BYU independent for football?

The other line that makes me go "huh" came during the Fresno State newser, when they talked how it enhaces the school's academic profile. I guess after beating heads for a while, they all shuffle off to study hall?

 

BYU and Notre Dame could start their own league. Call it the God Pod. Invite TCU, Baylor, Wake Forest and Boston College for grins.

Seriously, though, no way BYU makes it as a football independent. Too many scheduling issues. It's one thing for Notre Dame to do it, quite another for anyone else. That's why Penn State, Miami (Fla.), Florida State, Cincinnati, Army, Tulane and everyone joined a league back in the 1990s.

If Notre Dame goes 9-2 or 10-1 with their schedule, they would merit BCS consideration as one of the legitimate top teams in the country. Unless BYU can put together a schedule of heavyweights from BCS conferences, they can forget about it. We've already learned that just simply going undefeated on the field doesn't get you squat (See Tulane, 1998). You have to play some people with legitimate credentials, and I don't mean Utah State and New Mexico.

Frankly, I'd be surprised if the WAC would take them as a non-football playing member.

 

Subject of a major story I am working on now.

Which is better, be in a low-level FBS league or be the big dog and compete for a national championship most seasons in FCS? They won't boost attendance or revenue significantly by going to the WAC, but they will increase expenses.

I think they would listen to overtures from the Mountain West, but not sure about the WAC. Although I am almost certain the WAC will make a strong run at them.

 

The Mountain West is going to be just fine with or without BYU. Getting Boise State, Nevada and Fresno State more than makes up for the loss of Utah.

I'd like to see BYU stay for the sake of traditional rivalries, but the Mountain West is basically the 1980s WAC with some minor tweaks. TCU and Boise State give them as much football credibility as they will ever get and the league has enough decent basketball programs to hold its own and get 2, sometimes 3, NCAA Tournament spots.

 

Where would UH go? The Pac-whatever isn't an option, so the only conferences that make sense are the WAC and Mountain West. There's a lot better chance of it going Division II (like all the other schools in the state) than independent.

As for potential WAC additions, you've got Cal Poly and UC Davis in the Big West or Montana, Portland State and Sacramento State in the Big Sky (unless the WAC wants Eastern Washington's red turf to replace Boise State's blue). Those would seem to be the conferences with schools that make geographic sense and have good-sized enrollments.

 

I could see North Dakota State seriously considering a move too.

Only problem is I'm not sure they can expand the Fargodome to meet the FBS minimum seating requirement.

 

Forgive my ignorance, because I should know better, but has the moratorium on teams moving up from I-AA (bite me, NCAA) ended?

 

I believe it ends in July 2011. But don't quote me on that.

On the schools that have been mentioned as possible candidates for the WAC:

-- Texas State is the one school that has been actively ramping up it football program in anticipation of a move to the FBS. They've done studies, worked on funding, stadium expansion, etc.

-- Texas-San Antonio? The Roadrunners will play two years as an FCS school in 12 and 13, but do they have a league home after that? I'm not sure, that's why I'm asking.

-- Montana has resisted a bunch of overtures to move up in the past, and there are some legislative issues that would prevent the Griz from going up unless Montana State was too invited to the party. Neither school recruits enough nationally or even regionally to be big-time players at that level. It would be a major jump in spending, and for what? A potential trip to the Las Vegas Bowl? (I seriously don't know what the WAC's No. 1 bowl tie-in is.) I don't see it happening.

-- Portland State and Sacramento State both play in high school gyms for basketball. Both are commuter schools with no student support for even modest attendance at FCS games.

-- Cal Poly and UC Davis are interesting, though. Both are in the Great West for football, which is a dead-end league that has been a revolving door for transitioning programs (Northern Colorado, the Dakotas, the Dakota States) and will never receive a playoff berth. Davis has good facilities and ambition, and Poly is not the same sort of commuter school that Sac State and PSU are. Worth watching.

-- Eastern Washington, uh, no. Tiny stadium. The football program was nearly on the brink of extinction just a few years back. Eastern's as far away from being an FBS program as you can get.

 

UTSA is angling for a spot in Conference USA. Given its location I think they'd be more inclined to join the Sun Belt rather than the WAC as a consolation prize.

Somebody mentioned UTEP going back to the WAC. That's an interesting thought but at this point, even with all the travel, they're better off in CUSA.

I really can't see any good reason why a current I-A program would leave their current conference to join the WAC.

 

They have money in North Dakota to make a move, unlike 48 other states. One rumor that keeps popping up is the University of North Dakota joining the Big Sky if the Montana schools leave. I'm sure Southern Utah hopes the Montana schools take a hike.

 

Even if BYU joins the WAC in all sports but football won't the conference still lose it's basketball AQ spot?

 

The ugliness of the WAC, Sun Belt and Conference USA maps can't be understated. You would think there would be some workable plan to clean them up geographically. You've got UTEP an hour away from Las Cruces playing in different confrences. Tulane and La. Tech....now Fresno and San Jose State playing in different conferences.