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Rumors abound regarding potential Mountain West shake-up
League could wait for domino effect to take its course, or blaze its own path
AP PHOTO
TCU quarterback Andy Dalton, left, pats the helmet of Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore following the Broncos’ 17-10 victory over the Horned Frogs in the Fiesta Bowl in January.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 | 2:10 a.m.
These days, it seems like everyone has a rumor or an opinion on which direction conference expansion is going.
It's widely assumed that the rest of the country is waiting on eggshells while the Big Ten gets its plans in order, but reports are now beginning to seep out suggesting that the Mountain West might not be so patient.
The presidents of the nine member schools will meet in Jackson Hole, Wyo., for three days in the first week of June. It's beginning to sound as if a good amount of those talks will revolve around Boise State.
Talk beneath the surface began to heat up last summer about the league potentially inviting Boise State to become the 10th member, which would instantly give the conference's football clout a boost.
The thought is that it could also help land the MWC an automatic Bowl Championship Series berth down the road.
"This is a discussion of interest to the presidents of the Mountain West Conference, and what's going on in the league is something we're all watching," UNLV president Neal Smatresk said Monday. "We're considering our options, and I'm sure there'll be some discussion on how we'll maintain a strong Mountain West Conference at the upcoming meeting in June."
Smatresk, who is dealing with several issues within his university not related to athletics — such as program cuts stemming from a budget shortfall — isn't tipping his cap much these days in regards to the Boise State rumors.
San Diego State president Stephen Weber didn't spill any beans either, but he offered a bit of insight into the situation last week in an Idaho Statesmen report.
He said that no decision has been made regarding Boise State.
"Anybody that thinks they have a clue doesn't have a clue," Weber told the Statesman. "I expect the conversation to be, 'Is it time to expand?' That's sort of the threshold question.
"In the past, it's tended toward, 'No, it's not. We don't see any reason to change.' My personal opinion is there are more of my colleagues that are likely to say yes."
The motivation behind potentially bringing Boise State into the Mountain West would be revenue generated from football.
While the MWC has landed three monster paydays via at-large berths in BCS games — Utah in 2005 and 2009, TCU in 2010 — Boise State has also made two. The Broncos pulled off one of the biggest upsets in bowl history by knocking off heavily favored Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl, then took out TCU four months ago in the same bowl game.
"If you don't take (expansion) seriously, you can get slapped pretty hard and left at the altar, to use that analogy," UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood said two weeks ago. "Until it happens, it's so hard to guess because there are so many moving parts in this expansion thing, and really the driver, if you will, is going to be the Big Ten and what the Big Ten does.
"It's crazy, and there's a new rumor each day as to who's doing what to whom."
Still, it's mostly speculation at this point, and tightened lips are abound.
But more could be known once Smatresk and his fellow presidents return in early June.
Discussion: 18 comments so far…
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This is a fait accompli. The only move the Big 10 will make will have no affect on any conference other than the Big East when it invites Rutgers.
By the way, nice mixed metaphor- "...isn't tipping his cap..."? Perhaps not, maybe he's just not polite to the ladies. He's also keeping mum and not tipping his hand. Typical Las Vegas caliber writing...
great.... another team to whip on on the good guys. :)
This will all be moot when BYU and Utah (or Boise State) bolt for the Pac-10.
Pac-10 North: Washington, WSU, Oregon, OSU, BYU, Utah
Pac-10 South: UCLA, USC, Cal, Stanford, ASU, Arizona
Championship game in the Rose Bowl every year.
Heck of a conference in both football and basketball, don't you think? Rebels get screwed. Of course.
Pity we don't have a more competitive football program; then adding UNR and UNLV to the Pac-10 would be a no brainer.
BYU would be a great add to any conference, but from what I understand the most likely Pac-10 additions would be Utah and Colorado.
As much as it hurts to concede, BYU is the premiere school in our conference. They always have good teams that are often great, and their fans always bring it. I hope they stick around.
And if Utah bolts, add UNR and Boise. That would make for a nice regional conference - and UNR would boost hoops whereas Boise would boost football making for a nice balance. If TCU bolts, as has been rumored, that would not be cool and I don't know who'd be brought in to replace them. Hopefully they stay.
@John F-
You know even less about sports than you do about real life.
BYU will never be invited to the PAC-10 due to a lack of research activity and being in the academic middle tier of the MWC. Utah isn't going anywhwere anytime soon as the PAC-10 will stand pat with its current lineup.
@ Green Dragon
I hate to burst your bubble, but you know less than your think as well. BYU is the highest ranking academic institution in the Mountain West. According to the US News and World Report, here are the rankings:
1 - BYU (ranked 71)
2 - TCU (ranked 110)
3 - Utah (ranked 126)
4 - Colorado state (ranked 128)
5 - UNM - Tier 3
5 - SDSU - Tier 3
7 - UNLV - Tier 4
7 - Wyoming - Tier 4
* AF not included in the rankings of National Universities
The only knock on BYU's academics is for want of a medica; school. To say they don't do reasearch is laughable. My best friend studied and assisted in the research of pediatric cancer for 2 years. It has a top MBA program, law program, accounting programs, nursing programs.
I hate BYU sports as much as the next guy, but to say BYU is a middle of the pack academic school in the MWC is plain ignorant. BYU would be 5th out of 10 in the PAC-10; but to be behind Stanford, Cal-Berkely, UCLA, USC, Washington is nothing to be ashamed of. Those are all top 50 schools.
Reagan beat me to it. That comment about BYU's academics is just stupid. I agree BYU will never be in the Pac-10, but it has nothing to do with academic rankings.
Green Dragon Regular,
What's with the insults? Have I offended you in some way? Do you feel better now?
Bet you any amount you like the Pac-10 expands by at least two teams and adds a conference championship football game within the next five years.
US News ranks BYU 71st among national universities, ahead of schools like Marquette, Northeastern, Baylor, Colorado, Auburn, Alabama, Kansas, Nebraska, Arizona, Oklahoma, UMass, Tennessee, Washington State, Oregon, ASU..........
http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreview...
If the Pac-10 is content to have Arizona, ASU, Washington State and Oregon in their conference I doubt they'll have any problem with BYU.
For a list of research centers at BYU please go to:
http://fc.byu.edu/jpages/byuhome/researc...
It's quite an impressive list.
I got all that in while still staying civil. See? It can be done.
@reagan21 and jrrebel-
BYU isn't even recognized as a Carnegie Research/ Doctoral level university. The only schools in the MWC with such a designation are CSU, UNM, UU, and UW. I thought UNLV had attained that status, but doesn't appear on the Carnegie lists. I'm pretty sure it's pretty close to the $40M dollar threshold, but it may lack the doctoral offerings.
Another major magazine ranked AFA, UU, and UW as the top schools in the MWC, the problem is, magazine ranking isn't how universities judge one another. Universities, first and foremost look at research activity and the number of doctorates offered over the amount of disciplines studied. This is what PAC-10 Presidents consider when assessing a school, not consumer rating guides. This is the principal reason BYU isn't considered a serious candidate for the PAC-10 and is reflecte
...ed (oops) in past reasons BYU was never seriously considered for inclusion following the addition of the Arizonas. This doesn't even take into consideration BYU's refusal to play on Sundays, which could preclude it from an invitation to an expanding Big 10 or a Big 12 looking to replace Nebraska or Missouri (which isn't going to happen anyway).
John F- the expansion discussion currently under way is for possible expansion in 2012, invitations for which must be extended by July 1 of this year. The PAC-10 is still not sure of the value of its last expansion and would only do so if it could add 2 teams of which Texas is the most coveted followed by Colorado, neither of which appears to be the least bit interested in leaving the Big 12. BSU is years away from being a candidate because it is an M.S./ M.A. university with no doctoral programs. The more likely scenario is the current MWC attaining AQ BCS status by the next evaluation period.
Don't forget Oregon State, it is also a 3rd tier school. OSU and WSU are wastelands when compared to the top 5 schools IN THE Pac-10. Talk about "diversification".
I guess I can't talk, UNLV is a tier 4.
@reagan21-
However, both OSU and Wazzou are considered Carnegie Research-level universities. It is the first criteria the PAC-10 looks at.
What's up with this Tier thing and academic ratings...? You talk about lunacy.
Talk to me about academic integrity of institutions when the same standard is applied to athletic programs.
Don't get me wrong, I am not hung up on the way things are now. I love the MWC and I love football. I just have to wonder about the pretentious fools that talk about academics as if there were some relationship between the academic ratings of institutions and which athletic conference it belongs to.
Maybe I am missing something here. Maybe better Conferences have higher rated academic institutions. What the heck difference does it make? Sounds like snob appeal to me.
green dragon........any relation to Steel Dragon??
John F asked, "Green Dragon Regular, What's with the insults? Have I offended you in some way? Do you feel better now?"
This has nothing to do with the original topic, but I have to comment on this. I am with John F. What is up with all the insulting on these postings? I see this across the board, no matter what the article is about and it seems to happen at other sites. Does it have to do with the anonymity of postings in general? Unbelievable. If we're so knowledgeable on a subject, we should post our knowledge in a credible way that will allow people to take usseriously. Didn't all of our parents tell us, "People that insult have nothing better to say."
Sorry. That came out because of an article that resulted in the bashing of a religion 2 days ago.
well muddapucker well you might say that academic ratings don't mean a thing. But in the minds of PAC-10 officials or anybody it does mattered. They look at what type of programs you have from bachelors to doctorate degrees on reputation. And also factor in the ratings based on major publications that deals with education with the so called Tiers and rankings. You add that along with our athletic prestige (Football and Basketball) and other programs. Its a long process that they go through. Hopefully Coach Hauck can make a progress this season into winning games and make an impression on the PAC-10 to expand. Well see what happens just take a seat on this one Boise State to MWC sooner or later and then you got the Big 10. Here comes the dominoes guys expect the unexpected.
Anything to raise the profile of the MWC is a good thing. We need to generate more TV revenue and bowl money. The conference could be a good one, just needs a lot more exposure.