DENNY O'BRIEN: Coaches relish league's new flavor

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FOOTBALL MEDIA KICKOFF
MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE


Mike Price (left) of UTEP and George O'Leary of UCF were in harmony with the chorus of Conference USA coaches singing the praises of the reformulated, two-division league at this week's C-USA Football Media Kick-Off in Memphis.
Photos: Courtesy of UTEP and UCF respectively

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MEMPHIS — If there is any apprehension about the sweeping changes within Conference USA, it certainly isn't shared by the league's 12 football coaches.

When coaches, players, and media members convened in Memphis for the annual C-USA Football Media Kick-Off yesterday, the message from the league's head coaches was unanimous: Change is good, and with a 12-team, two-division format that will include a league championship game to conclude the season, C-USA coaches can't stop endorsing the advantages of the new makeover.

Despite a facelift that includes the exodus of league stalwart Louisville and the addition of six new programs, C-USA coaches don't expect the level of play to weaken. In fact, the sentiment across the board is that the new changes have greatly strengthened C-USA, and the annual title race will become more heated as a result.

"I think it's going to be a very competitive league from top to bottom," Tulsa coach Steve Kragthorpe said. "I think any two of the 12 teams can end up in the championship game. When you look at the quality of the coaching and you look at the quality of the student-athlete in this league, it's pretty tremendous.

"There is a lot of parity in this league. I think there is some ambiguity, there are some unknowns because a lot of us have not yet played each other or have not played each other in a long time."

"I think that parity is important for a couple of reasons," Kragthorpe said. "Number one, it makes it an interesting stretch run and it garners a lot of attention.

"And I think in a league like Conference USA, you need to garner as much attention as you possibly can. And I think a tight league race does that. Ideally, though, I guess what you would like to have is a couple of marquee teams down the stretch, so that you garner not only the attention of a tight, close race, but also now maybe some polls being reflected."

Several C-USA programs are no strangers to the national polls. UTEP was a fixture in the Top 25 for much of last season, while East Carolina, Marshall, Southern Miss and Tulane each have spent time in the rankings over the past decade.

"Obviously there are teams in this league that have had a lot of success," Central Florida coach George O'Leary said. "I've always been impressed with this conference."

"I look at it this year again," O'Leary added. "I think the conference is playing some upper-level Division I material. They're not shying away from going after competition, which I've been impressed with. A lot of conferences, they're not going to play upper level competition."

For O'Leary, it isn't just the quality of competition that he finds appealing in his new conference home. The geographic surroundings open new recruiting avenues that otherwise have not existed for the Knights.

UTEP coach Mike Price also figures to benefit on the recruiting trail. The new East-West configuration gives the Miners more natural rivalries and increases their visibility to East Texas recruits.

"It's good for us," Price said. "Last year, I was talking to a top recruit in Houston and he asked me what a UTEP was. I knew that we were in trouble then, that we had our work cut out for us.

"We run our summer camps in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. So it just makes more sense to play with other Texas schools than anyone else."

As C-USA's northern-most school, Marshall doesn't stand to benefit as much with its new geographic setup. With the East division dipping all the way down to Orlando, FL, it will be more difficult to generate the regional rivalries that are certain to exist with the Texas schools.

Even so, Marshall coach Mark Snyder says his new league has more national appeal, which was a major selling point when he pursued the coaching vacancy after Bob Pruett stepped down last winter.

"When this job came open, it was the conference that made this job more attractive," Snyder said. "Conference USA has national exposure. "I think once you get to that championship game at the end of the year, there will be some national buzz about that conference championship game. We're just excited to be a part of it."