FB: American Southwest Conference

Etchglow · January 27, 2025, 02:03:34 PM

Smattering of commits happening in the last few days. Updated the list. up to 4 HS and 4 transfers I've seen.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_Aql-LWVwK-tow-1e1nPCme43MU8f3yEqw7c-57l_Jc/edit?usp=sharing

Crubacker · January 27, 2025, 03:32:14 PM

Nice! Thanks for the updates!

justafan12 · January 30, 2025, 03:05:05 PM

ETBU new OC

https://footballscoop.com/news/d-iii-program-hires-one-of-the-youngest-offensive-coordinators-in-college-football

Mavchamp · January 30, 2025, 04:56:02 PM

Quote from: justafan12 on January 30, 2025, 03:05:05 PMETBU new OC

https://footballscoop.com/news/d-iii-program-hires-one-of-the-youngest-offensive-coordinators-in-college-football

I want ETBU to be serious about football. But it's clear they just aren't.

They are content with baseball, softball, and occasional basketball.

Riley Zayas · January 30, 2025, 06:19:27 PM

I wouldn't call it being "content". If we're being honest, in this college sports landscape, ETBU's focus on baseball and softball makes sense. Not everybody can be good at everything. When you're playing in a league with the likes of HSU and UMHB, it's smart to not try to compete with football spending at those other institutions, and instead shift more of your funding towards the sports that aren't being funded as heavily at other institutions in the league.

Not saying "don't spend money on football", but if you have the choice to put more into football or upgrade baseball/softball facilities/non-conference budget, take the second option. Ultimately, that's how you build an athletic department that can be successful long-term and especially, if you move up to D2. Balancing the spending across several sports leads to longevity. The intentionality of ETBU to spend money on softball produced the national title and the opportunity to host the D3 Softball Championships each of the last two years. All this to say, I totally get wanting to be nationally known in football. But in D3, where every sport is non-revenue, I think Ryan Erwin is making a lot of smart moves to keep ETBU athletically relevant regardless of where ETBU ends up in the immediate future.

Mavchamp · January 30, 2025, 11:19:26 PM

Fair enough. You make some excellent points.

And I don't think anyone is asking ETBU to become an annual national contender in football. I don't even think that's realistic. But is it fair to expect them to at least be competitive Vs. HSU and UMHB? 2 conference championships (shared) in 25 seasons......and bushels of blowouts Vs both is wild. Total non-factor.

And with the apparent demise of the ASC now only a year away.... tough decisions will need to be made. I doubt the Baptist Four will continue to Round Robin after the 2025-26 academic year. A new home will be needed.

The ETBU athletic department will have some really tough decisions to make unless a lifeline from the SCAC or SAA gets tossed to them....which seems very unlikely at this point.

ETBU is either going beef up their travel to budget to remain D3 and go independent.... join another conference for football (USA South ?) and C2C or CCS for other sports.

If they transition to NAIA and head to the SAC they will have to beef up money for scholarships. Although travel might would be a little less than it is currently. Especially if non football headed to the Red River.

And even as a long shot...if they were to consider a move to D2...which I would imagine would be the GAC over the LSC due to geography. You are talking about an explosion in costs across the board.

Do they pick which sports to compete in no matter where they land? How much money are they willing to spend on travel? Scholarships? The cost of moving to NAIA or D2?

I wish ETBU football the best. But it still seems like a pedestrian hire.

Hard to get alum and boosters excited about parting with their money to support such a lackadaisical approach to the most popular sport in the region/state.

If the trend continues....we will get murdered in football in the USA South, SAC, GAC, XYZ. Won't matter.

Etchglow · February 03, 2025, 03:58:05 PM

Added a slew of commits to UMHB.

Crubacker · February 03, 2025, 07:31:32 PM

Nice! Looked at some of the Hudl highlights of a few. Nice additions!

Ron Boerger · February 05, 2025, 10:08:04 AM

HPU looking for a new HC after Bachtel left to return to his old HS job at Edgewood.

Ron Boerger · February 11, 2025, 07:08:37 PM

HPU hires former assistant (and current Lamar assistant head coach) Coby Gipson to head their program.

jknezek · February 12, 2025, 08:05:46 PM

One fewer possible Texas opponent for the ASC remainder as NAIA NAU folded the football program:

https://footballscoop.com/news/naia-program-decides-to-fold-football-program-after-just-four-seasons

crufootball · February 13, 2025, 02:28:53 PM

Quote from: jknezek on February 12, 2025, 08:05:46 PMOne fewer possible Texas opponent for the ASC remainder as NAIA NAU folded the football program:

https://footballscoop.com/news/naia-program-decides-to-fold-football-program-after-just-four-seasons

The problem is worse for ASC but it is also one fewer for SCAC as well, unless I missed one no one in the ASC or SCAC has released their schedule. Yes the problem is worse for the ASC but if the SCAC isn't doing round robin they are going to need a good number of games themselves.

Mavchamp · February 13, 2025, 11:41:23 PM

No doubt the SCAC is in better shape than the ASC is concerning stability....but only marginally.

The ASC is finding out no one wants to join the conference.....

The SCAC could also be on shaky ground because it has multiple schools that have a histories of conference shopping/bouncing.

That could prove problematic for them.

The SCAC isn't a conference of 10 programs that has tons of wiggle room for schools jumping ship.

It would only take 1-2 to put them on high alert.

While the ASC needs 2 more just to survive...... the SCAC also needs 2-3 more to give themselves some security. The ASC is on life support. But the SCAC isn't exactly on solid ground (yet) either.

JMHO.

Ron Boerger · February 14, 2025, 08:09:25 AM

The SCAC will continue to have 12 schools as LeTourneau and Hendrix replace the departing Trinity and Southwestern next season. The only option for nearly all the "conference jumpers" is either the ASC (which seems highly unlikely given that most of them left the ASC to begin with) or something like the C2C. It's hard to imagine the SAA wanting to add more schools on their western perimeter unless they were forced into it, and in adding Maryville (TN) in 2026 they did seem to choose numbers (that gets them to ten, nine with football starting in 2025) over their typical academic standards.

UMHB03 · February 14, 2025, 08:09:43 PM

Quote from: Mavchamp on February 13, 2025, 11:41:23 PMNo doubt the SCAC is in better shape than the ASC is concerning stability....but only marginally.

The ASC is finding out no one wants to join the conference.....

The SCAC could also be on shaky ground because it has multiple schools that have a histories of conference shopping/bouncing.

That could prove problematic for them.

The SCAC isn't a conference of 10 programs that has tons of wiggle room for schools jumping ship.

It would only take 1-2 to put them on high alert.

While the ASC needs 2 more just to survive...... the SCAC also needs 2-3 more to give themselves some security. The ASC is on life support. But the SCAC isn't exactly on solid ground (yet) either.

JMHO.

The ASC is definitely on life support, and the time is rapidly approaching to pull the plug. There just don't appear to be any remaining options to save it, sadly.

It's becoming painfully clear that the Baptist Four's days in D3 are numbered, and each school needs to accept that fact and start weighing whether their respective futures lie in NAIA, D2, or in the case of UMHB and HSU, possibly FCS.