GeauxSioux Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 I don't know if Idaho is really a more recognizable name than many of the Big Sky teams. In fact if we wouldn't have played them in the opening game, I would have assumed they were an FCS team. To the average fan, perhaps not, but to the Big Sky Conference, this would be huge. Idaho is also a flagship school, not a directional school or commuter college. One of the reasons that North Dakota was added to the Big Sky was UND added to the academic side of the conference affiliation. Idaho was ranked a little bit better in the recent USNews Tier I rankings, so academically they would be nice for the Big Sky. Would love to see it happen, but it is a low probability. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeauxSioux Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 WAC teleconference spurs rumors and speculation After last week's news that Hawaii was prepared to move from the WAC to the Mountain West Conference it was only a matter of time before the WAC responded. That response from commissioner Karl Benson may come today as the WAC has sent out a media advisory for a teleconference Monday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. mountain time. Losing Hawaii would put the WAC's status at risk not just in football, but in basketball as well. NCAA rules state that in order for a conference to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA basketball tournament a conference must have a core membership of at least six schools that have competed against each other for at least five years. If Hawaii were to leave the conference would have five remaining members (Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choyt3 Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 To the average fan, perhaps not, but to the Big Sky Conference, this would be huge. Idaho is also a flagship school, not a directional school or commuter college. One of the reasons that North Dakota was added to the Big Sky was UND added to the academic side of the conference affiliation. Idaho was ranked a little bit better in the recent USNews Tier I rankings, so academically they would be nice for the Big Sky. Would love to see it happen, but it is a low probability. Also agree that the probability is near zero. However, the discussion seems to be centering on the BSC as an option for all sports OTHER than football. The majority of the commenting posters see football as being better dropped than scaling back to the FCS-level BSC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star2city Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 Also agree that the probability is near zero. However, the discussion seems to be centering on the BSC as an option for all sports OTHER than football. The majority of the commenting posters see football as being better dropped than scaling back to the FCS-level BSC. Until the Big East and MWC make their moves, it will be nearly impossible to make any projections with what happens to the WAC. The WAC's best chance of success may be to reform as a Southwestern conference (taking schools from the Sunbelt and CUSA). For that to happen, Idaho and SJSU have to be jettisoned in order to be attractive enough for other southwestern FBS schools to have an interest. The WAC is in a Catch-22: if it adds Sac St and Portland St - La Tech and NMSU would almost surely leave, causing more damage. But the WAC can't attract existing FBS schools to strengthen it's Southwest core unless Idaho and SJSU (as wall as Hawaii) are gone. Idaho made the mistake of moving up to FBS without the facilities (think USD moving to FBS with current facilities - their Dakota Dome supposedly can fit 16,000 with permanent bleachers). Idaho needs to be with similar schools at the same potential competitive level (Sac St, Portland St, Montana, Montana St, UND, UC Davis) either at FCS or FBS level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SIOUXFAN97 Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Funny how Idaho "fans" think they are the so much better than all the other schools west of the Mississippi!!! You would think that Notre Dame football and Idaho football are one in the same! Some "fans" over there say they would rather drop football entirely and focus on their other sports than to "drop down" to the Big Sky Conference and play in beautiful settings like in Ogen, Missoula, Bozeman, or Greeley? Fans of Idaho and San Jose State better realize that the Big Sky Conference is the best and probably only option left when the WAC dies a slow death in the next few years..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star2city Posted November 22, 2010 Author Share Posted November 22, 2010 Funny how Idaho "fans" think they are the so much better than all the other schools west of the Mississippi!!! You would think that Notre Dame football and Idaho football are one in the same! Some "fans" over there say they would rather drop football entirely and focus on their other sports than to "drop down" to the Big Sky Conference and play in beautiful settings like in Ogen, Missoula, Bozeman, or Greeley? Fans of Idaho and San Jose State better realize that the Big Sky Conference is the best and probably only option left when the WAC dies a slow death in the next few years..... Give them time, as they are still in their mourning stage of being left behind. Having Boise State become a big-time power would almost be analogous to Montana State-Billings being the most important football school in Montana, as the academic disparity between Boise St and Idaho is huge. Idaho fans should have been thankful that they were invited to the WAC in the first place (only happened when UTEP left and the WAC had no other choice). If that hadn't happened, Idaho would have been back in the Big Sky five years ago. NDSU fans bashed the Summit League for years before they converted over to being a booster of it (except when they are pleading with the MVC to let them in). Just give Idaho fans some time! ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakotadan Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Griz shock Vandals in 75-33 blowout The Grizzlies never gave the Vandals a chance, starting the game with a 32-4 run. Ouch, maybe we don't want Idaho in the Big Sky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FargoBison Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Getting back to the WAC both UCD and UNT turned WAC invites down today. Probably won't be long until La Tech bolts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeauxSioux Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Getting back to the WAC both UCD and UNT turned WAC invites down today. Probably won't be long until La Tech bolts. Are you thinking Sunbelt or is C-USA going to offer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WYOBISONMAN Posted November 23, 2010 Share Posted November 23, 2010 Getting back to the WAC both UCD and UNT turned WAC invites down today. Probably won't be long until La Tech bolts. The WAC may indeed cease to exist. Interesting stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 Getting back to the WAC both UCD and UNT turned WAC invites down today. Probably won't be long until La Tech bolts. So what of UTSA? Without UNT I wouldn't expect UTSA to go to the WAC. Idaho, SJSU, NMSU, and LaTech really have to be wondering what the future holds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodakvindy Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 So what of UTSA? Without UNT I wouldn't expect UTSA to go to the WAC. Idaho, SJSU, NMSU, and LaTech really have to be wondering what the future holds. UNT is North Texas of the Sun Belt. Haven't heard anything of UTSA or Texas State backing out of their move to the WAC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sicatoka Posted November 24, 2010 Share Posted November 24, 2010 UNT is North Texas of the Sun Belt. Haven't heard anything of UTSA or Texas State backing out of their move to the WAC. Dang it. Confused those two. Can I buy a game program around here to keep all this straight? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star2city Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 Perhaps Sac State won't have the option of leaving the Big Sky (except football) and going to the Big West. This author seems to believe the Big West would add three schools: Hawaii, San Jose St (with football staying in WAC), and UC-San Diego. Cal St-Bakersfield and Sac State would be left out. Long Beach Press-Telegram: Big West expansion If San Jose State sought membership in the Big West while playing football elsewhere, schools would likely welcome them based on past relations, its CSU ties and its market ('Frisco-adjacent), even if the Spartans add just a little in the way of power ratings in other sports. Cal State Bakersfield is a nouveau D-I program that's itchy for membership but isn't on anyone's wish list. Here's your darkhorse: UC San Diego is a Division II program playing in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. It is finishing up an internal study on moving to Division I and it should be made public soon. The conference currently has nine members. Add Hawaii and it has a nice round 10, which would be fine with most everyone. Add San Jose State and UC San Diego and it opens two major markets. Consider a Southern Division of UC San Diego, UC Irvine, Long Beach State, Fullerton, UC Riverside and Northridge, and a Northern Division of UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO, UC Davis, Pacific, San Jose and Hawaii. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star2city Posted November 24, 2010 Author Share Posted November 24, 2010 WAC making a play for TCU if TCU football goes to Big East Texas Christian, meanwhile, has a standing invitation to rejoin the Western Athletic Conference in all non-football sports if the Fort Worth school wants to move its powerhouse football program to the Big East. If TCU joins, the WAC becomes much more Texas-based - making it less friendly to Idaho and San Jose State. If TCU joins, North Texas would have much more interest in moving from the Sunbelt. The next new FCS-FBS full-member WAC school might be Lamar, as it wants to be FBS eligible by 2016: from today's Beaumont Enterprise... Lamar might learn lessons from Texas State Lamar University fans should pay attention to what's happening at Texas State. The university fired its football coach Monday, after the team finished with one Southland Conference win this season. Brad Wright had led the Bobcats to their first outright Southland title and Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearance in 2008. Another winning season in 2009 gave Texas State its first back-to-back winning seasons since 1991-92. Interesting how quickly fortunes can change for a coach who signed a three-year contract extension before the 2010 season. But a coaches' leash gets shortened as the stakes get higher. That's something for Lamar coach Ray Woodard to keep in mind as the school searches for a way to move into the world of big-time college football. Woodard might not have much margin for error if Lamar wishes to follow Texas State's path into the Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A). It's a world Lamar president Jimmy Simmons and athletic director Larry Tidwell say they want to enter. And it's the coach that always faces the most scrutiny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakota fairways Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 OK, I'd like to start this post with a disclaimer that I do not see this as either a possibility nor a wise move, but want to float the idea for discussion. The WAC is desperate and this might be a time for Karl Benson to approach four schools that would give the conference stability and a ready-made set of rivals to hold the WAC together. If UND, NDSU, USD & SDSU would join the WAC as a block, the WAC would be saved and the Dakota schools would have access to FBS and a conference that has been getting multiple bids to the NCAA BB tourney. If the Dakotas would go to the WAC together, the WAC could end up with northern & southern divisions: UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU, Idaho, Utah St in the North; New Mexico St, Texas St, UT San Antonio, LA Tech, San Jose & Denver in the South. The South would be 1 school short in football with Denver a a non-football member. You could add Seattle as non-football to the north and Lamar as full member in the south, bringing it to 12 football/14 all sport members. not bad... If the southern schools bolted for the SunBelt, C-USA or Southland, the core of Dakota schools would still provide the stability to a smaller WAC without divisions with 7 football and 8 other sport members. How's that for a crazy idea? Go ahead and fire away. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmksioux Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 OK, I'd like to start this post with a disclaimer that I do not see this as either a possibility nor a wise move, but want to float the idea for discussion. The WAC is desperate and this might be a time for Karl Benson to approach four schools that would give the conference stability and a ready-made set of rivals to hold the WAC together. If UND, NDSU, USD & SDSU would join the WAC as a block, the WAC would be saved and the Dakota schools would have access to FBS and a conference that has been getting multiple bids to the NCAA BB tourney. If the Dakotas would go to the WAC together, the WAC could end up with northern & southern divisions: UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU, Idaho, Utah St in the North; New Mexico St, Texas St, UT San Antonio, LA Tech, San Jose & Denver in the South. The South would be 1 school short in football with Denver a a non-football member. If the southern schools bolted for the SunBelt, C-USA or Southland, the core of Dakota schools would still provide the stability to a smaller WAC without divisions with 7 football and 8 other sport members. Add Seattle & Lamar and you would have 12 football and 14 other sports with north & south divisions. It just might work. How's that for a crazy idea? Go ahead and fire away. For starters, only NDSU has a stadium big enough to meet the attendance requirements. FBS teams need to average 15,000 home attendance in order to maintain FBS status. Granted there are some creative ways to get around that requirement. I don't think any of the Dakota schools are going to go FBS until they know they are ready...if ever. I also think they will steer clear of the WAC as it is a sinking ship. Idaho should not be FBS, they made a mistake in moving up and it may come back to hurt them . They may end up independent or have to go back to the Big Sky if/when the WAC dies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star2city Posted November 25, 2010 Author Share Posted November 25, 2010 OK, I'd like to start this post with a disclaimer that I do not see this as either a possibility nor a wise move, but want to float the idea for discussion. The WAC is desperate and this might be a time for Karl Benson to approach four schools that would give the conference stability and a ready-made set of rivals to hold the WAC together. If UND, NDSU, USD & SDSU would join the WAC as a block, the WAC would be saved and the Dakota schools would have access to FBS and a conference that has been getting multiple bids to the NCAA BB tourney. If the Dakotas would go to the WAC together, the WAC could end up with northern & southern divisions: UND, NDSU, USD, SDSU, Idaho, Utah St in the North; New Mexico St, Texas St, UT San Antonio, LA Tech, San Jose & Denver in the South. The South would be 1 school short in football with Denver a a non-football member. You could add Seattle as non-football to the north and Lamar as full member in the south, bringing it to 12 football/14 all sport members. not bad... If the southern schools bolted for the SunBelt, C-USA or Southland, the core of Dakota schools would still provide the stability to a smaller WAC without divisions with 7 football and 8 other sport members. How's that for a crazy idea? Go ahead and fire away. Before UND had gained Big Sky membership - when it looked like UND football would be homeless - I had advocated that UND look into the WAC as a possible option. UND football without a conference home would have been a huge disaster - at least the WAC would have averted that. But UND football in the WAC - without time to build up the program and without major finances - would be like a premature birth - a 1 1/2 lb preeny. It would be harrowing and wouldn't be pretty - but a future would still be possible. But now that UND has a Big Sky home - there's no sense messing up a wonderful situation with another that would require massive influxes of resources ($'s) into what may soon become a Texas league. A Rocky Mountain league - not southwestern league as the WAC seems destined to become- is where UND needs to be - both now and in the future. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WYOBISONMAN Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 I think all schools are much better off where they are than going to the WAC. I suspect after loosing the most pretigious members to the MWC, the WAC is going to loose contracts with bowl and the already bleak bowl options get bleaker. I would hate to see NDSU look at moving to FBS ball in what is the lowliest of all FBS conferences. As for other sports (thinking mostly of BB) NDSU needs to establish consistency in competing for the conference title before looking at a move. Another issue is funding the additional schollies....remember, if you increase the FB schollies you also have to have an equal increase in women's schollies. For now, NDSU and UND better concentrate of how to find an offense for the football teams. Somewhere along the way they got lost! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakota fairways Posted November 25, 2010 Share Posted November 25, 2010 Interesting historical post from the USD goyotes.net forum. note the date: Sept 30 - a month before the announcements! Re: USD's Conference Situation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homer Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Well it looks like TCU has accepted the Big East invite for all sports. More shuffling around out west will now happen and the WAC is still a mess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeauxSioux Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Well it looks like TCU has accepted the Big East invite for all sports. More shuffling around out west will now happen and the WAC is still a mess. Is the Mountain West now going to target Utah State? Utah State turned them down once to hold the WAC together. I don't think anyone would blame them for bolting now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakota fairways Posted November 29, 2010 Share Posted November 29, 2010 Is the Mountain West now going to target Utah State? Utah State turned them down once to hold the WAC together. I don't think anyone would blame them for bolting now. If Utah State goes MWC, Idaho is really in a tough spot. The WAC is becoming so southwestern and Idaho is being isolated even more. Maybe the MWC will help them out and bring in all the western WAC schools into a Super-MWC like the Big Sky did for (to) the Great West. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
star2city Posted November 29, 2010 Author Share Posted November 29, 2010 Is the Mountain West now going to target Utah State? Utah State turned them down once to hold the WAC together. I don't think anyone would blame them for bolting now. Somewhat depends on if Air Force pursues independence in football. The MWC may go after Houston/SMU/UTEP to get to 12 - but doubt that Texas schools would be interested. The Big East may add one more school by spring - either UCF or Villanova (sounds like they won't move football up). The WAC not getting TCU sports except football gives the WAC fewer options. If they can get Air Force to join in other sports, their best shot might be to patch together schools like Oral Roberts, UALR, and TexasAM-Corpus Christi to keep the conference alive and regional. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bincitysioux Posted November 30, 2010 Share Posted November 30, 2010 Here's some news related to realignment that actually has nothing to do with the WAC or Mountain West......................... UMass eyes move to join BC in FBS In a move that would alter the college sports landscape in New England, UMass plans to upgrade its football program to Football Bowl Subdivision status. According to several sources, UMass would take its program, currently in the Football Championship Subdivision, to the Mid-American Conference, whose football schools include Temple, Bowling Green and Miami of Ohio. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a MAC spokesman would say only that the conference is Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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