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Big Sky/WAC Merger


GeauxSioux

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I thought this deserved it's own thread. Hambone posted a link yesterday to a MWC message board. At first I thought this was pipe dream stuff. I started poking around and found that this has some legs and keeps moving.

From Las Cruces... Big Sky emerges as potential lifeline for WAC

The Big Sky Conference has emerged as a potential lifeline for the dwindling Western Athletic Conference. In a radio interview with a Boise radio station, Big Sky commissioner Doug Fullerton said his league is exploring a merger with the Western Athletic Conference that could save the WAC as a non-football league in 2013-14 while keeping two automatic qualifiers for the NCAA basketball tournament in the west.

"There may not be anything but it's something we need to look at before it (the WAC) goes black," Fullerton said.

WAC commissioner Jeff Hurd said on Thursday that a merger between the Big Sky and WAC is realistic, but still extremely preliminary.

This could impact some UND sports that are homeless (baseball) and may bring others into a central home (Men's S/D).

Interesting.

Another piece of the puzzle... Faison used to be the AD at NMSU, so likely is quite involved in these discussions.

Edited by GeauxSioux
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Well, this is all interesting, but let's get to the real question that will probalby pop up by visitors from the south:

How does this affect the NDSU Buffaloes?

Not entirely sure how this would affect NDSU. Would UNI or ISUr be joining the Big Sky/WAC?

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They couldn't be happier or better off than their situation in the Summit and MVFC. That's their story and they're stickin' to it.

Good.

Just a reminder..it was a joke. Just a joke folks. Whatever works for them is just fine with me.

This merger idea is pretty interesting. DU and UNC in the same bucketball conference would be nice for my possibilites of seeing UND play. Still trying to figure out the football angle. What will Idaho and NMSU do? Mountain West maybe? Football only like Hawaii? This is just a little tiny tremor in the world of college sports, but could be very important for programs like UND.

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Good.

Just a reminder..it was a joke. Just a joke folks. Whatever works for them is just fine with me.

This merger idea is pretty interesting. DU and UNC in the same bucketball conference would be nice for my possibilites of seeing UND play. Still trying to figure out the football angle. What will Idaho and NMSU do? Mountain West maybe? Football only like Hawaii? This is just a little tiny tremor in the world of college sports, but could be very important for programs like UND.

if Idaho and NMSU get football into the MWC, they would get the rest of their sports in, so this merger idea would be dead

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if Idaho and NMSU get football into the MWC, they would get the rest of their sports in, so this merger idea would be dead

I was thinking the same thing. I know that the MWC has been trying to do some kind of a shared schedule with the MAC. I'm not sure if they would want to expand, or just join forces with the MAC. If they would just expand, NMSU and Idaho would probably be potential members. It seems like the level of competition of the MWC is going downhill with the losses of forces like TCU, Boise State, Utah, BYU and even San Diego State. I'm sure that Colorado State is thinking of another conference if the MWC keeps losing members and downgrading to the likes of NMSU and Idaho. It is going to an interesting transition.

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Another discussion... Big Sky may save the WAC

Wow was that a slugfest to read thru in the beginning. How in the heck did thread get hijacked into Big East discussion? It's like every thread that a Bison troll shows up in. Got better towards the end with actual discussion of WAC needing to sponsor a couple mens sports so needing a few more teams for baseball and possibly another sport like soccer.

That NoDak on there sure wrote and had ideas/knowledge like Star2City. Anyone know why he quit posting here?

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Wow was that a slugfest to read thru in the beginning. How in the heck did thread get hijacked into Big East discussion? It's like every thread that a Bison troll shows up in. Got better towards the end with actual discussion of WAC needing to sponsor a couple mens sports so needing a few more teams for baseball and possibly another sport like soccer.

That NoDak on there sure wrote and had ideas/knowledge like Star2City. Anyone know why he quit posting here?

It has got to be him. I am not sure why he doesn't post here anymore, but I wish he would, as he does he does have great ideas/knowledge regarding conferences, presidents, athletics...
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That's because Lakes Buffoon is on every BSC form trolling UND and their fans.

And he's worn out his welcome on most of them, guy needs to get a life.

Getting back on topic, I was just thinking how "Big Sky/WAC Merger" would have been viewed a few years ago, I would have pointed and laughed like everybody else...all of a sudden it's not so farfetched.

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And he's worn out his welcome on most of them, guy needs to get a life.

Getting back on topic, I was just thinking how "Big Sky/WAC Merger" would have been viewed a few years ago, I would have pointed and laughed like everybody else...all of a sudden it's not so farfetched.

What is even odder is that it appears that the Big Sky has the upper hand in the potential negotiation. They got hand! Hand, I say!

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Lets say this goes thru. If you are a school president what would it take for you to move from one conference to the other?

I would guess UND will be happy to be attached to the Montanas and hopefully it goes that way.

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What gets me is the conversations about some schools needing to add sports to be FBS (must have 16 sports).

UND is currently at 21:

M: baseball, basketball, CC, golf, football, hockey, S&D, tennis, T&F*

W: basketball, CC, golf, hockey, soccer, softball, S&D, tennis, T&F*, volleyball

* in counting "teams" T&F count "twice", once as indoor T&F, once as outdoor T&F

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Lest we forget, when it was announced that UND was accepted to the Big Sky it was also announced that UND has no buy-out if they left the BSC. (I do believe there are certain situations or conditions are attached but were never clearly spelled out.)

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The way NoDak says it, UND and the Montana's would join The new WAC... Pretty nice conference of flagship schools and major market schools if it happens.

Idaho

New Mexico State

Denver

Seattle

Boise(?)

Montana

Montana State

North Dakota

Portland

Sacramento

Actually sounds like a strong conference

The "Big West" -- sounds intriguing, to say the least!

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