....after the BYU indy decision, does the MWC stop at 10? If not, who do they take? USU, Houston?

There is a lot of concern among the MWC about thier television contract. There are some rumors that the Mountain network gets the overwhelming majority of its viewership from the state of Utah. With Utah and BYU out of the agreement supposedly the Mountain can renegotiate its contract with the MWC. Initial estimates are the contract will be renegotiated to 1/3 of its current payment.

If this turns out to be true, the conference will lose significant amounts of revenue. This makes the conference significantly less attractive to potential teams.

So the MWC can try to add TV sets by bringing in Utah State and/or Houston. Both are in prime comcast areas. Or they could dig in their heals and when the Mountain trys to renegotiate they jump ship and negotiate with ESPN for the weeknight slots that the WAC will probably end up losing. That is if BYU does not snag them first.

In short this is a MESS for the teams in those conferences.

No one knows what the hell is gonna happen.

While I personally think there is a snowballs chance in New Orleans of it happening, I have traded emails with several friends at Boise, Fresno and Nevada. Several of them are thinking the MWC is no longer that great of an idea and want back in the WAC. They were all for the move with BYU involved. Now they are waffling especially as the possibility of the TV contract getting cut.

They thought a MWC with BYU would eventually become one of the BCS conferences. They think there is no way without Utah and BYU.

This will continue to get ugly, especially as the lawsuits play out. Benson is going to play hardball with Fresno and Nevada because he has nothing left to lose. His job is basically over if he caves. His job is probably over anyway, but caving WILL get him fired.

They may start at 1/3 the current rate, but I doubt that is where the contract ends up. I would guess somewhere around the 2/3rd mark. Always offer half of what you want to pay.

(08-31-2010 09:43 PM)dchi72 Wrote:  While I personally think there is a snowballs chance in New Orleans of it happening, I have traded emails with several friends at Boise, Fresno and Nevada. Several of them are thinking the MWC is no longer that great of an idea and want back in the WAC. They were all for the move with BYU involved. Now they are waffling especially as the possibility of the TV contract getting cut.

They thought a MWC with BYU would eventually become one of the BCS conferences. They think there is no way without Utah and BYU.

This will continue to get ugly, especially as the lawsuits play out. Benson is going to play hardball with Fresno and Nevada because he has nothing left to lose. His job is basically over if he caves. His job is probably over anyway, but caving WILL get him fired.

Whatever the MWC may be now without Utah and BYU, it still is a long shot better than what's left of the WAC. Compare a conference with UNLV, San Diego State, New Mexico, Air Force, Colorado State, Wyoming, Boise State, with Fresno State and Nevada added in, to Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Utah State, New Mexico State, Hawaii, and Idaho. And Hawaii is probably already turning the handle on the door on its way out. No comparison of which is the better league.

(08-31-2010 09:31 PM)dchi72 Wrote:  There is a lot of concern among the MWC about thier television contract. There are some rumors that the Mountain network gets the overwhelming majority of its viewership from the state of Utah. With Utah and BYU out of the agreement supposedly the Mountain can renegotiate its contract with the MWC. Initial estimates are the contract will be renegotiated to 1/3 of its current payment.

If this turns out to be true, the conference will lose significant amounts of revenue. This makes the conference significantly less attractive to potential teams.

So the MWC can try to add TV sets by bringing in Utah State and/or Houston. Both are in prime comcast areas. Or they could dig in their heals and when the Mountain trys to renegotiate they jump ship and negotiate with ESPN for the weeknight slots that the WAC will probably end up losing. That is if BYU does not snag them first.

Easy solution, add Houston and Hawaii and you will act to lessen the impact of the loss of BYU and Utah with regard to the television contract.

I want an explanation as to why so many CUSA fans think an MWC-CUSA deal is going to come that's going let them play each other for a BCS bid. Some of these things I read on CUSAbbs are crazy...

(08-31-2010 10:11 PM)bluephi1914 Wrote:  

(08-31-2010 09:31 PM)dchi72 Wrote:  There is a lot of concern among the MWC about thier television contract. There are some rumors that the Mountain network gets the overwhelming majority of its viewership from the state of Utah. With Utah and BYU out of the agreement supposedly the Mountain can renegotiate its contract with the MWC. Initial estimates are the contract will be renegotiated to 1/3 of its current payment.

If this turns out to be true, the conference will lose significant amounts of revenue. This makes the conference significantly less attractive to potential teams.

So the MWC can try to add TV sets by bringing in Utah State and/or Houston. Both are in prime comcast areas. Or they could dig in their heals and when the Mountain trys to renegotiate they jump ship and negotiate with ESPN for the weeknight slots that the WAC will probably end up losing. That is if BYU does not snag them first.

Easy solution, add Houston and Hawaii and you will act to lessen the impact of the loss of BYU and Utah with regard to the television contract.

Under the current enviroment, why in the world would Houston want to join the MWC? The thrill is basically gone and the CUSA is a better fit for them now. And TCU will be gone also, as soon as they can figure out a better deal for themselves. Houston is certainly not enough carrot to make them happy to be in the MWC now without Utah and BYU.

I don't contest they are saying it but I don't buy it either.

Fresno and Nevada joined knowing there was a significant chance that BYU would be gone. Boise didn't have that awareness but....

They are rid of Idaho, the absolute hardest road trip to make in FBS.
They are rid of Utah State, another hard road trip.
The are rid of New Mexico State, another difficult road trip (remember Utah State is the closest WAC school to NMSU and its just a few miles closer than NMSU to Tech).
They are rid of La.Tech which for non-revenue sports is often a three flight trip (ie. Fresno to LAX to DFW to Monroe).

San Jose State has come closer to pulling the plug on football than anyone since Pacific.

Fresno would rather be with SDSU and Nevada with UNLV.

The MWC will see their revenue go down but that was happening with or without BYU. CSTV (now CBS-C) grossly over-paid for the MWC because they had investor cash burning a hole in their pocket and without a contract with SOMEONE for football that network would never have gotten off the ground. I suspect that Comcast is busy trying to sell MTN to Altitude or Fox Rocky Mountain right now because the numbers have never been good and with such a huge number of subscribers in Utah they will be losing cable contracts right and left.

MWC will get a decent ESPN deal but they will learn how to play weeknights. It won't be the inflated $1.3 to $1.5 million per team (gross not net) per team the MWC reportedly gets now and will be closer to the $400,000 to $450,000 the WAC gets now.

The WAC has lost their national draws and a lot of TV sets. WAC will get no more than the roughly $85,000 per football team ESPN pays MAC and Sun Belt.

(08-31-2010 10:15 PM)CardinalBlackTrojan Wrote:  I want an explanation as to why so many CUSA fans think an MWC-CUSA deal is going to come that's going let them play each other for a BCS bid. Some of these things I read on CUSAbbs are crazy...

Because the average fan is utterly ignorant of the business of college athletics.

ArkStFan, is the MWC done at 10 or do they add 2?

Unless Houston shocks us and wants to join... they are probably done.

(08-31-2010 10:36 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  San Jose State has come closer to pulling the plug on football than anyone since Pacific.

ETSU...if you wanna count FCS.

I'm not Arkstfan....but my sources are telling me that Memphis is a lock to the Big East....and Loser Tech will replace them.

Is Thursday here yet?!?!?!?

(09-01-2010 07:14 AM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  I'm not Arkstfan....but my sources are telling me that Memphis is a lock to the Big East....and Loser Tech will replace them.

Is Thursday here yet?!?!?!?

I don't know...that sounds like a long shot to me.

(09-01-2010 07:14 AM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  I'm not Arkstfan....but my sources are telling me that Memphis is a lock to the Big East....and Loser Tech will replace them.

Is Thursday here yet?!?!?!?

You're kidding right?

(09-01-2010 08:26 AM)statefanatic Wrote:  

(09-01-2010 07:14 AM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  I'm not Arkstfan....but my sources are telling me that Memphis is a lock to the Big East....and Loser Tech will replace them.

Is Thursday here yet?!?!?!?

You're kidding right?

(09-01-2010 08:37 AM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  

(09-01-2010 08:26 AM)statefanatic Wrote:  

(09-01-2010 07:14 AM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  I'm not Arkstfan....but my sources are telling me that Memphis is a lock to the Big East....and Loser Tech will replace them.

Is Thursday here yet?!?!?!?

You're kidding right?

I thought so. I knew you couldn't be drinking this early in the morning.

(09-01-2010 08:39 AM)statefanatic Wrote:  

(09-01-2010 08:37 AM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  

(09-01-2010 08:26 AM)statefanatic Wrote:  

(09-01-2010 07:14 AM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  I'm not Arkstfan....but my sources are telling me that Memphis is a lock to the Big East....and Loser Tech will replace them.

Is Thursday here yet?!?!?!?

You're kidding right?

I thought so. I knew you couldn't be drinking this early in the morning.

Oh, I don't know about that!