(06-06-2012 08:37 AM)Senatobia Wrote: And let's not forget their failed leader, our new commish.
Let's see:
In 2000 with TCU leaving Benson advocated adding La.Tech, Boise, NMSU, and USU to get to 12. Presidents voted to add Tech and Boise.
In 2003 with SMU, Tulsa, and Rice leaving, Benson advocated adding USU, NMSU, UNT, Louisiana and Arkansas State. Presidents voted to add NMSU and USU and wanted to add UNT.
In 2004 with UTEP leaving Benson wanted to add UNT, Louisiana, ASU, and MT, presidents voted to pursue UNT or Louisiana and had to settle for Idaho.
So the track record was of pushing to make the moves that would have kept the league alive and well while presidents disregarded the advice.
Remember that they had a great plan in place. Take BYU for everything but football, the problem with that plan was that while Utah State was willing to take a page from UNT in 2004 and decline to hold the league together, Nevada and Fresno had a different agenda. If Nevada and Fresno had followed the Louisiana model and said no when they were called as plan B, the MWC would be the league on life support and the WAC probably would have executed a full-blown merger. The flaw in that was that #1. Nevada wanted to be back with UNLV and didn't trust the others to decline. #2. Fresno didn't want to stay and remember back around 2001 or 02 they went public stating they wanted the WAC adopt minimum membership standards that were obviously designed to expel San Jose State. The net result was that the MWC of 2013 will look exactly like the 2013 WAC would have looked like except that Hawaii is football only and Idaho and NMSU are left out.