ESPN: Boise State leaves WAC, joins MWC
ESPN reports the deal has gone official
Boise State has given the Mountain West Conference a 10th program.
Boise State is leaving the Western Athletic Conference, a league the Broncos have dominated for a decade in football, the MWC confirmed with a statement Friday.
"We are pleased and excited to welcome Boise State University to the Mountain West Conference," commissioner Craig Thompson said in the news release. "Since our inception just 11 short years ago, the Mountain West has experienced tremendous success, and the addition of Boise State will further enhance that strength. The MWC continues to strategize regarding potential membership scenarios and bringing Boise State into the Conference is an important part of that evolution."
Could be a BIG DAY in sports announcements.
CHAOS!!!
Wow, if this happens this is a huge win for the Mountain West. When does the MWC start to push for an auto bcs bid?
this is the move to shore up their conference and push to "grab" the one that the Big 12's dissolution will create
If 4 mega-conferences are created, I cannot possibly imagine that a 10 team MWC could get the same autobid that a super-Pac-10, super-Big-10, super-SEC, and super-ACC/BE would get. Even with Boise State the MWC would have 10 teams, about 5 of which would be considered competitive enough to join one of those 4 super conferences.
12-14 competitive teams in a conference vs. 5 is not even.
15 other teams which all would have WAY higher levels of brand equity and talent, you are correct.
MWC: "Hey, we just added Boise State! We are as good as the big boys now! We deserve and auto-bid. Boise!"
Everyone else: Nice work. Keep it up, and when you add a few more give us a call.
Depending on how the rest of expansions shakes out, D from W, they'll push immediately and prob get it if the Big 12 implodes by 2011.
MWC is definitely going to be a big winner here, particularly if they snap up Kansas.
can't imagine this not including them grabbing Kansas and Kansas St. which Kansas basketball would probably LOVE
Sarcasm on the last bit or not? I could see it both ways. Bad conference, but they can probably dominate it like Memphis.
they would be a top 3 every year while bolstering their in-conference resume. there is some competition there but i truly see them dominating a la Memphis as you noted.
The MWC KILLS C-USA in both basketball and football. No real comparision here. Kansas basketball would do well in the MWC, but playing BYU, Utah, NMU, SDSU, USAF is considerbly different than playing C-USA competition.
Could Kansas and Kansas State end up in the ACC? The Big Ten-ACC Challenge could get a little rough for the Big Ten in that scenerio (if it still exists).
It can't be a "huge win" when the MWC is far superior to the WAC. This is a good thing for the conference but it's not like if a Nebraska or someone of that caliber came. Its far from clear whether Boise will have the same level of success in the MWC.
Despite not having a strong basketball program, word is the Detroit Lions are joining the Big East.
They'll never be able to compete. This is just a money grab by their administration.
some solid rumors about Tulane moving up and outta CUSA....
I can dream...
TO LOUISIANA TECH? THIS IS AN OUTRAGE.
who sees this as a great opportunity for C-USA to add 3-4 teams and become a 16 team super like everyone else?
they could add LT, ISU, and Baylor, sit at 16 and have a legitimate conference
A legitimate conference of 16 really crappy teams? huh?
but this would shore them up and make them a stronger conference than the likes of the MAC
So...the second worst conference?
the MAC, Sun Belt, and WAC at that point. not every conference can be a "Big #." i really don't get why you're arguing aside for the sake of arguing. i never claimed this would put them on par with the ACC. it just seems a logical way of expanding into new markets for a smaller conference in a way that seems to only have benefits, as well as creating matchups that are much more balanced than adding a Kansas or the like.
"Legitimate conference" in that it would, like exist. Who from the existing CUSA and the teams you mentioned has been routinely competitive on a national level?
"super conference" requires being, you know, super.
are we talking football or basketball?
Louisiana Tech has slowly built a decent football program that has bowled consistently. Memphis is Memphis in basketball, with some rumblings of wanting to be a better football program. Tulane basketball will eventually return to being in/on the cusp of top 25 IMO as well as building a new football stadium in the next 5 years. Further, their baseball team has won a championship in the past 5-10 years. Tulsa is making strides in recruitment (as we all know). Houston and SMU both have identified themselves as wanting to return to some semblance of football glory. ECU has shown a decent amount of success in football and their basketball program may improve.
i don't necessarily see them as a bs conference.
I wouldn't call it legitimate. Adding the bottom feeders of top level conferences doesn't exactly push the esteem of your conference to a new level.
but i don't think that it buries them in a lack of competition. rather, it would provide strengths in a number of sports as well as draw more attention during recruitment that they have the teams for a playoff from a variety of locations. they already have 13 teams - why not add three more and have a 2 part in-conference split.
I would think both parties would wait to see what the Pac10 does. They have stated they are fine with 11 schools, but I don't see the benefit for them to drop the round robin without the conference championship. (unless of course they do a 10-game round robin with 5 home and 5 away games)
This is another rumor that I will only believe when I see.
Its a conference that has less talent than the MAC. There was no chance that they would ever get a MNC shot from that conference--and rightfully so. 12-0 types of success in the MWC is much more legitimate.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills...
This is a gamble to try and become a larger conference, probably with remnants of the Big 12 North, that can plausibly take the Big 12's auto-bid if the conference folds. Orrin Hatch would suddenly lose interest in the BCS too, FWIW.
Its kind of weird that they didn't wait to see the Big XII exodus play out. It'll be interesting to see if they pick up any of the remnets though. If the MWC got their hands on Kansas and/or Kansas State as well, they have a legitimate claim for a BCS bid. KU and KSU aren't GREAT pickups, but it is huge for basketball and good enough in football to frankly make them better than the Big East. Combine that with the lack of a Big XII bid anymore, and the MWC just had Christmas come early.
This is no doubt partly due to the possibility that Utah bolts for the Pac-10 if the Pac-10 can't get any more Big 12 teams.
Just curious. Why Utah and not BYU?
Well, either or. But I dunno if the Mormon-ness of BYU would mesh all that well with the ultra-liberal schools like Stanford and Cal.
i'm just glad that i can watch something on sportscenter this summer other than baseball