RE: WAC be gone
I would love to see Idaho enter the MWC. But let's be very real here ... Idaho has nothing to offer the MWC. A trip to Moscow isn't a recruiting plus (I'm not saying that Laramie is - though I lived there for three years and enjoyed it), but Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, Honolulu, Las Vegas and some of the other MWC venues might qualify. Idaho is remote and visiting teams don't stay in Couer d'Alene at the resort.
Idaho is a good academic institution ... much better than Boise State (too bad we don't have their football team!) ... but it doesn't match, say, Colorado State in terms of academic performance.
UI athletic venues are marginal, despite the renovation of the Kibbie Dome ... much nicer, but very small. Speaking as someone who has been to football games at Colorado State, Colorado, Air Force, Wyoming, San Diego, Arizona, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri and a few other sites it is my opinion that a capacity crowd of 16,000 at the Kibbie Dome simply doesn't match up with 30,000 to 60,000 or more elsewhere.
There are many at Idaho who would welcome a return to the Big Sky where we would be competitive. On the other hand ... IF the WAC survives ... and I think that is a very big IF ... then UI should be competitive in the "new" conference. That said ... I just have to say that I am not and cannot foresee being exited to watch San Jose State, New Mexico State (exept in basketball), Louisiana Tech (which I expect to bolt the conference at first opportunity), Utah State (ditto), Texas State (the proud alma mater of President LBJ), UT-San Antonio and SOMEONE / ANYONE ELSE. Now Denver University ... that is a different matter ... bring on those championship hockey and ski teams!!!
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