It happened.
After nearly two decades, UTEP exited C-USA and joined the perennial Mountain West Conference.
The dominoes for UTEP’s conference change stems from early September, when the once thought to be extinct Pac-12 breathed life back into their conference by extending invites to Mountain West’s Colorado State, Fresno State, Boise State, and San Diego state.
Immediately after the move, 915 sports pundits started to draw connections between UTEP and the Mountain West Conference, yearning for the Miners to stray away from what college football sees as a lower-level group of five conference, Conference USA.
Now, the Walden Era is further propelled with a realignment. All that’s left is to hold our breath and see how the Miners match up to tougher competition.
But these aren’t the golden days of the Western Athletic Conference anymore.
It’s vital to look at the full picture of what conference realignment means for the Miners.
When soaking in all the factors for UTEP athletics, the timing simply isn’t right to jump ship.
First, we can’t neglect the fees, something that every college student can heavily relate to.
Currently, to leave C-USA, UTEP will spend $800,000 dollars every season until 2026. Which is the season when the Mountain West officially loses its primary institutions. Those financial resources could be used in developing programs from the inside, not the outside.
Money is only one part of the equation. Frankly, departing to join the Mountain West causes the resetting of multiple athletic programs.
Most relevant, UTEP football is actively rebuilding with new head coach Scotty Walden. When thinking long term, basketball head coach Joe Golding is closer than ever to jumping over the March Madness hump through C-USA.
Changing conferences brings the need to grow accustomed to new regular competition. Not only would UTEP need to develop efficient game plans against teams whom they don’t have much experience playing against, but the schedule can be highly volatile. With conference changes, uncertainty usually plagues those teams trying to plan.
We as fans deserve to watch a good product consistently through all athletic departments, but the process to get there can’t be rushed, or else it can only move us back.
If you need an example, just look at Ben Wallis, UTEP’s volleyball coach.
Wallis inherited a program which- before his inaugural season in 2019— didn’t see a winning record since 2013.
But with time, Wallis established an initial framework which led to multiple victories over Power Five schools such as Washington and Clemson, paired with an appearance in the 2023 National Invitational Volleyball Championship.
At first glance, UTEP’s move to the Mountain West is revolutionary.
Yet the change demands patience from fans and supporters, a variable in which cannot afford to vary in the coming years.
So, for the good of UTEP athletics, keep supporting. It’s needed now, more than ever.
Sebastian Perez-Navarro is a staff reporter for The Prospector and can be reached at [email protected].
