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[mrydel]

Holland has been making the rounds with that whopper. He wants CUSA to expand to 16, to reduce his travel or for some BCS conference, any BCS conference to expand and take ECU with them. The reality would be that in all likelihood Memphis and USM would move to the western division and they'd add four probably SBC schools or 1-AA graduates to the eastern division since TCU won't join. I'm sure Holland would try to make the west take in La. Tech and NMS, and La. Tech might get a nod. But I suspect that the east would get severely watered down. He has been whining about travel to El Paso for years. Yet football only has to go to El Paso every 4 years and basketball every other year. And not every other sport has to travel to El Paso. This is a non-story.

Do not know about all of that but if Holland is part of CUSA travel expenses will sky rocket. Nice road trip however.

[EastStang]

To quote Kumar: "You know what's legal in Holland?"

[originaloverthehilltop1]

i'd be interested in a short history of the "wac's mistakes" in going to 16 teams and their history with the mwc.

[J.T.supporta]

this will be the ultimate driving point to having a playoff in the FBS...have the major six conferences filled up with 16 teams and realign the remaining schools not in those conferences.

[HB Pony Dad]

Related article http://msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/8291620/Pac-10-and-its-expansion-options

I seriously doubt the Pac-10 will expand to 12 teams as the member schools are very traditional and don't want to add new conference games when the non-conf. games generate both more interest and money.

I seriously doubt there is much, if any, interest in adding BYU or Utah as they are not natural rivals to the existing teams. Geographically TCU and/or Colorado make little or no sense as well.

Of the remaining schools that could possible be viable I would probably go with Fresno State and Hawaii or San Diego State. They are geographically more appealing and play (or have played) competitively over the years.

From my view in socal it seems that SMU and TCU would be a better fit in the Big 12.

[Nacho]

I think the WAC's "mistakes" were that BYU, Utah, CS, Wyoming and AF didn't want to share the money. I was very excited about that conference. I wish they had given it a chance. Anyone remember Airport Al and the gang who met secretly at the airport (Denver?) and decided to leave the WAC high and dry? Class. Ironically the WAC has now surpassed the MWC, including 2 BCS bowl games, one by our very own JJ.

[HB Pony Dad]

I think the WAC's "mistakes" were that BYU, Utah, CS and AF didn't want to share the money. I was very excited about that conference. I wish they had given it a chance. Anyone remember Airport Al and the gang?

This is an interesting read on the WAC:

http://www.denverpost.com/colleges/ci_9771500

[Charleston Pony]

I actually think thatr expansion to 14-16 teams could work for CUSA. Our revenue sharing isn't the same as the BCS boys and running the table in a group that large could actually help your champion's hopes of a BCS bowl bid (under the curent system). With 14 teams, you have 6 divisional football games (closer to home) and only one long distance trip each year. Bball is more awkward scheduling wise, but it could be worked out. Expansion to 16 teams would tempt the league to play 7 division games that would count as "conference" games for qualifying a division champion to play in the championship game. That would leave 5 non-conference games (revenue?) and you could always schedule someone in the other division of CUSA with those games counting as "non-conference" games.

Bottom line here is that ECU probably has a hard time getting excited about those trips to Texas, as we do those trips to ECU, UAB, Marshall, etc...

Prime expansion targets would be the top SunBelt teams - Troy State, FAU or possibly Western Ky in the east; the west is more wide open - NMSU (for UTEP), UNT, La-Laffy or even Ark St. How about La Tech?

As much as ECU and possibly other CUSA schools would like to see expansion, I expect any such movement would be driven by PAC-10 expansion or movement within the BCS conferences. Bottom line is that all of us "on the outside looking in" will always remains hopeful of being invited to share revenue with the big boys of college football. I just don't see that happening for programs that can't pack a 60-80,000 seat house for football

[EastStang]

The names thrown out by Terry (not the Country) Holland and not to be confused with Xaviara Hollander (for the old geezers who remember her) as possible new CUSA teams were FIU, FAU and Middle Tennessee State. Only FIU adds a decent market to CUSA's footprint. NMSU, La. Tech, UNT don't add anything to the conference financially except NMSU would give UTEP a travel partner. I think if CUSA expanded, USM would push hard to be moved west since they have a long standing love, hate thing going with Tulane. Memphis might want to move west as well because its closer to Dallas than to Greenville, NC. In fact hell is closer than Greenville, NC. The PAC 10 will never add any team from California with the name "State" in it. Cal and UCLA would blackball that. Those schools do not have the same academic policies and research that other PAC 10 schools have. My suspicion is that if, the PAC 10 expanded, there would be immense pressure though from Cal pols to force UCLA and Cal to vote for those schools (similar to Va. Tech and the ACC). But I suspect in the end the other PAC 10 school would look elsewhere. I see the candidates as probably Colorado and BYU. Stanford and USC would like to see another private school in the conference and BYU is the only one large enough out there with a solid fan base. If that happens the MWC would probably add four teams. They would target Hawaii, UN, Fresno and Boise (although UTEP, UH, Rice or SMU might be targetted to make TCU happy and they'll all say "no thanks"). I picked UN because UNLV has already made it known that they would veto any WAC team other than Nevada. TCU will then leave in a huff because they'll figure out they'll be put in the division with UN, UNM, SDS, FSU and Hawaii. Or what we like to call the WAC all over again. TCU will push hard to get into the Big XII, but they'll just say no thanks. The Frogs then declare their independence figuring it works for ND and Navy. And quite frankly, they'll get a better TV contract than the MWC would have given them and they have their own bowl. AFter CU leaves the Big XII north looks around and approaches Iowa, who says no thanks. Arkansas, then LSU who say no thanks. That leaves them with AFA and a bunch of schools in Texas. OSU gets bumped north with the proviso that they get a permanent crossover game with OU. The Big XII then gets to look at SMU, TCU, Rice, UH, and UTEP. They pick the hottest looking chick at the time because they really don't need the Dallas or Houston markets, they already are fixtures there. The dark horse might be UNM in this beauty pagent who would certainly make a pitch to join.

[mrydel]

not to be confused with Xaviara Hollander (for the old geezers who remember her)

She could make a person very happy.

[mathman]

I actually think thatr expansion to 14-16 teams could work for CUSA. Our revenue sharing isn't the same as the BCS boys and running the table in a group that large could actually help your champion's hopes of a BCS bowl bid (under the curent system). With 14 teams, you have 6 divisional football games (closer to home) and only one long distance trip each year. Bball is more awkward scheduling wise, but it could be worked out. Expansion to 16 teams would tempt the league to play 7 division games that would count as "conference" games for qualifying a division champion to play in the championship game. That would leave 5 non-conference games (revenue?) and you could always schedule someone in the other division of CUSA with those games counting as "non-conference" games.

Bottom line here is that ECU probably has a hard time getting excited about those trips to Texas, as we do those trips to ECU, UAB, Marshall, etc...

Prime expansion targets would be the top SunBelt teams - Troy State, FAU or possibly Western Ky in the east; the west is more wide open - NMSU (for UTEP), UNT, La-Laffy or even Ark St. How about La Tech?

As much as ECU and possibly other CUSA schools would like to see expansion, I expect any such movement would be driven by PAC-10 expansion or movement within the BCS conferences. Bottom line is that all of us "on the outside looking in" will always remains hopeful of being invited to share revenue with the big boys of college football. I just don't see that happening for programs that can't pack a 60-80,000 seat house for football

Could you go over that one more time?