(05-25-2018 03:17 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I doubt the 5 attendees are gathering for a reunion to reminisce.

Th sad irony is had schools like UTEP, Fresno St, and Hawaii voted to bring about the WAC 16 they never would have been left behind.

(05-25-2018 03:43 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Interesting tidbit: As recently as the year 2000 there were 4 Western FB Conferences:
PAC 10
MWC
WAC
Big West

Now there’s 2.

(05-25-2018 04:05 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 03:43 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Interesting tidbit: As recently as the year 2000 there were 4 Western FB Conferences:
PAC 10
MWC
WAC
Big West

Now there’s 2.

Big 8 and then Big 12 because of Colorado which the state is considered western part of the US.

(05-25-2018 04:15 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I didn't pay any attention to that when it happened, because to me and many others in the east, western football was (and is, save for the addition of Boise) the PAC and BYU.

But obviously, the formation of the MWC had great implications for realignment in the western 2/3s of the country.

Thing is, I don't think much has changed for the schools. Everyone is pretty much where they were then, save arguably for BYU, who has IMO lost stature during that time, Boise, who came out of nowhere to gain it, and of course TCU and Utah, who road various rails all the way up to the P5.

Just goes to show that conference shuffling is often a case of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. You can't create value via conference configuration unless the schools themselves have it.

(05-25-2018 04:15 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I didn't pay any attention to that when it happened, because to me and many others in the east, western football was (and is, save for the addition of Boise) the PAC and BYU.

But obviously, the formation of the MWC had great implications for realignment in the western 2/3s of the country.

Thing is, I don't think much has changed for the schools. Everyone is pretty much where they were then, save arguably for BYU, who has IMO lost stature during that time, Boise, who came out of nowhere to gain it, and of course TCU and Utah, who road various rails all the way up to the P5.

Just goes to show that conference shuffling is often a case of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. You can't create value via conference configuration unless the schools themselves have it.

(05-25-2018 04:14 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 04:05 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 03:43 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Interesting tidbit: As recently as the year 2000 there were 4 Western FB Conferences:
PAC 10
MWC
WAC
Big West

Now there’s 2.

Big 8 and then Big 12 because of Colorado which the state is considered western part of the US.

Technically one could say Colorado AND Texas Tech and TCU. I remember the saying in DFW that SMU looked East and TCU looked West. Texas Tech is definitely Western. I lived there. It was not pretty like the Mountain states towns, but it’s certainly not Eastern or Midwestern being a few miles away from the NM border...

(05-25-2018 05:55 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  This also caused the play-in game in Dayton. If this doesn’t happen, who knows how long it takes to expand to 65 and then 68 (maybe Big East split pushes it to 65 where we stand today).

It’s surprising Wyoming was included over the likes of TCU given the demographics/market-hyperfocus of expansion.

(05-25-2018 06:18 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 05:55 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  This also caused the play-in game in Dayton. If this doesn’t happen, who knows how long it takes to expand to 65 and then 68 (maybe Big East split pushes it to 65 where we stand today).

It’s surprising Wyoming was included over the likes of TCU given the demographics/market-hyperfocus of expansion.

History that the front range schools share together. No way they were going to ditch one of their own for TCU who at that time who was a losing record WAC team...

(05-25-2018 04:23 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 04:15 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I didn't pay any attention to that when it happened, because to me and many others in the east, western football was (and is, save for the addition of Boise) the PAC and BYU.

But obviously, the formation of the MWC had great implications for realignment in the western 2/3s of the country.

Thing is, I don't think much has changed for the schools. Everyone is pretty much where they were then, save arguably for BYU, who has IMO lost stature during that time, Boise, who came out of nowhere to gain it, and of course TCU and Utah, who road various rails all the way up to the P5.

Just goes to show that conference shuffling is often a case of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. You can't create value via conference configuration unless the schools themselves have it.

I suppose it’s the Iowa Holiday Bowls in the 80’s and 90’s vs the WAC that always give me fond memories of the original WAC. I always thought it was a very underrated conference and fun to watch with those high flying offenses. Then the WAC 16 came and everyone followed that experiment...then they blew it up. Then Boise came around out of nowhere later...Interesting moments with that group of schools to say the very least.

(05-25-2018 06:18 PM)johnintx Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 04:14 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 04:05 PM)DavidSt Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 03:43 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  Interesting tidbit: As recently as the year 2000 there were 4 Western FB Conferences:
PAC 10
MWC
WAC
Big West

Now there’s 2.

Big 8 and then Big 12 because of Colorado which the state is considered western part of the US.

Technically one could say Colorado AND Texas Tech and TCU. I remember the saying in DFW that SMU looked East and TCU looked West. Texas Tech is definitely Western. I lived there. It was not pretty like the Mountain states towns, but it’s certainly not Eastern or Midwestern being a few miles away from the NM border...

Fort Worth is Where the West Begins. It has been the city slogan for years, and was (maybe still is) just below the masthead of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Fort Worth and Lubbock are Western-type of places, but more importantly Texan.

(05-25-2018 04:52 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  

(05-25-2018 04:15 PM)quo vadis Wrote:  I didn't pay any attention to that when it happened, because to me and many others in the east, western football was (and is, save for the addition of Boise) the PAC and BYU.

But obviously, the formation of the MWC had great implications for realignment in the western 2/3s of the country.

Thing is, I don't think much has changed for the schools. Everyone is pretty much where they were then, save arguably for BYU, who has IMO lost stature during that time, Boise, who came out of nowhere to gain it, and of course TCU and Utah, who road various rails all the way up to the P5.

Just goes to show that conference shuffling is often a case of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. You can't create value via conference configuration unless the schools themselves have it.

NMSU going independent and Idaho returning to the Big Sky would like to have a word with you. Both were in the Big West when the MWC was born. They got hit the hardest.

(05-26-2018 06:59 AM)esayem Wrote:  Fun fact I like to bring up: UNLV was voted into the WAC at the same time as Hawaii and Air Force I believe. They had full WAC schedules for a few years, but couldn't get their facilities upgraded so they were cut loose.

I vaguely remember the WAC split, mainly because it created the play-in game. I also thought it was ridiculous LaTech became a member of the conference. In retrospect, it sort of made sense with Rice next door, but Utah State probably would have been a better addition at the time.