(12-27-2017 04:40 PM)dbackjon Wrote:  Except that none of the aforementioned FCS teams were ready, or able to transition to FBS.

Montana and Montana State were the closest, but neither have any desire, nor the cash.

The California Schools are not financially able to go FBS. All in all a desperate pipe-dream by Benson. No "Kill-the-WAC strategy was needed. Just common sense. Even if the Big Sky didn't invite the Cal schools as football affiliates, they weren't going to the WAC under any circumstance. It's easy to brag when what you are aiming for is going to happen regardless.

I was on the WAC board every day that year, following every development, report and rumor. The situation wasn’t quite that cut-and-dried. Everyone acknowledged that the California schools were a reach due to the recession and budget cuts, but there were still press reports that they were under active consideration as WAC expansion candidates:

Montana, Montana State, Cal Poly, Sacramento State, UC Davis and Portland State are on the league’s radar, according to multiple sources — and all of them have expressed interest to one degree or another, in one form or another.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegespor...d-the-key/

Multiple sources, one of which attended Friday's meeting, told the Express-News recently the list of football candidates includes, but is not necessarily limited to, Louisiana-Lafayette, Lamar, Sam Houston State, California-Davis, Portland State and Cal Poly.

http://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports...957909.php

And on the Sac State message board the possibility was considered at least worth debating:

https://www.bigskyfans.com/hornets/viewt...67&p=11635

https://www.bigskyfans.com/hornets/viewt...33&p=12780

But Fullerton’s big worry was losing the conference’s football crown jewel, Montana, and for good reason. Montana’s AD Jim O’Day had laid out a case for transitioning to FBS — he was concerned that staying at the FCS level would be more financially draining in the long run — and their fan base was split, with quite a few posters on eGriz indicating support for a move up. O’Day’s arguments and Montana fan reactions are here:

http://www.egriz.com/grizboard/viewtopic...=1&t=45683

In hindsight it’s easy to say that Fullerton exaggerated the threat posed by the WAC and stampeded the Big Sky presidents to expand the conference more than was necessary. But in the moment that’s not how things looked. The WAC was still an FBS conference and the Big Sky was an FCS conference and everywhere else in the country FBS conferences were able to cherry-pick FCS conferences at will. We all know now that Benson was doomed to fail at cherry-picking the Big Sky but Fullerton didn’t know that. He responded by going on the offensive and as a result we’re debating today whether the Big Sky is too big rather than how to save it.