(07-15-2017 10:31 AM)SDHornet Wrote:  

(07-10-2017 09:19 AM)MplsBison Wrote:  You have no idea if the CSU schools were interested in Bakersfield, and what other factors might have prevented the BW CSU presidents from expressing their actual interest in Bakersfield during the meeting regarding UCSD's vote.

You're free to guess, all you like, and your guesses could be right. But none of us knows anything.

Yeah Bako was rejected by the BW...twice...but now all of a sudden they have interest in them. Lolz.

I think your probably right. However UCSD Chancellor Kholsa and their AD were almost certainly given the suggestion by their counterparts from the four UCs in the Big West. This does not mean the UC chiefs can read the minds of their CSU counterparts, but it does suggest they want UCSD enough that they would throw a compromise suggestion such as partnering UCSD entrance with that of CSUB to get the votes.

If it works UCSD will get into the Big West with CSUB. This would not threaten the survival of the WAC, but it would put pressure on them to get an 8th school (one really must assume Chicago State wont be in the league in after June 2018) --- "Hello Asuza Pacific, just asking if you can speed up your time table for getting to D-I"

On the other hand, if the CSU Presidents are still "like we said no how many times already" about CSUB and reject the UC overture, then UCSD is the one facing a choice. To get to D-I UCSD will have to go back to the students and ask for another measure to move to D-I but this time worded to allow conferences other than the Big West so they can accept a WAC invite. In this scenario the WAC will have a train of SoCal D-II school joining every couple of years (CBU, UCSD, APU) that would see them stable. IMHO this scenario has a higher probability. We will know in a year's time.

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Back to the OP, the Big Sky's plans to sit on 11, and the sentiment in the league is to move to 20 games for Basketball with a full round robin. There is a strong desire for not getting larger and building the cohesion and having a more equitable schedule and an extra home game. This is not for the "short term."

Remember UI, ISU, UM, MSU, Weber formed the Big Sky 54 years ago; NAU joined 47 years ago, and even Sac State and PSU have been members for 20 years now. These are old rivalries which the schools want to restore. And Even NoCo has been a member for a full decade. None of these were part of Fullerton's "vision", but the four Great West schools were (UCD and Cal Poly in football, SUU and UND in all sports). These additions broke up several annual rivalries. At least in basketball these can be restored. Football they can only protect so many. (Note, Sac State plays a 9th Big Sky school in an OOC game to offset the causeway classic being a league game; Weber State has been that 9th school the last three years)