MWC Mulls Expansion
http://kutv.com/davidjames/local_story_209021524.html
Not news, but semi-believable media attention towards a much-discussed topic. Fresno State, Boise State, Nevada, and UTEP are listed as the Top 4 targets.
[i][b]"So who will the MWC invite in as the tenth school? I think
Fresno State could be in the MWC by the
2008-09 school year. I think they will definitely be in the MWC when the next TV contract begins in
2013-14. If the MWC is offered a humongous pile of cash for a conference title game or if they ever lose a team or two in Pac-10 expansion (I
You know I think the MWC just waits until the WAC starts to settle down about expansion to say they are thinking about expanding again.
Aight MWC here goes all the expansion talk you need...if you want to keep TCU you better take UTEP.
What's funny is how the MWC fans think that any school that's not in a BCS conference would jump at the chance to be in their conference. I don't even know if UTEP would go to the MWC...they are in the perfect Texas conference as it is. As far as Boise or Fresno, who knows. Either would obviously be a great addition, but neither one is in dire need of a change. They are in a VERY competitive western conference (and we're not just talking about one sport MWC). They are lucky that Benson doesn't seem to have that Banowsky killer instinct because MWC is one or two teams away from being the MAC-west.
Juice752 Wrote:If you want to keep TCU you better take UTEP.
Why? TCU already left the WAC for a better conference, then left C-USA for a better conference than that. Where could the Horned Frogs possibly go next?
johnnylightnin Wrote:What's funny is how the MWC fans think that any school that's not in a BCS conference would jump at the chance to be in their conference. I don't even know if UTEP would go to the MWC...they are in the perfect Texas conference as it is. As far as Boise or Fresno, who knows. Either would obviously be a great addition, but neither one is in dire need of a change. They are in a VERY competitive western conference (and we're not just talking about one sport MWC). They are lucky that Benson doesn't seem to have that Banowsky killer instinct because MWC is one or two teams away from being the MAC-west.
UTEP is in a great conference for them. They may want to stay in CUSA-West. They make less money, get less respect, and face worse football and basketball than they would in the MWC, but they fit in decently well regionally and actually have a chance to win in that conference. Plus I don't think that they mind road trips to North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, or West Virginia all that much. And the Big east expanding won't dilute the competition in C-USA too much really.
And why would Boise State or Fresno want to join the MWC when they could stay in a conference which has at least 4 schools that could drop from I-A football and no possible replacements? Why would the Broncos want to join a more competitive conference when they've gone 31-1 in the WAC over the last 4 years? Why would Fresno State want to jump ship when they can finish 3rd in the WAC every year and still be world famous? Why would either school want to make more money playing in a more regional conference (no Hawaii or Louisiana Tech) that has better football and basketball?
I mean, the MWC is just lucky that Benson doesn't drop the whole WAC down to I-AA, or take them all independent. That would really mess up our scheduling.
The WAC is just two teams away from being non-existant (7 teams ain't a conference boys). I guess that is funny. 
If you think the MWC is a better basketball conference, then you're too ignorant to argue with.
League Presidents do. And I can assure you, from discussions that I know our president has had with several MWC presidents, there are no plans for expansion for quite some time. Craig Thompson is simply trying to create media interest in a uninteresting conference by even bringing the topic up. It sells papers, and gets the fans talking on the internet. But it doesnt change anything. The 9 schools of the MWC do not want to split up the pot with anybody else. It's why they bolted in the first place. And if the rules have now been relaxed so one of your powerhouses can get into a BCS Bowl by simply finishing in the top 12 nationally, why expand and split up the money any further?
eldermars Wrote: UTEP is in a great conference for them. They may want to stay in CUSA-West. They make less money, get less respect, and face worse football and basketball than they would in the MWC, but they fit in decently well regionally and actually have a chance to win in that conference.
You don't think a former PAC-10 coach of the year coach of the year couldn't take UTEP to the MWC and whip the pants off over 2/3rd of the conference in no time?
Mike Price is no dummy, and while none of the MWC coaches are slouches, his resume alone is bigger than all the MWC coaches combined. Pair of PAC-10 titles, two Rose Bowl appearances. Counting up the number of BCS head coaching appearances by the current set of MWC coaches, I count zero. Sorry kids, Kyle Whittingham being a co-coach doesn't count when Pope Urban is still standing on the sidelines.
mattsarz Wrote:eldermars Wrote: UTEP is in a great conference for them. They may want to stay in CUSA-West. They make less money, get less respect, and face worse football and basketball than they would in the MWC, but they fit in decently well regionally and actually have a chance to win in that conference.
You don't think a former PAC-10 coach of the year coach of the year couldn't take UTEP to the MWC and whip the pants off over 2/3rd of the conference in no time?
Mike Price is no dummy, and while none of the MWC coaches are slouches, his resume alone is bigger than all the MWC coaches combined. Pair of PAC-10 titles, two Rose Bowl appearances. Counting up the number of BCS head coaching appearances by the current set of MWC coaches, I count zero. Sorry kids, Kyle Whittingham being a co-coach doesn't count when Pope Urban is still standing on the sidelines.
The MWC gets up and coming coaches. The Wac gets down and falling coaches. Yes Price has experience with big programs, he also has a reputation that won't allow any other program in the country to hire him.
Now there's a generalization. The current crop of WAC coaches are retreads plus Brent Guy at USU and Chris Petersen at Boise, but Utah, UNLV, SDSU, CSU, etc have all or are still with the oldies.
The better generalization might be that the truly struggling. bottom teams in the WAC went with high profile, twilight of their career coaches to spark interest, etc.
Mike Price is a good coach, but couldn't make UTEP a champ in the WAC. 3rd was as good as they could do and they'd be darn lucky to end up 3rd in the MWC or WAC this year. Let's see how they do in a watered down CUSA.
The MWC gets up and coming coaches. The Wac gets down and falling coaches. Yes Price has experience with big programs, he also has a reputation that won't allow any other program in the country to hire him.[/quote]
Roughrider Wrote:Mike Price is a good coach, but couldn't make UTEP a champ in the WAC. 3rd was as good as they could do and they'd be darn lucky to end up 3rd in the MWC or WAC this year. Let's see how they do in a watered down CUSA.
Faulty comparison since UTEP with Price was in the WAC for exactly one year. He only had one shot to go from worst to first.
Quote:but Utah, UNLV, SDSU, CSU, etc have all or are still with the oldies.
Throughouly confused by that portion of the statement since three of the four you named hired coaches in the past two seasons. You do know your conference right?
Mike Sanford - Starting 2nd year at UNLV
Chuck Long - Starting 1st year at SDSU
Kyle Whittingham - Starting 2nd year at Utah
I'll give you that a couple WAC programs did go with retreads (SJSU, Idaho, NM St.). Erickson at least had direct ties back to Idaho.
And when did Pat Hill become a retread?
mattsarz Wrote:Roughrider Wrote:Mike Price is a good coach, but couldn't make UTEP a champ in the WAC. 3rd was as good as they could do and they'd be darn lucky to end up 3rd in the MWC or WAC this year. Let's see how they do in a watered down CUSA.
Faulty comparison since UTEP with Price was in the WAC for exactly one year. He only had one shot to go from worst to first.
Quote:but Utah, UNLV, SDSU, CSU, etc have all or are still with the oldies.
Throughouly confused by that portion of the statement since three of the four you named hired coaches in the past two seasons. You do know your conference right?
Mike Sanford - Starting 2nd year at UNLV
Chuck Long - Starting 1st year at SDSU
Kyle Whittingham - Starting 2nd year at Utah
I'll give you that a couple WAC programs did go with retreads (SJSU, Idaho, NM St.). Erickson at least had direct ties back to Idaho.
And when did Pat Hill become a retread?
Brent Guy and Chris Peterson have no where to go but up, IMO. Jack Bicknell is young and is not slouch at La Tech. June Jones and Pat Hill are two coaches that are VERY well respected. Chris Ault is a hall-of-famer and is well deserving of that. He also coached a 9-3 Nevada team last year, which was better than any MWC team, except TCU.
The one thing that the WAC can say is the coaches as a whole are about the best in the non-BCS. Facilities and fan support may be lacking but the coaching is top notch.
I doubted Price but I will have to eat crow on that one. He has turned crap into gold.
mattsarz Wrote:Roughrider Wrote:but Utah, UNLV, SDSU, CSU, etc have all or are still with the oldies.
Throughouly confused by that portion of the statement since three of the four you named hired coaches in the past two seasons. You do know your conference right?
Mike Sanford - Starting 2nd year at UNLV
Chuck Long - Starting 1st year at SDSU
Kyle Whittingham - Starting 2nd year at Utah
I'll give you that a couple WAC programs did go with retreads (SJSU, Idaho, NM St.). Erickson at least had direct ties back to Idaho.
And when did Pat Hill become a retread?
He said that they have had them in the past. John Robinson at UNLV was a prime example of this. He is also talking about the fact that Sonny Lubick, Ted Tollner, and Ron McBride were all older coaches when they were at their jobs.
Lastly USU has hopefully hired an up and coming coach, but we really won't know for a few years if he is.
It's all about fit.
Personally, I prefer the WAC and I would rather see SJSU, NMSU, Idaho, and USU improve to bring the bottom of the WAC up...that's where we're lacking. It's really sort of funny that the MWC can point to the worst teams in each league and say "our sucky teams suck less than your sucky teams". That's really the difference.
Here's why I prefer the WAC: Location - Besides UNLV, Nevada doesn't have any history with MWC teams. There has been the series with CSU (and we're due for a win....CSU caught us at the start of our freefall and will get theirs!) and a game here or there with Wyoming, SDSU, or BYU, but the history with FSU, Hawaii (Nevada was the first team from the mainland to play Hawaii) is pretty good and developing further in the WAC. BSU and Idaho were great rivalries in the Big Sky and beyond and USU and NMSU, USU, SJSU and La Tech from the Big West. I like the teams in the WAC, if the bottom teams can improve, the WAC will be every bit as good as the MWC.
Slapdad Wrote:It's all about fit.
Personally, I prefer the WAC and I would rather see SJSU, NMSU, Idaho, and USU improve to bring the bottom of the WAC up...that's where we're lacking. It's really sort of funny that the MWC can point to the worst teams in each league and say "our sucky teams suck less than your sucky teams". That's really the difference.
There are a couple more differences. We've finished in the top 10 two years in a row. 82 million is different than 6 million. Having our own t.v. network is different. That BCS appearance isn't quite the same. None of our teams would leave the MWC to join the Wac. Our records against BCS opponents is much better. Attendance in the MWC is slightly different. The size of our budgets is just a bit different.....
I could go on, but I think I made my point.
Cowboy Junky Wrote:There are a couple more differences. We've finished in the top 10 two years in a row. 82 million is different than 6 million. Having our own t.v. network is different. That BCS appearance isn't quite the same. None of our teams would leave the MWC to join the Wac. Our records against BCS opponents is much better. Attendance in the MWC is slightly different. The size of our budgets is just a bit different.....
I could go on, but I think I made my point.
That's really like saying that Laramie is the Mecca of the west. Exaggerating the truth, once again, is CJ.
johnnylightnin Wrote:If you think the MWC is a better basketball conference, then you're too ignorant to argue with.
Yes. Because the MWC being ranked as a higher basketball conference is completely irrelevant. 
I guess just anyone can post on your board, eh WACies?
True Aggie Wrote:I can assure you, from discussions that I know our president has had with several MWC presidents, there are no plans for expansion for quite some time. Craig Thompson is simply trying to create media interest in a uninteresting conference by even bringing the topic up.
Uninteresting conferences get $6MM TV contracts and Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday game times. Interesting ones get $82MM and their own conference network.
ejmpalle Wrote:Chris Ault is a hall-of-famer and is well deserving of that. He also coached a 9-3 Nevada team last year, which was better than any MWC team, except TCU.
Was Nevada better than Colorado State too? Wait, didn't they play each other? What was the final score of that game?
I like Nevada, but they weren't better than TCU, BYU, Utah, or CSU last year (about 5th in the MWC material). We'll see how Nevada-Colorado State turns out this time around (probably much better for the Pack).
donkeyrider Wrote:The one thing that the WAC can say is the coaches as a whole are about the best in the non-BCS. Facilities and fan support may be lacking but the coaching is top notch.
How can you tell? You have a new coach at Boise State this year, King of WAC Schools. Last year, Hawkins lost a game by about 40 points. Hill went 0-2 vs the BCS and lost to Tulsa. WAC-winning Ault got killed by a mediocre MWC team. June Jones couldn't coach his team to bowl eligibility. Louisiana Tech lost to Florida like 52-0. SJSU, Idaho, and Utah State weren't bowl eligible combined, and famous Hal Mumme at NMSU couldn't coach himself into a single win!
So perhaps what you meant to say was that the WAC has the most overhyped non-BCS coaches, but certainly not the "best".