Mountain West General Realignment Thread

tkalmus · **Joined:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 1034

From the Big 12 thread...

Fresno St. Alum wrote:

tkalmus wrote:

My twitter feed is saying that Texas, Kansas, Kansas St, and Iowa St all want to add Lville, Cinncy and WVU; while OU, OSU, Tech, and Baylor want to add TCU and BYU. Most seem to think that Lville and BYU (funny how far apart they are) will get invites but the battle will be whether to add WVU, TCU, Houston or Cinncy. TCU adds another Texas school which many see as big positive or big negative with good fb/baseball but no new market penetration. Houston adds mediocre athletics but a helps keep the Houston market in the Big 12 footprint since A&M and LSU have a big foothold their now. Cinncy is much like Houston but offers a nice travel partner to go with Lville. BYU and WVU both add great athletics but they a pretty far away from the rest of the schools, BYU adds a big new market in SLC and their Mormon following, but WVU would be closer to Lville/Cinncy if they are added.

So at the end of the day it seems to me that adding the Lville, Cinncy, WVU combo works great and makes the most sense, and TCU would be okay but BYU would be better, and Houston basically has no shot.

So the question is does adding the market/following and great sports of BYU offset the extra travel costs/problems assuming the conference is moving east, if yes add BYU, if no, TCU is a great close to home option that could help round out the 12 team conference.

I hope you're right. It would likely mean TCU comes back to us.

and that yall could get the Big East's AQ and grab Houston for a nice 12 team league.

I know Air Force doesn't want to play more than 8 conference games but if they ever went to 14 UTEP and Utah St would be great options; and SMU and San Jose St would be good for 16 (evens out the powers on both sides)...and if Air Force did decide to leave and go Indy like Army/Navy yall could always replace them with Tulsa.

I still think that adding Gonzaga as a non football school would be an awesome way to offset Hawaii, I guess Seattle could work too but the Zags would make the MWC a great bball league especially if they also add Utah St. I think they may want to join since BYU wouldn't be in the WCC anymore, and I bet they would rather play teams like SD St in bball and TCU in baseball than St Mary's and...Loyola or Pepperdine?

MWC West: Hawaii/Gonzaga, SD St, Fresno St, Boise St, Nevada, UNLV (maybe Utah St & SJSU)
MWC East: Wyoming, CO St, Air Force, New Mexico, TCU, and Houston (maybe UTEP & SMU/Tulsa)

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 7:43 pm

The reason I think AFA will never go Indy is because they don't have a spot for all sports that is in their region. WCC all on the coast and small private. Big Sky would have to change it's bylaws to take them. WAC & MWC could take/keep them for other sports but I don't see it. If AFA wanted to be in the BE for fb, then MWC and WAC would also be out for sure.

tkalmus · **Joined:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 1034

Fresno St. Alum wrote:

The reason I think AFA will never go Indy is because they don't have a spot for all sports that is in their region. WCC all on the coast and small private. Big Sky would have to change it's bylaws to take them. WAC & MWC could take/keep them for other sports but I don't see it. If AFA wanted to be in the BE for fb, then MWC and WAC would also be out for sure.

I don't disagree but the fact that they don't want to go past 8 conference games because they have to play Army and Navy every year is going to be a problem, if y'all stay at 12 then they'll be fine but if y'all go to 14 or 16 like everyone else seems to be heading then I think they may bolt. I haven't seen any system for 14/16 that would allow them to play less than 9 games which just won't do, 1 true OOC game just won't work for them. WCC may work if BYU can be there AFA could, the academy is pretty similar to the small private schools despite being a large military one.

Fresno St. Alum · **Posted:** Wed Oct 05, 2011 8:48 pm

If the MWC went to 14, they'd probably just have 6 div 2 cross over if AFA was really threatening to leave. AFA was part of the WAC 16 so they've dealt w/ this big conf sh*t before.

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3753

Yeah, AF in Big Sky for basketball has little appeal. Big step down from MWC in all aspects. That's a compliment to the MWC, not a knock on BSky.

MWC for non-football is not an option (per Thompson)
WCC is likely not.
WAC likely would take them...they took UTA for f' sake.

TK, as per the 8 game schedule...no worries though, right? 8 games, Army/Navy every year, that's 10 games. Room for 1 for wiggle room. Won't the Hawaii rule kick in too for a 12th game?

tkalmus · **Joined:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 1034

Quinn wrote:

Yeah, AF in Big Sky for basketball has little appeal. Big step down from MWC in all aspects. That's a compliment to the MWC, not a knock on BSky.

MWC for non-football is not an option (per Thompson)
WCC is likely not.
WAC likely would take them...they took UTA for f' sake.

TK, as per the 8 game schedule...no worries though, right? 8 games, Army/Navy every year, that's 10 games. Room for 1 for wiggle room. Won't the Hawaii rule kick in too for a 12th game?

Yeah Air Force would play 8 conference game plus Army and Navy so that's 10 with 2 true OOC games they were upset about going to 9 and limiting them to only 1 true OOC opponent, if they play Hawaii at Hawaii they could schedule a 13th game but that would only be once every 4 years so it helps but not that much, but hey now that TCU is joining the Big 12 maybe they can just invite BYU and UTEP or Utah St back in for a nice 12 team league.

hickory_cornhusker · **Posted:** Thu Oct 06, 2011 12:41 pm

I see the Mountain West Conference as being by far the most hesitant if all conferences to venture into 16 team territory. They've done that before 15 years ago and hated it. It took only 3 years for half of them to get up and leave. The MWC starts adding any team they can find is a repeat of what the WAC did in the mid 90s. Unless the BCS tells them if they get to 16the teams they'll get an AQ the MWC won't expand with reckless abandon. Most of these schools have been down that road before and it didn't work.

tkalmus · **Joined:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 1034

tkalmus wrote:

yall could get the Big East's AQ and grab Houston for a nice 12 team league.

I know Air Force doesn't want to play more than 8 conference games but if they ever went to 14 UTEP and Utah St would be great options; and SMU and San Jose St would be good for 16 (evens out the powers on both sides)...and if Air Force did decide to leave and go Indy like Army/Navy yall could always replace them with Tulsa.

I still think that adding Gonzaga as a non football school would be an awesome way to offset Hawaii, I guess Seattle could work too but the Zags would make the MWC a great bball league especially if they also add Utah St. I think they may want to join since BYU wouldn't be in the WCC anymore, and I bet they would rather play teams like SD St in bball and TCU in baseball than St Mary's and...Loyola or Pepperdine?

MWC West: Hawaii/Gonzaga, SD St, Fresno St, Boise St, Nevada, UNLV (maybe Utah St & SJSU)
MWC East: Wyoming, CO St, Air Force, New Mexico, TCU, and Houston (maybe UTEP & SMU/Tulsa)

Updating my picks...since TCU is joining the Big 12...
MWC West: Hawaii/Gonzaga, SD St, Fresno St, Boise St, Nevada, UNLV
MWC East: Wyoming, CO St, Air Force, New Mexico, UTEP/Utah St/BYU

If the Big East goes after Houston and SMU then UTEP is a shoe in to join and Utah St or possibly BYU could join and make a nice 12 team league.

If the MWC can break apart the CUSA Texas quad after a Big East raid, then UTEP, SMU, Houston could join the East and BYU/Utah St could join the West for a nice 14 team league.

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3753

As good a time as any to bring up the MWC/Big East merger we discussed last year here.

MWC would get BCS bid, Big East schools would get stability.

Also presents the option for the Big East to drop football sponsorship and the current Big East schools (all 6) to remain in the Big East for other sports.

So you've got all-sports option, or the travel saving football-only option:

MWC Football:

West:
* Hawaii
SDSU
Fresno St.
Nevada
UNLV
New Mexico
Wyoming
Boise St.

East:
* Uconn
* Rutgers
* WVU
* Cincinnati
* Louisville
* USF
Colorado St.
Air Force

* = football only

MWC Pods:

MWC Football:

* Hawaii
SDSU
Fresno St.
Boise St.

Nevada
UNLV
New Mexico
Wyoming

East:
* Uconn
* Rutgers
* WVU
* Cincinnati

* Louisville
* USF
Colorado St.
Air Force

* = football only

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3753

Article discussing proposed move by Air Force to Missouri Valley or WCC for non-football sports, while remaining in MWC for football.

Yes, it seems odd...makes little sense, but it's real.

http://gazetteafasports.freedomblogging ... um=twitter

dafoeberezin3494 · **Posted:** Fri Oct 07, 2011 2:24 pm

So might the MWC have a desire to go to 10 all-sports members, and 2 football affiliates (Hawaii and Air Force)? Might look something like this:

MWC West:
Boise State
Fresno State
San Diego State
Nevada
UNLV
Hawaii (FB-only)

MWC East:
Colorado State
Wyoming
New Mexico
UTEP
Houston
Air Force (FB-only)

Seems less awkward than having 11 all-sports members, if having a championship game in football is something they desire.

tute79 · **Joined:** Fri Jun 23, 2006 4:25 pm **Posts:** 1490

If CUSA were in position to absorb the BE left-overs, this might let MWC take UTEP and someone else off CUSA's hands to equalize the conferences, as part of a merger plan.

Quinn · **Joined:** Thu Oct 17, 2002 8:05 am **Posts:** 3753

Article on pending Air Force move to Big East for football, MVC for other sports:

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_19073868

SJSUFan2010 · **Joined:** Mon Dec 06, 2010 7:52 pm **Posts:** 467

Quinn wrote:

Article discussing proposed move by Air Force to Missouri Valley or WCC for non-football sports, while remaining in MWC for football.

Yes, it seems odd...makes little sense, but it's real.

http://gazetteafasports.freedomblogging ... um=twitter

Not only real, but sounds...likely.

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_19073868

But if they're waiting till the end of the month, who knows how much of the Big East will still be there. Missouri may be leaving the Big 12 soon so after that we should learn if the Big 12 is looking east or west. If the Big East manages to hold on to the 6 they have, add the military academies for football only, they probably have enough political pull to keep their AQ. They could add 3 others and get to 12 in football and 17 in basketball if they wanted to. But I'll believe that when I see it.

tkalmus · **Joined:** Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:40 pm **Posts:** 1034

Utah State Lobbying To Joining Mountain West If Air Force Leaves

http://www.mwcconnection.com/2011/10/10 ... utah-state

Mountain West General Realignment Thread

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