(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?

Does the fact the meeting was in Denver give any credence to Air Force spearheading it?

(06-15-2018 10:23 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Does the fact the meeting was in Denver give any credence to Air Force spearheading it?

Nope, Denver is the major city in the region.

Salt Lake is just as easy to get to. I'm being objective here, I think BYU and Utah were fine with the divisions, obviously they both left anyway so I don't think it mattered enough. Everyone may have been let down from the Coalition exclusion though.

(06-15-2018 11:06 PM)esayem Wrote:  Salt Lake is just as easy to get to. I'm being objective here, I think BYU and Utah were fine with the divisions, obviously they both left anyway so I don't think it mattered enough. Everyone may have been let down from the Coalition exclusion though.

I think it was in Denver because AFA, CSU and Wyoming were all in close se proximity. New Mexico also in general area.


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(06-15-2018 10:23 PM)solohawks Wrote:  Does the fact the meeting was in Denver give any credence to Air Force spearheading it?

If I’m not mistaken, it was Colorado State the one that arranged the airport meeting, not Air Force.

(06-15-2018 11:06 PM)esayem Wrote:  Salt Lake is just as easy to get to. I'm being objective here, I think BYU and Utah were fine with the divisions, obviously they both left anyway so I don't think it mattered enough. Everyone may have been let down from the Coalition exclusion though.

Denver Airport is a major regional hub.

I think the issue is that the WAC was all over the place with travel issues. Take Tulsa and Rice out of the picture? You did have Boise State, Idaho, UNR and Utah State in the footprint. Just keep UTEP and get rid of the other Texas schools and add the four footprint schools? You could have a better WAC 16 without the airport meeting. If one of the Big West schools kept football (Long Beach State/Fullerton State)? They both could have a spot instead of Idaho and Utah State.

Pacific:
San Diego State
Long Beach State/Fullerton State
Fresno State
San Jose State
UNR
UNLV
Hawaii
Boise State

Mountain:
New Mexico
Utah
BYU
UTEP
Air Force
Colorado State
Wyoming
TCU

That would have been a better lineup. The WAC would have the most teams that went to the BCS bowl. Boise State, Hawaii, Utah and TCU. You have a past champion in BYU. Then you also have teams that came close to going to the BCS bowl games in UNR, San Diego State and Fresno State. The lost of TCU, BYU and Utah did hit the MWC conference hard.

My guest is that you added the wrong teams back in 1998. UNR, Idaho and Boise State were showing that they were becoming stronger. Idaho lost out when the Big West football folded. Utah State became strong the last 7 years with a stunning win over a P5 school. Utah State did beat Utah in a shocker. SMU, Rice and Tulsa were better if they did not join the WAC, and got an invite to C-USA back then. MWC under my lineup would have been a P7 candidate back then from 1998 until utah, BYU and TCU left.

(06-16-2018 04:45 AM)DavidSt Wrote:  I think the issue is that the WAC was all over the place with travel issues. Take Tulsa and Rice out of the picture? You did have Boise State, Idaho, UNR and Utah State in the footprint. Just keep UTEP and get rid of the other Texas schools and add the four footprint schools? You could have a better WAC 16 without the airport meeting. If one of the Big West schools kept football (Long Beach State/Fullerton State)? They both could have a spot instead of Idaho and Utah State.

Pacific:
San Diego State
Long Beach State/Fullerton State
Fresno State
San Jose State
UNR
UNLV
Hawaii
Boise State

Mountain:
New Mexico
Utah
BYU
UTEP
Air Force
Colorado State
Wyoming
TCU

That would have been a better lineup. The WAC would have the most teams that went to the BCS bowl. Boise State, Hawaii, Utah and TCU. You have a past champion in BYU. Then you also have teams that came close to going to the BCS bowl games in UNR, San Diego State and Fresno State. The lost of TCU, BYU and Utah did hit the MWC conference hard.

My guest is that you added the wrong teams back in 1998. UNR, Idaho and Boise State were showing that they were becoming stronger. Idaho lost out when the Big West football folded. Utah State became strong the last 7 years with a stunning win over a P5 school. Utah State did beat Utah in a shocker. SMU, Rice and Tulsa were better if they did not join the WAC, and got an invite to C-USA back then. MWC under my lineup would have been a P7 candidate back then from 1998 until utah, BYU and TCU left.

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The WAC and MWC are basically just continuations of the old Skyline conference. The airport meeting was basically the core Skyline schools getting back to their roots. The Skyline went through a lot of iterations to survive in The Far West, but ultimately met its demise in 2011 when the core schools were split between the PAC (Utah and Colorado), the MWC (CSU, USU, Wyoming) and independence (BYU). I guess we shouldn’t forget about the RMAC which is in a crazy way still around after losing all those schools.

(05-26-2018 02:06 PM)CrimsonPhantom Wrote:  https://www.cbssports.com/college-footba...xperiment/

It sounds like the demise of the WAC was because of the decision not to add to add the Cotton Bowl to the original BCS lineup.

However the alignment did seem impulsive. The idea that San Jose St. could put the WAC over the top was wishful thinking. The MWC seems to be repeating that mistake by adding SJSU again who if left out this time would have probably dropped football.

I envision the Denver Airport Meeting going something like the scene near the end of every cheesy Romantic comedy:

(Utah and BYU are about to board their flight. AFA, Colorado St, and Wyoming run past security and drop to one knee)

Wyo/CSU/AFA: Utah, BYU--we were meant to be together. We screwed up. We never should have let these SWC schools get between us. We can't bear to go a season without playing you. Screw this 16 team league; run away with us so we can be together forever!

Utah/BYU: we love you too. We were selfish and stupid. We are your conference mates for life! Can UNM, UNLV, and SDSU come too?

(2010)
Wyo/CSU/AFA: I THOUGHT YOU SAID WE'D BE TOGETHER FOREVER!