(06-15-2018 08:53 PM)Jjoey52 Wrote:  

(06-15-2018 08:07 PM)billybobby777 Wrote:  

(06-15-2018 10:12 AM)esayem Wrote:  Back to the original article, it leads the reader to believe Utah and BYU spearheaded the push, when in fact it was Air Force; they were going to be separated from their rivals, Colorado State and Wyoming, in the Pacific Division. I read a bunch of articles from 1998, and not even a month after the WAC announced permanent divisions, the Mountain West split occurred.

The divisions were:

Mountain
Tulsa
Rice
SMU
TCU
UTEP
New Mexico
Colorado St.
Wyoming

Pacific
Air Force
BYU
Utah
UNLV
SJSU
Fresno St.
SDSU
Hawaii

By simply switching New Mexico and Air Force, could the whole situation have been diverted? By leaving the WAC, New Mexico broke away from all the Texas teams, including longtime rival UTEP. I don't believe New Mexico would argue about missing out on Texas recruiting or losing their rival because they did't mind enough to split away. New Mexico would also pick up important yearly games vs. BYU and Utah, and all of their cross-division games would have benefits: old rivals or fertile Texas recruiting, sans Tulsa. Air Force would be in their ideal division playing local rivals and private schools.

Mountain
Tulsa
Rice
SMU
TCU
UTEP
Air Force*
Colorado St.
Wyoming

Pacific
New Mexico*
BYU
Utah
UNLV
SJSU
Fresno St.
SDSU
Hawaii

Note* At the last second, New Mexico actually offered to go West so that Air Force could join Wyoming and Colorado St in their 8 team division of the WAC 16. But Air Force still threatened going Indy. If Air Force would’ve accepted New Mexico’s offer:
WAC Pacific: New Mexico, Utah, BYU, UNLV, SDSU, Fresno, San Jose St, Hawaii
WAC Mountain: Air Force, Colorado St, Wyoming, UTEP, Tulsa, SMU, TCU, Rice

Would have been interesting if they at least tried this ^ out for a few years.

BYU had their tentacles in the break up, they are the ones who arranged the airport meeting.


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Everything I’ve read from 1998 has Air Force as the spearhead. Love to read your sources, or are they locked under the Denver Airport?