Do any of you like this idea?

The GWFC will be dead within the next two years. Two schools already in the GW are already in the Big Worst. The Dakotas are too far east to make the trip(s) economical or even entertaining to the fans. S. Utah has nothing to offer; fans, media market, easy travel access, etc. S.Utah is in a very ugly demographically challenged part of the country.

The Great West is a scrambling attempt to put together a few of the Div 1-AA football schools in the western half of the country. The only ones not in an existing FB conference are N. Dak St. (Ind.), S. Dak. St. (Ind.), Southern Utah (Mid-Con), Cal Poly-SLO (Big West), UC Davis (Big West).

Every other Div 1-AA FB team out west is already in a FB conference. Northern Colorado is leaving the Great West to join the All-Sports Big Sky.

U of San Diego plays non-scholarship ball in the Pioneer Conference. Maybe if they upgraded, they could be GW school #6.

There are NO other Big West schools sponsoring football other than Cal Poly-SlO or UC Davis, so this merger wouldn't help.

About the only other FB schools in sight are the members of the MVC's Gateway Conference. Perhaps some opportunity might happen there, should Western Kentucky or Youngstown State pull out. Then perhaps the Gateway could look at some sort of expansion / merger.

The Big West all but excommunicated football schools Boise State, Idaho, New Mexico State, North Texas, Utah State, and the like because (1) they saw their advantage in cutting travel costs, and (2) they thought they were better off riding the basketball wave.

Well, if Utah State and Boise State are too far away for the Big West, I sure as Hades don't have to tell you what they think of the Dakota schools.

I also find it funny that this prefaced the rise of the WCC, and I'm not sure that's a coincidence. The schools the Big West could have kept that have made some noise in the tournament lately (Nevada, Utah State) are the flagships they never knew they needed... though those schools were probably always going to aim for the WAC. Just think, however, where the WAC would be now if the Big West had fought for their schools. You pay a price for listening more to UC Irvine and Fullerton State than you do New Mexico State, strangely enough.

If BYU and Utah jump ship from the MWC, then you might see the Big West reborn as the WAC.

All of the current members of the WAC have historical ties to the Big West...

Boise State (1996-2001)
Fresno State (charter member, 1969-1992)
Hawaii (women's sports until 1996)
Idaho (1996-2005)
Louisiana Tech (football-only, 1993-1995)
Nevada (1992-2000)
New Mexico State (1983-2000)
San Jose State (charter member, 1969-1996)
Utah State (1978-2005)

I think that North Dakota State and South Dakota State should join either the Big-XII Conference, the Mid-Continent Conference, the Mountain West Conference or the Big Sky Conference. Otherwise, both will maintain as Independents. That is my opinion of possibility.

John

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Florida State Seminole fan for life (mostly on football, basketball and baseball)!

The Big XII and MWC are out of the question for obvious reasons.

The Big Sky recently picked Northern Colorado as their 9th member. NDSU and SDSU and perhaps even the University of North Dakota and Southern Utah were also candidates for expansion at that time.

Most people consider the two Dakotas along with Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne at likely candidates of any future expansion of the Mid Con.

At this point NDSU and SDSU are headed to the midcon, and I think there is a good chance that within a few months they will be invited to the gateway for football.

However, I think the Great West will add North Dakota, and South Dakota. Maybe others such as Sac State or San Diego.