(11-04-2019 02:43 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote: (11-04-2019 01:21 PM)LatahCounty Wrote: (11-04-2019 01:01 PM)dbackjon Wrote: The Big Sky didn't kill the WAC - the WAC killed itself when it tried to raid the MWC, that backfired, then Utah and BYU left. The WAC teams deserted it - if you want to blame anything, blame Boise, Utah State, San Jose State and Fresno St. To blame the BSC in anyway is idiotic.
Nobody said the Big Sky killed the WAC. The WAC killed the WAC, and the Big Sky did what little it could to nudge that along. And now the Big Sky is a big unwieldy blob.
The Commissioner of the Big Sky, Doug Fullerton, did a good job of convincing BSC schools from jumping to the WAC. Montana was considering it back when Texas State and UTSA joined, but decided against it at the last minute. If they could have convinced Montana to join, the dam would have broken and WAC football could have been saved. Dougie was a trash talker. He was always talking about how they were in better shape than the WAC, which turned out to be true. He used to also say that his conference was as good as the MWC. He deserves credit for keeping it together and then adding a few more schools to get to 13.
The 13 football schools are a bit of a problem for the Big Sky. With Dixie State and Tarleton State sitting out there as independents, along with a few more D2 schools that might move up and San Diego, someone is going to figure out that a second FCS conference in the west might be needed. That could end up being done through the BSC and/or the WAC.
If the Montana schools could afford to upgrade, and wanted to risk an unstable WAC, they would have.
No amount of politicing from a Commissioner is going to change a College President's mind.
The Montana schools are smart enough to figure out what is what on their own.
Does a Commissioner talk up their own conference? Of course they do. That is part of their job.
A second western FCS conference would be great, but it is going to have to grow organically, whether from current WAC schools adding the sport, or WAC adding more D2 football schools. No Big Sky team is going to leave a stable conference for a hope and a prayer.
BTW - how can it be trash-talking if the talking was accurate?
If the BSC ever did decide to split into two football conferences (this wouldn't affect any other sport), if would be done for the current members benefit (and they could do it now, if desired). Whether Dixie State or Tarleton State would be asked to affiliate would be irrelevant to the decision making.
Football travel costs are over-emphasised in the on these boards. NAU is going to play SUU every year, as well as Poly. They are adding Dixie as OOC. Beyond that, there really isn't any bus games (maybe Weber), and they would still needed the added OOC games that would require a flight, so no incentive there.
As for San Diego, the cost of going full scholarship is far greater than any travel savings.