Mountaintop View 7-30-21. Realignment hurts? Royal Wolf Pack, Bronze Spartan, All-American, Watchlist.

Take a deep breath. We have arrived at another Friday. Get your weekend started a bit sooner with our collected links and original content coming your way today.

Conference realignment is hurting the sport.

After college football united in its decision to expand the playoff system, it is now back to trying to tear itself apart in pursuit of chasing money. It discusses how realignment has had far more losers than winners and poses the question if fans of teams like Nebraska or Colorado even like being in their conferences? Also, this highlights the scheduling quirks that happen with increasing the size of conferences (especially the SEC model). Chris Vannini also thinks we are heading down the road to an inevitable super league. For teams chasing the extra dollar, they are speeding up the path to your own irrelevancy for a short-term financial gain.

Wolf Pack alum part of Royals organization.

Dillan Shrum, the Mountain West player of the year and a second-team All-American pick this past season, will get a chance to play pro ball. Although he wasn’t drafted, he signed as a free agent with the Kansas City Royals. Shrum set numerous single-season records this year, such as: batting average (.468), slugging percentage (.968) and OPS (1.495) while recording 58 hits, 15 home runs, 15 doubles 47 RBIs and 35 runs scored in 35 games (34 starts). He ranked second in the nation and first in the MW in batting average. He also led the conference in slugging percentage, home runs and on-base percentage (.527).

Bronze Spartan.

Shrum is an All-American... again.

Another day, another watchlist (or two)

On the horizon:

• Today: MWCConnection Roundtable: Will there be another round of conference realignment and if so, will it affect the Mountain West in any way?
• Today: Friday Night Lights Review S1E22. The season finale