Boise State made its move to the Big East official this week at the last possible moment, which brings up a pretty good question — How do all of the moves affect UNT?
The Big 12 has been king in the Texas for years and will continue to be (TCU has joined the fold).
What has changed is how everyone else falls into line after that.
The good news is UNT is headed to Conference USA after being relegated to being pretty much irrelevant in the state while playing in the Sun Belt.
UNT will be in a league with UTEP, UTSA and Rice, not to mention Tulsa, which has a pretty big following in the state.
There is little doubt the league will have some competition for attention in the state with the way the Big East lineup shapes up. Houston and SMU will give the Big East a pair of teams in Texas and a whole lot of others who will now have an entry point into the state for recruiting. Boise plucks players from the state on a yearly basis. The Broncos snagged San Antonio offensive lineman Andrew Tercek, who was offered by UNT and visited during spring practice. Boise had six Texas players in its 2012 class.
There was some thinking that Boise would stay in the Mountain West, but made the move to the Big East.
Boise’s decision likely solidifies the Big East’s Western set of teams and a presence in Texas in terms of recruiting and competition for fans and media attention.
The Big 12 will always be king in Texas. What we will have to see is how Conference USA fares when compared to the Big East in the state. CUSA has four schools, plus Tulsa. The Big East has two major market teams with a history of recent success in Houston and SMU.
The next few years could be pretty interesting to see the impact all the moves have on both leagues.