Welcome To MWC, Nevada and Fresno: Err...BYU Had Nothing to Do With It

So it's official. In an 11:15 EST press teleconference (can you say two-bit?), Craig Thompson, Mountain West Conference Commissioner of Subterfuge, announced Nevada and Fresno State University were joining the conference. 

But this has absolutely nothing to do with the rumors leaking out of the WAC like a typhoon over a thatch roof that BYU has all but closed a deal to go independent in football and play its other sports in that conference. 

You believe that, right? If you do, I've got some beach-front investment property in Provo I'd like to talk to you about.

Over and over and over again, Thompson denied the invitations to Fresno and Nevada (which were made today) had anything to do with the news out of Utah Valley. Uh-huh. Not a soul is buying it. 

Two more mouths to feed, no more value

Basically, the MWC added two mediocre football schools, two lousy television markets, and two more football schools to split its already paltry TV revenues with. There's no possible way this move brings more money from the TV networks. 

Thompson repeatedly referenced meetings with Comcast today in Philadelphia being germane to this move. I can imaging Comcast wasn't happy about BYU leaving. It seems to me this move was done solely to prevent BYU from having a conference in which to play its non-football sports. Is the MWC that petty and desperate? Probably, at this point. 

Some other notes from the phone call:

• Thompson repeatedly refused to comment on what BYU is planning. He kept telling reporters to talk to BYU about it. 
• Thompson also noted that the conference and TV networks wouldn't make any "concessions" to BYU. Does that mean they aren't willing to give BYU a bigger piece of the revenue pie or let it broadcast many of its own games? That school brings about 60 percent of the conference's value, yet will now get about nine percent of the actual money. That's about a million bucks a season. For reference, the University of Utah may get as much as $15 million per season as a Pac-12 member.
• Thompson, true to usual form, repeatedly ignored and/or dodged tough questions. Even ESPN reporter Andy Katz got the slip. 
• Thompson admitted he'd never been to Fresno. If only we were all so lucky. 
• Twitter was aflutter (pun intended) with chatter. The best nugget of the night was from David Locke (@lockedonsports), a sports radio personality in Salt Lake City. His tweet: "SUMMARY—Thompson claims: Helps to AQ (not true) not related to BYU (not true) helps TV coverage (not enough and not true)."