When it comes to colleges, people in the Northeast generally identify with Harvard and the Ivy League schools, Seven Sisters Schools, Patriot League Schools, or any other number of small private colleges (Middlebury, Skidmore, Swarthmore, and a number of other schools.
If you come from Texas, the only thing that matters is Texas, Texas A&M, and maybe Texas Tech. Private schools like Baylor, Rice, TCU, and SMU are taken seriously, but in all honesty they function much like state schools with large enrollment, facilities and large athletic departments. Smaller private schools in our fine state are more often actively associated with a Christian cause (see Howard Payne, East Texas Baptist, Letourneau, Lubbock Christian, Hardin-Simmons, Abilene Christian, Paul Quinn College, Dallas Christian College, and Dallas Baptist University, and those are just the ones I can remember off the top of my head) .
On the otherside is a smaller number of schools that, while generally church affiliated, are more typically in line with the liberal arts school ideal (Schreiner, Trinity University, Austin College, Southwestern University, Texas Lutheran University, University of Dallas, and maybe a few more that I've missed).
For the most part these schools are combined in the
American Southwest Conference (excluding Trinity, Southwestern, Paul Quinn, DCC, DBU, ACU, and LCU). This is a bulky conference with 16 members spread across four states. As if Texas isn't large enough in itself. The excessive travel involved makes little or no sense in terms of competition or financial consideration. I have a much better idea. Lets establish two new leagues. The first can be the Texas Collegiate Conference name, and can include all the current schools excluding Louisiana College, Mississippi College, and University of the Ozarks.
The membership would include:
1. Concordia University-Austin
2. East Texas Baptist University
3. Hardin-Simmons University
4. Howard Payne University
5. Letourneau University
6. University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
7. McMurry University
8. Sul Ross State University
This League would still be widespread, but a much smaller and more manageable schedule allowing similar teams to compete and allowing for non-conference scheduling that might help positively influence national tournament selection.
Our new league could be called the Texas 7 (even though one is in Arkansas)
1. Southwestern University
2. Trinity University
3. Schreiner University
4. Texas Lutheran University
5. Austin College
6. University of Dallas
7. University of the Ozarks
For these schools, associating themselves with each other will further their status as academic institutions, though athletically and academically Trinity and Southwestern are already somewhat superior. But they are all similar in goals and missions. Other considerations necessary to making this league work would be that Schreiner add a football program, and that Trinity and Southwestern leave their current conference. The league has 3 northern schools, and 4 southern schools, a more defined singular goal could be developed and cross conference play would provide a change in scenery and an increase in competition desperately needed in the region.
*After posting this I discovered that Austin College is leaving the ASC and joining Trinity and Southwestern in the SCAC. In all honesty I think its a better fit for them, and has little bearing on my hypothetical conference.
