WAC to drop football

[GrizBacker04]

NMSU and Idaho will go indy for a few seasons. With reallignment still happening, the MW might be forced to take them in a few years just to stay afloat.

If they haven't found a home in 2 years Idaho might consider Big Sky football while NMSU drops down to the Southland. But for the time being they'll go it alone.
Who knows, by scheduling an unlimited number of away body bag games their programs might actually turn a profit.

Idaho and New Mexico State probably won't make it past one season as an independent. NCAA rules require teams to have at least 5 home games (with only one against an FCS) to remain an FBS program, and that is a huge problem. Idaho and New Mexico State are going to have a hard time convincing schools to come to either Moscow or Las Cruces to play, since a conference is not forcing schools to go there. Plus, most every program across the country has their schedule set for the next 2-3 years, making it even more difficult for Idaho and NMST to fill out a schedule. And finally, it will get even tougher to schedule those games when teams start playing their conference schedule.

 

[PlayerRep]

NMSU and Idaho will go indy for a few seasons. With reallignment still happening, the MW might be forced to take them in a few years just to stay afloat.

If they haven't found a home in 2 years Idaho might consider Big Sky football while NMSU drops down to the Southland. But for the time being they'll go it alone.
Who knows, by scheduling an unlimited number of away body bag games their programs might actually turn a profit.

Idaho and New Mexico State probably won't make it past one season as an independent. NCAA rules require teams to have at least 5 home games (with only one against an FCS) to remain an FBS program, and that is a huge problem. Idaho and New Mexico State are going to have a hard time convincing schools to come to either Moscow or Las Cruces to play, since a conference is not forcing schools to go there. Plus, most every program across the country has their schedule set for the next 2-3 years, making it even more difficult for Idaho and NMST to fill out a schedule. And finally, it will get even tougher to schedule those games when teams start playing their conference schedule.

Very good point. How many teams will want to play home and homes with Idaho? Not very exciting. Idaho won't have the money to pay credible guarantees to come to Idaho. Idaho won't be in position to bargain hard for one-game guarantees on the road. Maybe something will fall out of the sky for Idaho, but I doubt it. It's more likely that anything falling out of the sky will fall on them.

 

[mcg]

Might it be more accurate to say that college football is dropping the WAC?

 

[IdaGriz01]

Might it be more accurate to say that college football is dropping the WAC?

That's pretty good. :thumb:

Earlier, I said I had e-mailed a contact at NMSU to get his reaction (he's a big sport fan, BTW). Rather than "interpret" his reply, I'll just quote it:

The Aggies got left out of all the reorganizations. There hasn't been more than the normal anti-sports folks asking NMSU to drop football, but lots of people are upset with the administration about getting caught with their pants down and being the only football school left in the WAC. NMSU is planning on playing football as an independent in 2013. However, there is another problem with the other sports, in that so few schools (non football playing) are left in the WAC that the winners in basketball and volleyball can't get automatic bids to the NCAA.

I hadn't realized the problem with the other sports versus auto-bids to the NCAA championship playoff. That's going to upset a lot of people there: NMSU has been "pretty good" in BBall, but perhaps not quite good enough to get an at-large bid without a strong conference tournament run. Interesting.

 

[krammer]

if BYU has difficulty being an independent, what chance in heck does idaho have????

 

[tourist]

If there is any chance of moving to BCS, the cream of the Big Sky will have to come together to form a new conference with other like minded programs. I know someone posted the possibilities somewhere in the past few months, and that being a slim chance. JMO.

 

[bengal]

[Idaho and New Mexico State probably won't make it past one season as an independent. NCAA rules require teams to have at least 5 home games (with only one against an FCS) to remain an FBS program, and that is a huge problem. Idaho and New Mexico State are going to have a hard time convincing schools to come to either Moscow or Las Cruces to play, since a conference is not forcing schools to go there. Plus, most every program across the country has their schedule set for the next 2-3 years, making it even more difficult for Idaho and NMST to fill out a schedule. And finally, it will get even tougher to schedule those games when teams start playing their conference schedule.[/quote]

Very good point. How many teams will want to play home and homes with Idaho? Not very exciting. Idaho won't have the money to pay credible guarantees to come to Idaho. Idaho won't be in position to bargain hard for one-game guarantees on the road. Maybe something will fall out of the sky for Idaho, but I doubt it. It's more likely that anything falling out of the sky will fall on them.[/quote]

Looks like Idaho is cobbling together a schedule for 2012 and 13, including playing a home-and-home with New Mexico State each season, according to the Idaho Statesman.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/08/18/2235998/one-step-closer-to-independence.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[thebummerblitz]

if BYU has difficulty being an independent, what chance in heck does idaho have????

Looking at the University of Idaho from a football perspective, I wouldn't understand why any semi-good recruit would want to go there to play an independent schedule with a bunch of body bag games. If Idaho was an independent they would have nothing to play for (ND, BYU, Army, Navy are exceptions all for obvious reasons), and I would think it would take a huge hit even on their crappy recruiting (even if UI was only independent for a couple years).

As for the Griz, if they moved up to the WAC I would think they would have been in the same boat as Idaho and NMSU. Where would they have gone? Maybe into the Mountain West, but the MWC seems happy with ten football schools. Some may argue the other way on this, but sadly I think Utah State and San Jose State would have still gotten invites to the MWC before Montana.

 

[PlayerRep]

[Idaho and New Mexico State probably won't make it past one season as an independent. NCAA rules require teams to have at least 5 home games (with only one against an FCS) to remain an FBS program, and that is a huge problem. Idaho and New Mexico State are going to have a hard time convincing schools to come to either Moscow or Las Cruces to play, since a conference is not forcing schools to go there. Plus, most every program across the country has their schedule set for the next 2-3 years, making it even more difficult for Idaho and NMST to fill out a schedule. And finally, it will get even tougher to schedule those games when teams start playing their conference schedule.

Very good point. How many teams will want to play home and homes with Idaho? Not very exciting. Idaho won't have the money to pay credible guarantees to come to Idaho. Idaho won't be in position to bargain hard for one-game guarantees on the road. Maybe something will fall out of the sky for Idaho, but I doubt it. It's more likely that anything falling out of the sky will fall on them.[/quote]

Looks like Idaho is cobbling together a schedule for 2012 and 13, including playing a home-and-home with New Mexico State each season, according to the Idaho Statesman.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/08/18/2235998/one-step-closer-to-independence.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;[/quote]

Don't they already have a 2012 schedule? Here's a blurb from the article. Note that they will likely play New Mexico twice in 2013. That reminds me of the joke schedule some poster posted a few months ago, which had those two schools playing each other all season.

Idaho has four contracted football games for 2013 — at Mississippi (Aug. 31), at Wyoming (Sept. 7), vs. Northern Illinois (Sept. 14) and at Washington State (Sept. 21).

Athletic Director Rob Spear told the Statesman he has two game contracts awaiting his signature. He said he needed State Board approval before finalizing those contracts.

Spear said there are two game contracts pending opponents’ signatures. Two more games are being negotiated. Spear said those games are linked together.

Spear said three of the to-be-announced games are multi-year home-and-home series.
In 2013, Spear said it is likely that Idaho will play New Mexico State twice, once in Moscow and once in Las Cruces, N.M.

If all of those games come together, Idaho will have 12 games for the 2013 schedule.

 

['68griz]

But, I think they have to have at least five HOME games, four of which are FBS games -- do you see that in the works?

 

[bengal]

But, I think they have to have at least five HOME games, four of which are FBS games -- do you see that in the works?

Obviously that is what they are working towards, and Spear seems confident they will get there.

 

[IdaGriz01]

But, I think they have to have at least five HOME games, four of which are FBS games -- do you see that in the works?

Obviously that is what they are working towards, and Spear seems confident they will get there.

Scuttlebutt out of Moscow (no confirmation ... for obvious reasons) is that UI plans on taking losses on some of the home game guarantees just to maintain their FBS status. Then, if they can win enough games to become bowl-eligible, they intend to play hardball on ticket guarantees and their cut of the revenue (which, as an independent, they don't have to share with anybody). I say "Good luck with that!" but maybe they do have a plan. (Given past history, that seems unlikely ... but perhaps desperation has given them some balls. :lol: )