Article out of Boise discussing struggles by Idaho and NMSU to build Indy FB schedules at http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/10/0 ... e-and.html

Buzz has UVU and CSUB joining WAC. A little late, but anything at this point means it's not the end of the road yet for the WAC.

http://www.heraldextra.com/sports/colle ... f887a.html

Have they done away with euthanasia?

Ha ha ha...

Maybe we're looking at this wrong...

The WAC just euthanized the Great West. (R.I.P. !)

Great West remnants: UTPA, Chicago State, NJIT.

I was a bit surprised to read that Central Arkansas is having financial difficulties and is considering dropping to D-2.
They could be eyeing that 12th spot in the Great America Conf. (OK / AR)....
That move could then open spot #14 in the Southland for UTPA
(Southland supposedly DID conduct a campus visit of UTPA at the same time they were looking at IWU, ACU, and UNO, whom they eventually invited).
Who would want Chicago State ? Maybe the Summit could take them back, if Chicago St. has cleaned up their act....
NJIT - would losing their Great West homies be THAT MUCH of a loss ?
How horrible is it to travel an avg. of 2000 miles for each and every conference road game ?

Quinn this thread needs to be moved to the non fbs section. So the WAC has 5 or 6 now depending on Idaho. They still need 2 more, 1 to count but 2 is much safer. Is UTPA really gonna hold out for the SLC? They could just join the WAC and bail if the SLC comes calling. Then they still need to get GCU started on a move up.

_________________

WRANGLERS 153-55-1 CVFL CHAMPS '04 '05 '09 '12

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['08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS]

If the WAC does not reinstate FB sponsorship and is not included in the new FB playoff configuration starting in 2014 this thread will "likely" need to be moved to the non-FB section sometime in the future.

In the meantime,article out of Las Cruces discussing UVU and CSUB reported invites to the WAC and comments from WAC Commish regarding the importance of retaining Idaho in the conference and possible future expansion targets to include Texas-Pan American and Chicago State.Link at http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-sp ... ac-invites

One way for the WAC to avoid the multi-sport membership requirement is to start FCS football. Utah Valley is looking at starting a program, so the WAC would need five more. Grab the two Big West schools playing Big Sky football, and 3 full members from the Big Sky (Northern Colorado, North Dakota, Northern Arizona, and Sacramento State are all affiliates of the WAC in at least one sport) and you have an FCS league. If Idaho and New Mexico State reclassify, then the WAC could have as many as 8 for football.

The WAC has to have at least 7 members to retain NCAA autobid status

According to that article, there is a 2 year waver to the 7 members requirement if the WAC goes down to 6 schools.

The WAC should probably grab some of Great West's affiliate members in baseball and women's soccer, to keep those numbers up.

Quinn -

Understand why you moved this thread to "other conferences", since it appears that WC is no longer sponsors FBS football.

NEED TO EDIT the heading for the category that includes: MAC, SBC, CUSA, MWC, Army / Navy to delete "WAC".
Along the same vein, I suggest moving the Big East thread from the one that now includes "the Big 5".

This would give:
ACC, SEC, Big Ten, Big XII, PAC-12 (the Big 5)

and BE, MAC, SBC, CUSA, MWC, Army/Navy/FBS independents (the FBS "have nots").

Rregards,
Tute

I suggest leaving the BE just where it is.
Clearly the ACC is not any stronger than the BE.

I think this might help the WAC for now, but ultimately it's still dying a slow death. I doubt the WAC gets enough members to keep its tournament bid, and then some schools will definitely be gone and the WAC will probably fold at that point.

I've already heard Idaho was planning to join Big Sky for non-football sports and would downgrade football to FCS and join if being an FBS independent didn't work out (which it probably won't for Idaho or NMSU. NMSU could join Big Sky as well, or join Southland for all sports (which would also be a downgrade) and give Southland a 12th football member, because Southland will have 11 football schools after their new additions. Seattle and Denver could try to get WCC to add them and get 12 members, since Seattle and Denver are private schools without football and would add markets for WCC and their ESPN deal. That just leaves CSUB and Utah Valley, who honestly have no options unless they can convince Big West or Summit League to invite them, although neither of those conferences would do it most likely.

UTPA would probably end up going to Southland at some point. NJIT wants in NEC, but is a much better fit for America East who will likely invite them if/when Stony Brook leaves. Chicago State should honestly consider dropping to D2. I mean, with about 7,000 students or so they couldn't even compete well in the Summit League to the point that Summit wanted them out. And really how does Chicago State stand a chance in the same city as UIC, Loyola (IL), DePaul and Northwestern?

We'll see... I agree the ACC's football product doesn't WOW me. Neither does the Big Ten's for that matter....
But the flow of money is undeniably going to the Big Five and not the Big East (unless Aresco negotiates some UNBELEIVABLE deal, which few expect).
That money will do a lot to separate the Athletics Department funding at the "haves" vs. the "have nots".

BUT MY MAIN REASON FOR POSTING....
Apparently tomorrow the WAC expansion will become official, with press conferneces now scheduled:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/550 ... y.html.csp