WAC will play with 7

[CatMom]

yeah, yeah, yeah. TXST = powerhouse program.....not
While we had a good squad in 2005 and things were looking up we got left with not the best staff (maybe for DII) for the past 4 seasons. There was the semi-decent 2008 season but the players gave up on the coaching staff and everything went to shit.

While the WAC isn't the glamor girl of a conference, it's still FBS. We've got an excellent staff now, the players want to play, recruiting will pick up. Do I/we expect to make a big splash in FBS from day 1? No, we're not delusional but I'm willing to give this staff the benefit of the doubt and the years it may take to get respectable. Can't be any worse than what has happened the past 2 decades. Right, I'm one who has not supported the move but it's been made and, in the end, it's still FBS; however crappy the rest of you see it as.

[ODUalum11]

yeah, yeah, yeah. TXST = powerhouse program.....not
While we had a good squad in 2005 and things were looking up we got left with not the best staff (maybe for DII) for the past 4 seasons. There was the semi-decent 2008 season but the players gave up on the coaching staff and everything went to ****.

While the WAC isn't the glamor girl of a conference, it's still FBS. We've got an excellent staff now, the players want to play, recruiting will pick up. Do I/we expect to make a big splash in FBS from day 1? No, we're not delusional but I'm willing to give this staff the benefit of the doubt and the years it may take to get respectable. Can't be any worse than what has happened the past 2 decades. Right, I'm one who has not supported the move but it's been made and, in the end, it's still FBS; however crappy the rest of you see it as.

Saying you're in the FBS I think will be huge in recruiting. Also, do you guys have any plans to improve facilities because of the move to FBS?

[rufus]

The WAC should add seven east coast schools as football-only members. JMU, ODU, Delaware, Ga State, Charlotte, App State, and one other school would work well. I know it sounds ridiculous, but... ok, it is kind of ridiculous. Still, the arrangement gives the WAC 14 football schools and a championship game, and provides an FBS home for the eastern programs that are likely looking to upgrade but lack a conference home.

With an eight game conference schedule, each team would play the other six schools in its division and two schools from the other division (one home, one away). Each school would only have to make one major east-west trip per year. The conference championship could be held somewhere in the middle like New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, or Chicago. Someone just needs to think outside the box...

[CatMom]

yeah, yeah, yeah. TXST = powerhouse program.....not
While we had a good squad in 2005 and things were looking up we got left with not the best staff (maybe for DII) for the past 4 seasons. There was the semi-decent 2008 season but the players gave up on the coaching staff and everything went to ****.

While the WAC isn't the glamor girl of a conference, it's still FBS. We've got an excellent staff now, the players want to play, recruiting will pick up. Do I/we expect to make a big splash in FBS from day 1? No, we're not delusional but I'm willing to give this staff the benefit of the doubt and the years it may take to get respectable. Can't be any worse than what has happened the past 2 decades. Right, I'm one who has not supported the move but it's been made and, in the end, it's still FBS; however crappy the rest of you see it as.

Saying you're in the FBS I think will be huge in recruiting. Also, do you guys have any plans to improve facilities because of the move to FBS?

Such as:
In the past 3 years
new baseball & softball fields
upgrade of the soccer and tennis facilities
stadium west side upgrade
new T&F complex will be completed in about 2 weeks
north end-zone addition begins construction in about 2 weeks (adding 12-14K seats) - completion set for opening home game in 2012 (vs TTech)

There have been several academic center upgrades and additions and several others are in various stages of construction.

I'd add more but I have to be at work in 50 minutes.

[ODUalum11]

The WAC should add seven east coast schools as football-only members. JMU, ODU, Delaware, Ga State, Charlotte, App State, and one other school would work well. I know it sounds ridiculous, but... ok, it is kind of ridiculous. Still, the arrangement gives the WAC 14 football schools and a championship game, and provides an FBS home for the eastern programs that are likely looking to upgrade but lack a conference home.

With an eight game conference schedule, each team would play the other six schools in its division and two schools from the other division (one home, one away). Each school would only have to make one major east-west trip per year. The conference championship could be held somewhere in the middle like New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, or Chicago. Someone just needs to think outside the box...

Interesting thought and concept. I think you'd have to change the name of the conference though from Western Athletic Conference to something else. I do like the idea that each school would only have to make one cross country trip. Only concern I have is the thought of a neutral site championship game.

[∞∞∞]

That wouldn't work because JMU, ODU, GSU, and UD are core CAA members. We can't really be part of the destruction of CAA Football without feeling the repercussions of such a move, and the repercussion would probably be the CAA ousting us from all-sports. As all-sport members, we've made a pact with each other school, so we can't really pick and choose which conferences we want to play for in a particular sport. For us four (and Towson I guess), if we leave for the WAC in football, we're probably gonna have to leave for everything else.

And yes I know CAA Football and the CAA in everything else are technically separate, but let's be honest, that's not really the case for the all-sports members that sponsor football.

But it's definitely an interesting concept.

[Fresno St. Alum]

If Montana and Cal Poly make the move, they'd better take about half the BSC with them, because the WAC is a **** abortion right now.

agree, with Boise State leaving the WAC is pretty irrelevant right now if you ask me. Who's the powerhouse in that conference now? Hawaii?

Out of
Idaho
SJSU
Utah St.
NMSU
La Tech
Texas St.
UTSA

(Idaho is the only one that went to a bowl game recently) So the Powerhouse will probably be one of the Texas schools. They'll likely add Lamar in the next year or 2 since they have until 2014 to get back to 8 fb members.

We have a thread that TJ(?) should do the drawings for. Its about Lamar(chubby chick) wanting to be with the WAC so bad. Yet the WAC ignores her and is stalking the Big Sky(skinny chick, slightly above avg.) and UNT(trailer park hottie). UNT and the Sky have already caught the WAC looking through their window while undressing and they've had to change their cell since the WAC was blowing up their phone. WAC thinks, maybe if I keep asking for another year she'll say yes. Meanwhile Lamar showed up at WAC's house wearing a trench coat and lingerie. WAC says I'm saving myself for UNT, ULL, Montana, MSU, PSU, CP, UCD, or Sac St. and slams the door.

[JBB]

This is what we are hearing in Fargo:

Fullerton went on to say he would like to extend invites to current WAC schools Idaho and Utah State. I’m not sure if Fullerton is just flapping his gums here, but let’s say by some crazy chance that this happens, that would put the Big Sky at 15 football playing schools!

http://bisonmedia.areavoices.com/2011/0 ... -business/

[Fresno St. Alum]

he's just jabbing at the WAC for fucking with his schools, he know he's not gonna get them, he's just tired of Benson's shit.

[CatMom]

They've fenced off the stadium (additional construction type fencing), construction trailers in place and they've started removing the berms at the north end of the existing east & west stands.

[SUUTbird]

The only way the WAC is going to survive I think is if they get at least 9 or 10 teams into the conference. With the Great West schools (well most of them) being allowed into the Big Sky I could really see a few Big Sky schools make the jump IF they went together and I think the teams with the best chances would be:

-Montana
-Montana State
-Cal Poly
-Sac State

I say these teams for a few reasons. First off for Cal Poly and Sac State it would help expand the California schools in the conference (will only be San Jose State after this season) and I believe that both have expressed or thought of joining the WAC at one point. Montana and Montana State are a no brainer as they would fit geographically (for the most part, Louisana Tech needs to get to the Sunbelt or CUSA) and I believe be competitive right from the get go. If these guys joined the WAC and if LT left for the Sunbelt or CUSA the conference would then be:

WAC
-Montana
-Montana State
-Cal Poly
-Sac State
-San Jose State
-Utah State
-Idaho
-New Mexico State
-UTSA
-Texas State

2 Texas Schools, 3 California Schools, 2 Montana schools, 1 Utah, Idaho and New Mexico school. Ten teams with nine conference games which would leave only two other games to be found and could take care of any money games or cupcake games that are needed. In terms of moving up each team has its areas it needs to cover but in regards to that I think they have the best chance to reach that goal. Also its not a bad fit geographically for the conference and though it doesnt really "shine" when reading it I still think it would be a decent conference. Another good point with this idea is the state of the Big Sky after this transition, the Big Sky would still consist of:

BIG SKY
-Portland State
-EWU
-Northern Colorado
-UC-Davis
-Weber State
-SUU
-Idaho State
-North Dakota
-Northern Arizona

Looking at this I dont see a bad Big Sky with a few known good teams, some solid ones and one or two that are or need improvement. I think possibly NAU would be a good fit for the WAC as well (add another southern school) however dont know about the situation with their finances and Idaho State, well if one Idaho school can do it with barely 15,000 seats the Bengals may be crazy enough to try. However the teams I put out there are the best bet in my opinion.

[SuperHornet]

#1 Sac State is ALREADY in the WAC.

#2 The jist of what I've seen is that MSU is NOT ready to jump and that will hinder Montana's ability to jump. EWU, Weber, or Cow Poly would all probably be better selections than MSU at this point.

#3 If the Sky merged as a unit with the WAC, it seems clear that the dominant teams (once Nevada and Hawaii leave, anyway) will come from the Sky.

#4 This is all moot anyway because the important Sky teams have already had under-the-table invites (or even above-board invites) and turned them down because of what AZ said on the first page of this thread:

If Montana and Cal Poly make the move, they'd better take about half the BSC with them, because the WAC is a fucking abortion right now.

[jmufan]

That wouldn't work because JMU, ODU, GSU, and UD are core CAA members. We can't really be part of the destruction of CAA Football without feeling the repercussions of such a move, and the repercussion would probably be the CAA ousting us from all-sports. As all-sport members, we've made a pact with each other school, so we can't really pick and choose which conferences we want to play for in a particular sport. For us four (and Towson I guess), if we leave for the WAC in football, we're probably gonna have to leave for everything else.

And yes I know CAA Football and the CAA in everything else are technically separate, but let's be honest, that's not really the case for the all-sports members that sponsor football.

But it's definitely an interesting concept.

You could have it where the WAC makes a deal with the CAA, in that the east conference could be called the CAA east. The CAA allows the WAC to invite the CAA schools among others for the FBS title. 2 to 3 years later the CAA invites the 8 former CAA football teams back and now you have a CAA FBS conference. Just a thought.

[SDHornet]

Good post SUU. If the WAC wants to add CA schools, I think the domino is Sac State. We are already a member of a conference where we don’t identify with any of the fellow members because they are far flung across the western US and we already spend shit loads of money sending our teams to obscure places so that wouldn’t change in the WAC. Plus if Benson could somehow pull a rabbit out of a hat and convince Sac State to go to the WAC, cal-davis would instantly have small penis envy and would no doubt push to make a move as well. This would prompt Cal Poly to follow in tow. The problem with Benson trying to convince cal-davis & CP now is they have their Olympic sports comfortably parked in the Big West bus travel league so I feel they would be a lot less inclined to take on a significant increase in travel costs to be full members of the WAC.

[Green Cookie Monster]

Good post SUU. If the WAC wants to add CA schools, I think the domino is Sac State. We are already a member of a conference where we don’t identify with any of the fellow members because they are far flung across the western US and we already spend **** loads of money sending our teams to obscure places so that wouldn’t change in the WAC. Plus if Benson could somehow pull a rabbit out of a hat and convince Sac State to go to the WAC, cal-davis would instantly have small penis envy and would no doubt push to make a move as well. This would prompt Cal Poly to follow in tow. The problem with Benson trying to convince cal-davis & CP now is they have their Olympic sports comfortably parked in the Big West bus travel league so I feel they would be a lot less inclined to take on a significant increase in travel costs to be full members of the WAC.

Good post SDH and SUU. Sac is already paying through the azz to send the tennis team to Pocatello, Flagstaff and Bozeman et al. Which would be the same in sending the tennis team to Las Cruces, Moscow and San Marcos. Making a switch for Sac State is probably one of the easiest and most straight forward scenario's in WAC expansion.

Some problems: Perception, perception, perception. Coach Sperbeck of Sac State makes the highest salary for college coaches in the Sacramento region at $193,000/yr. The Cal-Davis coach makes $172,000/yr. This link was posted on the first page of the Sacramento Bee:

http://www.sacbee.com/2011/06/15/370272 ... letic.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And people are shittin a brick that he makes too much for a 'State' employee. Imagine what would happen if Sac State went FBS and had to pay the HC a minimum of $300,000/yr. or more, which is pennies compared to other FBS HC's. The cal-Davis scenario would be even more difficult and they are already behind in having to fund scholarships that are twice as much as a CSU scholarship. The perception is that since the state is broke, why are we funding college athletics and subsidizing their tuition. CP and Cal-Davis are too happy playing in the Big West and cost containment for olympic sports (nothing wrong with that) and I dont see them pulling out to join the WAC with higher FBS costs and no revenue sharing from the league.

The biggest hurdle for Sac State is politics and unfortunately we are ground zero in the universe for whackos, nut jobs and liberal activists who want funding for everything besides universities and athletics. Plus, the leadership at Sac State hasnt publicaly stated any interest in joining the WAC, which I don't understand. How can you fund raise for a growth period if you don't make the 200,000 Sac State alumni aware of your intentions?

Methinks the Sac State administration is biding their time to retirement and then will let the next people worry about this athletics issue.

[Silenoz]

#2 The jist of what I've seen is that MSU is NOT ready to jump and that will hinder Montana's ability to jump. EWU, Weber, or Cow Poly would all probably be better selections than MSU at this point.

How? MSU is going to be averaging 19,000-20,000 this year, more than double those other schools. Our media market is not huge (obviously), but they pretty much own half the state, which is more than can be said about any of the 2012 WAC teams that are in larger media markets but no-one there cares/they're in the shadow of larger programs. Cal Poly maybe, but not WSU or EWU

[SuperHornet]

Sil: I was speaking more in terms of recent success than media market. That may have more of an impact in the decision, but as many around here can attest, big market or no, who's going to watch a crappy program? Sometimes, there's something to be said for being the only show in town.

[Silenoz]

Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but MSU hasn't been too shabby for about 10 years now. 4 (I think) playoff appearances, win over Colorado, 4 wins over the Griz. Probably a winning record against all non-EWU/UM teams.

[dbackjon]

Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but MSU hasn't been too shabby for about 10 years now. 4 (I think) playoff appearances, win over Colorado, 4 wins over the Griz. Probably a winning record against all non-EWU/UM teams.

5-5 against NAU, 5-6 last 11, 7-13 against NAU last 20 years

[Catattack]

I'd like SH to explain how EWU and Weber are more ready for the WAC than MSU. Please take a look at things that matter, such as attendance, budget, overall athletic department, quality and rank of education, instead of just disliking them as your main source of information.



I'm not puting down either EWU or Weber. They are both excellant programs.

[mlbowl]

Well, I can't believe I'm saying this, but MSU hasn't been too shabby for about 10 years now. 4 (I think) playoff appearances, win over Colorado, 4 wins over the Griz. Probably a winning record against all non-EWU/UM teams.

5-5 against NAU, 5-6 last 11, 7-13 against NAU last 20 years

Well, he did say 10 years. I don't know why you felt the need to go back 11 and 20 years.

[dbackjon]

5-5 against NAU, 5-6 last 11, 7-13 against NAU last 20 years

Well, he did say 10 years. I don't know why you felt the need to go back 11 and 20 years.

Because NAU has the winning record

[mlbowl]

Well, he did say 10 years. I don't know why you felt the need to go back 11 and 20 years.

Because NAU has the winning record

Gotcha!

[SuperHornet]

I'd like SH to explain how EWU and Weber are more ready for the WAC than MSU. Please take a look at things that matter, such as attendance, budget, overall athletic department, quality and rank of education, instead of just disliking them as your main source of information.



I'm not puting down either EWU or Weber. They are both excellant programs.

Politics. Plus quality of education.

[SuperHornet]

Seriously, though, CA, there's more to the sports world than football. Does anyone remember the last time MSU went to the Tournament? Weber took out North Carolina. Has MSU ever done that?