Interested to see where they would rank still seven I believe.
Their TV deal is influenced by filling a gap for late night games in most of the country.
I don't think they lose as much per member as some people think.
If say Boise brings three million a year to the TV deal.
They keep 1.8 million a year to themselves and MWC members get a hundred thousand each out of that three million.
The biggest problem I see is who they add a Texas school for sure.
So Rice, UTSA, Tex St, NT, UTEP to replace Boise.

They would still be the second option in the West filling those time slots.
Basketball would stay the same football less of a chance at a Access bowl spot. Currently if even meaning same record AAC member gets the spot. Northern Illinois and and WMU made it to BCS bowls so it can happen. The other eleven members might have a better chance . Without having to compete with a member who has advantages in revenue and exposure built in. If I am Fresno St I want an even playing field even revenue. Exposure is a little more tricky .

Go where the fans are. The rest will fall in place.

UTEP = the show in town. Put them in their natural home (MWC) and it's only a matter of time before they get going.

UTEP/NMSU

(01-20-2020 11:21 AM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  Go where the fans are. The rest will fall in place.

UTEP = the show in town. Put them in their natural home (MWC) and it's only a matter of time before they get going.

UTEP would be happy in the MWC. It’d restored THE conference rivalry in basketball. Those UTEP vs UNM games at The Don and The Pit were epic in the old WAC.

But as much as it pains me to type this, the MWC wouldn’t gain much in UTEP which has been battling UConn lately as the worst FBS program. Basketball is better but not by much.

But I agree with you on the fans. They’d rather see New Mexico, Colorado State, Air Force, Wyoming and Utah State plus the other division teams like Nevada and Fresno State every four years than what we have now on the schedule. Rice is our only long time rival in C-USA from the WAC-16 days and thus will be our 25th season together. But I doubt the average Rice fan sees us as a rival, their heart and brain are with their peers in the AAC with SMU, Tulane, Tulsa and Houston.

I think the MWC would probably sit at 11 if Boise left, 10 for Basketball. They might very well make another pitch to Gonzaga and BYU for Olympics, offering BYU Bowl tie-ins as part of the deal for a maybe 4 games a year (which BYU is already more or less playing). 12 in Basketball would be an upgrade, and they'd add two arena programs, one of them a perennial top 20 program.

UTEP might be a decent add if they dropped football. But they are not what they once were, so they would not help the MWC NET ratings. Gonzaga is far better value. As a mediocre program that is sometimes tourney level (this year they look it), BYU is a better value, especially building in some football games.

Boise however is not much of a flight risk, making this speculation moot. The American is the only place they could go and that would be for Football only. They'd have to buy their way into a Basketball conference and basically let their Olympics die (become as irrelevant as Long Beach State basketball and play in gyms before hundreds instead of thousands). Also the money as football only in the American is about 25% less than what they are getting now (this ignores the additional up front costs of exit and entry fees). Independence would eliminate their access to the NY6, and remove them from Bowl tie-ins. There just isn't much of case for either option.

Anyway bottom line only Gonzaga and/or BYU actually help the MWC -- and they do so with or without Boise State.

If Boise left I wonder if Hawaii isn't let go also. I would think New Mexico state would ask for a invite. I don't think Gonzaga would go to the MWC as it leaves money(March madness units) on the table. I don't think a Olympic sports invite makes Gonzaga that much more money. While they can recruit more states by playing there they lose on games in California. The WCC gives them games in LA, northern California and San Diego. They can also recruit Oregon and Washington. I don't think a game in Wyoming or Reno would help. It can recruit Vegas as the conference tournament is there.

Fun to speculate but the glorified Community College has no landing spots.

If the MW couldn’t get Hawaii to go Indy, then most likely it would be NMSU.
It does less damage raid CUSA and basically, BSU would take NMSU spot in the WAC if they choose to go their.

MWC would probably stay at 11 but if they had to add one it might make sense to go after UTEP, NMSU or one of the Texas triangle teams in CUSA or the Sun Belt.

Texas State might be the easiest Texas triangle team to pull as the others basically play each other every year in all sports.

UTEP however would have mutual history on their side.

Their present contract would be torn up, I bet.

MWC stay at 11 for FB, with Haw exception, MWC can play round robin div

(01-20-2020 07:28 PM)1845 Bear Wrote:  MWC would probably stay at 11 but if they had to add one it might make sense to go after UTEP, NMSU or one of the Texas triangle teams in CUSA or the Sun Belt.

Texas State might be the easiest Texas triangle team to pull as the others basically play each other every year in all sports.

UTEP however would have mutual history on their side.

Don't you think the MWC would have its pick of the CUSA litter under the new TV arrangement?

Rice I could see as a target with their Houston media market.

(01-20-2020 05:07 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  I think the MWC would probably sit at 11 if Boise left, 10 for Basketball. They might very well make another pitch to Gonzaga and BYU for Olympics, offering BYU Bowl tie-ins as part of the deal for a maybe 4 games a year (which BYU is already more or less playing). 12 in Basketball would be an upgrade, and they'd add two arena programs, one of them a perennial top 20 program.

UTEP might be a decent add if they dropped football. But they are not what they once were, so they would not help the MWC NET ratings. Gonzaga is far better value. As a mediocre program that is sometimes tourney level (this year they look it), BYU is a better value, especially building in some football games.

Boise however is not much of a flight risk, making this speculation moot. The American is the only place they could go and that would be for Football only. They'd have to buy their way into a Basketball conference and basically let their Olympics die (become as irrelevant as Long Beach State basketball and play in gyms before hundreds instead of thousands). Also the money as football only in the American is about 25% less than what they are getting now (this ignores the additional up front costs of exit and entry fees). Independence would eliminate their access to the NY6, and remove them from Bowl tie-ins. There just isn't much of case for either option.

Anyway bottom line only Gonzaga and/or BYU actually help the MWC -- and they do so with or without Boise State.

Boise returning to a perennial multibid conference in volleyball and baseball - 3 vb bids in 2019 and baseball produced four cws teams during the past decade - does not fit your definition of "basically letting their Olympics die." Boise had some success in olympic sports during their Big West stint; they were members from 1996-2001.

The MWC has regressed to a 1-2 bid league, which coincidentally started when San Jose State joined the conference. If SDSU wins the Mountain West Tournament that's a one bid league for the third time in five years. Not exactly lighting the world on fire, even with an undefeated team in it.

Boise could do much worse than returning to the Big West.

(01-20-2020 11:27 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(01-20-2020 07:28 PM)1845 Bear Wrote:  MWC would probably stay at 11 but if they had to add one it might make sense to go after UTEP, NMSU or one of the Texas triangle teams in CUSA or the Sun Belt.

Texas State might be the easiest Texas triangle team to pull as the others basically play each other every year in all sports.

UTEP however would have mutual history on their side.

Don't you think the MWC would have its pick of the CUSA litter under the new TV arrangement?

Rice I could see as a target with their Houston media market.

TV differential isn’t going to dwarf travel cost so it’s gotta have a bigger pull than just tv dollars.

Back when TCU joined it was because of BCS concerns that helped them justify the move. What’s the specific hook for Rice, UNT, or UTSA? How does it promote their brands better than status quo which features regional foes and a better fit for non-fb?

Also how much each of them draw in their respective markets is pretty minimal imo

(01-21-2020 12:01 AM)1845 Bear Wrote:  

(01-20-2020 11:27 PM)Kit-Cat Wrote:  

(01-20-2020 07:28 PM)1845 Bear Wrote:  MWC would probably stay at 11 but if they had to add one it might make sense to go after UTEP, NMSU or one of the Texas triangle teams in CUSA or the Sun Belt.

Texas State might be the easiest Texas triangle team to pull as the others basically play each other every year in all sports.

UTEP however would have mutual history on their side.

Don't you think the MWC would have its pick of the CUSA litter under the new TV arrangement?

Rice I could see as a target with their Houston media market.

TV differential isn’t going to dwarf travel cost so it’s gotta have a bigger pull than just tv dollars.

Back when TCU joined it was because of BCS concerns that helped them justify the move. What’s the specific hook for Rice, UNT, or UTSA? How does it promote their brands better than status quo which features regional foes and a better fit for non-fb?

Also how much each of them draw in their respective markets is pretty minimal imo

MWC is 3.5 million more plus it has better academics.

There is no question at this point because its not like the travel costs are that great in CUSA for anyone.

Still not sure why people think UTEP is a better choice than NMSU. Granted, I am a NMSU grad, but academically and athletically, NMSU is better.

(01-21-2020 08:51 AM)RobtheAggie Wrote:  Still not sure why people think UTEP is a better choice than NMSU. Granted, I am a NMSU grad, but academically and athletically, NMSU is better.

NMSU basketball is, by far, the best thing between the 2 schools. Outside of the Power 5, Big East, and mayyybee AAC, NMSU adds to every conference's basketball profile.

If MWC lost Boise they should sharply focus on basketball. Add NMSU, UTEP, and Rice. MWC sticks their finger in the eye of the AAC by getting into Houston with a great private school plus the other two schools are rich with basketball history. Getting NMSU out of the WAC would make a NMSU-less WAC wildly less relevant to any other schools thinking they can park their OLY sports there and go indy route (SDSU, AF, CSU, etc.)

It is my understanding based upon comments from Lobo fans that NM does not want NMSU in the same conference.

(01-21-2020 10:30 AM)Aztec Since 88 Wrote:  It is my understanding based upon comments from Lobo fans that NM does not want NMSU in the same conference.

I'm sure they don't. It's not like they don't schedule yearly games with them in every sport. They'd lose an automatic OOC game in every sport. But I think the two: UTEP and NMSU would have enough votes from everyone else.