(08-15-2020 10:16 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote: (08-15-2020 07:48 PM)Hilldog Wrote: (08-15-2020 03:01 PM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote: (08-14-2020 10:18 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote: I have to wonder if it’s inevitable that that Dixie St moves to the Big Sky to balance them out at 14 football schools and 12 for basketball.
With it being rough getting non-conference games out West they could play a 10 game conference schedule in football and a full double round robin in basketball for 22 games.
I think the Big Sky doesn’t want the stigma of taking a D2 call up so they are making them do their transition in the WAC.
Big Sky coaches already complain about the size of the conference. With 13 teams, the BSC is the largest FCS conference in college football. It makes more sense to add another Western FCS conference. That could be done with Dixie State, Tarleton State, UC-Davis, Cal Poly and San Diego.
The BSC gets one auto-bid and plays an uneven schedule. In a 13 team league playing eight conference games, it is possible to win the conference without playing the top teams in the conference. At least 11 teams would help lessen that possibility somewhat. A 10 team league might even be better.
A WAC football conference, even if is a “football only conference” like the MVFC, would get an additional auto-bid for western schools. Adding more teams to BSC football would be a bad idea that would not be supported by the BSC schools.
San Diego loves being in the Pioneer. They would have to fund 63 scholarships at about $35K per. They are a non starter for FCS football.
The idea of D1 non scholarship football ever got off the ground. The Pioneer League- was suppose to be the "pioneers" of the non scholarship division0 1AAA! I still wonder if a non scholarship division ever got off the ground, how many FCS schools would go non scholarships.
Well, they are happy to be in a D1 conference. They have 37 straight conference wins in the PFL. That probably makes them happy. But the travel is brutal and expensive. To be in the same conference with UC-Davis and Cal Poly would probably make them very happy. They don't have to be a scholarship football team to play in the WAC football league. I just think if given the opportunity, they might take it.
WAC football would need more than San Diego. They would need UTRGV. They would need to steal a couple of Southland schools, probably ACU and UAW. They might need another D2 move-up. What is not going to happen is more football teams in the Big Sky. At 13, they have too many.
After talking this topic to death in another thread, and looking at all possible scenarios, I was left with only one conclusion: the answer to the WAC's football conundrum lies within three conferences: Big Sky, Lone Star, and Southland. No need for UTRGV to startup football.
BSC needs to shed a school, not add, and USU is right down the road from Dixie. Just sayin.
Lone Star has 3-5 solid D2 moveup candidates that are getting a little too big for their britches in the LSC. WTAMU, Commerce, Angelo, etc., etc. Renewed rivals and regional games with Tarleton. Check.
The SLC has a Louisiana problem. The Texas schools might be interested in change. Lets say we get two: ACU and UIW fit in the geographical footprint and have the cash to do whatever they want. They also might be interested in joining other privates like SU, CBU and GCU. Two is a conservative number here.
Add it all up, and you can get to 8 teams without much effort, which is enough to get started. Add a couple more in a few years, and you could build a solid 10 or 12 team, East & West division WAC FCS conference.
A few successful years after that, WAC cashes in its "golden ticket" and goes FBS, and NMSU comes into the fold.
This is the upside the WAC offers schools that the SLC and BSC cannot. It will be interesting to see what Hurd can put together.