MWC/Boise in talks

H-towngreen · December 22, 2012

http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/8771286/boise-state-broncos-discussing-staying-mountain-west-snubbing-big-east

wardly · December 22, 2012

If BSU backs out,SDSU won't be far behind.

NorthTexan95 · December 22, 2012

I hope they do go back and help the Big East to die ... but I'm not really expecting it.

LakeTravis · December 22, 2012

The Big East plane is crashing.

SMU and Houston are too busy playing tummy sticks in the bathroom to notice.

SDSU and BSU are going to parachute out.

UCOnn and Cincy are looking for an escape.

Meanwhile ECU is trying to figure out how to board this death trap.

DeepGreen · December 22, 2012

The Big East plane is crashing.
SMU and Houston are too busy playing tummy sticks in the bathroom to notice.
SDSU and BSU are going to parachute out.
UCOnn and Cincy are looking for an escape.
Meanwhile ECU is trying to figure out how to board this death trap.

Yep. And Tulane.................

NorthTexan95 · December 22, 2012

Yep. And Tulane.................

Tulane ... the school that destroyed the Big East.

UNTexas · December 22, 2012

Oh well, not really our problem...

GrayEagle · December 22, 2012

This whole situation remains malodorous. It would not surprise me that Boise State rescinds its Big East membership. If it does, it could all but destroy CUSA.

If Boise State and San Diego State remain in the Mountain West that will make their number 12 next year and they'll likely be content with that number. That will shrink the Big East to nine members, and six of those just defected from CUSA. Two of the three holdovers, Connecticut and Cincinnati, will bolt at first chance leaving only South Florida from the semi-original Big East. Navy is scheduled to join in 2014 but that would only give them ten temporarily. They need at least two more, and unless they raid the MAC (doubtful) those teams will come from CUSA. Then when UConn and Cincy leave they'll need two more teams. From CUSA, natch.

The next time they'll know that they won't be able to sell large markets so they go for quality. Goodbye Southern Miss and Tulsa. My fear is that they'll go merrily along. If they stood their ground, the defectors would likely come back when Connecticut and Cincinnati leave, and bring South Florida with them if they hadn't found a home. One problem with that is there are now seven more members of CUSA resulting from replacing the defectors.

Whatever would be left of CUSA would be lower than the Sun Belt unless we raided them for Louisiana, Arkansas State and Troy. We could be back to square one.

The late Erma Bombeck had the perfect title for this fiasco..."The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank"(read Big East).

Edited December 22, 2012 by GrayEagle

UNTexas · December 22, 2012

This whole situation remains malodorous. It would not surprise me that Boise State rescinds its Big East membership. If it does, it could all but destroy CUSA.

If Boise State and San Diego State remain in the Mountain West that will make their number 12 next year and they'll likely be content with that number. That will shrink the Big East to nine members, and six of those just defected from CUSA. Two of the three holdovers, Connecticut and Cincinnati, will bolt at first chance leaving only South Florida from the semi-original Big East. Navy is scheduled to join in 2014 but that would only give them ten temporarily. They need at least two more, and unless they raid the MAC (doubtful) those teams will come from CUSA. Then when UConn and Cincy leave they'll need two more teams. From CUSA, natch.

The next time they'll know that they won't be able to sell large markets so they go for quality. Goodbye Southern Miss and Tulsa. My fear is that they'll go merrily along. If they stood their ground, the defectors would likely come back when Connecticut and Cincinnati leave, and bring South Florida with them if they hadn't found a home. One problem with that is there are now seven more members of CUSA resulting from replacing the defectors.

Whatever would be left of CUSA would be lower than the Sun Belt unless we raided them for Louisiana, Arkansas State and Troy. We could be back to square one.

The late Erma Bombeck had the perfect title for this fiasco..."The Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank"(read Big East).

Geez, so upbeat! That is a ton of what ifs... Conference USA will be fine. Even if it changes. Oh well if it does. Every situation possible is a moot point if we aren't winning. If we win games we will be fine. If we continue to suck then it will go badly. Pretty simple.

Edited December 22, 2012 by Harry

Arkstfan · December 22, 2012

Big East won't die, even if the more recent noise of MWC contacting at least one other Big East other than Boise and SDSU is true. I'd be surprised if Houston/SMU opted to go that direction even though a division of Houston, SMU, New Mexico, Air Force, Colorado State, Wyoming, USU would have some appeal.

Assuming only Boise and SDSU bail the Big East still has UConn, Cincy, Temple, UCF, USF, ECU, Memphis, Tulane, SMU, Houston, and Navy. They can pick up one and they are OK with the likely targets being Buffalo, UMass, Charlotte, ODU, USM, Tulsa. There is some thought Navy might back out but the target list looks pretty much the same.

Worst case for CUSA is lose two and is still at 12.

Harry · December 22, 2012

Boise State again is in the middle of reports about possible changes to conference alignment. The Broncos are having second thoughts about joining the Big East next year, according to reports by ESPN.com and SI.com, and may want to return to the Mountain West Conference without ever playing a game in the Big East.

Meanwhile, two other current members of the Mountain West Conference - ColoradoState and New Mexico - have shown some preliminary interest in forming a new conference with either BYU or Boise State - or both - as the conference's anchor team, CBSSports.com's Dennis Dodd reported. Much of the discussion results from the fact that the state of the Big East is in question with so many of its members leaving or planning to leave.

Furthermore, the Big East now seems to be on the same level as the Mountain West Conference as far as access to football's major bowl games. Boise State was scheduled to join the Big East next year. But the Broncos' departure from the Big East before then is "inevitable," according to Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel, based on information from sources.

Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/news/reports-boise-state-may-reconsider-023007596--ncaaf.html

Harry · December 22, 2012

Wow - Pete Thamel's twitter account is heating up...basically sating Boise is gone (back to Mountain West) and the Mountain West is going on the aggressive, targeting an Eastern Big East school??? Thamel is a sports illustrated writer and pretty legit -- Hang on to your seats!

https://twitter.com/SIPeteThamel

Harry · December 22, 2012

Big East Board Discussion

Arkstfan · December 22, 2012

Wow - Pete Thamel's twitter account is heating up...basically sating Boise is gone (back to Mountain West) and the Mountain West is going on the aggressive, targeting an Eastern Big East school??? Thamel is a sports illustrated writer and pretty legit -- Hang on to your seats!

https://twitter.com/SIPeteThamel

My assumption was Houston/SMU but thinking about it, the "eastern" Big East might be Navy.

Navy has to play Army and Air Force every year and will play Notre Dame every year. Joining the Big East when AFA balked meant that if they played a full 8 game schedule that they would have only one date for non-conference (there were claims that never got wide distribution that Navy would count at least two of those as designated league games).

Navy in MWC would have AFA as a league opponent freeing up one of those dates.

NM Green · December 22, 2012

Well that makes it very interesting because BYU would love nothing more than to be the top dog in a conference like they were so many years in the WAC. If they formed a new league I would imagine it would look like this:

BYU

Boise State

San Diego State

New Mexico

UNLV

Air Force

Navy

Fresno State

Colorado State

Wyoming

This group does not care as much about big markets which makes SMU and Houston tenuous at best. I think they go for quality and if they have to bring in markets only then look for SJSU, Houston and SMU to be considered. However, those western schools can do without the Coogs and Ponies. Those program names just don't hold the water in their eyes. This league would go for a long long time precisely because these players know the power of regional and rivalry. THey have also been playing each other a long time. Everybody in that league loves when BYU comes to town.

GMG

oldguystudent · December 22, 2012

This whole going after big markets thing seems counterintuitive to me. The most followed programs in the nation, Texas, Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, not exactly big markets. In fact, I've always understood since a very young age that big, successful programs tend to NOT be in big markets, hence the rabid following of a fan base with nothing else to do on a Saturday. Then those people breed (unfortunately?) and their kids spread out, blindly following the programs of their parents, providing a nationwide television base.

Edit: In fact, I would argue than when Los Angeles still had the Rams and the Raiders, nobody cared about UCLA or USC. The Coliseum looked awfully cavernous back then for Trojan games. Take out the NFL, and suddenly everybody's a Reggie Bush fan.

I just can't see schools like SMU or San Jose St ever having a following, regardless of conference, tv contract, or number of hookers killed.

Edited December 22, 2012 by oldguystudent