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Mountain West Welcomes Nevada, Fresno State, Waits on BYU
The tides of change are being felt all over the college football landscape, yet the places highest above sea level seem to be feeling their boat rocking the most.
Just a few weeks removed from the announcement of Utah’s planned departure from the Mountain West Conference and the planned arrival of Boise State, the conference spent all of Wednesday wondering just who they’ll be able to claim as their own in the coming seasons.
The morning started with the news that BYU was mulling football independence, reportedly looking to garner the support of the BCS and work out a Notre Dame-type deal with the powers that be.
The Cougars’ plan, while not confirmed, sent the conference into a spin, and prompted them to offer Fresno State and Nevada membership in the conference.
Both schools had been members of the Western Athletic Conference — the conference Boise State is leaving behind in 2011 — and looked to be solid in their commitment to the league.
However, word came late Wednesday night that both schools would be joining the conference.
The addition of Boise State, Nevada and Fresno gives the league ten confirmed teams in the 2011 season if BYU moves ahead with its plan to be a football independent and play with the WAC in other sports.
However, BYU could decide to stay with the conference, giving them 11 teams and suddenly becoming an attractive option for other teams to join the conference to give the MWC 12 teams.
Houston, for example, could be very interested in joining the conference by leaving the C-USA with the guarantee of a stronger 12-team league than the C-USA can currently offer.
The moves could have BCS ramifications as well, as the next review for automatic BCS qualification comes after the 2011 season and any addition or loss to any conference could have a strong impact on those review qualifications.
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