(08-08-2019 11:38 PM)Lopes87 Wrote:  FCS WAC would cause NMSU to bail from the WAC to where?

If WAC sponsors FB doesn't that mean NMSU would have to have its FB play there as they are a full WAC member? Or can they remain FBS indy and keep Oly in the WAC if there was a WAC FCS conference?

To where they go to wouldn't really matter if staying FBS is their top priority.

(08-08-2019 11:38 PM)Lopes87 Wrote:  FCS WAC would cause NMSU to bail from the WAC to where?

I am not talking about WAC football, as the hurdle is way too great, but rather Summit football where they have five (5) members already. A deal between the WAC and the Summit allowing WAC members playing FCS football to be associate football members is very feasible. This is like the ASUN has with the Big South, so that D-II move ups North Alabama and Kennesaw State had a football home.

It would take at least 10 or 12 years for enough D-II football schools to plausibly move up and make a WAC FCS football league plausible sometime in the 2030s. But lacking a football path is clearly impeding the ability of the WAC to recruit D-II move ups. Azusa Pacific and Tarleton State are examples of schools whose athletic identity is strongly associated with football. Not having a path to an FCS conference makes the WAC less attractive, and so they remain in D-II.

(08-08-2019 10:00 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  There is clearly not an overwhelming demand by western D2 non-football schools to move up to DI. The conference needs to seriously consider FCS football and see if that can generate some interest.

Actually they are struggling to get decent home games, or even 4 of them, when 5 would be preferable. And those they get are very early season, even for Big Sky schools. They could use a conference to get a couple October and November home dates from a conference rather than paying some D-II school to visit (mind you APU has some history). Big Sky are dominating September schedule which is nice to play them, but October and November are not very attractive looking out.

2020:
09/12 - South Dakota Mines (D-II)
09/26 - Drake (Pioneer; non-scholarship ... basically D-III equivalent program)
10/24 - Azusa Pacific (D-II)

7 road games

2021:
09/04 - Sacramento State
09/11 - Weber State
10/23 - Azusa Pacific (D-II)
11/20 - Missouri State

6 road games (@ NMSU, @ 2 Big Sky in September, 3 other FCS)

2022:
11/05 - Sam Houston State

3 road games

2023:
09/09 - Montana
10/07 - North Alabama

5 road games

2024:
08/31 - Montana State
09/07 - Southern Utah
09/14 - Northern Arizona
09/21 - at UC Davis

I put all of 2024 up, as this is the best return year for Big Sky schools. But again it's all September.

Joining a conference like the Summit with only 5 or should another school join 6 games, is perfect for an 11 game schedule. They would still get their 3 or 4 Big Sky games in early, but the late season would be scheduled for them, and they'd still have room for a revenue FBS game and if they need a home game a D-II. But it would make life easier, and it would make October and November games, after playing the Big Sky schools, meaningful.

(08-09-2019 01:49 AM)SDHornet Wrote:  

(08-08-2019 11:38 PM)Lopes87 Wrote:  FCS WAC would cause NMSU to bail from the WAC to where?

If WAC sponsors FB doesn't that mean NMSU would have to have its FB play there as they are a full WAC member? Or can they remain FBS indy and keep Oly in the WAC if there was a WAC FCS conference?

To where they go to wouldn't really matter if staying FBS is their top priority.

No. NMSU would not be required to be forced into FCS football. The WAC would never for e NMSU to do that

(08-09-2019 08:39 AM)dancingNMSUaggie Wrote:  

(08-09-2019 01:49 AM)SDHornet Wrote:  

(08-08-2019 11:38 PM)Lopes87 Wrote:  FCS WAC would cause NMSU to bail from the WAC to where?

If WAC sponsors FB doesn't that mean NMSU would have to have its FB play there as they are a full WAC member? Or can they remain FBS indy and keep Oly in the WAC if there was a WAC FCS conference?

To where they go to wouldn't really matter if staying FBS is their top priority.

No. NMSU would not be required to be forced into FCS football. The WAC would never for e NMSU to do that

Augustana has yet to join a conference. This is also another football school.

(08-08-2019 03:10 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  being back down to 7 is a concern. But It's not like there are any more schools moving. The WCC, Big West, Big Sky and MWC have no interest in expanding; the Big Sky and MWC in fact would be indifferent to losing a school to another conference, feeling no need or want to back fill. Same is true of the SLC, who like the Big Sky and C-USA over expanded and prefer to lose a member or two than to add anyone.

I actually think the Summit losing PUFW may be a blessing in disguise for he WAC. By July 2022 they will need to resolve being short a Baseball school. One possibility is they could start football, given they have 5 members already who play football, and WAC schools that play FCS, such as Dixie State could be invited as associates to have a 6th. This could help the WAC if they go that direction, in a similar manner that he Big South helps the ASUN, by allowing the D-II move ups with football to have a home. Thus an Azusa Pacific or Tarleton State could move up to the WAC and have a home for Football. That greatly widens the pool of potential move ups, as a lack of FCS football home is a clear barrier to WAC move ups.

Note, while that would be a great situation for the WAC to have the Summit start football, it is far more likely the summit gets a waiver from the NCAA to kick the can down the road until 2024 or even later, or alternately they decide to offer an associate something like $100K in distributions to shift their affiliation (Northern Colorado baseball seems a logical target) or that same offer to one of their current members to start up baseball. But from a WAC standpoint I'd prefer to see them start FCS football.

I think GCU will start putting feelers out if the WAC falls to 7. Someone will take them if they offer a bribe. Everyone loves cash...

Here's another thought. What about Utah Valley and the Summit? They have baseball and men's soccer. Denver's kinda lonely out there too.

I don’t think cash will work for GCU. Liberty who has the same perception as GCU offered the Sun Belt boatloads of cash and the university presidents said no. Also, GCU is still. For profit school no matter what Supreme Leader Mueller is saying. Since they are technically a non profit Arizona State may schedule them but to actually be invited into a conference is far fetched. Other conferences would take NMSUs Olympic sports in a flash over GCU. NMSU football is the problem for NMSUs conference affiliation.

(08-10-2019 02:44 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  

(08-08-2019 03:10 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  being back down to 7 is a concern. But It's not like there are any more schools moving. The WCC, Big West, Big Sky and MWC have no interest in expanding; the Big Sky and MWC in fact would be indifferent to losing a school to another conference, feeling no need or want to back fill. Same is true of the SLC, who like the Big Sky and C-USA over expanded and prefer to lose a member or two than to add anyone.

I actually think the Summit losing PUFW may be a blessing in disguise for he WAC. By July 2022 they will need to resolve being short a Baseball school. One possibility is they could start football, given they have 5 members already who play football, and WAC schools that play FCS, such as Dixie State could be invited as associates to have a 6th. This could help the WAC if they go that direction, in a similar manner that he Big South helps the ASUN, by allowing the D-II move ups with football to have a home. Thus an Azusa Pacific or Tarleton State could move up to the WAC and have a home for Football. That greatly widens the pool of potential move ups, as a lack of FCS football home is a clear barrier to WAC move ups.

Note, while that would be a great situation for the WAC to have the Summit start football, it is far more likely the summit gets a waiver from the NCAA to kick the can down the road until 2024 or even later, or alternately they decide to offer an associate something like $100K in distributions to shift their affiliation (Northern Colorado baseball seems a logical target) or that same offer to one of their current members to start up baseball. But from a WAC standpoint I'd prefer to see them start FCS football.

I think GCU will start putting feelers out if the WAC falls to 7. Someone will take them if they offer a bribe. Everyone loves cash...

Here's another thought. What about Utah Valley and the Summit? They have baseball and men's soccer. Denver's kinda lonely out there too.

Here's another thought. What about Denver and the WAC? The WAC headquarters are in Denver. The WAC is a western conference. For men's soccer and men's basketball, the quality of play in the WAC is much better than the Summit. I could add baseball as well. Denver's basketball roster has no kids from the western part of the country, including Colorado. With last's season's record of 8-22 and an average home attendance of 1,255, they need to get out of the Summit League. It is killing their basketball program.

Denver has alumni chapters in LA, San Francisco, Phoenix and Chicago. California is their top state for out-of-state students. The west coast is where they need to be recruiting. Denver has a lot more in common with Seattle than any school in the Summit. Forbes has Denver rated #155 among best colleges in the country. Seattle is rated #208 among best colleges in the country. They are both private, they both have law schools. They are both in top 20 TV markets.

Seattle gets 21% of their students from California and has six players from California on the men's basketball roster. It is hard to recruit California and the west if you are playing basketball games in the Dakotas. There are 40 million people in California. The Dakota states have a combined 1.6 million people. So that is why UVU would never consider making that move, on top of the additional travel and the quality of competition.

GCU cannot buy their way into a conference. They have to be academically and athletically appealing to a conference. They are not quite there. There is a much better chance of them recruiting a school to the conference. The WAC is a good place for GCU.

(08-10-2019 07:22 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(08-10-2019 02:44 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  

(08-08-2019 03:10 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  being back down to 7 is a concern. But It's not like there are any more schools moving. The WCC, Big West, Big Sky and MWC have no interest in expanding; the Big Sky and MWC in fact would be indifferent to losing a school to another conference, feeling no need or want to back fill. Same is true of the SLC, who like the Big Sky and C-USA over expanded and prefer to lose a member or two than to add anyone.

I actually think the Summit losing PUFW may be a blessing in disguise for he WAC. By July 2022 they will need to resolve being short a Baseball school. One possibility is they could start football, given they have 5 members already who play football, and WAC schools that play FCS, such as Dixie State could be invited as associates to have a 6th. This could help the WAC if they go that direction, in a similar manner that he Big South helps the ASUN, by allowing the D-II move ups with football to have a home. Thus an Azusa Pacific or Tarleton State could move up to the WAC and have a home for Football. That greatly widens the pool of potential move ups, as a lack of FCS football home is a clear barrier to WAC move ups.

Note, while that would be a great situation for the WAC to have the Summit start football, it is far more likely the summit gets a waiver from the NCAA to kick the can down the road until 2024 or even later, or alternately they decide to offer an associate something like $100K in distributions to shift their affiliation (Northern Colorado baseball seems a logical target) or that same offer to one of their current members to start up baseball. But from a WAC standpoint I'd prefer to see them start FCS football.

I think GCU will start putting feelers out if the WAC falls to 7. Someone will take them if they offer a bribe. Everyone loves cash...

Here's another thought. What about Utah Valley and the Summit? They have baseball and men's soccer. Denver's kinda lonely out there too.

Here's another thought. What about Denver and the WAC? The WAC headquarters are in Denver. The WAC is a western conference. For men's soccer and men's basketball, the quality of play in the WAC is much better than the Summit. I could add baseball as well. Denver's basketball roster has no kids from the western part of the country, including Colorado. With last's season's record of 8-22 and an average home attendance of 1,255, they need to get out of the Summit League. It is killing their basketball program.

Denver has alumni chapters in LA, San Francisco, Phoenix and Chicago. California is their top state for out-of-state students. The west coast is where they need to be recruiting. Denver has a lot more in common with Seattle than any school in the Summit. Forbes has Denver rated #155 among best colleges in the country. Seattle is rated #208 among best colleges in the country. They are both private, they both have law schools. They are both in top 20 TV markets.

Seattle gets 21% of their students from California and has six players from California on the men's basketball roster. It is hard to recruit California and the west if you are playing basketball games in the Dakotas. There are 40 million people in California. The Dakota states have a combined 1.6 million people. So that is why UVU would never consider making that move, on top of the additional travel and the quality of competition.

GCU cannot buy their way into a conference. They have to be academically and athletically appealing to a conference. They are not quite there. There is a much better chance of them recruiting a school to the conference. The WAC is a good place for GCU.

Denver wants to remain conference rivals with North Dakota in all sports. Their hockey games are always sold out at higher prices and they both have eight national championships. Hockey is the biggest money maker at Denver and UND, and that rivalry will be protected and expanded. Omaha also is in the NCHC with Denver and UND. Denver will leave for the WCC or better but not for the WAC.

(08-10-2019 07:34 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(08-10-2019 07:22 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(08-10-2019 02:44 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  

(08-08-2019 03:10 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  being back down to 7 is a concern. But It's not like there are any more schools moving. The WCC, Big West, Big Sky and MWC have no interest in expanding; the Big Sky and MWC in fact would be indifferent to losing a school to another conference, feeling no need or want to back fill. Same is true of the SLC, who like the Big Sky and C-USA over expanded and prefer to lose a member or two than to add anyone.

I actually think the Summit losing PUFW may be a blessing in disguise for he WAC. By July 2022 they will need to resolve being short a Baseball school. One possibility is they could start football, given they have 5 members already who play football, and WAC schools that play FCS, such as Dixie State could be invited as associates to have a 6th. This could help the WAC if they go that direction, in a similar manner that he Big South helps the ASUN, by allowing the D-II move ups with football to have a home. Thus an Azusa Pacific or Tarleton State could move up to the WAC and have a home for Football. That greatly widens the pool of potential move ups, as a lack of FCS football home is a clear barrier to WAC move ups.

Note, while that would be a great situation for the WAC to have the Summit start football, it is far more likely the summit gets a waiver from the NCAA to kick the can down the road until 2024 or even later, or alternately they decide to offer an associate something like $100K in distributions to shift their affiliation (Northern Colorado baseball seems a logical target) or that same offer to one of their current members to start up baseball. But from a WAC standpoint I'd prefer to see them start FCS football.

I think GCU will start putting feelers out if the WAC falls to 7. Someone will take them if they offer a bribe. Everyone loves cash...

Here's another thought. What about Utah Valley and the Summit? They have baseball and men's soccer. Denver's kinda lonely out there too.

Here's another thought. What about Denver and the WAC? The WAC headquarters are in Denver. The WAC is a western conference. For men's soccer and men's basketball, the quality of play in the WAC is much better than the Summit. I could add baseball as well. Denver's basketball roster has no kids from the western part of the country, including Colorado. With last's season's record of 8-22 and an average home attendance of 1,255, they need to get out of the Summit League. It is killing their basketball program.

Denver has alumni chapters in LA, San Francisco, Phoenix and Chicago. California is their top state for out-of-state students. The west coast is where they need to be recruiting. Denver has a lot more in common with Seattle than any school in the Summit. Forbes has Denver rated #155 among best colleges in the country. Seattle is rated #208 among best colleges in the country. They are both private, they both have law schools. They are both in top 20 TV markets.

Seattle gets 21% of their students from California and has six players from California on the men's basketball roster. It is hard to recruit California and the west if you are playing basketball games in the Dakotas. There are 40 million people in California. The Dakota states have a combined 1.6 million people. So that is why UVU would never consider making that move, on top of the additional travel and the quality of competition.

GCU cannot buy their way into a conference. They have to be academically and athletically appealing to a conference. They are not quite there. There is a much better chance of them recruiting a school to the conference. The WAC is a good place for GCU.

Denver wants to remain conference rivals with North Dakota in all sports. Their hockey games are always sold out at higher prices and they both have eight national championships. Hockey is the biggest money maker at Denver and UND, and that rivalry will be protected and expanded. Omaha also is in the NCHC with Denver and UND. Denver will leave for the WCC or better but not for the WAC.

Their chances of getting into the WCC are slim. They are not getting there by playing in the Summit and they are not getting there by going 8-22 in basketball. Since hockey is not a Summit sport, they can continue their rivalry in hockey in the NCHC. Denver will have natural rivals in NMSU, Seattle and UVU. They will develop a rivalry with GCU because they are easy to dislike.

Denver and UVU are natural rivals? lol

(08-10-2019 08:57 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(08-10-2019 07:34 PM)NoDak Wrote:  

(08-10-2019 07:22 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(08-10-2019 02:44 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  

(08-08-2019 03:10 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  being back down to 7 is a concern. But It's not like there are any more schools moving. The WCC, Big West, Big Sky and MWC have no interest in expanding; the Big Sky and MWC in fact would be indifferent to losing a school to another conference, feeling no need or want to back fill. Same is true of the SLC, who like the Big Sky and C-USA over expanded and prefer to lose a member or two than to add anyone.

I actually think the Summit losing PUFW may be a blessing in disguise for he WAC. By July 2022 they will need to resolve being short a Baseball school. One possibility is they could start football, given they have 5 members already who play football, and WAC schools that play FCS, such as Dixie State could be invited as associates to have a 6th. This could help the WAC if they go that direction, in a similar manner that he Big South helps the ASUN, by allowing the D-II move ups with football to have a home. Thus an Azusa Pacific or Tarleton State could move up to the WAC and have a home for Football. That greatly widens the pool of potential move ups, as a lack of FCS football home is a clear barrier to WAC move ups.

Note, while that would be a great situation for the WAC to have the Summit start football, it is far more likely the summit gets a waiver from the NCAA to kick the can down the road until 2024 or even later, or alternately they decide to offer an associate something like $100K in distributions to shift their affiliation (Northern Colorado baseball seems a logical target) or that same offer to one of their current members to start up baseball. But from a WAC standpoint I'd prefer to see them start FCS football.

I think GCU will start putting feelers out if the WAC falls to 7. Someone will take them if they offer a bribe. Everyone loves cash...

Here's another thought. What about Utah Valley and the Summit? They have baseball and men's soccer. Denver's kinda lonely out there too.

Here's another thought. What about Denver and the WAC? The WAC headquarters are in Denver. The WAC is a western conference. For men's soccer and men's basketball, the quality of play in the WAC is much better than the Summit. I could add baseball as well. Denver's basketball roster has no kids from the western part of the country, including Colorado. With last's season's record of 8-22 and an average home attendance of 1,255, they need to get out of the Summit League. It is killing their basketball program.

Denver has alumni chapters in LA, San Francisco, Phoenix and Chicago. California is their top state for out-of-state students. The west coast is where they need to be recruiting. Denver has a lot more in common with Seattle than any school in the Summit. Forbes has Denver rated #155 among best colleges in the country. Seattle is rated #208 among best colleges in the country. They are both private, they both have law schools. They are both in top 20 TV markets.

Seattle gets 21% of their students from California and has six players from California on the men's basketball roster. It is hard to recruit California and the west if you are playing basketball games in the Dakotas. There are 40 million people in California. The Dakota states have a combined 1.6 million people. So that is why UVU would never consider making that move, on top of the additional travel and the quality of competition.

GCU cannot buy their way into a conference. They have to be academically and athletically appealing to a conference. They are not quite there. There is a much better chance of them recruiting a school to the conference. The WAC is a good place for GCU.

Denver wants to remain conference rivals with North Dakota in all sports. Their hockey games are always sold out at higher prices and they both have eight national championships. Hockey is the biggest money maker at Denver and UND, and that rivalry will be protected and expanded. Omaha also is in the NCHC with Denver and UND. Denver will leave for the WCC or better but not for the WAC.

Their chances of getting into the WCC are slim. They are not getting there by playing in the Summit and they are not getting there by going 8-22 in basketball. Since hockey is not a Summit sport, they can continue their rivalry in hockey in the NCHC. Denver will have natural rivals in NMSU, Seattle and UVU. They will develop a rivalry with GCU because they are easy to dislike.

If Gonzaga or BYU leave the WCC, Denver, Seattle or GCU could be replacements. Denver needs a winning mbb program, but they have paid for coaches but nothing has worked. Denver takes all its programs seriously.

????? Denver left the WAC because schools like Cal State Bakersfield, Utah Valley, and Grand Canyon didn't meet their academic standards as a conference peer. I doubt that attitude has changed since they left the WAC and joined the Summit.

(08-10-2019 10:04 PM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  ????? Denver left the WAC because schools like Cal State Bakersfield, Utah Valley, and Grand Canyon didn't meet their academic standards as a conference peer. I doubt that attitude has changed since they left the WAC and joined the Summit.

So does every school meet their academic standard in the Summit? The rumor was they had a problem with GCU and their for-profit status. That was seven years ago with a different AD. GCU is not-for-profit. There are three private schools in the conference. Denver would make four. They should feel comfortable in the WAC.

(08-11-2019 12:20 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(08-10-2019 10:04 PM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  ????? Denver left the WAC because schools like Cal State Bakersfield, Utah Valley, and Grand Canyon didn't meet their academic standards as a conference peer. I doubt that attitude has changed since they left the WAC and joined the Summit.

So does every school meet their academic standard in the Summit? The rumor was they had a problem with GCU and their for-profit status. That was seven years ago with a different AD. GCU is not-for-profit. There are three private schools in the conference. Denver would make four. They should feel comfortable in the WAC.

Utah Valley and Cal State Bakersfield were also under scrutiny by Denver because both were not too removed from community college status when they joined the WAC. Less than 20 years ago, Utah Valley was a junior college.

DU needs to get over itself.. I’ve been to many DU games and no one in the city cares about them.. I’m probably one of their biggest fans by default! They get big attendance boosts when any of the Dakota schools play here, especially SDSU. They bring around 500 which is pretty much half the crowd. DU b-ball is to the summit what SJSU is to the Mwc

Aren't DU's main sports hockey and skiing? Don't they also have a athletic department that mirror an northeast school? Anyways I think Denver to the WAC would be smart for DU and the WAC but I'm not sure that it will happen.

(08-11-2019 01:47 AM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  

(08-11-2019 12:20 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(08-10-2019 10:04 PM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  ????? Denver left the WAC because schools like Cal State Bakersfield, Utah Valley, and Grand Canyon didn't meet their academic standards as a conference peer. I doubt that attitude has changed since they left the WAC and joined the Summit.

So does every school meet their academic standard in the Summit? The rumor was they had a problem with GCU and their for-profit status. That was seven years ago with a different AD. GCU is not-for-profit. There are three private schools in the conference. Denver would make four. They should feel comfortable in the WAC.

Utah Valley and Cal State Bakersfield were also under scrutiny by Denver because both were not too removed from community college status when they joined the WAC. Less than 20 years ago, Utah Valley was a junior college.

UMKC and Cal State Bakersfield exit the WAC in 2020. Dixie State enters. That won't entice Denver to return. Not with GCU and Chicago State both still around.

Two reasonable conferences meets Denver's academic standards - the WCC and Big West. Unfortunately for the Pios the former added Pacific over them, and the latter asked Denver for the moon.

(08-11-2019 01:47 AM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  

(08-11-2019 12:20 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(08-10-2019 10:04 PM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  ????? Denver left the WAC because schools like Cal State Bakersfield, Utah Valley, and Grand Canyon didn't meet their academic standards as a conference peer. I doubt that attitude has changed since they left the WAC and joined the Summit.

So does every school meet their academic standard in the Summit? The rumor was they had a problem with GCU and their for-profit status. That was seven years ago with a different AD. GCU is not-for-profit. There are three private schools in the conference. Denver would make four. They should feel comfortable in the WAC.

Utah Valley and Cal State Bakersfield were also under scrutiny by Denver because both were not too removed from community college status when they joined the WAC. Less than 20 years ago, Utah Valley was a junior college.

I don't buy that. CSUB became part of the California State system in 1982. UVU has been a four year college since 1993. They have the largest student enrollment of any university in Utah at about 40,000 students. in 2016, UVU was ranked #634 out of 660 schools in the Forbes best colleges list. Denver has played UVU in men's basketball three times since leaving the WAC and twice in men's soccer.

The WAC is not the WCC. The WAC is a work-in-progress. Five years from now it may look different. If you are Denver, you are going nowhere in the Summit for men's basketball. If the WCC were to look at expansion down the road, western schools like GCU, CBU and Seattle are well positioned. These schools are playing in the west, recruiting in the west and all play baseball. Denver is a top 20 TV market, but the other three are in larger TV markets.

Denver needs to be good in basketball to get into the WCC. They are not getting in because they are great academically. Denver has excellent ice hockey, lacrosse and ski teams, but that means nothing to the WCC. They need to be good in basketball and joining a western conference like the WAC would be a smart move for them at this time. They need to put themselves in a position for a WCC bid if an opening or expansion comes up. In the meantime, they join three other western private schools, NMSU and UVU in what has turned out to be a solid basketball conference.

(08-11-2019 11:22 AM)Lopes87 Wrote:  Aren't DU's main sports hockey and skiing? Don't they also have a athletic department that mirror an northeast school? Anyways I think Denver to the WAC would be smart for DU and the WAC but I'm not sure that it will happen.

Denver’s main sports are:

1, Hockey
2. Men’s lacrosse - they have won a natty in the Big East, have played to large crowds at Mile High
3. Probably men’s soccer
4. Men’s basketball just because it brings in some revenue
5. Women’s gymnastics, which attracts large crowds, and Big 12 affiliate
5, Women’s volleyball which has been rather good

Their sports tend all to be good except men’s basketball, which doesn’t have an NCAA bid to my knowledge

(08-11-2019 04:13 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(08-11-2019 01:47 AM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  

(08-11-2019 12:20 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(08-10-2019 10:04 PM)NMSUPistolPete Wrote:  ????? Denver left the WAC because schools like Cal State Bakersfield, Utah Valley, and Grand Canyon didn't meet their academic standards as a conference peer. I doubt that attitude has changed since they left the WAC and joined the Summit.

So does every school meet their academic standard in the Summit? The rumor was they had a problem with GCU and their for-profit status. That was seven years ago with a different AD. GCU is not-for-profit. There are three private schools in the conference. Denver would make four. They should feel comfortable in the WAC.

Utah Valley and Cal State Bakersfield were also under scrutiny by Denver because both were not too removed from community college status when they joined the WAC. Less than 20 years ago, Utah Valley was a junior college.

I don't buy that. CSUB became part of the California State system in 1982. UVU has been a four year college since 1993. They have the largest student enrollment of any university in Utah at about 40,000 students. in 2016, UVU was ranked #634 out of 660 schools in the Forbes best colleges list. Denver has played UVU in men's basketball three times since leaving the WAC and twice in men's soccer.

The WAC is not the WCC. The WAC is a work-in-progress. Five years from now it may look different. If you are Denver, you are going nowhere in the Summit for men's basketball. If the WCC were to look at expansion down the road, western schools like GCU, CBU and Seattle are well positioned. These schools are playing in the west, recruiting in the west and all play baseball. Denver is a top 20 TV market, but the other three are in larger TV markets.

Denver needs to be good in basketball to get into the WCC. They are not getting in because they are great academically. Denver has excellent ice hockey, lacrosse and ski teams, but that means nothing to the WCC. They need to be good in basketball and joining a western conference like the WAC would be a smart move for them at this time. They need to put themselves in a position for a WCC bid if an opening or expansion comes up. In the meantime, they join three other western private schools, NMSU and UVU in what has turned out to be a solid basketball conference.

I agree on all counts. Denver’s only realistic hope to someday land a WCC membership is to improve men’s basketball and they would be far more likely to do that playing and recruiting in the far west than in the Dakotas. Membership in a smaller (post-Chicago State), western-focused and metro-focused WAC would benefit them.

Unfortunately ego plays a huge role in conference realignment and I find it hard to imagine Denver’s administration supporting a return to the WAC so long as there are conference members that Denver views as being “beneath” them.