The state caps student athletic fees at public schools at $20. The UNT student referendum to fund half of the stadium costs also created a $10 per credit hour fee that can be raised each year without going through another student referendum. UNT turned down WAC membership over travel costs that would have devastated its athletic budget at the time, bleeding competitiveness out of the program, and apparently only lost out to UTEP to become the 12th member of C-USA because of out-of-date and inadequate facilities.
SUNBELT CONFERENCE UPGRADE
It is the last piece of a decade-long effort by the UNT athletic director to upgrade all of the university's sports facilities. UNT's new 30,000 stadium, the nation's first LEED (green) stadium is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2011 season and it appears it could be the key to escaping the Sun Belt. I think you could argue that UNT fans generally like Arky State and ULL, but the rest of the Sun Belt doesn't draw crowds in Denton. It is plainly clear in the attendance numbers for the last five years, with occasional exceptions for season openers and the like, UNT draws 17,000 for almost any conference opponent, just like it does for most out of conference opponents, but draws 22-30,000 for any opponent from Texas. The conference is viewed as strictly a way station by UNT fans. They may jump to another conference to protect themselves from that scenario.Įven lowly North Texas can see the light at the end of the tunnel. If either program becomes one of the stronger ones in the Sun Belt, it could easily be recruited by C-USA.Īrkansas Little Rock and New Orleans probably wonder when they will be forced out for football playing members. Additionally, both schools' stadium issues will be resolved soon.
SUNBELT CONFERENCE TV
Both schools have enormous enrollments and alumni bases and are potential TV draws in Miami. South Alabama would also love to be in the same conference as UAB and Southern Miss.įlorida International and Florida Atlantic would jump at the chance to be in the same conference as Central Florida. With their team's football dominance, Troy fans probably feel like they have already outgrown the Sun Belt, and they likely dream of affiliation with schools like UAB in Conference USA. Louisiana Layfatte has a world of distaste for Louisiana Monroe over the "University of Louisiana" name and would love to be in a different conference if it made sense. Their travel costs would be significantly less and, as I understand it, there were some talks along those lines at one point. Middle Tennessee State and Western Kentucky would likely prefer being in the MAC. Every football playing school plays body bag games to cover the travel shortfalls, and still, most of the programs struggle to stay within budget. No one in the conference is happy with the travel. How many of your schools are happy being in the Sunbelt? Things look great.but really they aren't.
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