Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Miami Nice

by Steve Orsini

Greetings from the Miami Airport. It’s 70 degrees and sunny now, but I’m actually headed back to Dallas. Why Miami? No, I wasn’t here on vacation and I’m leaving before the Super Bowl. So if you guessed I was in town for Conference USA AD Meetings, you win the prize. We have these meetings a few times a year to talk about all the different issues that are impacting our schools and our league as a whole.


Perhaps the biggest issue we addressed this week is enhancing the success and image of C-USA football. Having seen C-USA games for the past couple of seasons, I can confidently say that we play an exciting brand of football in this league. Every week provides a tough battle on the field and a thrilling game for our fans to watch. Statistically, we were the most competitive league in country last season (the average margin of victory in C-USA games was the lowest of any league). Now we want to develop our league’s brand and identity as one of the best and most competitive in the nation. To do this we are evaluating any number of things including scheduling, TV exposure and increased attendance and ticket sales. Part of being a top-25 program is playing in a top conference, so I’m on board with whatever we think can help C-USA.

We covered other topics, too, like sportsmanship, officiating and financial trends in intercollegiate athletics. There was a discussion of academic performance, as well, but with our classroom successes (great APRs, the AFCA Academic Award, et cetera), I snuck out to enjoy the nice weather…

Just kidding. In all seriousness, these meetings are invaluable as we prepare for the future and I'm glad to be working with such a forward-thinking group of ADs and conference officials.

Also, how do you guys like the new bloggers I’ve added to the site? I think they have some great insights to share and I’m glad to have them on board. Let me know what you think.

Until next time, GO MUSTANGS!

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