Bye, bye Lone Star?
Bob Forrest
Ada Evening News
Ada — The Big 12 might be alive and well after some of the league’s traditional powers decided last week not to jump to the Pac 10, but a big shake-up appears to be in the works for the Lone Star Conference.
UCO and Northeastern, two of the six teams in an LSC North Division that also includes East Central University, have reportedly decided to join the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and the LSC’s other three Oklahoma schools — ECU, Southwestern and Southeastern — might be next out the door.
Athletic director Brian DeAngelis confirmed Friday that ECU, while not eager to leave the LSC, will be in a tough position if the conference becomes ‘bottom-heavy’ with Texas schools. For that reason, he said, his school could also be part of another league in 2012.
“It boils down to big money at the Big 12 level with TV, and if UCO and Northeastern go to the MIAA, it will be less travel and more notoriety for them,” DeAngelis said. “If those two jump ship, here the other three of us are in Oklahoma with eight Texas schools. That’s just not a good situation, so we have to look at our options.
“We would rather not do anything,” he added. “But history has shown that people who don’t do anything when times change fall behind. It’s not a bad situation if UCO and Northeastern stay; if those two leave, instead of us going to UCO to play football two years down the line, we could very well find ourselves hiking to Kingsville or Tarleton just to get in a full conference schedule. That obviously drives up our costs considerably. You have to be thinking ahead about how things affect East Central, and we would definitely be affected if those two schools leave the conference.”
Off-Topic
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Ada — The Big 12 might be alive and well after some of the league’s traditional powers decided last week not to jump to the Pac 10, but a big shake-up appears to be in the works for the Lone Star Conference.
UCO and Northeastern, two of the six teams in an LSC North Division that also includes East Central University, have reportedly decided to join the Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and the LSC’s other three Oklahoma schools — ECU, Southwestern and Southeastern — might be next out the door.
Athletic director Brian DeAngelis confirmed Friday that ECU, while not eager to leave the LSC, will be in a tough position if the conference becomes ‘bottom-heavy’ with Texas schools. For that reason, he said, his school could also be part of another league in 2012.
“It boils down to big money at the Big 12 level with TV, and if UCO and Northeastern go to the MIAA, it will be less travel and more notoriety for them,” DeAngelis said. “If those two jump ship, here the other three of us are in Oklahoma with eight Texas schools. That’s just not a good situation, so we have to look at our options.
“We would rather not do anything,” he added. “But history has shown that people who don’t do anything when times change fall behind. It’s not a bad situation if UCO and Northeastern stay; if those two leave, instead of us going to UCO to play football two years down the line, we could very well find ourselves hiking to Kingsville or Tarleton just to get in a full conference schedule. That obviously drives up our costs considerably. You have to be thinking ahead about how things affect East Central, and we would definitely be affected if those two schools leave the conference.”
Off-Topic
TCU falls to Cole, UCLA in College World Series
McLane: Astros open to deal before trade deadline
Cowlishaw: Why the Rangers should trade for a big arm
Rangers eye Seattle's Lee
Rangers show interest in Oswalt
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