May 2011 WAC Expansion News...invitations extended!--Updated

I published this one by mistake, then updated it, then lost the updates in the Google maintenance debacle. Sorry.

According to a Boise radio station, KIDO, the WAC is going to announce expansion plans after the Presidents meet next month in Salt Lake. In the meantime, here is what has leaked...

According to a San Antonio newspaper, none of this will be happen in time for the 2012 season. Therefore, a lot could change. The only rock-solid thing I can find to expect from the meeting next month is that Seattle will be invited...basketball only. This invitation will ensure the WAC will keep their automatic NCAA bid. Other rumors are:

Open invitations have been extended to:
-Montana
-Montana State
-Portland State
-Cal Poly

These are open-ended and these schools can join any time between 2012 and 2014. (Because Cal Poly is the only school in this quartet without an FBS-sized stadium, they may be given longer.) Likely, the first three to take the conference up on the invitation will become part of the WAC where the 4th one will be left out. There are other schools in the west who could join, like UC Davis, Sacramento State, Eastern Washington and such.

There are three FCS schools in the southwest that will be invited if any/all of these schools refuse. (The fact that there are only three could imply that someone, either Cal Poly or Portland State will accept the WAC invite). These schools are unnamed, but implied to mean Lamar, Sam Houston State and perhaps Stephen F. Austin or Northeastern State. It could also mean Texas Arlington will bring back football with a WAC invitation.

However, the rumor is that the WAC wants at least one of the western schools to join or they will not expand at all. There could be one of the four western schools plus Lamar, Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin.

My gut feeling, and please do not crucify me for this as it is only my opinion, is that at least Portland State will accept. This campus is growing, the city is growing. PSU is a good fit for the WAC at this time, and the WAC is a good conference for PSU. They will have to bring back sports, like baseball, that have been terminated in recent years. Eventually, they will need a larger basketball arena, but they can still use either the Rose Garden or the Memorial Colosseum, if needed. This move is based upon the strength of the Portland market, which is partially untapped by the college sports world. Sure, there is the University of Portland from the WCC, but the nearest FBS program to Portland is 83 miles south.

Didn't Montana say no last fall, what changed? It also also my opinion that the way that the Big Sky decided to handle a 13-team conference, by not breaking into divisions but doing that funky rivalry/rotation schedule, weakens Montana's argument for remaining the the Big Sky. The loss of regular games against the other Big Sky Charter members, Weber State and Idaho State--essentially a loss in these nearly 50-year-old rivalries--weakens the Big Sky considerably. Montana can keep their rivalry with Montana State and renew their rivalry with Idaho. This is better than they will have in the Big Sky. The other thing that changed, no Hawaii...easier travel.

The only remaining hitch in this expansion plan is whether Cal Poly can get funds to expand their stadium. Before the conference expansion craziness from last fall began, Cal Poly was considered a shoe-in for WAC inclusion and all that remained was expanding the stadium. That story has not changed, even with the loss of Fresno State and Nevada to the Mountain West.

There are also some rumored basketball-only schools being rumored. However, the WAC seems to be pursuing a football expansion right now.

If the WAC athletic directors get their choice, here is how the WAC will look in 2014.

The WAC Football 12?:
Cal Poly
Idaho
Louisiana Tech
Lamar
Montana
Montana State
New Mexico State
Portland State
San Jose State
Texas State
UTSA
Utah State

Or, try this:

Northwest Division
Cal Poly
Idaho
Montana
Montana State
San Jose State
Utah State
+2 Basketball only schools:
Seattle
CS Bakersfield

Southwest Division
Louisiana Tech
Lamar
New Mexico State
Texas State
UTSA
Sam Houston State
+2 Basketball only schools:
Denver
UT Arlington

The Big Sky will be left with 9 football schools and 8 basketball schools. That is likely where the Big Sky conference will stay...ie not expand further, but likely is open to Central Washington or Dixie State should they want to move to Division I. But perhaps Fullerton and the remaining athletic directors will consider adding Seattle as a non-football school.

UC Davis (Football Only)
Eastern Washington
Idaho State
Northern Arizona
Northern Colorado
North Dakota
Sacramento State
Southern Utah
Weber State

Perhaps Portland State or Cal Poly will remain.

Source of my information: http://www.mwcconnection.com/2011/5/8/2160933/wac-to-announce-further-expansion
But I have not implied as much as these authors have. I have not been able to find the link on KIDO, however. My sources name KIDO as the source. The news on KIDO is that the Humanitarian Bowl is considering folding after this year's edition.

5/18 Update...According to the San Jose Mercury News, the WAC will add at least one Basketball only school immediately. The rest of the expansion will be invited for future expansion in the 2013-2014 time frame. It is getting a little late to have an FBS upgrade by 2012.