Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton is apparently willing to talk with Boise State (former Big Sky member) and Air Force. If the Mountain West dips into the WAC, and the WAC takes 2-3 from the Big Sky, the Big Sky is on very thin ice in terms of all sports membership. The Big Sky would then be well served by adding the two Big East football-only members:

Big Sky (presuming Montana and Montana State depart)
Eastern Washington/Portland State
Idaho State/Boise State (Big East Football)
Weber State/Sacramento State
Southern Utah/Northern Arizona
Northern Colorado/Air Force (Big East Football)
North Dakota (no travel partner)
Football Only: Cal Poly SLO, UC-Davis

WAC (presuming Utah State departs)
Pacific - San Jose State, Cal State-Bakersfield (non-football), Seattle (non-football), Idaho, Montana, Montana State
Central - Denver (non-football), New Mexico State, UTSA, Texas State, Texas-Arlington (football in 2016), Louisiana Tech

Mountain West
Fresno State/Nevada
San Diego State/UNLV
Utah State/New Mexico
Colorado State/Wyoming
Football Only: Hawaii

Seriously, gets to the point where Big sky should just upgrade and absorb the WAC football schools.

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The interview with Fullerton was telling. I think he doesn't see an expansive future for FBS in the west.

The WAC continues to be the hugely vulnerable conference.

Back to the scenario.... the MWC dips into the WAC.... say USU and SJSU.
If rumors are to be believed, CUSA could come after NMSU and LaTech.

The WAC is really hurting. Big Sky could grab Seattle, Denver, and convince Idaho to "downgrade" to a stable future in FCS.
All that's left are the SLC Texas upgrades, who could return to SLC (unlikely) or join the SunBelt. No more WAC.

It seems like the Big Sky management anticipates a potential crisis coming for the WAC, and they will be poised with a plan to swoop into the void.

I shouldn't be "encouraged" by tute's post, but I'm inspired by the Boise State situation to throw this to the wolves.

I don't pick up a heavy rumor as to where BSU's other sports are headed. Their two most reasonable options probably don't want them. It appears (and I want a clarification on this) that no conference sponsoring football CAN take Boise. I feel I'd have heard something by now, but nada.

The most that seems to be happening is Boise's big hoof trying to squash Idaho. Perhaps they could be encouraging the Mountain West to take some WAC schools. The underlying theme... get football out of the WAC, bring friends in, maintain an autobid.

Yes, this has more convolutions than a season of Big Love. It probably can't happen, and since they'd want BYU in it, the idea deserves its own infamous dream conference thread.

But what if they could pull this off?

Air Force
BSU
BYU
Denver
Gonzaga
Hawaii
Pacific
San Diego State
San Jose State
Seattle

Perhaps they could throw in a Portland State? Could you pry away the eastern schools into a different situation? Would the NCAA take aim at the autobid? Eh...

I don't know about Pacific and Gonzaga but I could actually see that happening. If the WAC loses two or more schools they are probably finished in football. And if that's the case UTSA and Texas State to the SB is likely and La Tech and NMSU will probably be headed to C-USA or the MWC. Texas-Arlington would just go back to the Southland or also try for the SB. Idaho almost has to go to the Big Sky full time since no one wants them. SJSU could try for football only membership in either the MWC or the Big Sky.

At that point what you suggested it pretty likely. Gonzaga probably won't want to join with Seattle though and I don't know if they would even want to leave the WCC which would probably still be superior to this conference. I might consider schools with football like Cal Poly or UC Davis. This way if the Big East western division doesn't work out, this conference could begin sponsoring football. Or just stay at 8 and invite schools later on if the Big East fails.

I started thinking about Pacific ONLY because I thought about Hawaii. Truth to be told, I don't have to think about either.

Gonzaga only became a part of this fiendish plot because they might be the least likely among the core 8 WCC schools to lack ambition. Moreover, Seattle's involved only because I figured I need some sort of core of existing WAC schools to pull this off.

If I don't, if I could really cherry-pick in this situation...

Boise State (Taco Bell Pavilion, 12,380 seats)
Brigham Young (Marriott Center, 22,700)
Fresno State (Save Mart Center, 15,544)
Nevada (Lawlor Events Center, 11,784)
Nevada-Las Vegas (Thomas & Mack Center, 18,776)
New Mexico (The Pit, 17,126)
San Diego State (Viejas Arena, 12,414)
Seattle (Key Arena, 17,072)
Utah State (Dee Glen Smith Spectrum, 10,270)

With possible considerations to:

Hawaii (Stan Sheriff Center, 10,300)
New Mexico State (Pan American Center, 12,482)
Portland State (who would have to rent at least 10,000-seat Memorial Coliseum... it's a longshot that they could fill it)
Wyoming (Arena-Auditorium, 15,028, perhaps the most overbuilt facility in America)

Utah State seems like the cultural misfit here, but they FILL the Spectrum.

Seattle seems like the misfit amongst this establishment, but they do have a basketball history and they have a team that the WAC should look out for when they join. They've pulled off some games since restarting the program.

I don't know if you'd be able to cherry pick, but you could definitely get any school that joined the Big East in a football only situation and BYU might prefer it over the WCC even if they stay indy in football. Hawaii might also prefer it over the Big West since the competition would be better and there is probably more money in this conference. So best case for the WAC is for the Big East to go to 14 with schools like SDSU and Nevada as football only members on top of Boise and AFA.

You could have:
Air Force
Boise State
BYU
Denver
Hawaii
Nevada
Seattle
SDSU
SJSU

And who knows, maybe a football only Tulsa would be brought in to the Big East as well and the WAC could be home for them. I just wonder if Idaho and Texas-Arlington would leave the conference. UT-A probably leaves when UTSA and Texas St do, but I don't know about Idaho. Still, not bad even with them.

Blog article out of San Antonio discussing possible WAC realignment in the wake of probable future MWC/C-USA expansion at http://blog.mysanantonio.com/utsa/2011/ ... a-sun-belt

Salt Lake Trib blog article (previously posted in another thread)discussing possibility that WAC may add BSU non-FB sports which may help to eventually cause BE expansion related dominoes to move two more WAC FB (USU and SJSU)schools to the MWC.Link at http://sltrib.com/sltrib/blogsususports ... e.html.csp

Also,Jon Wilner article (previously posted in another thread)discussing possibility that WAC may eventually lose SJSU to the MWC at http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_19482791

So why would the WAC help BSU and SDSU out? Karl Benson is freaking dumb.

Karl Benson is a BSU grad.

There's now another Jon Wilner blog piece saying that the MWC won't compensate for losing BSU and SDSU, instead carrying forward on a full merger with C-USA at 16 schools. UTEP goes from east to west, therefore divisions are set.

We will only be set at 16 if AFA goes to the BE. If they don't we have 17. Also if say Memphis or ECU replaces AFA. it could just be 8 of each. All sports, Hawaii all in then?

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Or keep Hawaii as an affiliate only, and add another affiliate out east (Charlotte? James Madison? App State?). Then they will be 18 football, 16 all other sports. I'm predicting Navy and Temple for Big East 11 and 12 football affiliates.

I'm confused. How is Boise State able to join the WAC? Isn't there a rule against schools doing what they are trying to do?

no....conferences that sponsor a sport generally have rules against conference members playing that sport in a different conference, but if the conference does not care the NCAA does not care.

The NCAA would allow you to have football in the SEC, basketball in the ACC, baseball in the Big 12, hockey in the Big 10, and volleybally in the Pac 12 if you could work it out with all those conferences. Its the conferences themselves that don't allow this to happen with their conference bylaws.

The WAC does not have/chose to waive their conference bylaw and accepted Boise St for all sports but football.