Mountain West Tried to get SMU and Houston

[Harry]

Before the Big East Conference came calling this year, the Mountain West conference tried to strike its own deal with Houston and Southern Methodist, according to e-mails obtained by The San Diego Union-Tribune.

The Mountain West “contacted Houston and SMU last spring/summer about the possibility of joining the conference,” said an e-mail last month from San Diego State Athletic Director Jim Sterk. “They were not interested at that time and they are still not interested.”

Though it’s not big news anymore, the revelation adds another “What if?” moment to the history of college conference realignment.

What if Houston and SMU had first decided to join the Mountain West? Would the Big East have died off in football? Would SDSU and Boise still have decided to leave the Mountain West?

We might never know. But it was never really likely because the Mountain West couldn’t offer the same money that the Big East is promising for the future. In the Mountain West, the TV money is only about $1.5 million per member per year. In the Big East, media consultants have told new members it will be at least $6.4 million.

Read More: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/09/mountain-west-once-tried-lure-texas-schools/