USU Athletics department has fingers crossed for Sun Belt Conference
Utah State University Athletics is left to play a waiting game until November.
Representatives from the Sun Belt Conference completed their fact-finding visit to USU on Friday, said Commissioner Wright Waters.
“We have been favorably impressed with Utah State,” Waters said.
But the issue of the university joining the athletic conference is a presidential issue.
Waters said the conference presidents will meet Nov. 15-16 in New Orleans, La. to decide if the university and the conference should have a formal relationship. USU’s football team is currently playing independent of any conference.
Rance Pugmire, USU director of Athletics, said the department tried to put its best foot forward.
“We would be delighted to be a part [of the Sun Belt],” Pugmire said.
President Kermit L. Hall said he too is in favor of belonging to the conference.
“The current situation is unsustainable and unsupportable,” Hall said.
However, the reason for that would be given at a later date, he said.
Waters said the Sun Belt Conference is home to 11 universities, five of which play football. In order to maintain Division 1-A status, the conference has to have eight teams playing football by 2005.
Losing 1-A status would only be detrimental to the conference’s member football teams.
“It serves no purpose to not help people advance in football,” Waters said.
If USU were to join the Sun Belt, it would belong in a family with New Mexico State, North Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State and Middle Tennessee.
Hall said community leaders are excited about the prospect of having USU’s teams belong to a conference.
“Utah State’s athletic program is held in trust for the community,” he said. “Wherever we end up, it’s important we end up as a national university.”
Having a conference such as the Sun Belt would gain national visibility for USU, he said.
Part of that visibility would come if USU were to make it to the New Orleans Bowl.
Waters said the game received the third-highest ratings Dec. 17 on ESPN2 in the history of ESPN college football coverage. The New Orleans Bowl this year pits the champion of the Sun Belt Conference against the champion of Conference USA, chosen for its geographical proximity.
Pugmire was optimistic about the possibility of joining Sun Belt.
“They were complimentary of our facilities and staff,” he said.
-jmdo@cc.usu.edu