Yesterday was the most insane day of college football not involving actual college football in a very long time. While the two moves this summer were important, they were neither surprising nor terribly traumatic for any conference involved. The events of yesterday will have a much more profound impact on the non-BCS leagues we know and love. First, a recap in case you’ve missed anything, then a bit of analysis.
The Opening Salvo
Word leaked that BYU was considering going independent in football, primarily to rake in TV money on their own, and the rest of their sports would move back to the WAC.
This led to a twitter-wide consensus that the MWC was doomed, and I was planning a post this morning on how to split the remaining MWC teams between C-USA and the WAC.
However, it’s important to note that BYU has not announced anything as of 7:30 Eastern Time today.
The Mountain West Responds
Actually, if you ask them, it’s just a coincidence, but after what appear to be a whirlwind 36 hours of negotiations, the Mountain West invited Fresno State and Nevada to join the league. Both accepted in simultaneous press conferences at 9:30 ET last night.
MWC Commissioner Craig Thompson held a press teleconference at 10:15, where he hit on a couple of points- he does not know what BYUs intentions are right now, but they participated in, and voted on, the discussions about and with Fresno & Nevada. Further, he kept hammering that the move was made in order to make the league better and tried really hard to convince everybody that it had nothing to do with BYUs rumblings. Last, he was asked several times about more expansion, which he sounded like would be a substantial possibility.
The Arrangement Right Now
Once the moves are finalized, probably in 2011 but possibly not until 2012:
MWC:
- Air Force
- BYU
- Colorado State
- New Mexico
- San Diego State
- TCU
- UNLV
- Wyoming
- Boise State
- Fresno State
- Nevada
WAC:
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Louisiana Tech
- New Mexico State
- San Jose State
- Utah State
What Will Happen Next
If you’re one who hates hypothetical blog posts, it’s time to disembark. More season previews in a couple hours.