(12-27-2017 06:37 PM)SDHornet Wrote:  Good posts Mongoose. The final nail in the WAC FB coffin was when SJSU and Utah State were poached following a stupid move by Benson to try and poach some of the other lesser MWC members. WAC FB might have made it had those last 2 not gotten taken as they provided a "bridge" to the FCS CA targets (and others).

Oh and the montucky twins come as a package deal then, now, and forever. Their Board is dominated by MSU grads (and always has been I think), no way they let UM go anywhere without MSU tagging along. 2 montucky mouths to feed is no way to operate at FB conference at the FBS level.

Fast forward 6+ years and I think it worked out for pretty much everyone not named SJSU. I don't think anyone of the CA FCS move-ups would have ever been able to invest into athletics to be anywhere competitive compared to the top half of the current MWC members, and SJSU is looking like they are in dire straights with a recently botched AD hire and a FB program that is going belly up. Couple that with the P5 autonomy to gobble up even more of the FB revenues and the "investment" to play FBS would have been a very costly one.

I agree that a few of the Big Sky schools might have been able to make the move up but given their financial limitations would probably be struggling today at the FBS level. So in retrospect they probably made the right decision to turn the WAC down.

As for “the Plan” I’m not sure it was a stupid move by Benson. It was clearly a desperate move, but one that could have succeeded if not for the presidents of Fresno State and Nevada breaking ranks with their WAC brethren. It’s hard to blame Benson for trusting John Welty — one of his bosses — to keep his word to the rest of the WAC board that Fresno State wouldn’t accept an MWC invitation. IMHO Welty, who by breaking his promise opened the door to Nevada following suit, is more culpable for the demise of WAC football than any other single individual.