To be fair, it's probably a pretty big issue for his constituents. Even if you think that should not matter, it also probably has a lot more of an effect on the University and thus the state than whether where they are in terms of the 30-45th best basketball team. My guess is that making the NCAA tournament has a non-de minimis effect on applications for a school like WVU that people might not generally be thinking about otherwise.
That might have been Nebraska's stated reason, but it seems pretty clear that Matt Rhule does not want to play any good teams in nonconference. It sounds like a BS excuse to me.
https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/if-big-ten-sec-programs-want-to-keep-fans-engaged-they-should-move-to-10-game-conference-schedules/amp/
I'm not disagreeing with the fact that Oats would be a bigger pull, but he has been mentioned by media. Kirk Bohls (I know) mentions him in his list of 5-6 coaches. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/college/longhorns/article/ut-basketball-coaching-20214914.php
Another mock with four longhorns (Collins instead of Williams) from Fox Sports' NFL Writers:
10 - Banks (1st OL)
24 - Barron (4th CB)
30 - Golden (3rd WR)
32 - Collins (5th DT)
https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/2025-nfl-writers-mock-draft
Joe Schad has four Longhorns in the first round:
7 - Kelvin Banks (2nd OL)
25 - Matthew Golden (4th WR, not counting Hunter)
26 - Cam Williams (6th OL)
27 - Jahdae Barron (5th CB, counting Hunter)
https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/sports/nfl/dolphins/2025/03/04/2025-nfl-draft-mock-draft-first-round-joe-schad-4-0/81172722007/
It probably has to do with the history of wbb at Texas. We are a historic program in that sport with a national title, whereas we do not have much of a history in soccer at all. There are probably a lot more people/alumni who care about the Texas wbb team succeeding than the soccer team that may not have existed when they were in school.
It wouldn't be modeled after soccer. It would be model separate from the NCAA in coordination with the NFL that is not all 134 division one schools. Maybe it never happens, but it definitely seems like we are moving in that direction to me.
Interesting item about men’s soccer that could be implemented in football.
https://x.com/redditcfb/status/1893715670564573522?s=46&t=eJHk9B0xfuP0VGyqKCxp-g