Mountain West Realigment

#1
TrueOrange

TrueOrange

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#1
Espn has reported San Jose St and Utah St to be in conference talks with the Mountain West regarding future membership.


SALT LAKE CITY -- Officials at Utah State and San Jose State acknowledge they are in discussions with the Mountain West Conference over realignment for 2013 yet say no formal agreement has been reached.

The Salt Lake Tribune, citing anonymous sources, reported the switch will become official in the next seven to 10 days.

Conference USA already is set to bring aboard Texas-San Antonio just months before the school was to begin its first season in the Western Athletic Conference.

The moves could mean the end of the WAC as a football league.

Utah State athletic director Scott Barnes is attending WAC meetings in Phoenix but acknowledged "things have progressed," though no decision is formal. Sources told the Tribune Sunday that "the move will happen, barring something totally unforeseen."

San Jose State sports information director Lawrence Fan said Monday the school also has been in discussions to join the Mountain West.

Utah State and San Jose State have a history dating to their days in the Big West.

Texas-San Antonio officials have told regents that three other WAC members have declared their intentions to defect. Utah State and San Jose State would account for two of them, though its not clear which other of the remaining football-playing WAC teams -- Idaho, New Mexico State, Louisiana Tech, or Texas State -- would also leave the conference.

University of Texas System Board of Regents has scheduled a vote for Wednesday, and chancellor Francisco Cigarroa has recommended approving the move only months before UTSA is set to begin its first season in the WAC.

Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson and Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky toured Utah State's campus in March, according to the Tribune.
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Utah State Aggies, San Jose State Spartans acknowledge MWC talks - ESPN
 
#3
#3
Fair chance also that this move (plus the ones by CUSA -most recently that of Texas San Antonio - and Texas St moving to the Sunbelt) might have done some serious damage to the WAC: leaving them with about only 2 football playing members, likely jeopardizing any viability as a football playing conference (or possibly mark an impending end of it.
 
#4
#4
VolsSportsFan said:
Who the heck is even left in the WAC?
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Everyone's jumping ship...football wise only Idaho and New Mexico state past 2013

Non-football wise, the universities of Denver, Seattle, and Texas Arlington will be joining next year (though Texas Arlington will join the sun belt the year after) and Boise will house all other sports there starting 2013.


Also about 7 affiliate/ 1-sport members.
 
#5
#5
I think the MWC is taking on too many teams, to the point of making the league very bottom-heavy.
 
#7
#7
I think this only puts the MWC at 10 football teams, so it's probably not a big deal.
 
#9
#9
Oh. Well, then at least NMSU and Idaho are likely to be left hanging. Both of them likely need to be in a conference to financially support football programs too, so I'm not sure they will be able to stay in FBS.
 
#11
#11
bamawriter said:
I think this only puts the MWC at 10 football teams, so it's probably not a big deal.
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Yep, puts them at 10.

Air Force, CSU, UNLV, New Mexico, Wyoming, Fresno St, Nevada, Utah St, San Jose St, and Hawaii (only football)
 
#12
#12
Idaho and NMSU have to be throwing themselves at the MWC right now. They cannot risk being left hanging.
 
#14
#14
bamawriter said:
Idaho and NMSU have to be throwing themselves at the MWC right now. They cannot risk being left hanging.
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Yep.

Could make some push towards the sun belt / CUSA to have 16 teams but that looks like it'd be a hard sell for them to make.


And, boy, Denver jumped ship onto the wrong boat didn't they?
 
#15
#15
TrueOrange said:
And, boy, Denver jumped ship onto the wrong boat didn't they?
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They don't play football, so it'll be easier to find a conference if the WAC totally implodes. But I think chances are good that the WAC will hang around as a non-football conference.
 
#16
#16
bamawriter said:
Idaho and NMSU have to be throwing themselves at the MWC right now. They cannot risk being left hanging.
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And nobody wants them. They have infinitesimally small fanbases and no real revenue to speak of. Unless they can find a way to scratch out an existence as independents, they will likely drop to Big Sky/Big West.
 
#17
#17
bamawriter said:
They don't play football, so it'll be easier to find a conference if the WAC totally implodes. But I think chances are good that the WAC will hang around as a non-football conference.
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I misphrased it earlier, the existence of the WAC isn't in question, but whether or not it will be a home for football anymore is very much in question.
 
#21
#21
I hope Idaho finds a home. I enjoy building dynastys on NCAA for xbox. Make the Vandals a power and fill the Kibbie Dome with fans.
 
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