(12-09-2020 02:55 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  

(12-09-2020 02:47 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(12-09-2020 02:31 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  

(12-08-2020 06:38 PM)CarlSmithCenter Wrote:  “NOW is the time! The longer it takes the longer we stay in the MW. I am 1000% convinced we need to make this move for football and if that means other sports too in the long run it will be what’s best for this University."

-Bryan Harsin


Football Scoop Article

Sounds like he wants independence. If BYU and some others can pull it off then I think Boise State could as well.

Playing a consistent AAC schedule would be too onerous a travel situation, and there wouldn't be much of a reward. They need to approach it like Notre Dame or BYU and play games across the country. Most of their players will come from CA, but there are plenty of 3 star athletes in markets across the country that could fit in that system. And Boise is considered a cool place to visit despite the cold weather.

Boise could definitely have football schedules as strong as the (non-pandemic year) BYU schedules, with the same ESPN exposure. The hangup is likely what is implied in the Boise email exchange: They would have a hard time finding a conference acceptable to them for all of the other sports they have.

Ten years ago, the Big West was willing to offer Boise State only because they would have been getting San Diego State, who they really wanted, in the same deal. There's no reason today for the Big West to invite Boise, and no reason for the WCC to invite them either, unless BYU wants Boise State to join them as a football indy and has the ability to persuade the other WCC presidents to give Boise an invitation.

Of all the D-1 leagues out West, I think someone would take them. Wouldn't necessarily have to be a long term move either.

If independence works out and the basketball team is reasonably competitive then they'll have other opportunities.

Personally, I think WCC might just take them. It's currently an all private league, but I think BYU would be an ally. That and the league could consistently get more bids with a deeper lineup. The WCC has carved out a nice little niche, but they could ascend with a better reach.

BYU, Gonzaga, and St. Mary's are all fairly well known brands right now, but there aren't a lot of options on that side of the country for beefing things up. I think they could be the West Coast version of the A-10 or Big East, but they have to have the vision.

While Boise isn't a great institutional fit for the WCC, they provide great geography, within reasonable bus distance or commuter flights of Gonzaga, Portland, and BYU. If the WCC were to add Boise and SDSU, you would get some nice regional clusters that would benefit travel for minor Olympic sports (men's basketball would probably still favor the competition-based scheduling).

Gonzaga-Portland-Boise-BYU
San Francisco-Santa Clara-Saint Mary's-Pacific
Pepperdine-Loyola-San Diego-SDSU

Play 6 home-away games within your regional group and schedule the rest of the season with 2-game road trips or home stands with the other groups.

In the old analog days, I could sometimes get WLW in Houston during the daytime. I could pretty much get it when I wanted at night.

(12-10-2020 02:22 AM)46566 Wrote:  Most people are bringing up the WCC for Boise olympic sports but no one is bringing up Gonzaga demanding fewer conference games from a few years ago. Should the WCC add Boise State would they have to add more conference games to the schedule? Would a Boise State home and away basketball game be worth it if they replace to early season buy games? (Assuming Boise replaces the bottom 2 non conference games) Would a Boise State add help the TV contract for the WCC in anyway? You could have BYU backing Boise State and Gonzaga backing the status quo.

With most of the NCAA tournament units Gonzaga won through the last few years almost finished they might try to see if a spots open somewhere. The MWC asked Gonzaga to move a few years after it's runner up season. I personally think one of the reasons Gonzaga didn't leave was that they would leave to much NCAA tournament money to the WCC if they left at the time. Assuming they take a spot in the MWC and let's say NMSU replaces Boise State for all sports.(assuming there the best replacement with possible UTEP as #2) I don't think that the WCC would piss of it's Golden goose who made it public it wanted changes or it's gone.

Why would the WCC be interested in a public school outside their main footprint?
Probably about as much chance as the ACC inviting Houston.

Big West might be willing. WAC would certainly be willing.

Temple's only option that would be "as good" as its current all-sports membership in the AAC would be football indy and all other sports in the A10.

I get your pain, Temple fans. When Cincy, Louisville, DePaul, Charlotte, South Florida, Saint Louis and Marquette all left Conference USA in 2005, as a Memphis fan with the Tigers stuck in C-USA ... not fun times.

The reality for all of us who are fans of athletic programs not in the P5 is that there rarely is a "perfect scenario" for our teams. Gonzaga will never get full respect, as it deserves, from all fans because it's in the WCC. Temple is geographically stranded. Wichita lost its conference mate Creighton. The Big East commands lots of respect in men's hoops but you've still got folks who don't consider it a true men's hoops power league (ESPN just did an article about this and, in addition, I recently saw an ESPN TV commercial referencing the P5, and not P6, in basketball). Plus, there are some old-school Northeast BE fans who don't prefer having five league teams located in the Midwest, so you have that dynamic. Liberty ... tough situation. Buffalo is a prestigious university that plays a solid combo of football and hoops but is, like Temple, geographically on an island (somewhat at least). UMass, New Mexico State and UConn football ... tough situations, with no chance for players or coaches to earn all-conference honors and bowl options limited. Cincy and USF used to be in a power league and now are not. UTEP ... isolated from its league brethren and unable to get into the MWC.

And, lastly, Rice. I might feel worse for the Owl program than any other.

We will all be looked at, to a degree, as "second-class" citizens by some fans who are fans of P5 programs exclusively. That's the reality. We deal with it.

(12-10-2020 02:55 PM)YNot Wrote:  

(12-09-2020 02:55 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  

(12-09-2020 02:47 PM)Wedge Wrote:  

(12-09-2020 02:31 PM)AllTideUp Wrote:  

(12-08-2020 06:38 PM)CarlSmithCenter Wrote:  “NOW is the time! The longer it takes the longer we stay in the MW. I am 1000% convinced we need to make this move for football and if that means other sports too in the long run it will be what’s best for this University."

-Bryan Harsin


Football Scoop Article

Sounds like he wants independence. If BYU and some others can pull it off then I think Boise State could as well.

Playing a consistent AAC schedule would be too onerous a travel situation, and there wouldn't be much of a reward. They need to approach it like Notre Dame or BYU and play games across the country. Most of their players will come from CA, but there are plenty of 3 star athletes in markets across the country that could fit in that system. And Boise is considered a cool place to visit despite the cold weather.

Boise could definitely have football schedules as strong as the (non-pandemic year) BYU schedules, with the same ESPN exposure. The hangup is likely what is implied in the Boise email exchange: They would have a hard time finding a conference acceptable to them for all of the other sports they have.

Ten years ago, the Big West was willing to offer Boise State only because they would have been getting San Diego State, who they really wanted, in the same deal. There's no reason today for the Big West to invite Boise, and no reason for the WCC to invite them either, unless BYU wants Boise State to join them as a football indy and has the ability to persuade the other WCC presidents to give Boise an invitation.

Of all the D-1 leagues out West, I think someone would take them. Wouldn't necessarily have to be a long term move either.

If independence works out and the basketball team is reasonably competitive then they'll have other opportunities.

Personally, I think WCC might just take them. It's currently an all private league, but I think BYU would be an ally. That and the league could consistently get more bids with a deeper lineup. The WCC has carved out a nice little niche, but they could ascend with a better reach.

BYU, Gonzaga, and St. Mary's are all fairly well known brands right now, but there aren't a lot of options on that side of the country for beefing things up. I think they could be the West Coast version of the A-10 or Big East, but they have to have the vision.

While Boise isn't a great institutional fit for the WCC, they provide great geography, within reasonable bus distance or commuter flights of Gonzaga, Portland, and BYU. If the WCC were to add Boise and SDSU, you would get some nice regional clusters that would benefit travel for minor Olympic sports (men's basketball would probably still favor the competition-based scheduling).

Gonzaga-Portland-Boise-BYU
San Francisco-Santa Clara-Saint Mary's-Pacific
Pepperdine-Loyola-San Diego-SDSU

Play 6 home-away games within your regional group and schedule the rest of the season with 2-game road trips or home stands with the other groups.

You could get crazy with it...

A partial merger between the Mountain West and the WCC would be interesting. It would have to be basketball based and allegedly, Gonzaga entertained the MWC's call previously.

Gonzaga, Portland, San Francisco, Santa Clara, St. Mary's, Pacific, Pepperdine, Loyola Marymount, and San Diego are full members.

BYU is independent in football, but affiliated in all other sports.

Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, UNLV, New Mexico, Colorado State, Air Force, and Wyoming are football members while their basketball and minor sports are also affiliated.

1. That's 18 schools...you could set up a divisional structure for 18-20 basketball games.

2. An 8-member football conference where BYU gets 4 games a season as an affiliate.

3. The remaining football members play round robin and free themselves up to beef up their non-conference schedules.

It's basically the same thing the Big Easy tried to do so it might be doomed to fail, but it would be an interesting alternative to the PAC 12 out West.