Okay, I've been bored this week so I decided to play the Conference Expansion game. What if the PAC-10 added BYU and Utah (or any two teams from the WAC or MWC)? Would it make sense to merge the MWC and WAC teams back together again? It would look something like this:

THE NEW WAC-14 ...say goodbye to the MWC

-Air Force
-Colorado St.
-Boise St.
-Idaho
-New Mexico
-New Mexico St.
-Wyoming

-Hawaii
-Fresno St.
-SDSU
-SJSU
-Utah St.
-UNLV
-Nevada

I think 14 is the magic number (balanced home and away games within division). I think this would be an awesome conference. Plenty of natural rivalries easy travel for fans and great for TV. Sorry LA tech...Sunbelt would be your new home. TCU heads back home to CUSA

THE NEW SUNBELT-9

-FIU
-FAU
-LA Tech
-LA Monroe
-LA La
-N. Texas
-AK State
-WKU
-MTSU

LA Tech gets into a more regional conference, WKU finds a home, plus provides a balanced 4home 4away schedule.


THE NEW CUSA-14

-Houston
-Rice
-SMU
-UTEP
-TCU
-Tulsa
-Tulane

-East Carolina
-Memphis
-Central Fla.
-UAB
-Troy
-Marshall
-Southern Miss

Not a bad conference either. Don't know if TCU would want back in or not...I think Troy would jump at the chance to move up.

Anyway, I just wanted to stir the pot and see if anyone had any comments.

It would make sence for them to merge & combine thier assets. With wide space between the sides 14 would not be bad idea, travell has to start figuring at some point. WAC would have game plan to surive & they might come up with comprimize & nobody gets left behind. Depending on the timing, weather any C-USA would be intrested. Idaho would be incourged to go back to Big Sky. They would leave NMST & LousT out, knowing they would have other options.
west-east
SDST-TCU
UNLV-AF
Nev-ColoSt
Haw-Wym
Frenso-NM
Boise-UtahSt
SJST-LousT
NMST can go back to Sun Belt. With LousT, this conf might be able to atract Independence bowl. UtahSt besides thier BB program keeps them in Utah & can move west if Hous & UTEP ever become intrested.
Leaving WAC schools behind would not be good bussiness move, eventally conf would need these schools healthy in the ever changing world of CFB.
Right off the bat they have 7 bowl bids & set there sights on Emerald, Insight & Indepedence besides there championship game

The WAC won't expand past 12...probably not past 10. The WAC would cherry-pick the disheveled MWC programs and add TCU, SDSU, and UNLV.

Tech will never voluntarily leave the WAC for the Sunbelt (okay, maybe if gas hits 8 or 9 bucks a gallon) and TCU will never join CUSA while SMU is a member.

The next conference to expand is the big east. If they pick up some CUSA-E schools, you may see CUSA try and contract the conference a bit.

WAC-MWC would be in a tug of war if BYU & Utah left. A comprimize might be the end result. Your right C-USA will not be stable to BE is stable, uncertainly & strong game plan would be needed to keep TCU

I just don't see what the MWC has to offer if Utah and BYU are gone. That'd be like the WAC losing Boise and Fresno. I've never been over-impressed with Benson, but I'm not sure even he could screw that up.

I disagree with you there, Benson could not get Boise St into the Humanterain bowl