The Mountain West announced today that San Jose State and Utah State have accepted invitations to join the conference on July 1, 2013.
The addition of San Jose State and Utah State brings the total number of football members in the MWC to 10. The others are Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, UNLV and Wyoming.
“We are pleased to announce the addition of San José State University and Utah State University to the ranks of the Mountain West,” said Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson. “As we have developed the strategy for the future of the Conference, the long-standing rivalries with our current members and the fit within our geographic footprint made these two institutions the optimal choices to strengthen our membership and position ourselves for the next steps.”
San Jose State has been a member of the WAC since 1996. The Spartans never won a conference title, but did win their most recent bowl appearance 20-12 over New Mexico in the 2006 New Mexico Bowl.
Utah State has competed in the WAC since 2005. They too have never won a WAC conference title. Their last bowl appearance was in the 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl where they lost to Ohio 24-23.
With San Jose State and Utah State moving to the MWC, the WAC’s days as a football conference are numbered. Earlier today, WAC members Louisiana Tech and UTSA announced they are joining Conference USA in 2013. And on Thursday, Texas State announced they are joining the Sun Belt Conference.
That leaves the WAC with just two football members: Idaho and New Mexico State. To date, neither school has been mentioned as a serious candidate for another conference. But that could change at any moment.
Here is what the Mountain West will look like in 2013:
Mountain West
Air Force, Colorado State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, San Jose State, UNLV, Utah State, Wyoming
Maybe Idaho and New Mexico State can drop to FCS and join the Big Sky/Southland conferences…
I think that would be their best options right now. Idaho is right in the middle of the Big Sky Conference footprint, and NMSU would be a great addition to the Southland Conference schools. Even if they don’t want to downgrade to FCS it looks like their only option to save their athletics.
Wasn’t there some arrangement in the 1980s where Tulsa and wichita State (I think)were considered 1-A yet played in the Missouri Valley with mostly 1-AA teams like Indian St, Illinois St and Northern Iowa?
Perhaps idaho and NMSU can get the same sort of deal.
you guys are stupid broncos, the vandals will never go down to FCS. You guys may say that it is their best option, but it is not. it will be a struggle, but anyone can go independent
idaho going independent: the responsibility to find Teams to play, finding a tv parter, and a bowl tie in.
you compare doing those things with losing this thing.
idaho going down to the FCS: idaho loses enrollment, therefore devastating the u of i economy. due to the value of any sports. no one will find the u of i sports good enough to go to(not that no one does already but still) idaho will still continue to try to find a conference, and the last resort is going independent.
long story short: comparing the money idaho will lose going independent with the money they will lose going down to FCS, they will lose more money going down to the FCS.
now, after this is all said and done, if idaho wants to improve the value of the u of i. they will have to consult the idaho department of education about getting idaho basketball out of the dome, and at the same time not only looking at ways to fund dome enhancements, but actually holding fundraisers to improve u of i facilities, and the only way to get people into donating to the u of i, is if idaho can actually prove that this year idaho has a decent football foundation.
Add both Idaho and New Mexico State to the Mountain West also and then you have a 12 team conference. You also add the New Mexico/New Mexico State rivalry. Can split into two divisions. One with Air Force, Colorado State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Utah State and Wyoming. The other with Fresno State, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, San Jose State, and UNLV.