For the latest on what the MWC lack of expansion means, check here:
http://wasatchswagger.blogspot.com/2011/01/mwc-is-not-expanding-furtherfor-now.html
Montana to the Mountain West?
I have found a few web sites stating that the MWC at this time is currently eying Texas schools and that Utah State is not on the radar at this time. There are plenty of schools in Texas to choose from, but will any take? The C-USA TV deal is better than the MWC TV deal, so it is doubtful that any C-USA school will accept an MWC invite unless the MWC TV deal can be sweetened a bit.
This could be why now the San Jose Mercury News is reporting that San Jose State is being looked at by the Mountain West Conference. This is curious. The only reason is because of their TV market. It's a large market, but the Spartans are way down the list in favorite football teams in the area. You have 2 NFL teams and 2 PAC-12 teams in the Bay Area. Plus there are 2 Major League Baseball teams, an NBA franchise, an NHL franchise and even a successful MLS team. It's a crowded market. This would also give the MWC another football program that is...shall we say...near the bottom rung of college football. This is a move which would purely be to stick it to the WAC and get them out of California. Otherwise, there is little logic to it. At least Utah State has a good basketball program. The last thing the MWC needs is another bottom-feeder program.
Cal Poly or UC Davis would be a better additions than San Jose State for the MWC if they could resolve their stadium issues. These two schools have quality academic programs and are in markets that are not so saturated with sports programs. Montana would also be a fair choice for the MWC if they really wish to go to 12 schools. The Big East is adding an FBS school (in Villanova) why wouldn't the MWC add Utah State and Montana instead of USU and San Jose State?
Have found out the at MWC presidents will meet on Monday.
Speaking of WAC expanion.
I have heard that the WAC is considering a basketball-only approach. After all, they are having more trouble finding some football programs that want to join. The WAC is going to lose their access to the BCS no matter which way they go, but a basketball only approach will ensure that they keep their NCAA automatic bid. But another site contradicts that argument stating that the WAC is considering some Sun Belt Conference, Southland Conference and Big Sky Conference teams. It is hard to know which direction the conference is taking at this point. They are in a desperation stage, after all.
One new intriguing possibility that I found on another site is North Dakota State. Fargo is not so far out of the WAC footprint to be considered. It is a larger market than some of the other cities on the list and would open up the WAC to recruits in Minnesota.
Yes, Fargo is on the North Dakota side of the ND/MN border. Minnesota has 5 million people and only 1 FBS program. The Fargo/Morehead metro has about 200,000 people. That is larger than current WAC cities Moscow, Logan, Las Cruces and Ruston. The more I read about NDSU, the more I think that WAC will consider them. They have good facilities, a good size student body, sponsor 14 scholarship sports and are ranked as a tier 1 academic school by US News and World Report. In most ways, this school would lift the WAC. Yes, there are some travel problems, but the WAC does not have the "Hawaii problem" any longer. The other problem is that they are in North Dakota and there are only two states with a smaller population: Vermont and Wyoming.
It has been reported that UC Davis and Cal Poly have said no. Cal Poly has been trying to get into the WAC for years, but can not find funding for a stadium expansion. It does not seem like a possibility in the current economy. It has been said that the academic profile of the Big Sky is better than what the WAC will become. This is only because Cal Poly and UC Davis make it so. Cal Poly and UC Davis could lift the academic profile of just about any conference. If Cal Poly and UC Davis join the WAC it will likely only be for football, they will likely insist that their other athletic programs remain in the Big West. This will reduce travel costs. They will also likely insist that they get to host new bowl games to help with their athletic revenue. After all, it has been reported that the only people who make money on bowl games are the hosts. Both cities would make fair bowl sites.
What is the WAC waiting for? An interesting article is here.
MWC Expansion Short List
Utah State
San Jose State
Montana
WAC Expansion Short List
1. Louisiana Lafayette (Sun Belt)
2. Lamar (Southland -- FCS)
3. Sam Houston State (Southland -- FCS)
4. North Dakota State (Missouri Valley/Summit -- FCS)
5. Portland State (Big Sky -- FCS)
6. Northern Arizona (Big Sky -- FCS)
7. UC Davis (Big Sky/Big West -- FCS) (Football only)
8. Cal Poly (Big Sky/Big West -- FCS) (Football only)
9. Weber State (Big Sky -- FCS)
Basketball Only Possibilities
Utah Valley
CS Bakersfield
Showing posts with label WAC/MWC Expansion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WAC/MWC Expansion. Show all posts
Friday, January 21, 2011
Friday, December 10, 2010
It's Official...Hawaii will be in the MWC for football only
It has been made official by the Mountain West Conference, Hawaii will be a football-only member of the conference beginning in 2012. It is expected that the Big West will get Hawaii's other sports. Unclear if Utah State will be invited as well, but that appears to be coming later...as soon as January. But the Aggies are in the mix should the MWC go to 12. The Big West is also set to invite Seattle and CS Bakersfield. The WAC will then lose a golden opportunity to solidify their basketball program.
Meanwhile, it appears that the WAC IS close to adding someone. If Cal Poly can get the approval for a stadium expansion, which is all they need for the FBS jump, they will be invited to the WAC. This was apparently in the works before this conference realignment craziness. (Look at this search. Notice the dates are late 2009 and early 2010.) Cal Poly administration wants to make the move, the fans want it, but they have to figure out how to pay for it. The stadium recently underwent some renovation. (Note, here is one fan's vision for an expanded Alex G. Spanos Stadium, but it is not official.)
Sacramento State may be considering WAC membership as well, but the latest rumor is that they are seeking a similar arrangement with the Big Sky that Cal Poly and UC Davis have...football in the Big Sky and other sports in the Big West. That would also terminate their current awkward relationship with the WAC, where their baseball programs reside. If this is true, then it seems unlikely you will see Sac State in the WAC.
In the meantime, two schools with fans who want to see them add football would be a natural for the Big Sky Conference. They are Utah Valley and Santa Clara. UVU could be an all-sports participant in the BSC while SCU could be a football-only school and likely keep the rest of their sports in the WCC. However, UVU may be a candidate for WAC expansion should they add football. Here is a blog I wrote about UVU football in the spring. The biggest problem for the Orem campus is there is no place to play right now. But they could make it work with alterations to the baseball stadium. There are some other stadium options as well.
BTW...Currently the San Jose Earthquakes (Major League Soccer) are using the Santa Clara football Stadium.
So, to keep you up to date on the latest rumors...
Hawaii...MWC in football, Big West in other sports (Official)
Seattle, CS Bakersfield...Big West (Appears likely)
Sacramento State...Big West (In negotiations with the Big Sky to keep football in the BSC and join their other sports to the Big West like Cal Poly and UC Davis)
Utah State, UTEP...MWC (Strong Rumor)
Cal Poly...WAC if they can find funds to expand stadium (Strong Rumor)
UVU...Looking to add football and join the WAC. (Rumor)
Santa Clara...Fans want to add football (Fact...but can it happen?)
Finally, the MVFC added South Dakota and is looking to keep things even. They are considering my Alma Mater, Nebraska-Omaha, currently a DII school.
Check out the conference re-alignment matrix here. It is regularly updated.
Meanwhile, it appears that the WAC IS close to adding someone. If Cal Poly can get the approval for a stadium expansion, which is all they need for the FBS jump, they will be invited to the WAC. This was apparently in the works before this conference realignment craziness. (Look at this search. Notice the dates are late 2009 and early 2010.) Cal Poly administration wants to make the move, the fans want it, but they have to figure out how to pay for it. The stadium recently underwent some renovation. (Note, here is one fan's vision for an expanded Alex G. Spanos Stadium, but it is not official.)
Sacramento State may be considering WAC membership as well, but the latest rumor is that they are seeking a similar arrangement with the Big Sky that Cal Poly and UC Davis have...football in the Big Sky and other sports in the Big West. That would also terminate their current awkward relationship with the WAC, where their baseball programs reside. If this is true, then it seems unlikely you will see Sac State in the WAC.
In the meantime, two schools with fans who want to see them add football would be a natural for the Big Sky Conference. They are Utah Valley and Santa Clara. UVU could be an all-sports participant in the BSC while SCU could be a football-only school and likely keep the rest of their sports in the WCC. However, UVU may be a candidate for WAC expansion should they add football. Here is a blog I wrote about UVU football in the spring. The biggest problem for the Orem campus is there is no place to play right now. But they could make it work with alterations to the baseball stadium. There are some other stadium options as well.
BTW...Currently the San Jose Earthquakes (Major League Soccer) are using the Santa Clara football Stadium.
So, to keep you up to date on the latest rumors...
Hawaii...MWC in football, Big West in other sports (Official)
Seattle, CS Bakersfield...Big West (Appears likely)
Sacramento State...Big West (In negotiations with the Big Sky to keep football in the BSC and join their other sports to the Big West like Cal Poly and UC Davis)
Utah State, UTEP...MWC (Strong Rumor)
Cal Poly...WAC if they can find funds to expand stadium (Strong Rumor)
UVU...Looking to add football and join the WAC. (Rumor)
Santa Clara...Fans want to add football (Fact...but can it happen?)
Finally, the MVFC added South Dakota and is looking to keep things even. They are considering my Alma Mater, Nebraska-Omaha, currently a DII school.
Check out the conference re-alignment matrix here. It is regularly updated.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
New Word on MWC Expansion
New official word:
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Hawaii will be invited to join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member this week. It is unclear where Hawaii's other sports will affiliate, but signs are it will be the Big West Conference. Utah State appears to be getting an invite if the MWC can get a 12th member, and that appears likely to be UTEP and not Tulsa as this blog previously reported.
Again, the next domino that appears to be falling after this will be where the C-USA goes to replace UTEP, if that is what happens with the MWC. It could be Louisiana Tech, but it could also be a school from the Sun Belt Conference, like Middle Tennessee State or North Texas. That seems to be the trio that C-USA is interested in at this point--based upon Twitter traffic. If it is Louisiana Tech, then the WAC will be left with Idaho, New Mexico State, Texas State, UTSA and San Jose State in football. Can that quintet hold the WAC together long enough to bring in four schools from the FBS or will the WAC fold at this point?
One final straw that could break this camel's back. The scheduling agreement with BYU. Going to Provo and taking advantage of BYU's ESPN agreement could be an economic boon that will keep the WAC going as a conference. (USU and Hawaii have independent agreements with BYU.) What if BYU joins the Big 12 in 2012? Who do they partner with? Boise State or Louisville. Where would the MWC and Big East go for replacements? Probably not the MAC. Likely C-USA. What about further expansion by the Big 12 to 14?
The MWC will decide by the end of the year if it wants to remain at 10 or expand to 12. Aggie fans may get an Christmas present, in that their strong basketball program may save them from another conference affiliation Hell.
IMHO--The WAC and Karl Benson played this conference expansion game all wrong. He was not thinking about survival, he was thinking about getting bigger and better when those options were not realistic. Why the "BYU-Project"? Why only consider Montana and not some of their Big Sky rivals and forget about markets like Portland, Sacramento, California's Central Coast and the state of Arizona? Why go for Cal-Davis and not consider Sacramento State, when the later is the one with the FBS-ready facilities? Why not keep a footprint in Utah? It's not too late, if what is left of the WAC will think out of the box and become pro-active. It will be at least a decade before the WAC becomes again what it is today, but that is better than the alternative.
The Big Sky conference went to 13 members, even though there are no conference championships at the FCS level...at least not now. It was a proactive move. They anticipate schools jumping to the FBS in the next decade. It's time for the WAC to get proactive before there is no WAC left.
What I would do if I were Karl Benson?
1. Invite 3 basketball only schools--Seattle, CS-Bakersfield and Utah Valley.
2. Invite 4 Big Sky Schools, but on a time-line. Get them into the WAC by 2015 and forget about 2012-14. My choice would be 4 that already have the facilities or close to the facilities that they need and are close to the number of sports to make the move. Cal Poly has to be the first choice, but they have to expand their football stadium. Cal Poly already has 20 sports and are in the middle of a golden un-tapped market. They are the only DI sports program on the Central Coast. Then Montana, Montana State and Weber State. Northern Arizona, Portland State and Sacramento State would be alternates if either of the first set of schools balk.
3. Keep the BYU scheduling agreement as long as the Cougars are independent in football.
4. After Cal-Poly expands their stadium, begin a new bowl game there. Consider a new bowl in San Marcos, TX for that matter. Get back on the map.
5. Exposure, exposure, exposure. Get on TV. Get every advantage for recruiting you can get.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, Hawaii will be invited to join the Mountain West Conference as a football-only member this week. It is unclear where Hawaii's other sports will affiliate, but signs are it will be the Big West Conference. Utah State appears to be getting an invite if the MWC can get a 12th member, and that appears likely to be UTEP and not Tulsa as this blog previously reported.
Again, the next domino that appears to be falling after this will be where the C-USA goes to replace UTEP, if that is what happens with the MWC. It could be Louisiana Tech, but it could also be a school from the Sun Belt Conference, like Middle Tennessee State or North Texas. That seems to be the trio that C-USA is interested in at this point--based upon Twitter traffic. If it is Louisiana Tech, then the WAC will be left with Idaho, New Mexico State, Texas State, UTSA and San Jose State in football. Can that quintet hold the WAC together long enough to bring in four schools from the FBS or will the WAC fold at this point?
One final straw that could break this camel's back. The scheduling agreement with BYU. Going to Provo and taking advantage of BYU's ESPN agreement could be an economic boon that will keep the WAC going as a conference. (USU and Hawaii have independent agreements with BYU.) What if BYU joins the Big 12 in 2012? Who do they partner with? Boise State or Louisville. Where would the MWC and Big East go for replacements? Probably not the MAC. Likely C-USA. What about further expansion by the Big 12 to 14?
The MWC will decide by the end of the year if it wants to remain at 10 or expand to 12. Aggie fans may get an Christmas present, in that their strong basketball program may save them from another conference affiliation Hell.
IMHO--The WAC and Karl Benson played this conference expansion game all wrong. He was not thinking about survival, he was thinking about getting bigger and better when those options were not realistic. Why the "BYU-Project"? Why only consider Montana and not some of their Big Sky rivals and forget about markets like Portland, Sacramento, California's Central Coast and the state of Arizona? Why go for Cal-Davis and not consider Sacramento State, when the later is the one with the FBS-ready facilities? Why not keep a footprint in Utah? It's not too late, if what is left of the WAC will think out of the box and become pro-active. It will be at least a decade before the WAC becomes again what it is today, but that is better than the alternative.
The Big Sky conference went to 13 members, even though there are no conference championships at the FCS level...at least not now. It was a proactive move. They anticipate schools jumping to the FBS in the next decade. It's time for the WAC to get proactive before there is no WAC left.
What I would do if I were Karl Benson?
1. Invite 3 basketball only schools--Seattle, CS-Bakersfield and Utah Valley.
2. Invite 4 Big Sky Schools, but on a time-line. Get them into the WAC by 2015 and forget about 2012-14. My choice would be 4 that already have the facilities or close to the facilities that they need and are close to the number of sports to make the move. Cal Poly has to be the first choice, but they have to expand their football stadium. Cal Poly already has 20 sports and are in the middle of a golden un-tapped market. They are the only DI sports program on the Central Coast. Then Montana, Montana State and Weber State. Northern Arizona, Portland State and Sacramento State would be alternates if either of the first set of schools balk.
3. Keep the BYU scheduling agreement as long as the Cougars are independent in football.
4. After Cal-Poly expands their stadium, begin a new bowl game there. Consider a new bowl in San Marcos, TX for that matter. Get back on the map.
5. Exposure, exposure, exposure. Get on TV. Get every advantage for recruiting you can get.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Utah State and Hawaii to MWC...Is the WAC is finished?
Seeing tweets that Utah State and Hawaii are going to be invited to the MWC, plus Tulsa to give the MWC 12 football teams and a Conference Championship Game. Hawaii will be football only.
La-Tech to the C-USA to replace Tulsa will be the next domino.
And if it goes down like this then the WAC is finished as a football conference. They will be left with San Jose State, Idaho, New Mexico State, Texas State and UTSA. Even Lloyd Christmas can count the number of bowls this quintet has been two in the last decade. (That is Jim Carey's character in Dumb and Dumber and the number is 1.).
As I blogged a couple of days ago, the WAC may not yet be finished, because they also have Denver in Basketball and can add Seattle, Cal State Bakersfield and Utah Valley esily and still be a Basketball conference. But will need to bow out as a football conference for a couple of years. Sure, these five can remain a conference for scheduling sake for a couple of years. But say goodbye to any automatic bowl games. They need to give Montana, Cal Poly and a few others a chance to be ready for the FCS to FBS jump. Perhaps by 2015, they can be a 9 - 12 member football conference again.
Another option is to play the ESPN card and beg Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada to come back. Without TCU, there is little chance now that the MWC will get AQ status in the BCS because they only have the success of Boise State to hang their hat on. With how bad the Big East has been, it was looking like a sure thing with BSU, BYU, TCU and Utah. But 3/4 of that equation is gone. And now the MWC is really the old WAC with a lousy TV contract. May Karl Benson buries the hatchet. Who knows, they (BSU, FSU and Nevada) could bring some of their new friends like San Diego State, UNLV and Colorado State to come back with them. It could happen, it has been a crazy fall and it's not over yet.
La-Tech to the C-USA to replace Tulsa will be the next domino.
And if it goes down like this then the WAC is finished as a football conference. They will be left with San Jose State, Idaho, New Mexico State, Texas State and UTSA. Even Lloyd Christmas can count the number of bowls this quintet has been two in the last decade. (That is Jim Carey's character in Dumb and Dumber and the number is 1.).
As I blogged a couple of days ago, the WAC may not yet be finished, because they also have Denver in Basketball and can add Seattle, Cal State Bakersfield and Utah Valley esily and still be a Basketball conference. But will need to bow out as a football conference for a couple of years. Sure, these five can remain a conference for scheduling sake for a couple of years. But say goodbye to any automatic bowl games. They need to give Montana, Cal Poly and a few others a chance to be ready for the FCS to FBS jump. Perhaps by 2015, they can be a 9 - 12 member football conference again.
Another option is to play the ESPN card and beg Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada to come back. Without TCU, there is little chance now that the MWC will get AQ status in the BCS because they only have the success of Boise State to hang their hat on. With how bad the Big East has been, it was looking like a sure thing with BSU, BYU, TCU and Utah. But 3/4 of that equation is gone. And now the MWC is really the old WAC with a lousy TV contract. May Karl Benson buries the hatchet. Who knows, they (BSU, FSU and Nevada) could bring some of their new friends like San Diego State, UNLV and Colorado State to come back with them. It could happen, it has been a crazy fall and it's not over yet.
Friday, November 19, 2010
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
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
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