Splitting out from Pac12 thread
Mountain West Conference Reorganization Etc
- Thread starter LadyStanley
- Start date
Football only member
Big McLargehuge
Fragile Traveler
Northern Illinois adds absolutely nothing half a dozen FCS teams actually in the region couldn't have.
This shit is so far beyond parody that it's...well, reality in 2025. Shit sucks and always gets dumber and worse.
This shit is so far beyond parody that it's...well, reality in 2025. Shit sucks and always gets dumber and worse.
UConn should join the MAC for football only to have easier playoff access and continue to guarantee annual meetings with UMass.
At this point, why not? It’s becoming more and more obvious that Notre Dame is the only program that can survive as an independent - and they gamed the system to make that happen.
35 years ago there were over 35 independent programs. They’ve all joined a conference somewhere, some even moved around multiple times. Just crazy.
UConn was offered football only membership in the PAC-12. I am surprised that they didn't take it to make their football program at least somewhat relevant. I also don't see why Northern Illinois would do this. What does the Mountain West offer that the MAC doesn't especially with Boise State leaving? It would have made more sense to join the PAC-12.
PCSPounder
Stadium Groupie
I watched a few YouTube reactions yesterday.
Main issue: Wednesday football games royally suck. That suppresses ticket sales. It’s been a big problem.
Also, keep in mind that NIU has been in and out of the MAC previously. They’ve never been fully satisfied members of that conference. With the MAC drifting east, it’s almost as if leaving the MAC and having the other sports join a more compact conference might be even close to a wash.
I know the Mountain West is using this to say “hey, we’re in the Chicago market, pay us!” Eh, not convinced that gets them a bigger contract than they currently get, but it might very well lessen the blow they would otherwise take.
No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
Many college football fans defended all the hyper capitalist excesses for years ie coaches salaries under the guise of “ getting recruits” and bashed people who wanted to reign it as “ anti football nerds” . College football fans are just as guilty as anyone else for all this.
So, I've now proposed Southern Illinois join the MW as a football-only member, keeping other sports in the MVC, alongside NMSU as a full member, to create an 11-team football league, and add NIU-SIU to my MW Thanksgiving weekend schedule.
Each team would play a seven-game conference schedule, with four protected opponents and three rotating opponents on a four-year cycle.
Air Force: Hawaii, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois
Hawaii: Air Force, Nevada, San Jose State, UNLV
Nevada: Hawaii, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV
New Mexico: Air Force, New Mexico State, UTEP, Wyoming
New Mexico State: New Mexico, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, UTEP
Northern Illinois: Air Force, New Mexico State, Southern Illinois, Wyoming
San Jose State: Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico State, UNLV
Southern Illinois: Air Force, New Mexico State, Northern Illinois, Wyoming
UNLV: Hawaii, Nevada, San Jose State, Wyoming
UTEP: New Mexico, New Mexico State, UNLV, Wyoming
Wyoming: New Mexico, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, UTEP
Sac State would still join as a non-football member under my proposal.
Each team would play a seven-game conference schedule, with four protected opponents and three rotating opponents on a four-year cycle.
Air Force: Hawaii, New Mexico, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois
Hawaii: Air Force, Nevada, San Jose State, UNLV
Nevada: Hawaii, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV
New Mexico: Air Force, New Mexico State, UTEP, Wyoming
New Mexico State: New Mexico, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, UTEP
Northern Illinois: Air Force, New Mexico State, Southern Illinois, Wyoming
San Jose State: Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico State, UNLV
Southern Illinois: Air Force, New Mexico State, Northern Illinois, Wyoming
UNLV: Hawaii, Nevada, San Jose State, Wyoming
UTEP: New Mexico, New Mexico State, UNLV, Wyoming
Wyoming: New Mexico, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, UTEP
Sac State would still join as a non-football member under my proposal.
I have proposed that the Big West add Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State LA, and Cal State San Bernardino,
Edit: Removed schedule format since it was rife with errors.
Edit 2: Added new schedule format.
Basketball would have a 16-game schedule, with the teams organized into pods as follows:
Bakersfield, Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara
Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State San Bernardino, UC Riverside
Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State
Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, UC San Diego
These essentially sort the schools by what counties they are located in.
Pod rivals would play each other twice every year. Each school would play one of the other pods home-and-road, one pod home only, and one pod road only, on a 3-year rotation.
All in-pod matchups would be played 6 times in a 3-year period, and all other matchups 4 times.
Edit: Removed schedule format since it was rife with errors.
Edit 2: Added new schedule format.
Basketball would have a 16-game schedule, with the teams organized into pods as follows:
Bakersfield, Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara
Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State San Bernardino, UC Riverside
Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State Northridge, Long Beach State
Cal State Fullerton, UC Irvine, UC San Diego
These essentially sort the schools by what counties they are located in.
Pod rivals would play each other twice every year. Each school would play one of the other pods home-and-road, one pod home only, and one pod road only, on a 3-year rotation.
All in-pod matchups would be played 6 times in a 3-year period, and all other matchups 4 times.
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PCSPounder
Stadium Groupie
Did Z propose to pay every Big West school a cool million a year from Z’s own pocket in order to make that arrangement palatable?
Anyway, this week’s realignment news involves schools scurrying from the WAC. It hasn’t really been stable for a while, and it appears to now be on the precipice of the abyss. Aren’t we all?
Anyway, this week’s realignment news involves schools scurrying from the WAC. It hasn’t really been stable for a while, and it appears to now be on the precipice of the abyss. Aren’t we all?
KevFu
Registered User
Teams leaving the WAC has been normal since the dawn of time. They have had 43 different full members in their history.
The WAC is like "We have a plan to grow and get better and upgrade!" and schools are on board because they have a grandfather clause to bring back FBS. But then the teams close to being ready get other offers and the teams still building are like "wait, this isn't going to work" and go somewhere else.
And of course, some teams that just have no where to go out west play together in the WAC. So of course everyone's scrambling because it makes no sense to have 3 Utah Schools, Cal Baptist, and three Texas schools in the same conference.
Not when the Big Sky has a football opening, the Big West has an opening, and no one is really good enough for a "We've gotta stay with them" situation.
Sources: Sacramento St. to apply for FBS status
Sacramento State plans to file an application with the NCAA this week to transition from the FCS to the FBS in football as an independent, sources told ESPN.
This came out of nowhere.
I expected Sac State to join UC Davis in becoming a non-FB member of the MW, with their football programs upgrading together in a future realignment cycle after the MW is raided again.
Meanwhile Cal Baptist has for the moment accepted a Big West invite, but they still could do something similar to what Grand Canyon did and accept a new invite from the WCC.
Either way, this takes the WAC entirely out of the PTZ come 2026. Given it is not a top mid-major conference in either football or basketball anymore, it may be for the best that the WAC operate as a two time zone league (Central and Mountain).
Right now, I'm still projecting a move of NMSU to the MW, so that C-USA can invite Western Carolina from the SoCon and Tarleton from the WAC/UAC. C-USA can then put its 5 Eastern Time schools and the easternmost Central Time school, Jacksonville State, in the East Division and the remaining Central Time schools in the West Division.
Then the WAC invites three existing D-I schools - Denver from the Summit League which would be rejoining, and Montana and Montana State from the Big Sky - and four D-II schools - Angelo State from the LSC, Montana State-Billings from the GNAC, MSU Denver from the RMAC, and Southeastern Oklahoma from the GAC - to join the conference. Angelo State, Montana, Montana State, and Southeastern Oklahoma would bring their football programs into the UAC.
The schools in Denver and the Central Time Zone would form the East Division in basketball, and the Montana and Utah schools the West Division.
Either way, this takes the WAC entirely out of the PTZ come 2026. Given it is not a top mid-major conference in either football or basketball anymore, it may be for the best that the WAC operate as a two time zone league (Central and Mountain).
Right now, I'm still projecting a move of NMSU to the MW, so that C-USA can invite Western Carolina from the SoCon and Tarleton from the WAC/UAC. C-USA can then put its 5 Eastern Time schools and the easternmost Central Time school, Jacksonville State, in the East Division and the remaining Central Time schools in the West Division.
Then the WAC invites three existing D-I schools - Denver from the Summit League which would be rejoining, and Montana and Montana State from the Big Sky - and four D-II schools - Angelo State from the LSC, Montana State-Billings from the GNAC, MSU Denver from the RMAC, and Southeastern Oklahoma from the GAC - to join the conference. Angelo State, Montana, Montana State, and Southeastern Oklahoma would bring their football programs into the UAC.
The schools in Denver and the Central Time Zone would form the East Division in basketball, and the Montana and Utah schools the West Division.
GKJ
Global Moderator
- Feb 27, 2002
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The one to watch is Sacramento State. they have applied to move up from FBS and are currently slated to be independent when they do so. Sacramento is or had been the largest TV market without an FBS school so that would seem to align for them to eventually join the Pac-12
KevFu
Registered User
PCSPounder
Stadium Groupie
GKJ
Global Moderator
- Feb 27, 2002
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- 46,085
