C-USA and MWC talking merger, too

[smupony94]

He is the bathroom attendent

[skyscraper]

http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entr ... 2/32117287

As CBSSports.com initially reported, officials from each conference first discussed the arrangement last year. Each league would produce individual champions who would then play off in a championship game for the BCS berth. Officials from each conference have met recently on the subject CBSSports.com also learned.

There are complications. The Mountain West is still waiting to learn if it will receive temporary BCS status in 2012 and 2013 as a result of meeting a series of benchmarks over a four-year period that concludes after this season. Aside from that, with conference realignment in full swing, college athletics' first super, duper conference just might work. Assuming the remains of the Big East and Big 12 merge, there will be one less automatic BCS berth. The Big Country snatch that up, spanning from the Carolinas, Florida and Mississippi to Texas and the West Coast and Hawaii.

There were no details on how the champions in the individual conferences would be decided. Conference USA is a 12-team league, that is decided by a championship game between the two division winners. The Mountain West is currently an eight-team league that will be 10 teams in 2012. It is losing TCU to the Big East next year and getting Nevada, Hawaii and Fresno from the WAC. It's not clear if the conference would or could expand further to 12 teams.

"It would strengthen our league and give us more television sets," said an administrator from the possible Big Country. "I think it's a big picture thing for us."

[skyscraper]

http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2011/0 ... big_east_m

Thompson said he has had extensive conversations with current Mountain West member TCU, which is slated to leave for the Big East next year.

“I have had a lot of conversations with TCU through this process. Specifically inviting them back to the league is not my position,” Thompson said, noting that only the league’s board of directors can issue invitations. “But it is being strongly considered and would probably — probably emphasized — be endorsed by the Mountain West Board of Directors.”

He said he has not talked with former member BYU, who left the conference this year for football independence and the West Coast Conference.

As for a Mountain West-Conference USA merger, Thompson said it would be a football-only “federation” that would help the leagues with television contracts, marketing and stability and corporate sponsorships. The “league” would stretch from the East Coast to Hawaii.

“It’s one of several options that should be discussed in this day and age,” he said.

Thompson said it would be best if the leagues were symmetrical, meaning each had 12 members as C-USA does right now. The Mountain West will have 10 next year when TCU leaves and Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii join.

He described the model as one like the AFL-NFL model, where the league champions meet for a title.

“Two business-as-usual, quasi-separate leagues getting together,” he said.

Thompson said athletic directors from both leagues are discussing the idea, which is in the “conceptual” stage.

[BRStang]

http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2011/09/19/bmurphy/mountain_west_commish_says_league_talking_with_big_12_big_east_m

Thompson said he has had extensive conversations with current Mountain West member TCU, which is slated to leave for the Big East next year.

“I have had a lot of conversations with TCU through this process. Specifically inviting them back to the league is not my position,” Thompson said, noting that only the league’s board of directors can issue invitations. “But it is being strongly considered and would probably — probably emphasized — be endorsed by the Mountain West Board of Directors.”

He said he has not talked with former member BYU, who left the conference this year for football independence and the West Coast Conference.

As for a Mountain West-Conference USA merger, Thompson said it would be a football-only “federation” that would help the leagues with television contracts, marketing and stability and corporate sponsorships. The “league” would stretch from the East Coast to Hawaii.

“It’s one of several options that should be discussed in this day and age,” he said.

Thompson said it would be best if the leagues were symmetrical, meaning each had 12 members as C-USA does right now. The Mountain West will have 10 next year when TCU leaves and Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii join.

He described the model as one like the AFL-NFL model, where the league champions meet for a title.

“Two business-as-usual, quasi-separate leagues getting together,” he said.

Thompson said athletic directors from both leagues are discussing the idea, which is in the “conceptual” stage.

I'm sure TCU would turn up their noses at this...

[Harry0569]

All this is making my head spin

At least it's not meatspin

[Harry0569]

West: AFA, Boise, CSU, SDSU, UNLV, UTEP, Tulsa, UNLV

East: ECU, Marshall, UH, Memphis, USM, UCF, SMU, (UAB/Rice?)

[Johnny Utah]

Idea:

We have 12 games on our schedule and then a 13th if we play for a 12 member league cusa championship (So three games are nonconference). Anyway, if only 9 games are CUSA, why not have a 48 team Mega Conference, play only cusa games for the first 9, then after the 9th game you would play in the 10th game your 12 team division championship. Then in the 11th game you would play your 24 league division championship. Then in the 12th game you would play the winner of the other 24 league division champion. Winner goes to BCS game. So actually, that's only 12 games and we are playing 13 now, meaning you could add one non conference game.

The other idea is why not all non aq conferences stay where they are and have their own ranking system. Out of that ranking system the top ranked 8 teams play in a playoff system to determine who goes to the BCS conference game?

[Hoop Fan]

Idea:

We have 12 games on our schedule and then a 13th if we play for a 12 member league cusa championship (So three games are nonconference). Anyway, if only 9 games are CUSA, why not have a 48 team Mega Conference, play only cusa games for the first 9, then after the 9th game you would play in the 10th game your 12 team division championship. Then in the 11th game you would play your 24 league division championship. Then in the 12th game you would play the winner of the other 24 league division champion. Winner goes to BCS game. So actually, that's only 12 games and we are playing 13 now, meaning you could add one non conference game.

The other idea is why not all non aq conferences stay where they are and have their own ranking system. Out of that ranking system the top ranked 8 teams play in a playoff system to determine who goes to the BCS conference game?

good thinking, far better than the current situation. If things would ever settle out, something like this would be possible.

[westexSMU]

How come none of you guys list Boise State ?

[mathman]

I agree. I think it would be best to combine the two conferences into a conference of 16 with Boise being one of them. There are going to have to be some teams that are cut loose to make it work. If it is worked correctly, I think it could be an AQ conference just as the article implied. TCU would just have to decide if they wanted to be a part of it.

[ponyinNC]

Is it possible for a conference to just "cut" a school? There has to be legal ramifications there i would think. Probably not easy to do.

[Dutch]

All this is making my head spin

At least it's not meatspin

if we get into an AQ it will make my meat spin.

[RGV Pony]

Is it possible for a conference to just "cut" a school? There has to be legal ramifications there i would think. Probably not easy to do.

I was thinking about that too. Options would be to form an entirely new conference, or one of the conferences won't lose anyone..e.g. the hand picked schools from CUSA would go to the MWC.

[smupony94]

This would be the exact same thing for us. At least we would not be knocked down, but would still feel like a let down

[ponyinNC]

Yup, I'd rather form a new conference, "The Big Country" or some BS like that, and take the cream from MWC/CUSA and anyone else we could land. But I don't think that is possible. The dream is for SMU to get into the new Big 12-- that has to be the goal now.

First, each commissioner is looking out for his own members, and I doubt BB is just going to tell Rice, Tulane, and UAB to "hit the road". Craig Thompson isn't going to tell Wyoming to leave. Second, the MWC was very close to getting AQ status and may have hit the necessary benchmarks to attain it with some help. Neither conference will disband.

So what you get from this merger is really just a playoff to get a game in the BCS. You will have 24 teams fighting for one spot. It really is NOT a good deal, and you are still stuck in a conference with even more bottom-feeders. I do NOT like this idea.