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BYU independent for football?

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Stitch, Aug 18, 2010.

  1. Spartan Squad

    Spartan Squad Well-Known Member

    It's always been ridiculous that Hawaii and La. Tech are in the same conference. That travel is insane and seems like an unnecessary waste of money for all schools involved. I want to see UC Davis and Cal Poly fill out the WAC, it would be good for both of those programs and a good number of the WAC schools already play them (SJSU usually plays Poly in football, anyway). Ideally, I'd like to see the WAC swing some deal to dump La. Tech and pick up someone else, maybe get Rice back or maybe New Mexico
     
  2. Roscablo

    Roscablo Well-Known Member

    I think it was Fresno State's AD that said even if they have to pay the $5 million exit fee to the WAC, they'd still save money on travel costs.
     
  3. wheateater

    wheateater Member

    So apparently Rivals' Houston site is now reporting a 20-team conference of the best of C-USA and MWC may be in the works. Talk about ridiculous. Sorry, I don't have a link for this other than a Rivals writer's Twitter:

    http://twitter.com/TomDienhart

    A school fanboi board that I frequent is reporting these are the teams supposedly involved in this ridiculous rumor:

    BYU TCU
    Air Force Fresno
    Nevada Houston
    SMU UTEP
    Tulsa Rice
    Boise ECU
    USM UCF
    Marshall Memphis
    Tulane UAB
    New Mexico La Tech
     
  4. DanOregon

    DanOregon Well-Known Member

    Any of those schools "big-timing" the likes of New Mexico State, Hawaii, San Jose State and others is laughable.

    Though I wouldn't mind a non-BCS championship game for the right to a BCS bid among the top two teams from conferences out of the big six.
     
  5. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    This is all of Conference USA plus La. Tech from the WAC plus all of the Mountain West minus Colorado State, UNLV, San Diego State & Wyoming.

    Conference Mountain USA really rolls off the tongue, doesn't it? Didn't these jokers learn anything from the 16-team WAC?
     
  6. Petrie

    Petrie Guest

    They learned so much, they're trying to repeat it in the MWC. :D
     
  7. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    When UTEP went from the WAC to CUSA, one of the factors mentioned is that most UTEP grads go on to work east of El Paso, so being in CUSA gets the school exposure in Houston and the Metroplex. It a Texas thing.

    Of the three Cali schools mentioned, don't know if any of them are ready for the jump. Davis just recently completed the transition from D2 to D1. Cal Poly is intriguing, but they're in such an isolated spot I don't know if the market is big enough to support it at a FBS level. Sac State? Can you say "train wreck?" They're at least fourth in the pecking order behind the NBA's Kings, 49ers and the AAA RiverCats. And their greatest claim to fame in football may be when they coated their uniforms with cooking spray!
     
  8. printdust

    printdust New Member

    Dear college presidents:
    By my book, if the Catholics can be independent, so can we.

    Joseph Smith
     
  9. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Spent the day at Montana, talking to their people and doing preseason football stuff. They will definitely get an invite from the WAC, probably before or around Christmas. Question is whether or not to take it. Would probably be a package deal with Montana State, which has the second-best football attendance in the Big Sky and 15th in the nation, despite not making the playoffs in the past four years.

    Other possibilities include Weber State, Sacramento St. and Portland State. What the WAC people have to understand is that getting Sac State or Portland State DOES NOT mean getting those television markets. Those schools are almost never on TV, rarely make the front page of the local sports section and get absolutely swallowed by the pro teams in those markets in terms of exposure and corporate sponsorship dollars. A lot of us think Montana State and/or Weber State would be a better ad, simply because at least they are the big dogs in their (smaller) markets?

    Now, is the WAC any better than the Big Sky? Beyond football, it's basically a push. Both are one-bid leagues where the NCAA basketball tournament is concerned, so you're not gaining there. The WAC needs to ditch Louisiana Tech and forget about North Texas if it wants western schools to be interested. Hawaii is an enticing destination for recruits and alums, but another expensive road trip for the volleyball team.

    In football, Montana has been to the FCS title game five times in the last 10 years. Montana State won a national title in 1984. What are you winning in the WAC? A minor bowl? You certainly aren't sniffing a BCS Bowl. Not now, not ever under the present system.

    So is it really a step forward? Financially? Competition-wise? Prestige wise? I dunno. It's a question I'm asking of one Big Sky AD tomorrow.
     
  10. Armchair_QB

    Armchair_QB Well-Known Member

    Football-wise, the WAC has become the old Big West Conference.
     
  11. Idaho

    Idaho Active Member

    Worse in some ways
     
  12. Cosmo

    Cosmo Well-Known Member

    The basketball facilities at Portland State and Sac State will be deal killers. Neither will be under serious consideration.
     
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