Mountain West, Conference USA Merger Going Forward

by Jeremy Mauss on Feb 8, 2012 8:32 PM PST in Conference Expansion

The Mountain West and Conference USA merger is gaining a lot of steam and now with the Memphis Tigers heading to the Big East in 2013 it looks like the teams left over will form one large league. There would be 15 teams in all sports and 16 for football as the Hawaii Warriors are in the Big West for non-football sports. This looks to be the end of the Big East taking Conference USA members, according to Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky:

"Based upon my conversations with commissioner (John) Marinatto, the Big East has now completed its future membership plan. If this is true, it is very helpful as we can now move forward with our plans in a more stable national environment," he said. "We hope that the other conferences appreciate the value of stability in intercollegiate athletics and higher education."

The league would stretch from East Carolina to Nevada for non-football sports and all the way to Hawaii for football, and I am not fully sold on this idea. Even if the television deal works out with The Mtn. being involved in some capacity as well as NBC Sports and CBS Sports the money may not be that great. Yes, there would be a ton of programming to sell but it would be a lot of games that not too many people care about, so the per team amount may not be there. I don't really like an eight-team league either, but at least with that travel is condensed and there are no trips involving the women's volleyball or soccer team flying cross country for a weekend match.

However, this merger talk has been going on for a long time and the alliance is already in place, so I guess a 16-team football league is better than the alliance that could of had over 20 teams.

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Comments

LMAO

Based upon my conversations with commissioner (John) Marinatto, the Big East has now completed its future membership plan.

The BE is poaching (robbing) Conf USA blind, and their commissioner reads like British WW II PM Neville Chamberlain after Hitler promises him no more aggression after Germany took Czechoslovakia.

by Utah-UCLA alum on Feb 9, 2012 8:31 AM PST reply actions

Yeah...Can the MWC poach SDSU and BSU back? the Mount USA conference is still looking like a better deal

"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." -- jonfmorse

This is a twitter
And this is a Mountain West website

by greekpadre on Feb 9, 2012 8:57 AM PST up reply actions

Money Talks

I believe if the MWC/Conf USA alliance can work out a better TV deal.

by Utah-UCLA alum on Feb 9, 2012 9:18 AM PST up reply actions

Viewership

Do we believe that the poaching is really over? Will C-USA add Temple and others? From an original plan that ranged from 22 – 28 – 32 teams, we are now looking at 15/16. This model will not even carry the teams own own media coverage outlets. Memphis, part of Houston, Orlando, Salt lake City, San DIego and others have simply disappeared over the past two – three years. This no name conglomeration has no weight anymore. With the 6 now departed teams and, looking at the original model, the Big East teams + the extra WAC teams, there was a chance. What this 15/16 team deal is, is the bastard step-child’s shadow of the original deal. There is no money in this anymore: Why do you think CT is looking at other opportunities and BB is rumored to be the Big XII commissioner. Both have one foot out the door in case of collapse.

We need more coverage of the total footprint that we should already have. We need more games on more nights. In short, we need money and exposure that the alliance deal cannot get us. Right now, another great need is: Stability. If you have 12 teams and you lose one, you are in trouble. With 7/8, and you lose one, you are dead in the water. If you have 16 teams and you lose one, you are not. So: do you think the MW will lose anymore teams? If you answered AFA, then you see the need for stability. I posted over a week ago, AFA wasn’t the only team being discussed in the expansion talks. Utah-UCLA Alum hit the nail on the head: Marinatto already said that the BE might go to 14 or 16. That means another 2 – 4 teams. It is only a question of when. If he gets a TV sponsor, which says it will pay for extra games: the C-USA is dead. Where does that leave us?

We really have one shot:

MW North:
AFA, Wyoming, CSU, Idaho, Fresno State, SJSU, USU, Nevada

MW South:
North Texas, UTSA, UTEP?, Texas State, Hawaii/DU, UNLV, New Mexico, New Mexico State

I don’t like all the teams, but it gives us regional rivalries, stability and a chance at an ESPN contract by taking over the WAC money and integrating into the ESPN weekday schedule. Just the deal with no renegotiation is over $1 Million (down from $1.6 per MW team now). With a new contract, 9 combined bowl tie ins, and a championship game the conference stands to improve its payouts substantially. This would also energize the base and provide stability. Something we sorely lack right now. We might even get some viewers on our Thursday night games again.

by jitmon on Feb 9, 2012 2:09 PM PST reply actions

Anschluss and Poland

History has shown us that poachers and robbers ‘never’ get their fill. The BE will continue to grab whatever teams from the MWC, Conf USA it can as long as they themselves lose teams or until they get to their 12 or 14 team magic number.

I have to laugh when reading the Conf USA commissioner’s comments. He sounds like the relieved french president a few weeks before Germany marched into Paris.

by Utah-UCLA alum on Feb 9, 2012 2:54 PM PST up reply actions

I agree

The MWC needs to understand that it is a Mid-Major conference and be content with it. I like your North and South. I’d like to see Tulsa in the mix because I think they are a good FB/BB team. Either way, the MWC needs to keep it regional. That is key. The fanbase is there. Merging with CUSA will suck a big egg!! And we may lose some fans in the process. The merger should be with the WAC. Regional is the key. I get the fact that money talks, but it is what it is. Let the BE grab all the CUSA folks….we’ll keep the monopoly in the west.

by drodriguez2112 on Feb 9, 2012 5:41 PM PST up reply actions