The WAC will have 6 schools to play football with in 2012, the MWC, as it currently stands will have 11 and C-USA will have 12. The WAC now has all of the charm of a race horse with three legs. It is time to put that race horse out of it's misery and have both the MWC and C-USA absorb what is left. If both the MWC and C-USA go to 14 members, and one member of either conference take themselves out of the picture, then the WAC can rest in peace.
One school in the fray needs to drop from picture. Judging by attendance, it could be Tulane. If Tulane drops football and leaves Conference USA, and someone from the MWC moves to C-USA then both conferences can be geographically aligned. Either New Mexico or TCU could switch. If it is New Mexico, and C-USA also takes NM-State and La-Tech, then the Lobos will be with their regional, natural rivals NM-State and UTEP. TCU could bounce over to C-USA instead, where there were once before. They would be in the same conference as Tulsa, Houston, Rice and SMU, their natural, regional rivals.
Of course the same end can be accomplished if either BYU or Hawaii become independent or if San Jose State drops football instead. It could also be accomplished if Utah State or Idaho reclassifies as an FCS school. Someone needs to go. Between the three conferences there are currently 29 schools. There needs to be needs to be 28. It matters little how that number is reduced. Eventually, the Big XII or Big East will come calling and both conferences could be reduced to 12 schools each.
How does a 14-team conference work in scheduling? There are several ways is can be accomplished. One way is to play every team in your division each season--that is six games. One team from the other division every season. Plus every other team in the other division once every six seasons. That adds up to eight conference games each season and leaves room for four non-conference games. If UNLV and Nevada end up in different divisions, UNLV plays every team in their division every season, plays Nevada every season, and one of the other six in Nevada's division and four non-conference games.
If the WAC is out of the picture, then no-one will have to pay the 5 million dollar fine to the rest of the conference, because there will be no one left to collect it. It will save everyone that is in the WAC in 2011 a lot of money and save a lot of hurt feelings. There will not have to be anyone from the FCS worrying about rushing to the FBS before they are ready or can afford it.
If the two conferences can get an agreement to get to the BCS together, then it will matter little what conference everyone is in, as long as there is one school from either that gets to the BCS every season.
Here is one scenario. It has TCU switching to C-USA with NM-State and La-Tech joining C-USA. It has Hawaii, San Jose State, Idaho and Utah State in the MWC. Here is how the divisions could stack up. Notice that UNLV and Nevada end up in different divisions, but could play against each other every season as discussed.
MWC West
Hawaii
San Jose State
San Diego State
Fresno State
Boise State
Idaho
Nevada
MWC East
Air Force
BYU
Colorado Sate
UNLV
New Mexico
Utah State
Wyoming
C-USA West
Houston
Rice
TCU
SMU
Tulsa
NM-State
UTEP
C-USA East
East Carolina
Southern Miss
Memphis
Marshall
UAB
UCF
La-Tech
In other news: Put up your hair girls! Elizabeth Lambert has returned from her suspension. Remember her?
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