Another View of Conference Re-alignment

[grizzlyjournal]

I have an Ogden connection. Ogden is the home of a world-class, hand-made-in-USA product: Zu Audio stereo speakers. I stay in contact with the loyal Wildcat supporter who sourced me my 1st-gen Omens in 2010.


He tells me there’s pressure in Ogden to ditch the Big Sky. The rationale: Weber (30k students) in Ogden (90k population) compares to Logan (60k population) and Utah State (28k students). Time for WSU, and Ogden to escape the small-time he says. There are similar rumblings at NAU (30k students) and SAC (28k students).

Question: What if 2-to-3 Big Sky schools (not UM and not MSU) suddenly announce an exit? Just wondering...

 

[coyote]

I have an Ogden connection. Ogden is the home of a world-class, hand-made-in-USA product: Zu Audio stereo speakers. I stay in contact with the loyal Wildcat supporter who sourced me my 1st-gen Omens in 2010. We stay in contact.

He tells me there’s pressure in Ogden to ditch the Big Sky. The rationale: Weber (30k students) in Ogden (90k population) compares to Logan (60k population) and Utah State (28k students). Time for WSU, and Ogden to escape the small-time he says. There are similar rumblings at NAU (30k students) and SAC (28k students).

Question: What if 2-to-3 Big Sky schools (not UM and not MSU) suddenly announce an exit? Just wondering...

You might be right but how is that different from all the tumbling elsewhere like Missoula.

 

[oldrunner]

I have an Ogden connection. Ogden is the home of a world-class, hand-made-in-USA product: Zu Audio stereo speakers. I stay in contact with the loyal Wildcat supporter who sourced me my 1st-gen Omens in 2010. We stay in contact.

He tells me there’s pressure in Ogden to ditch the Big Sky. The rationale: Weber (30k students) in Ogden (90k population) compares to Logan (60k population) and Utah State (28k students). Time for WSU, and Ogden to escape the small-time he says. There are similar rumblings at NAU (30k students) and SAC (28k students).

Question: What if 2-to-3 Big Sky schools (not UM and not MSU) suddenly announce an exit? Just wondering...

You might be right but how is that different from all the tumbling elsewhere like Missoula.

What he is saying is true. However, most of that is just coming from the fan base, just like what is coming out of Montana, UI, Sac, NAU, and probably others. Of course, that is always a topic, at some level, whithin all of our administrations. It is also a behind the scenes discussion within the NCAA. This is what it comes down to: What are the costs? and, Who do you join with? How those questions are answered by our administrations I feel is the key to it all. If it were to happen right now, our schools would need to come up with a bunch of money or the rules would have to change. Then we would need to find a home or build our own home. Either way would take some strong leadership. I think it is unlikely to happen in the next year or two, but I think it is likely to happen in this changing landscape we are seeing in college football.

The population of the metropolitan area around Ogden is over 300,000. Weber county alone is 262,000. Last I checked the population of the Ogden SMSA was about equal to the population of Wyoming.

 

[Sport]

Grizzlyjournal raises some interesting questions regarding the whole realignment proposal. I think that many on egriz have always thought that U of M and MSU would be the schools to jump ship from the BSC.
There are two factors that play into such a move not the least of which we see playing out in FBS. Namely TV contracts and student populations. Looking at the numbers why would the Mountain West or any other FBS conference want UM or MSU to join? TV revenue is driven by viewer numbers and our two schools have significant deficiencies in that category. Student population also show a marked shortfall. With our (UM) paltry student population of around 11,000 we are 1/3 of Weber and NAU. MSU not much better at 16,000 students. Also looking at Sac St and even Portland State they both have the demographics to move up under this scenario. Cal Davis and Cal Poly also qualify.
So where does that leave UM, MSU and Eastern Washington? Forget about NCU but they are potentially in a better situation than the two Montana schools because of their proximity to Denver.
Someone on the football board mentioned moving to down to NAIA. I laughed at that idea but it made me think. As much as that would turn my stomach (sorry Frontier Conference) that possibility does exist but hopefully not in my lifetime. Maybe our only hope would be to join the Summit League? So there goes the 64,000 question.
I realize I’ve painted a pretty bleak picture of the future for UM and MSU that is at all appealing. But who in their wildest dreams who see the PAC 12 go up in smoke?

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

I would hope that the guys hired to make the decision make the best one they can. I gave a vague answer to a rather vague question.

 

[grizzlyjournal]

I would hope that the guys hired to make the decision make the best one they can. I gave a vague answer to a rather vague question.

True. I was vague because -- with the "demise" of the Pacific Coast Conf. -- there'll be a lot of unexpected aftershocks.
Here's one scenario: the creation of a west costal all-sports conference consisting of: Sac, Davis, Poly, San Jose St., Fresno St, a San Diego school (or two) and perhaps Portland State. Weber St accepts an invite to an expanded MWC and NAU joins a reconfigured southern/Texas all-sports conference, or seeks some kind of link to the WAC.

What's left of the Big Sky would include UM, MSU, Idaho, Idaho St, Eastern and UNC. No wonder there's a football thread pondering the move to NAIA. :lol:

 

[HelenaHandBasket]

I would hope that the guys hired to make the decision make the best one they can. I gave a vague answer to a rather vague question.

True. I was vague because -- with the "demise" of the Pacific Coast Conf. -- there'll be a lot of unexpected aftershocks.
Here's one scenario: the creation of a west costal all-sports conference consisting of: Sac, Davis, Poly, San Jose St., Fresno St, a San Diego school (or two) and perhaps Portland State. Weber St accepts an invite to an expanded MWC and NAU joins a reconfigured southern/Texas all-sports conference, or seeks some kind of link to the WAC.

What's left of the Big Sky would include UM, MSU, Idaho, Idaho St, Eastern and UNC. No wonder there's a football thread pondering the move to NAIA. :lol:

And my assumption is the MWC invites zero FCS schools. The MWC will be the only western FBS conference remaining because there is no TV money for a second. No MWC school will leave knowing this. UM can't control what the other BSC schools do, they can only control what they do. There will be even less conference money if the big boys decide to move away from the NCAA tournament and form there own. I think some Griz fans believe that the University controls more than they really do.

 

[griznative24]

UM, mseww, UNC, EWU, and the Idahoans would at least be a decent basketball schedule

 

[grizzlyjournal]

True. I was vague because -- with the "demise" of the Pacific Coast Conf. -- there'll be a lot of unexpected aftershocks.
Here's one scenario: the creation of a west costal all-sports conference consisting of: Sac, Davis, Poly, San Jose St., Fresno St, a San Diego school (or two) and perhaps Portland State. Weber St accepts an invite to an expanded MWC and NAU joins a reconfigured southern/Texas all-sports conference, or seeks some kind of link to the WAC.

What's left of the Big Sky would include UM, MSU, Idaho, Idaho St, Eastern and UNC. No wonder there's a football thread pondering the move to NAIA. :lol:

And my assumption is the MWC invites zero FCS schools. The MWC will be the only western FBS conference remaining because there is no TV money for a second. No MWC school will leave knowing this. UM can't control what the other BSC schools do, they can only control what they do. There will be even less conference money if the big boys decide to move away from the NCAA tournament and form there own. I think some Griz fans believe that the University controls more than they really do.

You take a very hard view HelenaHandBasket... but also very realistic. Can't argue. I will, however, choose to explore "possibilities," because I saw first-hand how Don Read changed Montana. I'd like to hope that there are folks at UM who keep trying to make good things possible.

 

[WyomingGrizFan]

UM, mseww, UNC, EWU, and the Idahoans would at least be a decent basketball schedule

Now I get it. It's a school for secret agents, right? msaww?

 

[Pounder]

When the rumors of the Mountain West merger/promotion and relegation idea started, one of the people discussing it noted that it wasn’t the first discussion of its kind. Apparently, the West Coast and Big West had been discussing something similar for basketball. You could practically see the wheels at Gonzaga spinning about how to improve their SOS.

So imagine winding in the Mountain West, Big Sky, and western WAC schools into a scheme for many sports (certainly basketball, soccer, volleyball, baseball, softball), though football would really be far-fetched. One upper level, perhaps run by the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. The lower level is subdivided into current conferences, but with better regionalization… those school programs will get less media money, but they’ll also cut down on travel costs.

I know this would be extremely hard to get over the finish line. All the politics, schools preferring “like institutions,” and the guaranteed intransigence to change would be hard to overcome. Thing is, others in the system ARE talking about it.