Article out of Grand Forks with comments from Big Sky Commish(scroll down) who says that beyond possibly adding Idaho,his league is not interested in further expansion.Link at http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/a ... p/homepage

Two very good private schools in a small state school system league? I wouldn't invest in a long future for either school, though it could make for a good short-term thing...that is, until the WCC calls.

Release from official Big Sky site announcing that as expected Idaho will join the Big Sky Conference for non-FB sports starting in 2014.Link at http://bigskyconf.com/news/2012/10/19/G ... 20821.aspx

No doubt the Big SKy considered Idaho to be the prize catch out of that WAC refugee group.

Any feel for whether NMSU might bite the bullet, and seek a similar deal from the Big Sky ?
Or are they too far SE (with regard to the Big Sky footprint) to be attractive to the BSC ?

Great question. From what we've seen from the Big Sky offices, they weren't too public about wanting NMSU. There was the initial talk of BS taking over the WAC, but without 2 bids, there was no reason. Idaho was always the 1 school they wanted...public school in the heart of the footprint. NMSU would need to offer something to the Big Sky, which they don't really have. NAU is the closest school to them, but it's likely not enough.

Maybe jon can comment on any opinion NAU might have about NMSU joining. But NMSU seems in a tough spot. Looking at some of the schools the Southland has added, you'd have to think NMSU would be an upgrade. Yet, the SL has shown no interest at all...probably due to no football.

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Idaho was more acceptable for a variety of reasons:

1) Founding member of Big Sky, long time member as well
2) Used to be main rival of Montana
3) Close to Montana, EWU, ISU, etc

NMSU is a much harder sell. While we used to share a conference 60 years ago, it is still an 8 hours drive from Flagstaff, the closest Big Sky school.
Only schools close to NMSU are all FBS schools - UTEP, UNM, UA, ASU and TTU are all within 6 hours. But NMSU is not getting into Pac 12. UNM and UTEP
don't seem to want them in their conferences.

Idaho puts the Big Sky at 12 for non-football - a good number. Not really a need for NMSU in the Big Sky.

Yeah, right now Idaho puts the Big Sky at 12, and if they fall back to FCS, they have 14 for FB as well.
So that seems to work for the Big Sky if nothing changes.

I still seem to think North Dakota (if offered) would jump to the Summit / MVFC, and if so, that puts the Big Sky at odd numbers,
which might present an opportunity for NMSU, since they are just about the only other football program (in the western US) that would be available.

Looking at a map, yeah, Las Cruces is pretty damn far from anyone else in the Big Sky,
But North Dakota is ratehr isolated right now too. They are a long haul to the Montana schools, and a really long haul to everyone else.

Does anyone think that some of the Big Sky schools are regretting not joining and/or merging with the WAC considering what the MAC/Sunbelt/MWC/CUSA/Big East will be receiving from the "Playoff Payoff"? You would have to believe that the WAC would have been a 6th conference if it would have stayed alive? Not joining cost Montana, Montana State and the rest, millions of dollars.

No, I don't. I think that ship sailed when the big Sky schools passed on the WAC back when the WAC still had some stability, before losing all it's football members.

At this point, the MWC seems more likely, while still a longshot, for FCS upgrades if that upgrade were Montana. If you're the MWC and your only options were Montana, NMSU, Idaho and Texas St., it's not a big collection of powers to chose from.

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I think that was the point. If they had joined back when say Fresno and Nevada had departed and managed to keep the WAC alive, they probably would have been included in that 6th AQ (with the other five assuming it wouldn't matter because at this point a WAC Champ wouldn't have a chance to get it (even with Montana, Montana State, or whoever else).

I'm really perplexed as to why New Mexico St didn't push harder to get into the Big Sky with Idaho. Do they really think that the elusive MWC invite is actually going to come because its never going to materialize. Even with the additions of Utah Valley and Cal St-Bakersfield the WAC is still on death's doorstep. The Big Sky takeover of the WAC was such a brilliant idea--its really unfortunate it didnt come to fruition.

SJSU, you got my point.

If it comes to dropping to FCS (which is the prime issue here), after NMSU finds they can't hang, would they prefer the Southland to the Big Sky?

They might, but all indications are the Southland has no intentions of inviting NMSU. It's not even a lock that the Big Sky would want them.

Article out of Grand Forks with comments from Big Sky Commish regarding future of his league at http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/262923