From a conference quality perspective, Boise State essentially traded the WAC 2010 for the WAC 1998. From a conference stability perspective, the MWC might be a patched-together jalopy at this point (unofficial MWC theme song, Johnny Cash’s “One Piece At A Time”), but the WAC is crashed into the ditch Obama-style and it’s unclear they will ever see the road again.
Brendan Loy
Yes, but the WAC would never have crashed into that ditch if Boise State hadn’t left. You think Nevada, Fresno and Hawaii would have jumped to the MWC if they could have stayed in a conference with Boise as a member and BYU as a sort of half-member (remember, there was going to be a “scheduling arrangement” with the WAC as part of BYU’s original indy-in-football-WAC-in-everything-else deal), plus access to ESPN instead of TheMtn? Hell, it’s plausible that the WAC might have started picking off MWC teams, not vice versa, if Boise had stayed put and then BYU had gone indy and half-joined the WAC. It was Boise’s move — albeit occurring months before the later shenanigans between the MWC and WAC — that shifted the balance of power irrevocably in the MWC’s favor once the other dominoes started to fall with the Utah schools leaving.
Brendan Loy
What really sucks about this is how badly it weakens the non-AQ / anti-playoff argument. With Utah and TCU having taken the Boeing, as it were, and BYU trying to fashion itself as the Western/Mormon Notre Dame, that leaves Boise as the one and only program in a non-AQ conference with any kind of real national cachet. Sure, maybe Nevada or Fresno or somebody can grow into the role, but as we’ve seen with the current crop of mid-major powers, that takes a long time, with critics sniping every step of the way, just waiting for you to stumble and use that as evidence that you were a fraud all along. The mid-major cause has been set back at least half a decade by these defections, and that’s incredibly optimistic. Bill Hancock and the BCS cabal must be downright gleeful. “The system works!”
Stewart Mandel is right that the new Mountain West champion will, by default, get a guaranteed BCS at-large bid many or most years, with 0 or 1 loss and possibly even with 2 early/mid-season losses, so long as the MAC or C-USA don’t happen to produce an unbeaten contender (the Sun Belt and the “new WAC” appear completely hopeless). But any hope of a mid-major title contender has taken a serious step back. 2010 was the perfect storm for that, but Boise blew it, and TCU doesn’t really feel like it “counts” anymore, now that the Frogs are Big East-bound.
David K.
Look, it ALL goes back to Texas. If Texas had left the Big 12 for the Pac-10, Utah would have stayed in the Mountain West, so would BYU and Boise would have been the only team jumping ship from the WAC. Well except that the remaining Big 12 members probably would have merged with some of the higher end MWC members + Boise State for a new Big 12 and the rest of the MWC would have merged with the WAC.
But honestly, if the Pac-10 invites, say Kansas instead of Utah, then the MWC just adds Boise. Except now the Big 12 needs another team and probably poaches either BYU or TCU. Damn basically the MWC/WAC were going to change dramatically no matter what if you really think about it.
David K.
Which basically means its all Notre Dames fault. If ND joins the Big 10 instead of Nebraska then nothing else happens conference shuffle wise.
Brendan Loy
Damn Domers, always ruining everything.
What? It’s not USC-ND Week anymore? Oh, I forgot. Love Thee, Notre Dame!
🙂
David K.
I think you’re allowed a bit of a hate hangover given the loss dude.
I think Utah still ends up in the Pac-16 in the Texas scenario. The package of Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M wasn’t going to happen — in all likelihood, A&M would’ve jumped for the SEC or the Pac would’ve negotiated out OSU or TTU in favor of Utah. If somehow all five came, then yeah, you add Colorado but not Utah, but I just don’t think that was the most plausible Pac-16 scenario.
David K.
If Big Ten had picked up Notre Dame, we could have taken Nebraska instead of Utah though, although not sure Nebraska would be ahppy staying in a conference with Texas.
I still think we may see Texas go Indy ala Notre Dame, and then the Pac-16 happen without them.
So, Boise State traded endless ESPN exposure for… Air Force and San Diego State. #oops #TheMtnSucks #boisePANIC!!!
From a conference quality perspective, Boise State essentially traded the WAC 2010 for the WAC 1998. From a conference stability perspective, the MWC might be a patched-together jalopy at this point (unofficial MWC theme song, Johnny Cash’s “One Piece At A Time”), but the WAC is crashed into the ditch Obama-style and it’s unclear they will ever see the road again.
Yes, but the WAC would never have crashed into that ditch if Boise State hadn’t left. You think Nevada, Fresno and Hawaii would have jumped to the MWC if they could have stayed in a conference with Boise as a member and BYU as a sort of half-member (remember, there was going to be a “scheduling arrangement” with the WAC as part of BYU’s original indy-in-football-WAC-in-everything-else deal), plus access to ESPN instead of TheMtn? Hell, it’s plausible that the WAC might have started picking off MWC teams, not vice versa, if Boise had stayed put and then BYU had gone indy and half-joined the WAC. It was Boise’s move — albeit occurring months before the later shenanigans between the MWC and WAC — that shifted the balance of power irrevocably in the MWC’s favor once the other dominoes started to fall with the Utah schools leaving.
What really sucks about this is how badly it weakens the non-AQ / anti-playoff argument. With Utah and TCU having taken the Boeing, as it were, and BYU trying to fashion itself as the Western/Mormon Notre Dame, that leaves Boise as the one and only program in a non-AQ conference with any kind of real national cachet. Sure, maybe Nevada or Fresno or somebody can grow into the role, but as we’ve seen with the current crop of mid-major powers, that takes a long time, with critics sniping every step of the way, just waiting for you to stumble and use that as evidence that you were a fraud all along. The mid-major cause has been set back at least half a decade by these defections, and that’s incredibly optimistic. Bill Hancock and the BCS cabal must be downright gleeful. “The system works!”
Stewart Mandel is right that the new Mountain West champion will, by default, get a guaranteed BCS at-large bid many or most years, with 0 or 1 loss and possibly even with 2 early/mid-season losses, so long as the MAC or C-USA don’t happen to produce an unbeaten contender (the Sun Belt and the “new WAC” appear completely hopeless). But any hope of a mid-major title contender has taken a serious step back. 2010 was the perfect storm for that, but Boise blew it, and TCU doesn’t really feel like it “counts” anymore, now that the Frogs are Big East-bound.
Look, it ALL goes back to Texas. If Texas had left the Big 12 for the Pac-10, Utah would have stayed in the Mountain West, so would BYU and Boise would have been the only team jumping ship from the WAC. Well except that the remaining Big 12 members probably would have merged with some of the higher end MWC members + Boise State for a new Big 12 and the rest of the MWC would have merged with the WAC.
But honestly, if the Pac-10 invites, say Kansas instead of Utah, then the MWC just adds Boise. Except now the Big 12 needs another team and probably poaches either BYU or TCU. Damn basically the MWC/WAC were going to change dramatically no matter what if you really think about it.
Which basically means its all Notre Dames fault. If ND joins the Big 10 instead of Nebraska then nothing else happens conference shuffle wise.
Damn Domers, always ruining everything.
What? It’s not USC-ND Week anymore? Oh, I forgot. Love Thee, Notre Dame!
🙂
I think you’re allowed a bit of a hate hangover given the loss dude.
I think Utah still ends up in the Pac-16 in the Texas scenario. The package of Colorado, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M wasn’t going to happen — in all likelihood, A&M would’ve jumped for the SEC or the Pac would’ve negotiated out OSU or TTU in favor of Utah. If somehow all five came, then yeah, you add Colorado but not Utah, but I just don’t think that was the most plausible Pac-16 scenario.
If Big Ten had picked up Notre Dame, we could have taken Nebraska instead of Utah though, although not sure Nebraska would be ahppy staying in a conference with Texas.
I still think we may see Texas go Indy ala Notre Dame, and then the Pac-16 happen without them.
If the Big Ten picks up Notre Dame, we’re still picking up Utah and Colorado. The question is, do we go after Kansas and Nebraska as well?