Quote:Sources indicate that CBS Sports Network and the Mountain West Conference are close to finalizing a deal for the conference's rights that will wind up increasing national distribution for the Mountain West's upcoming football and basketball games.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily...e-mtn.aspx

Doesn't sound like much of a merger is in the works for CUSA and MWC if MWC is signing away TV rights as a seperate entitiy.

Quote:The moves make sense given the uncertainty surrounding the Mountain West Conference, which is forming some sort of business alliance with Conference USA.

What is going with the merger? CUSA and MWC remain completely seperate but they work together in scheduling and bowls or something?

CUSA gonna add 4 teams to get back to 12. FIU and UNT sound like lead candidates. Who are the other two? ECU and Marshall gonna be pushing for a few local teams for them. Who is that? La Tech? CUSA adding Sun-belt and FCS teams.

MWC also needs 4 teams. Im gonna guess UTSA, Utah State, San Jose, and ? Idaho? man that leaves the WAC in bad shape and if they don't want Idaho, they will have to drop to FCS and join the Big Sky. Is the Big East done or does Air Force and/or Fresno go?

Whoa there. You omitted the first paragraph of that article, which is the lead:

Sports Business Daily Wrote:The cable channel created for the Mountain West Conference – the Mtn – is shutting down and will go dark May 31, sources said. The channel's 44 employees were informed of the decision late this afternoon during a meeting at their Denver HQs.

SJSU and USU to MWC by July 1?

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/5386...e.html.csp

(04-05-2012 06:40 PM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  CUSA gonna add 4 teams to get back to 12. FIU and UNT sound like lead candidates. Who are the other two? ECU and Marshall gonna be pushing for a few local teams for them. Who is that? La Tech? CUSA adding Sun-belt and FCS teams.

MWC also needs 4 teams. Im gonna guess UTSA, Utah State, San Jose, and ? Idaho? man that leaves the WAC in bad shape and if they don't want Idaho, they will have to drop to FCS and join the Big Sky. Is the Big East done or does Air Force and/or Fresno go?

CUSA should add La Tech, UNT, and FAU... and then offer UNCC and ODU an invite, charted over a 3 year period.. to allow their football programs to grow.

The MWC should snag UTEP from CUSA. Then they should add UTSA (provided they follow the same gradual entry of UNCC and ODU), SJSU, and USU.

By 2015, when UNCC, ODU, and UTSA, are ready to play a full league schedule, the two leagues should finally merge.

2015 is significant because that's when NAVY starts Big East play. If the Big East slow plays adding a 14th member, they could very well poach the Alliance before they fully merge. If that happens, look for Georgia State to be called up.

(04-05-2012 06:54 PM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote:  SJSU and USU to MWC by July 1?

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/sports/5386...e.html.csp

Could be 10 FB teams in both leagues, a football championship game between them, and separate operations otherwise.

Well, given that CBS's contract with the MWC requires it to operate the MTN, this tells us a couple of things.

First, the current contract is not going to continue through its 2016 termination date. CBS has agreed to either renegotiating it or terminating it early.

Second, unless the contract is ending early, the MWC's payout will be going up from the current $12 million annually. Otherwise the conference would have no incentive to let CBS kill the MTN.

The unknown is how this relates to formation of the MWC-CUSA Alliance. It could be one more sign that the association between the conferences is devolving to a scheduling agreement and championship game arrangement, with TV deals being worked out separately. Or (more likely IMHO) it could mean the merger is on track and the conferences are close to reaching agreement with CBS on a single new contract covering both conferences.

(04-05-2012 07:20 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  Second, unless the contract is ending early, the MWC's payout will be going up from the current $12 million annually. Otherwise the conference would have no incentive to let CBS kill the MTN.

Likely going up, but not necessarily. CBS could have the right to terminate just based on the departures from the league. And maybe some of the MWC schools want the MTN gone so that they can sell their non-national games to local TV -- certainly Hawaii would want the MTN killed for that reason alone.

(04-05-2012 07:25 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(04-05-2012 07:20 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  Second, unless the contract is ending early, the MWC's payout will be going up from the current $12 million annually. Otherwise the conference would have no incentive to let CBS kill the MTN.

Likely going up, but not necessarily. CBS could have the right to terminate just based on the departures from the league. And maybe some of the MWC schools want the MTN gone so that they can sell their non-national games to local TV -- certainly Hawaii would want the MTN killed for that reason alone.

Regarding CBS possibly terminating instead of paying more, yes that could be the case, that's why I said "unless the contract is ending early".

Regarding the conference members letting the MTN die not for a bigger payout from CBS but rather to get their local broadcast rights back, yes I suppose that's possible. It's true that Hawaii would take that deal. I'm just not sure local rights are valuable enough for the majority of MWC members to make it worthwhile for them to accept a smaller payment from CBS.

(04-05-2012 07:43 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(04-05-2012 07:25 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(04-05-2012 07:20 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  Second, unless the contract is ending early, the MWC's payout will be going up from the current $12 million annually. Otherwise the conference would have no incentive to let CBS kill the MTN.

Likely going up, but not necessarily. CBS could have the right to terminate just based on the departures from the league. And maybe some of the MWC schools want the MTN gone so that they can sell their non-national games to local TV -- certainly Hawaii would want the MTN killed for that reason alone.

Regarding CBS possibly terminating instead of paying more, yes that could be the case, that's why I said "unless the contract is ending early".

Regarding the conference members letting the MTN die not for a bigger payout from CBS but rather to get their local broadcast rights back, yes I suppose that's possible. It's true that Hawaii would take that deal. I'm just not sure local rights are valuable enough for the majority of MWC members to make it worthwhile for them to accept a smaller payment from CBS.

It doesn't mean its going up at all. The article stated that the current Mtn. only covers 13 million households in the MWC region where as CBS Sports Network covers 45 million households nationwide. Its possible that the MWC could have agreed to a decline in $ in exchange for the 350% increase in exposure. Now that there is less teams in the MWC, the individual $ split of $1 million per team could stay the same with the bonus of increased coverage.

I remember reading an article how the MWC was losing out on nationwide recognition with the Mtn. (13 million households) and CBS Sports. ESPN covers 100 million households and even the MAC was reaching a much larger audience. Recruits also like larger audiences especially if they are from outside the MWC region where they want to be seen. One Wednesday night MAC game (100 million households) is the equivalent of about 8 Mtn. games (13 x 8= 104 million households)
Just a thought.

(04-05-2012 07:20 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  Or (more likely IMHO) it could mean the merger is on track and the conferences are close to reaching agreement with CBS on a single new contract covering both conferences.

This is what I believe. It just adds up. They came out and said negotiations with CBS were the lynchpin to the whole thing. CBS and NBC co-own the Mtn so that tells me that NBC has also been cooperative. Maybe we'll get some games on NBC also, we all know they're desperate for programing.

(04-05-2012 06:40 PM)Miami (Oh) Yeah ! Wrote:  CUSA gonna add 4 teams to get back to 12. FIU and UNT sound like lead candidates. Who are the other two? ECU and Marshall gonna be pushing for a few local teams for them. Who is that? La Tech? CUSA adding Sun-belt and FCS teams.

MWC also needs 4 teams. Im gonna guess UTSA, Utah State, San Jose, and ? Idaho? man that leaves the WAC in bad shape and if they don't want Idaho, they will have to drop to FCS and join the Big Sky. Is the Big East done or does Air Force and/or Fresno go?

If I'm C-USA and the MWC, this is how I'd do it. Above the line (ATL) is how I'd expand now to get to 12. Below the line is who I'd invite if an ATL wasn't in the conference for whatever reason.

(04-05-2012 07:01 PM)BigEastHomer Wrote:  CUSA should add La Tech, UNT, and FAU... and then offer UNCC and ODU an invite, charted over a 3 year period.. to allow their football programs to grow.

The MWC should snag UTEP from CUSA. Then they should add UTSA (provided they follow the same gradual entry of UNCC and ODU), SJSU, and USU.

By 2015, when UNCC, ODU, and UTSA, are ready to play a full league schedule, the two leagues should finally merge.

2015 is significant because that's when NAVY starts Big East play. If the Big East slow plays adding a 14th member, they could very well poach the Alliance before they fully merge. If that happens, look for Georgia State to be called up.

I haven't been far off.

Facilities-wise, I still feel FAU > FIU.

Hey yo! ECU now has their rival in Charlotte.

It will be interesting to see if the MountUs Alliance happens now.