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CFB Realignment: Evaluating merits of a Conference USA – Sun Belt merger

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What’s next in the lifespan of Conference USA? A long-rumored merger with the Sun Belt Conference has merits, but it’s far from a sure thing.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put college athletics travel costs, particularly in non-revenue sports, under the microscope. There are no “one-size fits all” solutions, but there are countless theories being circulated about what comes next.

One such concept is a Conference USA and Sun Belt merger. Is it feasible?

Why it makes sense

The geography of Conference USA and the Sun Belt conferences has a sizable overlap. Conference USA stretches from El Paso, TX (UTEP) to Virginia (Old Dominion). The Sun Belt runs as far west as San Marcos, TX (Texas State) and out to Coastal Carolina on the East Coast.

If cutting costs truly is a significant driver, splitting the two conferences down the middle would prevent UTEP from having to fly to West Virginia and App State from coming all the way to Texas for conference games. Just about any way you slice it, a merger of these two leagues drastically reduces the geographic footprint of each new conference.

The fan interest could see an uptick in the process. More regionalized scheduling would lead to more intra-state matchups. Seeing Louisiana Tech square off with ULM would spark more local interest than seeing the Bulldogs face Old Dominion. The same would be true for the Eastern contingent of schools. Stands would be packed if Charlotte and App State faced each other on a regular basis.

What stands in the way?

Television contracts are the obvious initial hurdle. There’s a reason that the decade long rumor of a Conference USA-Sun Belt merger has yet to materialize.

Conference USA’s TV deals span CBS Sports Network, ESPN3, Stadium, the NFL Network and various streaming arrangements. Most of those arrangements are set to expire by 2023. The Sun Belt is two years into an eight-year deal with ESPN.

Then there’s the inevitable bickering about who goes with who. What happens to teams like UAB and Troy who could arguably swing to either side of the geographic split? Both new conferences will surely want the Birmingham market.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Reaching a “fair” compromise that satiates 28 schools and four unique television partners seems … challenging, to say the least. That’s not to say it can’t happen, especially given these unprecedented times. But it does explain why a move that makes a lot of sense hasn’t yet gained meaningful traction.

And the people say…

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Rice Soccer: Owls set big goals for future

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Head coach Brian Lee has high expectations for the future of Rice soccer and he’s leaning on those nearby to help him reach those new heights.

The 2019 season was a positive step for Rice soccer. The Owls saw their win total rise from seven to 10 as the team adjusted well to the new leadership of coach Brian Lee. The modest improvement was an encouraging sign, but Lee didn’t sign up for 10 wins. He’s looking to turn Rice into a power on the national stage.

Lee’s strategy is two-fold. Recruit the best players and develop those on campus into the best versions of themselves. “I thought last fall was just fantastic evidence of that,” he said. “A huge percentage of [the players] maximized how good they could be in the short term.”

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Those are the markers Lee uses to gauge where the program is headed. He doesn’t get too caught up in landmarks — win a Conference Title by Year X, win an NCAA Tournament Game by Year Y — instead he focuses on the micro level to influence those macro goals.

“Developmentally we’re seeing kids get better and better every day,” Lee said. Using that as a spring board for the Owls’ next steps.

Lee doesn’t have to look far for examples of recruiting and talent development done well. He cited the recent success of Rice Volleyball under Genny Volpe and Rice Women’s Basketball under Tina Langley. He hopes “to get where volleyball and basketball are on a Conference USA level. And to establish that for 12 months, for 24 months, as the norm.”

Volleyball has been to consecutive NCAA Tournaments. Basketball went to the NCAA’s last year and was on pace to do it again before their season was halted by COVID-19.

That’s a high standard, but Lee sees the success of those programs as proof that it’s more than possible.

“I think this is the best place to be a female student-athlete, or certainly one of the best places,” he said in praise of Rice Unversity. “it’s pretty awesome”

For now, Lee is working to emulate the successes of Volpe and Langley. He’s raising the talent level. He’s equipping the ladies on his roster right now. And most importantly, he’s elevating the brand of a program he believes has all it needs to take soar. In his eyes, there’s no better time to be an Owl than the present.

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The Roost Podcast | Ep. 33 – Tamir Jackson, Rice Basketball and the NBA

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With the NBA season on hold, former Rice basketball guard and emerging NBA agent Tamir Jackson joined the show to talk about his journey since Rice.

The Roost Podcast marches on as we continue the Extended Offseason interview series. Former Rice basketball point guard Tamir Jackson was this week’s guest and as usual, we covered a wide array of topics with the former Owls’ star who’s currently in the process to become an NBA agent.

Jackson gave his takes on the state of college basketball, the Transfer Portal and how the transfer world bleeds into the NBA today. His insight as someone who played at Rice and considered transferring was particularly notable given the Owls’ current transfer situation.

Read More: Rice Basketball Transfer Tracker

You can always find previous episodes on the podcast page. For now, give a listen to our chat with Tamir Jackson on Episode 33.


Episode 33 Notes

  • Housekeeping — Thanks to all of you who have followed the show on Twitter and left a review on iTunes. It’s quick, but it makes a difference. Make sure you Tamir Jackson on Twitter and let him know if you enjoyed having him on the pod.
  • Tamir Jackson joins the show — Jackson has been all over the world since leaving South Main. He talked us through this journey hitting on a wide array of basketball topics:
    • How he became interested in becoming an NBA agent
    • The Transfer Portal and its impact on mid-major basketball
    • The Last Dance and why Michael Jordan got mad at him at an event
    • His favorite basketball and non-basketball memories of his Rice career
    • Jackson’s all-time NBA starting five

Where can you find us?

Download and subscribe to The Roost Podcast on any of your favorite podcast providers. The show is available on iTunes, GooglePlay, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn and PodBean. Please consider leaving a review wherever you listen.

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Transfer Portal: How Rice soccer found a recruiting edge

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Rice soccer coach Brian Lee is a believer in the Transfer Portal. Despite others’ conflicting opinions, Lee views it as a tool for the Owls to stockpile talent.

The Transfer Portal is almost a taboo subject in the world of collegiate athletics. Depending on your vantage point, it’s either a brilliant or tortuous invention.

For the most part, coaches are reticent to endorse it. There’s no denying the ease of access to other schools that it provides makes retaining their own student athletes more challenging. But it also opens up doors for coaches to improve their teams. Beauty, it seems, is in the eye of the beholder.

Rice soccer head coach Brian Lee likes what he sees. “I think it’s a very good thing for women’s soccer,” he said, adding a quick caveat that “it’s very different for every sport.”

So why does it work for women’s soccer? Lee’s contention is two-fold. First, the sport is at the forefront of high school recruiting. Players make their commitments as highschool sophomores, three years before they’ll ever step foot on a college field.

A lot can happen in three years. That’s especially for athletes who were 16 at the time of their decision and nearing 20 when college arrives.

Beyond the time component, the academic prestige of Rice University is a differentiator as well.

Lee believes that, in general, players’ priorities and reasons for choosing a college the second time around “are way smarter and for the right reasons.” That why he believes the developmental growth combined with all Rice has to offer makes the Transfer Portal a competitive advantage for the Owls.

Last fall Rice soccer went into the portal to snag Boston College transfer Mijke Roelfsema, who picked Rice over dozens of other scholarship offers. This offseason Rice landed LSU transfer Ashton Smith who also selected Rice over more than 50 competing schools.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

“It’s certainly a really good tool for Rice soccer, because short-term, we’re going to be very attractive to kids on the portal as we try to improve our talent level,” Lee said, taking the best from both worlds. The Transfer Portal serves as an intermediary as he continues to lay the groundwork for the future, one that he believes will be aided by talented players hoping to find their way to Rice.

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Rice Basketball Recruiting: Grad transfer guard Tre Clark commits to Owls

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Furman grad transfer Tre Clark has committed to Rice basketball. The veteran guard will bring experience to the Owls’ young roster.

Rice basketball head coach Scott Pera met with the media at the end of April to address a flurry of roster changes the Owls had experienced since the end of their season. At that point, three players had entered the Transfer Portal.

Shortly after, forward Zach Crisler elected to leave the program, opening up another spot on the quickly changing roster. Pera might not have seen it coming, but he didn’t sit still.

Prior to Crisler’s departure, Pera was honest about the Owls’ current situation. “We lose one senior this year, and I hope that’s the only kid we lose. But I’m also not going to be naive to think that somebody else won’t leave in the spring. So if they do, we’ll be ready.”

Pera quickly reloaded, trading the developing freshmen into a grad transfer. Not long after the spot on the roster opened, Furman guard Tre Clark committed to Rice Basketball.

The Roost Podcast: Listen now to our Extended Offseason Interview Series

Clark played in 86 games over four years while at Furman. He saw his usage tick upward during his final two seasons with the Paladins, averaging 16.2 minutes per game off the bench. As a senior, he set career-high marks in rebounds (101), assists (38) and steals (32). He’ll give a veteran voice on a young team.

Like everything else these days, Clark’s recruitment was done virtually. Despite the challenges, Clark felt like he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play at Rice. “It checks every box a student athlete like myself is looking for,” he said, continuing to say he believed Pera’s squad was on the verge of a breakout season that he wanted to be a part of.

Clark is going to bring energy off the bench on both sides of the court. He also knows how to win. The Paladins won 50 games in the past two seasons, a feat Rice has yet to achieve in program history. If he can bring just a little bit of that winning edge to the Owls the move to Houston will have paid off handsomely.

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