5 replies to this topic

[AssKickingBoots]

http://msn.foxsports...-in-2011-061110

Updated Jun 11, 2010 4:00 PM ET
BOISE, Idaho (AP)

CONFERENCE EXPANSION
Boise State on Friday accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference as the two-time Fiesta Bowl winner seeks out a league that's a better launching pad into lucrative bowl games.

Boise State, now with the Western Athletic Conference, would become the Mountain West Conference's 10th member. The move would be effective July 1, 2011.

The announcement is part of a massive conference shuffle nationwide, where leagues like the Pac-10 have lured Colorado and Nebraska seeks membership in the Big Ten.

As Boise State aims to secure a clearer path to Bowl Championship Series games worth millions, Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson said his league is boosting its strength by adding a football program that's captured the nation's imagination, and prime-time television exposure. The league's main goal is to make a better case to become the seventh college football conference awarded an automatic BCS postseason berth.

"It's my No. 1 goal, and I think I share it with members," Thompson said during a conference call. "We are going to try to challenge, and try to position ourselves as the seventh automatic qualifying conference."

In its two BCS bowl appearances so far, Boise State beat TCU, a Mountain West member, in the Fiesta Bowl in January and it scored an 43-42 overtime upset over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Boise State has also dominated the WAC, compiling a 49-4 record and winning three WAC titles in four years under Bronco coach Chris Petersen.

Thompson said Colorado's Pac-10 jump on Thursday was the catalyst for the Mountain West to move quickly to grab Boise State.

He added there's still discussion among Mountain West university presidents on whether the league should remain at 10 schools, or expand to 12 or even 16, to boost its BCS chances.

"This is a game of musical chairs," Thompson said. "People want to have a seat when the music stops."

Boise State must pay an entry fee to get into the conference; Thompson said the sum was "between BSU and ourselves." He expects to readjust his conference's television package with CBS Sports and Versus to reflect BSU's inclusion starting in 2011.

Boise State president Bob Kustra said the invitation, backed unanimously by Mountain West university presidents, shows Boise State has demonstrated academic and athletic success.

"This move is in the best interests of Boise State's future, and the university is excited to be part of one of the nation's most outstanding conferences," Kustra said.

An advantage for Boise State will be travel time. In the WAC, the team travels to Hawaii and Louisiana.

The Mountain West Conference is more concentrated. Boise State joins the Air Force Academy, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV, Utah and Wyoming.

"Membership in the Mountain West Conference is a milestone moment for the entire Bronco sports program," said Boise State athletic director Gene Bleymaier. "The new alignment will help our student-athletes by minimizing distant travel and developing more intermountain competition."

Dan Hawkins, head coach at Boise State until jumping to Colorado in 2006, said he doesn't think the Mountain West is done adding teams as college football completes its current reshuffling.

"We'll see how that whole thing shakes out and what happens to other teams in the Big 12," Hawkins said. "There might be some other teams from...the Sun Belt, the Big 12, or somebody melded in there to complete the roster."

Thompson all but ruled out adding more teams from the WAC.

[AssKickingBoots]

Sounds like with the addition of Boise State, the MWC is looking to become a BCS conference. They'd be the likely beneficiaries of the Big XII falling apart, as they'd be in prime position to pick up Kansas, K-State, Mizzou, and Iowa State. That alone would make a pretty decent 14 team league. They might become a 16 team conference with the addition of a couple Sun Belt teams as well (I'd prefer 14).

While it'd be a step down from the Big XII as it was, it be a major help to the local schools, preventing them from being without a BCS conference, though whether that could be a long-term solution through these cataclysmic times of conference realignment remains to be seen.

[D.V.T. 3:16]

Well this wasn't exactly a huge shocker seeing how they've been clamoring to leave the WAC ever since they beat Oklahoma...yadda yadda yadda.....It'll be really interesting to see how everything will play out with all of these confrences expanding/merging. At least Hawaii won't have to go back and play on that stupid "Smurf Turf" after this season. One less frozen place to play in in the middle of winter.

[Dom]

Heard the WAC is looking at 5 or 6 FCS schools to maybe join.... this would be interesting...

[AssKickingBoots]

Dom, on 12 June 2010 - 09:19 AM, said:

Heard the WAC is looking at 5 or 6 FCS schools to maybe join.... this would be interesting...

Do you mean looking for schools to join the WAC? I think that's a stretch after they just lost their best football school. Don't get me wrong, Fresno State, Hawaii, and Nevada are all good, but people are going to look at the WAC as another falling apart conference they can pick off schools from.

At the same time though, the MWC sounded like they weren't interested in more WAC teams. I think alot of it depends upon what happens to the rest of the Big XII and if they try to be proactive in adding teams to maintain their viability.

There are 3 distinct possibilities. The Big XII tries to make a run at it with 6 or 8 schools, which might be fine as a temporary solution considering there will be more conference shake ups to come. They could go get some schools, perhaps from the WAC and MWC to create a new Big XII. Lastly, they could just outright disband, leaving the schools to find their own conferences (again, probably MWC or WAC) or become independents. None of these solutions are ideal.

I suppose there is still an outside shot the Big Ten (12) decides to add two more schools and picks up Mizzou. The same could be true for Kansas and/or Kansas State to the Pac 10 (16) if another school or two backed out, though that's even less likely.

[Dom]

AssKickingBoots, on 13 June 2010 - 09:25 AM, said:

Do you mean looking for schools to join the WAC? I think that's a stretch after they just lost their best football school. Don't get me wrong, Fresno State, Hawaii, and Nevada are all good, but people are going to look at the WAC as another falling apart conference they can pick off schools from.

At the same time though, the MWC sounded like they weren't interested in more WAC teams. I think alot of it depends upon what happens to the rest of the Big XII and if they try to be proactive in adding teams to maintain their viability.

There are 3 distinct possibilities. The Big XII tries to make a run at it with 6 or 8 schools, which might be fine as a temporary solution considering there will be more conference shake ups to come. They could go get some schools, perhaps from the WAC and MWC to create a new Big XII. Lastly, they could just outright disband, leaving the schools to find their own conferences (again, probably MWC or WAC) or become independents. None of these solutions are ideal.

I suppose there is still an outside shot the Big Ten (12) decides to add two more schools and picks up Mizzou. The same could be true for Kansas and/or Kansas State to the Pac 10 (16) if another school or two backed out, though that's even less likely.

Yes to join the WAC, sorry.