(01-01-2021 03:00 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(12-31-2020 03:29 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  In my opinion, the league is perfectly positioned for a growth spurt. What do they gain? Greater notoriety in their own sphere, but adding a few more stalwart programs could really give them some attention back East beyond just everyone tuning in for Gonzaga. Boise State basketball has been getting better and they're a recognizable brand. San Diego State would be in the same category...assuming there's a way to get them into the AAC as well for a football deal. What if Seattle could be talked into going back?

The WCC is in a position to become a more recognizable force in basketball.

Boise State is a football brand, not a basketball brand. Boise State brings nothing to the WCC. In November of 2018, they lost at home to Idaho State in basketball, 72-70. They paid Idaho State $90,000 to drive down to Boise and take their money and a win. Four days earlier, Idaho State lost at Gonzaga, 120-79.

Gonzaga has not played Boise State in basketball in 20 years. They do not have much in common. Gonzaga is private and has a better academic reputation. Gonzaga does not play football. Boise State does not have a men’s soccer or baseball team, a couple of important sports in an Olympic sports league.

Boise State has lost at least one game to each conference in the west over the past two seasons. Gonzaga is great in basketball. Boise State is okay. There are much better candidates in the west than Boise State if the WCC is interested in expansion.

Truthfully, there are very few genuine basketball brands. Many of them are in power leagues and even then tend to be recognized more for their football product. Such is the nature of the sport. There is a reason it is a distant 2nd when it comes to generating revenue on the whole.

Point being, the majority of WCC programs are not household names. For college sports fans, Boise State is a recognizable name and as long as they are committed to being competitive then that will bring TV viewers. They don't have to be as good as Gonzaga, few are. They just have to be worth watching late at night during basketball season. Their football notoriety makes it more likely the casual viewer will tune in when compared with schools like San Francisco or Pacific or the like.

For the second bolded statement, I would wholeheartedly disagree. There aren't a ton of decent D1 schools in the West as it is and very few that would add any pop to the WCC that would be interested.

A strategy that takes advantage of the issues in the Mountain West would seem to be the only real path to making a splash. Outside of that, I'm sure they could find some compatible schools in the West, but no one that the average fan is any more likely to watch than 7 of their current members. I'm not suggesting they should grow for the sake of doing it. I'm suggesting they should add schools with name recognition.