(11-07-2017 02:45 AM)Clarity Wrote:  It's certainly not a good thing to have 7 teams in the WAC which is what happens if UMKC and Chicago State leave. D2 move ups take a lot of time. If this conference is left at 7 it's over.

That's an understandable concern. However:

- Under NCAA rules 7 members is a sufficient number to retain the NCAA basketball tournament auto-bid
- The WAC members who would remain after UMKC and CSU depart appear to lack any viable alternatives to staying; the only currently apparent threat is the Horizon offering invitations to NMSU and/or GCU but that looks like a long shot to me
- If anyone else did leave, under NCAA rules the WAC would automatically be granted a two-year grace period to get the membership back up to 7 and could petition for an extended grace period if necessary
- D-2 schools in transition to D-1 that join the WAC would count toward the minimum 7 during their transition periods

So if UMKC and CSU left the WAC wouldn't be over. It would fight on as it always has. I've been following the conference's ups and downs since 1990 and its biggest problem over those years has been geographic dispersion. The WAC became unstable when it stopped being truly western and to secure stability -- especially as a non-football conference -- I think it needs to become truly western again.