Conference Realignment: Mountain West, Conference USA Schedule Teleconference

by Jeremy Mauss on Oct 14, 2011 2:35 PM PDT in Conference Expansion

The Mountain West and Conference USA have announced they are scheduling a press conference tonight at 6:30 p.m. eastern. The assumption is that the Boise St. Broncos and Air Force Falcons have accepted an invite to the Big East as football-only members and most likely a combination between the Houston Cougars, SMU Mustangs and Central Florida Knights.

This press conference is expected announce a football-only merger with a championship game between the Mountain West champion and C-USA champion. The merger has always been an attempt to get a BCS bid, but I just don't see how that is possible.

If the two leagues are to fully combine and the two leagues lose four total teams that would put the Mountain West at eight teams and C-USA at 10.

Stay tuned to my twitter feed @JeremyMauss for updates as the teleconference is in progress and then a post afterwords for more information.

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Now we have an even more watered down MWC.

Where is Craig Thompson?

Public Enemy #1 and enjoying every minute of it. Tapology.

by wolfmanshowlforever on Oct 14, 2011 2:41 PM PDT reply actions

hoping this championship game between MWC & C-USA = BCS auto bid

and that neither Boise State or AFA goes Big East

by fracas on Oct 14, 2011 2:47 PM PDT reply actions

that would be nice

But I think Boise & AFA are gone and title game for BCS is not happening

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by Jeremy Mauss on Oct 14, 2011 3:16 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

that would be nice

But I think Boise & AFA are gone and title game for BCS is not happening

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by Jeremy Mauss on Oct 14, 2011 3:16 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions

I don't like the sound of any of this

by Smoove V on Oct 14, 2011 3:22 PM PDT reply actions 3 recs

this

"Natty Light: For when you absolutely, positively have to knock uglies with a corn-fed co-ed from the opposing school who’s half your age." -- jonofmorse

by greekpadre on Oct 14, 2011 3:24 PM PDT up reply actions

ditto

by pack_fan on Oct 14, 2011 3:32 PM PDT up reply actions

Yup.

by Spyder Mayhem on Oct 14, 2011 3:47 PM PDT up reply actions

Totally agree.

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by rebelfan1 on Oct 14, 2011 7:49 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm with ya

by TDown on Oct 14, 2011 7:51 PM PDT up reply actions

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/10/14/2577247/mountain-west-c-usa-merging-for.html

by Fresno_State_Football_Fan on Oct 14, 2011 3:35 PM PDT reply actions

and from the MWC.com site:

http://www.themwc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101411aah.html

by pack_fan on Oct 14, 2011 3:56 PM PDT up reply actions

The way college football works is both interesting and stupid at the same time

Are there actual games being played right now? All the other stuff is too distracting for me to notice.

by pack_fan on Oct 14, 2011 3:53 PM PDT reply actions

MWC

So does the MWC continue keeping Boise State and AF around for all other sports besides football or do they give them the boot?

I guess Craig Thompson doesn’t have many cards to play.

by Utah-UCLA alum on Oct 14, 2011 3:56 PM PDT reply actions

Cant have your cake & eat it too...

@MWC: I think if Boise St. & Air Force leave, they’ll be forced to move their other sports too…

by platners on Oct 14, 2011 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions

agreed

Big Sky or back to the WAC. Hi, Karl Benson!

by airforcetwo on Oct 14, 2011 4:08 PM PDT up reply actions

via Brian Murphy on Twitter:

Thompson says Boise State, Air Force cannot keep other teams in MW if football teams leave.

by pack_fan on Oct 14, 2011 4:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Other Sports = Who Cares...this is a football world...I'm just living in it.

BSU’s BB team is not great…better fit in the WAC. The only other sport BSU cares about is wrestling and that is in the PAC 12

by csf68 on Oct 14, 2011 5:01 PM PDT up reply actions

Agreed. This wouldn't be fair to the MWC.

by Utah-UCLA alum on Oct 15, 2011 2:01 PM PDT up reply actions

Play Off Attempt?

I’ll be honest, I was never a fan of such association (MWC-C-USA) but now that it happened, I think it was a good move. This association has the potential to get as close as possible to a playoff grid in college football. This move also puts the Big LEast into a bind; it forces the possible additions (SMU, UHouston, AFA, Boise St)., to re-consider moving and it temps. WVU, UConn, Rutgers to move over to this association as the chances for AQ after 2014 increase. Lets face it, once the BCS bowls get to decide who plays after 2014, I doubt they’re gonna pick any Big East schools. However, the winner of a “playoff” from a non-AQ conference has a better chance of getting a spot or two. I have a feeling other non-AQ conferences might do this too.

by platners on Oct 14, 2011 4:04 PM PDT reply actions

So an 8 team MWC...

and a 9 team CUSA. Each school plays conference games only within the MWC (7 games) and CUSA (8 games). Resutling in a true conference champion for each. Then the champions play each other…not a bad idea, but no guarantee of BCS qualification…yikes

by airforcetwo on Oct 14, 2011 4:04 PM PDT reply actions

they could still expand

say Utah St and San Jose St to the MWC and LA Tech to CUSA that makes it 10/10 you play everyone in the MW and have a CCG with the CUSA champ, maybe 1 OOC football game against CUSA each year to make it feel more like a real conference.

"We are who we are. People say what they say. The outcome is the outcome. We are proud of ourselves." -DeLoss Dodds 9/21/2011

by TowerPower on Oct 14, 2011 4:13 PM PDT up reply actions

good point! I think you're right on....

by platners on Oct 14, 2011 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions

+1

they definitely should leverage for BCS AQ, and better TV deal

by fracas on Oct 14, 2011 5:17 PM PDT up reply actions

expansion should include

Cincinnati and USF since they are the two BE schools that no other conferences have mentioned as possible invitees.

Let the Big XII go after Louisville and West Virginia, then the Big East Football is gone!

by Chris Holly Taylor on Oct 15, 2011 8:40 AM PDT up reply actions

Air Force wants out?

I see Air Force leaving as their AD says this re-alignment business is getting silly and too distracting for his athletes. I’m in favor of Navy, Air Force and Army getting out of the conference business completely as sports in the academies are for officer development and not for TV contracts; as it should be, I think the academies are going in the direction of the Ivies; plus Coast Guard is getting ready to compete a little more…

by platners on Oct 14, 2011 4:10 PM PDT reply actions

While I'm sad to see them go it makes sense...

they can’t compete in most other MWC sports and since they have to play Army/Navy every year any kind of system where they had to play 9 conference games was going to be shot down. This could end up being good both both the MWC and AFA. You can’t say the same thing about Boise St.

"We are who we are. People say what they say. The outcome is the outcome. We are proud of ourselves." -DeLoss Dodds 9/21/2011

by TowerPower on Oct 14, 2011 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions

During the conference call

Craig Thompson said he talked with the Air Force AD at the San Diego State game yesterday. I found it odd that Thompson referred to the game as “the San Diego State game” even though it was played in Colorado Springs.

by Smoove V on Oct 14, 2011 4:45 PM PDT up reply actions

12 team minimum?

Does anyone know if the NCAA requires a conference to have 12 teams in order to hold a championship game? If thats the case; where & who would the others come from?

by platners on Oct 14, 2011 4:25 PM PDT reply actions

Utah State and San Jose State would be the likely first two to get an invite if it happened

but with the merger technically the conference is now above 12 anyway

by pack_fan on Oct 14, 2011 4:27 PM PDT up reply actions

thanks for clarifying!

by platners on Oct 14, 2011 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions

I hate football.

by David Hooper on Oct 14, 2011 4:51 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

Yup

It drives it all does not make sense. If there was a playoff 85% of this expansion stuff would not be happening.

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by Jeremy Mauss on Oct 15, 2011 9:09 AM PDT up reply actions

It does makes sense $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

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by Jeremy Mauss on Oct 15, 2011 9:10 AM PDT up reply actions

This merger

has a very similar feeling to when the MWC invited Nevada and Fresno because BYU was going indie.

by Smoove V on Oct 14, 2011 4:58 PM PDT reply actions

Oh good, Mark May still seems to hate Boise State

“Big East should have taken someone else blah blah blah”

"Where are you from?"...
"I'm originally from Boise, Idaho."...
"Oh, so what's it like being from the Midwest?"...
"Idaho's not really in the Midwest."...
"Oh...so you like potatoes?"
-excerpt from a conversation I have weekly with New Yorkers.
Go Broncos!

by NYBroncosFan on Oct 14, 2011 5:14 PM PDT reply actions

Like who?

by pack_fan on Oct 14, 2011 5:17 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't know.

Harvard?

by NYBroncosFan on Oct 14, 2011 5:22 PM PDT up reply actions

sometimes I wonder if Mark May understands college football at all

by pack_fan on Oct 14, 2011 8:12 PM PDT up reply actions

Play-off?

I’m convinced Air Force & Central FL are gone, so that makes it a 20 team association; Play off bracket: top 12 go on to playoffs w. top four getting 1st round byes; mid-November team # 5 to #12 play, 3rd weekend in Nov. winners from preceding week playing 1st round byes, Thanks giving weekend, remaining four play with those winners playing for a championship in December. Gives Boise St. coach the Playoffs he’s always wanted; keeps Texas happy as UHouston and SMU can win thru bracket; NOBODY is forced to travel to Hawaii EVERY year.

by platners on Oct 14, 2011 7:05 PM PDT reply actions