One thing worth noting about Sac St...they didn't take a blood oath or anything. At the time, Sac St. had little leverage other than to upgrade to FBS. They didn't, so that leverage is lost.

As for Sac St., the Big West is still an interesting situation. When the Big Sky brought in UC Davis and Cal Poly, it was a great move...gave the Big Sky some more CA access...a big help for recruiting.

But with UCD and Cal-Poly, the Big Sky WAS expecting to have SUU, UND and USD join. As we know, USD passed in the end, when an invite to the MVFC appeared.

So as we know, the Big Sky is now at 11 all-sports members and 13 for football. That 13 for football will stay...but who is to say that the Big Sky wouldn't be a bit flexible with allowing Sac St. to leave to get the Big Sky to a more comfortable number of 10?

Just worth noting that the Sac St. agreement to stay was at a time when the Big Sky NEEDED Sac St. to remain at an even number of 12. With USD backing out, that awkward #11 is still in place...and the required road trips to Sacramento for all-sports with NO 2-for-1 trips to the Dakotas, as was expected.






As for the WCC...would love to see Denver and Air Force is Air Force joined the Big East. BUT, I'd still rather see Seattle join...just don't think it will ever happen.

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Yeah I could easily see where the Big Sky could work out a multiple conference deal where Sacramento St and North Dakota took their Olympic sports to the BWC and Summit respectively but kept their football in the Big Sky and then Idaho comes in as an all sports member to bring the conference to this 10 team set up:

E Washington
Portland St
Idaho
Idaho St
Montana
Montana St
Weber St
S Utah
N Arizona
N Colorado

While football has 14 teams in a division alignment something like this:

North: E Wash, Portland St, Idaho, Idaho St, Montana, Montana St, N Dakota
South: Weber St, S Utah, N Colorado, N Arizona, Sac St, UC Davis, Cal Poly
football onlys

Denver Post article with comments from WAC Commish regarding WAC realignment situation at http://www.denverpost.com/colleges/ci_2 ... all-league

I don't think the Big Sky will be as accomidating as you think.

Sac State still needs a place to play football. Big Sky still has the leverage.

Sac State enjoys NOT being in a CA conference - it sets them apart. They still play plenty of CA teams non-conference, but get to broaden their horizons, playing in multiple states.

Agreed.

And the only real option Sac St. had was to upgrade to FBS and join the WAC when they had a chance. Luckily, they didn't, since the WAC has only 2 football schools left. Sac St. would have needed at least 4 other FCS schools to upgrade just to be at the minimum of 6 schools.

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Appreciate the post, Freaked.

One can feel empathy for the plight of the WAC. However, they appear to be trying to stay in business with so few options and a shortage of viable schools to add. At least the WAC needs to fold per fb. NMSU and Idaho need to find future homes, at least for fb, elsewhere.

Idaho may function best by going back to the Big Sky. UI may not want to admit they need to accept the FCS level again; but given their location, facilities, and prior struggles for stability, the Big Sky looks as the most compatible for them.

The SunBelt could be kind and offer inclusion to NMSU. I doubt if UTEP, and others, would be accepting of NMSU for CUSA, but they are neighbors, which for UTEP, is a negative.
NMSU has been void of sustained fb success to garner them appeal.

The MWC would be more interested in a future return of BSU & SDSU, rather than be willing to take two they don't desire to have.

Even as a bb league, the WAC will be hard pressed to sustain numbers and consistency. If the WAC could find respectable or plausible homes elsewhere for all their schools; then they should declare their run has reached the finished line, and become a memory like the old SWC.

Had SDSU and Boise State not taken the fb-only deal to opt for the BE and causing the MWC to react, the WAC may have had a chance.

Soon the WAC and Great West will have to make some decisions about their path forward.

Neither is viable, once we consdier all the upcoming moves that have been announced.

You have 2 FB schools - Idaho and NMSU... that does not a conference make.
It's not even critical mass to attract any other potential FBS schools (if there are any).

It seems a no-brainer that WAC gives up on FB.
MWC HAD TOLD Idaho and NMSU - "Don't call us, we'll call you !"
Does that change with BSU (and presumably SDSU committed to BE ?)
I don't think MWC will completely accept that BSU is gone UNTIL BSU gets offically invited into the Big West (if that is to happen).
If that does happen, MWC may think: "They're gone, deal with it...."
At that point, if they want 12 for a CCG, they might consider Idaho and NMSU.
Just because the MWC was dismissive toward them when BSU and SDSU still appeared to be options doesn't mean they don't now enter the picture.

At that point BE is at 13 and could use one more. I don't think Air Force will see the attraction, unless they had a nice landing spot for their Oly sports.
Being in Colorado Springs, what conference has that footprint ? (maybe the Summit if they were to add Denver, UVU, that's about it).
I see the BE making a renewed push for BYU FB.

The WAC and GW may be waiting for these other dominoes to fall / not fall.

If Idaho and NMSU haven't latched on somewhere for their Oly sports, it would seem that a merger of WAC & GW to create an 8-team conference
would be a distinct possibility - Seattle, Denver, Idaho, NMSU, UVU, UTPA, CSU-B, Chicago State.

If the Horizon were to go to 12 by taking Oakland, IUPUI, IPFW from the Summit, then the Summit's center of gravity slides west into the plains.
At that point the Summit may need to expand, and I would look for them to focus on North Dakota, Denver, and maybe UVU.
Depending on the timing, if USAFA were looking for a home for Oly sports, they could fit into that picture.

This needs to get somewhat sorted out (for the remaining WAC / GW schools) within the next year, since the WAC will be largely "cleaned out" by July 1, 2013.
If none of this other stuff happens, those two confrneces almost HAVE to merge to have critical mass.

Well, the good thing is that pretty much no matter what, the WAC will be able to survive. If that means inviting Utah Valley and CSUB to get to 6 and UTPA to get to 7, so be it.

That's 7 schools, that's enough.

Flight risks?
Idaho to Big Sky
NMSU to Sun Belt
Denver to Summit or WCC
Seattle to WCC
Utah Valley to Summit or Big Sky
CSUB to Big West
UTPA to Southland

Of those possibilities, UTPA to Southland and Denver to WCC/Summit probably top the list. CSUB to Big West seems much less likely now that you have the potential for a subsidizing school to join, ala Hawaii and next possibly Boise St.

So let's say (2) of the schools above leave. Guess what? You've got Chicago St. and NJIT sitting there willing to join.

So the WAC had plenty of time. It will take 3 schools moving at higher conferences to start the trickle down. We even have conferences like the Big Sky that could lose a school and be in a better position 11/13 turned to 10/12. So a Big Sky departure doesn't necessarily mean a replacement.

The good thing is that now with the playoff creation, FCS schools can no longer claim that they have an excuse in the form of "we have a playoff, they don't". So maybe in time, that 4 schools becomes 8 schools in FBS. And maybe then some of the FCS conferences like the Big Sky can "move up" so to say, since the NCAA will have even less control over who upgrades or if a conference upgrades since an undefeated Montana in the Big Sky in FBS would likely have a shot at the #4-8 seed in some years at the highest level.

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Have to disagree on UTPA, since the Southland has discussed expansion by 1-3 schools and selected 3 schools for campus visits.
Abiliene Christian, Incarnate Word, and U of New Orleans.
UTPA made a presentation to the expansion committee and apparently ranked #4, which doesn't bode so well (for right now...).

I rank flight risks

1.Idaho to Sky w/ Indy fbs fb
2.NMSU to MWC replacing the one leaving
3.CSUB to BW (AFA could get in the WCC or Summit w/o subsidies)
4.Denver to WCC (only if AFA goes there) or Sky (if they let in Idaho w/o fb they might let Denver and Seattle in)
5.UVU to Summit (only if they shift west)
6.Seattle to Sky (if they decide going to 14 w/o having fb schools)
7.Chicago St. to Summit (if they lose 3 schools and need to fill holes)
8.UTPA to WAC (no one else wants them)
9.GCU to WAC (want to move up, only option)

NJIT should be able to find a home in the NEC or AEC after the CAA, SoCon, Big South, Patriot dominoes fall

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'08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS

Sadly, the WAC is probably better off trying to find homes for its remaining members than trying to cling together for dear life. It probably involves a lot of phone calls and all the dominoes falling just right but I think just about everyone could find a home:

1) Hope that Air Force decides to go to the Big East for football and goes to the WCC for other sports
2) Denver gets invited to the WCC as AFA's travel partner
3) Boise gets into the Big West through some cajoling
4) New Mexico St gets an invite to the WMC due to AFA's departure
5) Idaho goes to the Big Sky (with or without their football program)
6) Only Seattle is left homeless, at least until BYU gets a conference upgrade and a vacancy opens up in the WCC; Big Sky is also an option

I sure hope that happens. It's painful to watch the once mighty WAC hang on like this.

The Western Athletic Conference is exploring an option that would take the league into a future without football beginning in 2013.

we know, it's their only option.....UVU, CSUB, UTPA and if they need down the road GCU and/or Chicago St.

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BW/WAC/MWC CHAMPS '77 '82 '85 '88 '89 '91 '92 '93 '99 '12
'08 NCAA BASEBALL CHAMPS

Article out of Boise with comments from WAC Commish who says his league will need to make both FB and non FB membership decisions in the next 30 days.Prospects continue to look bleak for future WAC FB.Link at http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/07/1 ... xt-30.html