NCAA rules require you to place your football program in the same conference as the rest of your other sports programs if that conference sponsors FBS football.

This means that if Boise and Air Force send their football to the Big East, they will have to move their other sports out of the MWC as long as the MWC continues to sponsor football. Where do they go? WCC? Big West? Big Sky?

Now if the MWC/CUSA alliance becomes a full on merger to create a new football only league (while the MWC & CUSA stop sponsoring FBS football) then both could stay in the MWC....

There is no existing NCAA rule preventing that. The WAC has indicated they would take their non-FB sports.

It is thought of as a rule simply because most FBS conferences aren't going to let a team park their non-FB sports in their conference while putting their FBS football somewhere else.

WCC probably.

The rule exists.. but it doesn't apply... Because the new conference is "football only".

The MWC schools will be MWC for all other sports.. and C-USA will be C-USA for all other sports.

Wcc

Since neither one will end up in The Big East I will say MWC for Boise and Air Force said they want out in Olympic sports and hoops because they can't compete.

WAC probably...otherwise Missouri Valley (EDIT: thanks, Wedge...I had forgotten about that). There is no rule to prevent them using the WAC. I spent some time one day extensively searching the NCAA bylaws, and I was never able to find such a rule. If it exists, I would challenge someone to find it. I certainly could not.

(10-15-2011 10:48 AM)DaSaintFan Wrote:  The rule exists.. but it doesn't apply... Because the new conference is "football only".

The MWC schools will be MWC for all other sports.. and C-USA will be C-USA for all other sports.

That's the thing. Right now, it is simply an alliance. It is not a new conference yet. If it becomes a new conference, it opens a whole new can of worms with TV partners. Yes the new conference could shop for a new TV deal for all of the games - not simply the "championship" game that CT & BB were talking about. But, they'd also have to have a new structure, a new commissioner, AND Fox, CBS, and Comcast/NBCUniversal would seek to restructure the existing MWC & CUSA contracts since they no longer include football.

AFA's AD said that AFA is talking to the Missouri Valley.

there is no ncaa rule that says this. you can put your football in the sec, your basketball in the acc, your baseball in the big 12, and your volleyball in the pac 12, if that is what you want and each conference lets you do so. the thing is most conferences have rules against this and most schools like 1 conference for all their sports so it does not happen. If the WAC is willing to host Boise and Air Force for olympic sports and the Big East will host their football, their is no NCAA rule against it. The only thing the NCAA says is that football onlys don't count toward the magic number of 8 to be an official FBS conference.

(10-15-2011 11:32 AM)Metropolis777 Wrote:  

(10-15-2011 10:48 AM)DaSaintFan Wrote:  The rule exists.. but it doesn't apply... Because the new conference is "football only".

The MWC schools will be MWC for all other sports.. and C-USA will be C-USA for all other sports.

That's the thing. Right now, it is simply an alliance. It is not a new conference yet. If it becomes a new conference, it opens a whole new can of worms with TV partners. Yes the new conference could shop for a new TV deal for all of the games - not simply the "championship" game that CT & BB were talking about. But, they'd also have to have a new structure, a new commissioner, AND Fox, CBS, and Comcast/NBCUniversal would seek to restructure the existing MWC & CUSA contracts since they no longer include football.

I'd "guess" (and this would just be an educated guess on my part). The football alliance would be packaged with the basketball/baseball TV contracts of the MWC/CUSA.

I do agree the new commissioner/Structure would have to be discussed in depth... but I'm guessing that they've already worked on the framework for that part?

(10-15-2011 11:35 AM)Wedge Wrote:  AFA's AD said that AFA is talking to the Missouri Valley.

Why would they do that if ESPN is saying AFA and others are soured on the BE?

(10-15-2011 11:27 AM)chrisharper80 Wrote:  WAC probably...otherwise Missouri Valley (EDIT: thanks, Wedge...I had forgotten about that). There is no rule to prevent them using the WAC. I spent some time one day extensively searching the NCAA bylaws, and I was never able to find such a rule. If it exists, I would challenge someone to find it. I certainly could not.

You guys are missing some key dymamics...

The WAC won't exist if all 5 leave because USU, La Tech and SJS will all be in the alliance.

The WCC is a school of religious based Universities who is already at 10. Boise is a poor fit. The best option would be back to the Big West but that is a California bus league mostly and it isn't clear they would want them back.

If this alliance is going to be a new NCAA conference for football while CUSA and MWC being separate for other sports, how does that even work? Doesn't the NCAA require a minimum of 8 multi-sport members to be a FBS conference?

MVC Commish announced a couple days ago that the MWC isn't taking on any new members. The MVC Commish also said that the AFA AD citing the MVC came as a surprise to him.

WAC would be the destination most likely. The WAC has expressed interest.

(10-15-2011 12:53 PM)Wooglin157 Wrote:  WAC would be the destination most likely. The WAC has expressed interest.

WAC is very, very shaky...and may be able to even survive as a basketball conference. UNT, UTSA appear headed to CUSA; Utah State to MWC.

(10-15-2011 12:53 PM)Wooglin157 Wrote:  WAC would be the destination most likely. The WAC has expressed interest.

Good chance that if Boise and Air Force leave the MWC for football only invites to the BE, that the WAC ceases to be a conference when it loses teams to replace the original school. If Utah State were to join the MWC, I think that is the point you could see the WAC cease to exist.

I think the problem of what to do with the other sports will be a big factor in Boise deciding to leave the MWC/merger for the BE. It is not as simple for them as BYU which the WCC wanted b/c BYU has great basketball and then other conferences like Big West and MVC are not the best fit for Boise. Boise going to the BE is far from being decided which is why the article shows everyone but UCF has a conditional invitation. If Boise does not leave, I think that means Air Force does not go which would make Navy stay independent and could very well lead to the conditional invites to SMU and Houston being revoked. Probably end result of all that would be Temple getting an all sports invite for BE to end up back at 8 all sports schools + 8 catholic schools for the original 16 league.

(10-15-2011 12:13 PM)Wooglin157 Wrote:  

(10-15-2011 11:35 AM)Wedge Wrote:  AFA's AD said that AFA is talking to the Missouri Valley.

Why would they do that if ESPN is saying AFA and others are soured on the BE?

Maybe they have. That quote from the AFA AD is a week old. Also, they're supposedly thinking of making the move no matter where they put their football team.