With North Dakota leaving the conference, the Big Sky is having "no conversations" about potentially adding a 12th OLY member (who almost certainly would be a WAC school). This also applies to NMSU football, apparently as well.

They could probably afford to drop one or two more members.

Mazzolini includes "NMSU media dude was even on the line asking about it." ... I think that is probably Jason Groves of LCSN.

I remember reading a number of months ago (almost a year) that NMSU had talked with the BSC, but tabled it. They focused a bit more on the Horizon because Basketball was interested getting better Great Lakes access for recruiting (the teams is heavily Canadian and Upper Midwest) since they felt they could compete for recruits there better than in Texas or California, and the Canadian zone was no longer virgin territory and higher profile programs were competing with them, so they expect it to dry up. Carruthers even send out an email to faculty to weigh in on the Big Sky and the Horizon. But all these were more along the lines of exploration than action. Football is the driver, and you really don't want to shift conferences, pay out a bunch of fees and sacrifice a year or two of conference distributions only to have make another sideways move because that is where football is going. Any conference signing them is bound to ask for a five year commitment with penalties for exiting early. For better or worse NMSU is likely to ride the WAC for the next three to five years to see what happens with Football.

As for the Big Sky, I think members have had it with chasing numbers. Idaho they like, but the additions of SUU and UND, for different reasons, left a sour taste. And to see that nice 14/12 model go up in smoke with UND leaving, has sort of told everyone chasing a number is pointless. Besides Portland State Football is not secure long term. Further the revenue is not bigger, if anything with the NCAA distributions flat for conferences, be they with 8 or 18 members, there is no incentive to add anyone (more mouths fewer dollars). And the media revenue Fullerton talked up is pretty much zilch. So the attitude is almost certainly, forget it, it if's not somebody we all love (e.g. Idaho), we are better off with nobody. Let the intern in the conference office figure out odd number scheduling - they have computer programs that do that stuff.

The Big Sky should use this as a chance to regionalize and slim down by one more member...
Any of the four most southeren members could be good for the WAC and good to reduce the redicioulus Big Sky travel...
The Sky should probably take Seattle and get rid of two Southeren members too the WAC and let them be football only like UCDavis and Poly...

Why would NMSU want to join the Big Sky? WAC is better for them currently as a FBS school.

For NMSU, travel in the WAC is probably better than in the Big Sky. I agree with Stugray, NMSU will probably stay in the WAC for several more years.

The Big Sky is a joke. I think most Aggie fans would rather be in the WAC any day than the Big Sky. Also, FCS football is a joke. I would rather have no football than FCS football.

(01-27-2017 09:29 PM)00yyz Wrote:  The Big Sky should use this as a chance to regionalize and slim down by one more member...
Any of the four most southeren members could be good for the WAC and good to reduce the redicioulus Big Sky travel...
The Sky should probably take Seattle and get rid of two Southeren members too the WAC and let them be football only like UCDavis and Poly...

I'd love to see this too. Take Seattle U and give the wAC NAU and SUU or Sac St.

They are probably thinking or hoping Northern Colorado would go somewhere else. That will give the Big Sky 12/10 lineup.

(01-28-2017 11:27 AM)dancingNMSUaggie Wrote:  The Big Sky is a joke. I think most Aggie fans would rather be in the WAC any day than the Big Sky. Also, FCS football is a joke. I would rather have no football than FCS football.

you may get your wish within five years dancing

Don't see why the Sky would need to stress about a 12th member at this time. There's still a chance a current member could drop football, and probably get kicked out, or a football playing school becomes interested or available (not just NMSU). Compared to the WAC, the Sky is in a position where they can be a little choosy, and even woo a member away under the right circumstances. In my opinion, I think the Sky would be wise to sit tight and see what happens. I don't want to get off an a crazy tangent, but the P5/G5 thing also needs to play itself out, and depending on the outcome, the Sky could find itself in a completely different situation.

^^^ Correct - no need to grab a school right now.

Waiting out the changes to follow is the best move.

The Big Sky losing Northern Colorado might be a case where the Big Sky comes out ahead.

Time would be running out, but I guess there is also the faint possibility of Idaho reneging on the Big Sky and remaining a FBS program.