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AD or no, Tulsa faces important questions in need of answers
Published: 12/7/2012 7:39 PM
Last Modified: 12/7/2012 7:39 PM

These are trying times for the Tulsa athletic department, and they would be anyway even without the firing earlier this week of athletic director Ross Parmley.

At some level, I feel bad for Parmley. Who among us hasn't walked into a casino, placed a bet on a sporting event or filled out an NCAA tournament bracket?

The University of Tulsa, in fact, is advertising partners with at least one local casino. So, as a society, we send out mixed messages.

But the No. 1 tenet of intercollegiate athletics is "don't bet on sports." Once you cross that line in Parmley's profession, the end result -- if you get caught -- is pretty inevitable.

Because of Parmley's problems, Tulsa will march into a crucial few months with uncertain leadership.

Bill Haisten discusses all the pressing issues facing the Tulsa athletic department in a story appearing in Sunday's paper.

Although there are many, the one getting the most attention is conference realignment.

So Tulsa fans, where do you want to play?

Would you like an invitation to the new, but less-than-stable Big East? Are you happy in a revamped Conference USA, which is looking more and more like the Sun Belt Conference every day? Or is a move out West -- the Mountain West specifically -- the right direction?

I heard recently from someone involved in the conference realignment process that Tulsa officials rebuffed inquiries from Big East officials.

As the theory goes, Tulsa was worried about the long-term stability of the Big East. It's a valid concern. CBSSports.com reported this week the Big East TV negotiations could net less than half per year what the league was expecting (perhaps in the $4 million a year range per team for the league's football-playing schools).

While that's tip money compared to the major conferences, including the Big 12, it would be a significant improvement for Tulsa, which makes about $1 million or so per year in C-USA.

The Hurricane would receive a similar amount if it moved to the Mountain West.

Bill Haisten reported Wednesday -- you may have missed it in all the Parmley news -- that Tulsa has been talking with the Mountain West. You can check out that item here (after John Hoover's column on what TU should look for in a new AD).

While a move to the Mountain West wouldn't help that much financially, it would be a step up in competition. According to RealTimeRPI.com, C-USA was ranked the worst Division I football conference in America this year. The Mountain West, which will lose two of its best three football schools by this year's RPI, was three spots ahead.

The difference is even more noticeable in basketball. Although it's early, RealTimeRPI has the MWC ranked ahead of both the Big 12 and the SEC. C-USA is six spots back -- and four of the current top five won't be playing in the league by 2014.

The Mountain West only played 15 football games last year that kicked off after 9 p.m. Central time. But what about the travel and start times for countless games in volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, etc.?

If you're a fan, do games against geographically unlike teams like Fresno State, UNLV and New Mexico fire you up? If you're a coach -- namely Bill Blankenship -- do you worry about no longer having conference foes in the home state (Texas) of 24 players on your roster?

Then again, do you want to be in a league -- C-USA -- that features one new member (Texas-San Antonio) that didn't even have a football team five years ago.

These are all tough questions. And there are truly no great answers. But no matter TU's current leadership vacuum, these questions demand answers soon rather than later.

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go42 (2 months ago)

Mountain West would be great for Tulsa. If it has East and West divisions, Tulsa, Colorado State, New Mexico, Air Force are all bordering states with terrific regional potential. So what if the play Fresno State or San Jose State? It's no different from playing East Carolina or Marshall regarding distance. It's a better league than the Big East. It may have smaller TV hubs and may pay no more per year than C-USA, but it is clearly a move up.

TCH51 (2 months ago)

Texas and Louisana recruiting would be hurt in MWC.

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Tulsa World Sports Editor Michael Peters has nearly 20 years of daily newspaper experience. A 1993 graduate of Texas A&M, he worked at papers in Bryan-College Station, Texas, Beaumont, Texas, and Galveston, Texas, before joining the Houston Chronicle as High School Sports Editor in 2008. While in Houston, he coordinated coverage of the 2008 Texas Class 5A state football championships and the 2011 NCAA Men's Final Four.

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