment: 37,000
• Stadium: Raymond James Stadium, 41,441
• Last bowl appearance: none; will become I-A in 2001
• Will join: 2003
BASKETBALL DIVISIONS
When Conference USA expands for the 2001-02 basketball season, this is how the divisional setup might look:AMERICAN
• Cincinnati, DePaul, East Carolina, Louisville, Marquette, Saint Louis, UNC Charlotte
NATIONAL
• Houston, Memphis, South Florida, Southern Mississippi, TCU, Tulane, UAB
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