(03-01-2018 01:52 AM)SoCalBobcat78 Wrote:  

(02-28-2018 06:22 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Gonzaga would be a great counter by the MWC to Wichita State for the AAC. I would jump on it if they are serious. That woudl help scheduling with a 12th school, and really help RPI.

Who are the other five? I can probably guess two for sure, New Mexico State (they ask everyone frequently, as they wait for an opening), and Grand Canyon (they are looking around for the future). One wonders if Rice and UTEP who were the last two schools looked at seriously, probably also touched base. None of these four I just mentioned expects much traction, more a "we're here and interested when your ready' sort of calling card. But that is speculation. But it does makes you wonder who else left a calling card.

From a MWC perspective, if Gonzaga is serious, I'd jump on it. No other school could raise the profile and get the MWC recruiting and performance back to 2 or 3 bid NCAA status.

I agree with Stu. This would be a good move for the MWC. Like the AAC, this would put the MWC in a better position when they renegotiate their TV deal with ESPN. 12 for football, 12 for basketball...it makes sense. Neither conference wants to be in the CUSA position. A 14 team one bid basketball conference, splitting a base football playoff share of $10 million between 14 schools, with a reduced TV deal of about $200,000 per school.

The fallout from a move would be interesting. The WCC would be weakened. Do they add another school or stay at nine? Seattle could be a possibility to get to ten. That hurts the WAC. Denver is also a possibility. That hurts the Summit. The WCC is not the same conference without Gonzaga and their ESPN TV money and exposure will be reduced significantly.

The obvious move for the WCC is Seattle for a 10th. Gonzaga has been blocking them.

The bigger question is what does BYU do here? They could try to hang in the WCC or go for a different arrangement.