The Montanas and Idaho are in a unique position. They don't look anything like the rest of the conference they're in (sans North Dakota, for now). They want to keep touch with the west coast recruiting grounds. But they also know academics and like-minded goals matter: You are the company you keep.

But their unique position is also one of sparse population and remote location. Folks won't come begging to them; they must make their own way, their own future.

And who better to do that with but with another group of schools that have many of the same issues.

This "northern FBS future" could meet all of that for them (and the Dakotas). They could play their non-conference games westward looking. They'd be with a peer group of academic flagship (state name) schools.