Hawaii leaving the WAC

Conference expansion mania is not over.  The MWC has made an offer to Hawaii to be a football-only member.  If the MWC is looking to get an championship game, then Craig Thompson has another card up his sleeve.  What could that card be?  Perhaps a football only membership to Memphis?  Maybe a full membership to SMU or Houston?  Is TCU really joining the Big East?

There is plenty of twitter traffic stating that an announcement from TCU and the Big East conference in is on the horizon.  TCU will be part of the Big East for football, but are still looking for a place to park the rest of their sports programs.  Will it be the Missouri Valley Conference?  Hawaii as a football only member seems to indicate that the MWC will allow TCU to keep the rest of it's programs there.  But I doubt it.

If this were the case, wouldn't the MWC have made that offer to BYU?  TCU's football program will be sorely missed.  And the loss of the 'Frogs will mean no BCS AQ for the MWC.  But Hawaii gives them a chance.  The reason to make the football-only offer to Hawaii is to help them avoid the expense of travel.  The Big West for Hawaii will save them thousands on travel.  The MWC does not have the revenue to help Hawaii with their other sports.  If they did, BYU would not have left.

Now, where does TCU park the rest of their sports?  The Missouri Valley seems logical.  It is not like TCU is a basketball power, but the MVC would likely welcome a chance to get back to Texas.  We can hearken back to the olden days of the Valley, when their membership included Houston, North Texas and West Texas A & M.  Other possibilities for TCU's other sports are Conference USA, Sun Belt and Southland conferences.

Without Hawaii, the WAC may become the weakest conference in the Bowl Subdivision.  The seven remaining members have been to just two bowl games in the last ten seasons.  One of those 7, will be playing their first football games this next fall.

Winners:
Big East:
Adds TCU and Villanova to bring the football membership to 10.

TCU:
Joins Big East for football but needs a place for it's other sports programs to reside.  Could be the Missouri Valley Conference.  Other possibilities are Sun Belt, Southland and C-USA.

Big West Conference:
Gains Hawaii in non-football sports.

Hawaii:
Gets out of WAC and puts non-football programs in better, less costly, travel arrangements.

Losers:
MWC: Loses it's Big 3, it's shot an AQ status for the BCS and takes on the better programs in the WAC to remain the best non-BCS conference.

WAC:
Becoming the worst FBS conference that almost non one wants to join.  What do they do now?

Utah State, Idaho, San Jose State, New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech...remain on sinking ship without a life boat.

Texas State and UTSA...move does not look so grand now.

Not looking so dumb any longer:
Montana