Mountain West Conference: 10 Likely Ripple Effects from the Latest Moves
Talk of NCAA football conference realignment landed on the front pages again with the recent news that BYU is considering a move out of the Mountain West Conference. With the move, BYU will considering joining the ranks of the football independents while rejoining the Western Athletic Conference in the rest of its athletics.
The news of BYU's possible move is a big blow to the Mountain West Conference, which has bigger aspirations that include BYU as a major cog.
Now the conference must readjust its expectations and figure out how it can stem these 10 ripple effects while not suffering too much of a setback with the possible loss of BYU.
MWC Loses a Power Team
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BYU is one of the cogs in the Mountain West Conference's push to improve the conference's overall standing. BYU sits in the heart of Mountain West country and the team is one of the backbone teams in the top half of the newly constituted conference for 2011. Without them, the conference loses significant weight and depth.
Will it Change Boise State's Mind?
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Boise State has already declared its intention of joining the Mountain West Conference starting in 2011. But without BYU, one of the conference power brokers, will that change the minds of the Boise State administration?
The purpose of Boise State's move to the MWC was to fortify its standing in a strong conference take one step towards turning the Mountain West into an automatic qualifying BCS conference.
Without BYU, could Boise State changes it mind and stand pat in the WAC given the current standing of their football team?
Will the MWC Release Boise State?
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Boise State has signed its papers and has the moving vans ready to go to the MWC (figuratively). But if BYU bolts and Boise State decides maybe it is better off remaining in the WAC, will the MWC simply let the Broncos walk?
Boise State enhances the Mountain West brand and could be the only thing that saves the conference's face in light of Utah and BYU's exit.
Should Boise State decide to bail on the agreement, will the MWC let it? Could a legal fight ensue over Boise State possibly going back on its deal?
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Would the WAC Take Back Boise State?
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Boise State is gone from the WAC, but should BYU bolt the MWC? And should Boise State decide to return home, will the WAC be willing to take the Broncos back?
The logical choice is certainly "yes," but could there be a situation in which the conference decides to move on without the Broncos? Could will ultimately find an independent Boise State?
And What of the Conference's BCS Chances?
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The decision to bring Boise State into the MWC fold was part of the conference's plan to strengthen its ability to become a BCS automatic qualifying conference.
The combination of BYU, TCU and Boise State had the legs to at least begin talks of making the MWC the seventh auto-qualifier especially given Boise State and TCU's recent BCS game appearances.
However, with BYU possibly out of the mix that leaves two teams fighting it out amongst a mediocre rest of the conference—especially with Utah already packing its bags for the Pac 10. The loss of BYU will put a cramp in the conference's argument for a spot at the BCS table.
BYU Will Not Get Notre Dame Treatment
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BYU is supposedly considering its move toward football independence in an effort to become "the Notre Dame of the West."
Both are religious-affiliated universities with independent television contracts, but more importantly BYU seeks Notre Dame status as an independent as it relates to BCS qualifying.
Notre Dame has a favorable position when it comes to their entry into a BCS game, but much of that is predicated on the Notre Dame brand and reach. BYU lacks that brand. Will the BCS consider giving BYU such stature that a top 12 finish in the BCS merits a BCS berth?
What Will be BYU's Schedule?
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Part of what gives Notre Dame the cachet to land such a favorable BCS position is its schedule. Now, the strength of Notre Dame's schedule does change from year to year, but the Irish make it a point to schedule very strong programs on an annual basis.
What will BYU to do beef up their schedule as an independent? Will the Cougars hit the road for games against top Pac 10 competition or Big 12 competition?
Perhaps more importantly, can BYU continue to recruit at a high level as an independent, given the university mission's statement and loss of shared conference revenue?
What Will TCU Do?
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With Utah on its way to the Pac 10 and BYU moving toward independent status, the question has to be asked: Will TCU also look for greener pastures?
The ideal fit would be to bring TCU into the Big 12 fold especially now that the Big 12 has regained its stability. Could TCU be the 13th team in the Pac 10 as it keeps its eyes on further expansion? Or what about SEC expansion?
The Horned Frogs, like Boise State, are riding a very high tide in their football program right now and could use BYU's impending exit to formulate one of its own.
Second Tier Crowd
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At its best, the top of the Mountain West Conference was considered as strong as any in the middle of the BCS conferences. Without Utah and BYU though, the Mountain West takes a significant step back into an after-thought of a conference that possesses two heavyweights.
The Mountain West will become nothing more than what the WAC is now, except it will have two strong programs instead of one.
What About the Rest of the Conference?
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What of Colorado State, UNLV, San Diego State, Wyoming, New Mexico, and the others? None of these programs have any marquee value to them. Without BYU and a scramble for Boise State and TCU, these schools could find themselves like their WAC brethren in a neutered conference without leaders to give weight to the conference.
Could we reach a day when the leftovers of the Mountain West and the WAC become one super-conference of second and third tier football teams? We could if conference super-expansion re-enters the fold as it did a couple of months ago.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
