(06-08-2021 12:28 AM)BePcr07 Wrote:  I’m not sure the story is as much “AAC shuts door on Boise” as it is “Boise decides moves to AAC not viable.” Boise couldn’t find a Western home for non-football sports so the move wasn’t possible, the article says. I find it a little hard to believe the WAC would be uninterested so I assume that was more Boise being uninterested in the WAC.

Either way, it’s the right decision. The AAC doesn’t have a guaranteed future with its current alignment and it really is too far. Long term, the MWC is a solid home. 25 years ago Boise was transitioning into FBS and has since won 3 BCS/NY6 bowls, had multiple perfect seasons, peaked at #2 in the AP poll, and received countless hours of television coverage. Not bad for a school that was semi-recently a junior college.

I think Boise State meant an acceptable home. I think their Big West interest has to do with California recruiting, but it has to be balanced against horrible basketball. The WCC was the real target, as that would be almost a sideways move, but they were not considered compatible by the WCC, who politely told them "CoVid-19 put things on hold" rather than directly blow them off. They then, countered by asking the AAC if they could join in all sports, that they were willing to accept the travel (the AAC meets the "acceptable" criteria), but the AAC decided they couldn't do that.

Boise State leaves out the word "acceptable" as they are not wanting to offend anyone, not be taken by the WAC or Big Sky as those conferences not being acceptable, as they didn't even approach them.

BTW, I talked with a few different Big Sky school associated folks, and they told me the conference would jump at Boise State even as an associate in some obscure sport. It would be a huge thing for most of the schools. Something to keep in mind come 2025, should the AAC and Boise State get hot again; that pretty much any sport the AAC, as a condition for full invite, asks Boise State to leave behind, would have a home waiting in the Big Sky (e.g., women's soccer or volleyball).

The AAC stretched the truth a little too, as we know from the emails the talks went on into the fall. "Pre-Covid" seems to entail a lot of time period where Covid was everywhere, but that is what the AAC says.