I may be biased, but there is no argument here other than who’s #2.
With a history of success under great coaches, a recruiting advantage, and outstanding facilities, Houston is the best G5 job in Texas. Houston has proven that they will continue to have all the right pieces in places to sustain this rate of success, and if it continues, they may become too great to be ignored by Power 5 conferences.
With all due respect to the other Texas schools, it’s Houston and everyone else. UH is up there with Boise St & BYU as programs who will always be around top 25 status.
Number 2 would have to be SMU just on how much of a gulf has opened up between the American and CUSA.
Yeah, I think the only real argument to be had is what order Texas State/UTSA/UNT go in for the middle three spots. IMO, the pecking order goes something like:
UTEP should be ahead of Rice and UNT due to fan support but it appears to be declining. Lack of ability to recruit?
It’s hard to say that coaching UTEP is a better job than Rice or UNT – they’re on nearly as large of an island as UH would be in the ACC, amidst a relatively barren recruiting area. Their big rival (NMSU) is on the verge of being forced down to FCS. Their facilities are kinda awful. They’ve won 2 conference championships in their program’s 100-year history, and neither of those were in C-USA. They’ve had one all-american in those 100 years. Fun fact: They’re the only FBS School in Texas that’s never been a member of the SWC or in the FCS.
Last time UTEP won a conference title, Texas State and UNT were FCS, and UTSA didn’t have a program. At least those 3 can make the argument that they’re building something, and that their program is visibly trending upward. Rice can sell recruits on their history as an SWC member and their academic cachet. What does UTEP have?
If you’re a recruit with an offer from any other FBS school in the state, do the 4,000 extra fans you’ll have in the Sun Bowl each week really outweigh the fact that you have to play at UTEP?
“Why would we go to El Paso?”
Quoting my favorite film No Country for Old Men with a slight change…
Sean Kugler at UTEP salary about $550k
Seth Littrell at UNT salary about $1 million
All else being about equal between the programs, which is the better job?
Diana Natalicio is the opposite of Renu Khator in that she does not believe athletics are essential to the overall success of an institution. On top of that, UTEP’s AD, Bob Stull, exudes about as much enthusiasm as a rock. That is a university that is in need of major leadership change…and soon.
While the fb program hasn’t had much success over the last 50 years, I grew up in EP watching the Miners destroy teams like Georgetown, Indiana and Arizona on the hard court on a semi-regular basis, while the Bear relentlessly paced back and forth across his bench. I hate the apathy that has enveloped that athletic department.
Really sad with what’s happened to UTEP. They were salty under Price and the games with them when Case was here were always battles. I had a coworker who was a UTEP grad and we’d have some good conversations around that time. Don’t have as many now.
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