There is crazy expansion rumors and then there is this.

[sdsuphilip]

http://www.boston.com/sports/college...st_mwc_c-.html

[allometry]

Make it all sports and it has my blessing.

[Roob]

Finally a plan that includes UNM. On that basis alone, I like this plan. So you're saying we still have a chance?

[Pause The Noose]

I wouldn't mind that

[chuckddd]

Either it's going to happen like this or the remains of the Big East are going to join the MWCUSA XXVIII. This way makes more sense, it allows the Big East to keep their tv package and BCS status. Is there a four team playoff at the end of the year?

[SpanaBaller]

I like that plan!!!! I prefer the 28-team plan. LaTech and SJSU don't add much. Plus with a 7-team division......it allows for 6 round-robin within your division and 3 cross-over games(perhaps one game per other division)

In UNM case:

Our schedule could be:

FCS school
NMSU----OOC
Texas Tech or BYU-----OOC
AF
WYO
CSU
SMU
Tulsa
UTEP
Southern Miss---central cross-over
SDSU----Pacific cross-over
Cincinnati----Eastern cross-over

[loopsups3]

Although it could be a football only type merger, I would hope this would make scheduling more simplistic for all other sports. Basketball fans are starving for some good PIT matchups. It would be great to have UTEP, Louisville, Memphis, and Cincy making regular appearances. This could buy our football program a few more years if there is another "cut" to be made in the near future. We need a June Jones type turnaround...1-11, 8-5, 7-7, 5-1. I think we could live with that. Now, who has 2 mill laying around per year?

[Mark]

Love it! Maybe becuase it's the only scenero I've seen UNM mentioned in!

[hoopscee]

What would that conference be called? The Big Feast?

[LoboColo]

I don't see this coming to fruition, but for the MWC schools it is the best thing mentioned yet. Glad to see Thompson is trying something. But again, the MWC remains relatively powerless with little influence.
Not only would this be good for the MWC, it would open up a path to football improvement for a lot of teams across the country in similalr situations to New Mexico.

[hobo]

And to do this, based on some new teams added from the WAC, I would assume San Jose St and Utah State will be added to MWC for all other sports? I am not sure I like this, but could live with it.

[RENOLOBO]

Survival of the fittest superconference is what is needed for all non bcs schools plus big east......someone gets a gold star from me for painting outside the lines.

[dcrowley]

With this many teams I would much rather see an 8 team playoff. We should do the playoffs right and create excitement so fans of other conferences look at it and say "why the hell do we play bowl games again?" I just hope that they don't end up creating just a second tier division (PAC-12/ACC/SEC/B1G/B12 being 1st tier). But hopefully this could be the beginning of the end of the BCS system and bowls.

[Mark]

The fact is the Big East is about to go extinct. They need our teams and we need their AQ. One doesnt work without the other here. Its actually pretty obvious and im surprised nobody has mentioned this till now. I sure as hell never thought about it.

[lobosrsk]

Why stop at 32 or 34 team conference? How about a 119 team conference with 16 team playoff?

[FONZ]

On the football board I made a long "proposal" for a MWC-Big East merger. At the time, I didn't know the MWC-CUSA merger was going to happen... But I think a MWC-Big East would could be a really strong conference, or at least alliance.

http://thelobolair.com/forum/showthr...847&highlight=

The thing I like about the MWC-CUSA-BE merger is the overall region it covers and how many people will be interested in this conference or alliance. However, the last paragraph of the article confuses me. "Clearly, the Mountain West and Conference USA would love the plan because it elevates their status as potential BCS conferences." It's clearly over one BCS spot... It's like the Big East bringing in 20 more schools to fight over a BCS bowl. CUSA and the MWC don't gain anything more than that.

I think it's ridiculous for a 28 or 32 team conference to fight over ONE BCS bid. Boise State has a better chance of making a BCS bowl as an at-large in the non-AQ, MWC, than making a BCS bowl in the 32-team, MWC-CUSA-BE. It doesn't raise our chances either...

[Lobo65]

ESPN just reported Big East is denying existence of such a proposal which makes me think plan may be legit.

[JCB Lobo]

The more I contemplate it the more it makes sense and the more likely the BCS would be to give an auto BCS bid to the champion of this league. It the Champion of this league had to play in a 4team playoff it could seriously be considered for a National Title Bid. With that many schools in the league the Semi Final and Finals should bolster the Computer scores of the eventual Champion and give it a greater shot of reaching a National Championship. Plus the BCS would be more compelled to offer an auto bid to a Champion of this league if it had to go through a playoff (not to mention the pressure from Congress). It is a very large league but its for Football only and this could be a satisfactory answer for the problem with the BCS and access to the bowls.

[Lobo65]

I think the mini-playoff format would garner some national attention.

[GiJoeRay]

I like th emini playoff idea, but after todays schilacking i think we should go to the WAC and get our feet back under football wise., still some decent basketball in Utah St and NMSU would open up a spot for a home and home or 2 good OOC games.

[delburro]

I like it. I truly hope that UNM can remain playing football in the highest division and I'm beginning to think this may be the only option. As was noted - the Big East needs members and the MW/CUSA need the AQ.

[judas_priest]

As of now NCAA rules permit only one play-off game in a conference - a 4 team or 8 team play-off would need either a rules change or a waiver, neither of which I think likely.

[LoboCubs23]

As of now NCAA rules permit only one play-off game in a conference - a 4 team or 8 team play-off would need either a rules change or a waiver, neither of which I think likely.

Why not? THe BCS changes their rules to suit their needs when ever they want. I dont see why we cant just have the NCAA do the same thing!

[Hoser]

Why stop at 32 or 34 team conference? How about a 119 team conference with 16 team playoff?

OK, now you are making too much sense, go to the back of the room and sit in the corner. No lunch for you!

[colt6bt]

The Big East may have to go this route to survive, but the Big 12 isn't too far behind. They may get back to 10 or even go to 12 by bringing in the likes of Cincinnatti, Louiville or West Virginia. The local radio here in OKC is even talking about UCF, Boise St. and BYU as potential candidates. However, the problems stemming from unrest in the Big 12 is Texas and the Longhorn Network, and that problem is not going to get resolved any time soon. If the ACC SEC and PAC 12 want to get to 16 after next year, where are they going to come looking? People here in Big 12 country yawned at TCU's acceptance into the league, so the options listed above are even less inticing due to distance. So since the Big 12 isn't going to be able to attract anything really exciting, why not introduce this idea now.

Instead of merging with Conference USA, the MWC ought to make a case to merge with the Big 12 to form the nations first super conference. Currently, the Big 12 schools are arguing about the fairness of the Longhorn Network. They want a Conference Network like the Big 10 Network. Could the MTN be a solution to this problem? Granted, the MTN would need some serious upgrades, but I would think that a little BCS money could easily turn it into something marketable. Every television provider would have to offer it as a part of their line-up for Basketball possibilities alone. Texas could keep their own Network, OU seems to think that a Sooner Network is somewhere in the works and could pursue it as they wished. But for everyone else...a conference network that is already up and running.

This would also give the Big 12 the oppurtunity to play a championship game again, a huge source of revenue and something the fans here really miss. The Western division (current MWC) plays the Eastern Division (current Big12) in a championship game. Most importantly you keep regionality intact and don't break up those historical rivalries that are so important to college athletics. By doing this I believe you've built a conference that while not quite on par with the SEC is better than the ACC, and equal in all aspects with the Big 10. And it would be a stretch to think that the Eastern Division is a lock for the championship each year. I think TCU would have won this theoretical conference last year, and Boise St would win it this year.

[LoneLobo]

It's sad that so many Lobos are happy to be mentioned as part of a "super conference" simply because it would give us an ever shrinking slice of bcs pie.

From what I read I am assuming that 1/6 piece of total bcs pie(6 AQs) will have to be divided by 28 or 32 teams from this new super conference? And that makes people happy?

Reminds me of an old saying... "don't pi$$ down my back and tell me it's raining"...

The power of envy is insidious...

[Roob]

It's sad that so many Lobos are happy to be mentioned as part of a "super conference" simply because it would give us an ever shrinking slice of bcs pie.

From what I read I am assuming that 1/6 piece of total bcs pie(6 AQs) will have to be divided by 28 or 32 teams from this new super conference? And that makes people happy?

Reminds me of an old saying... "don't pi$$ down my back and tell me it's raining"...

The power of envy is insidious...

You prefer being in the WAC or WAC equivalent and getting a bigger slice of nothing? Since nobody else seems interested in inviting UNM to the dance, that may be the other alternative.

[delburro]

Well - the other option is to drop down a division because if Boise State and Air Force leave that's pretty the death of the Mountain West - so if it means they're still part of the top division by all means. If you have another option by all means let's hear it.

[FlyingLobo]

As of now NCAA rules permit only one play-off game in a conference - a 4 team or 8 team play-off would need either a rules change or a waiver, neither of which I think likely.

Maybe not. In the 28 team scenario a schedule could work with 9 conference games, one of which would be your semi final round. For example, our scheudle might work something like this:

3 home, 3 away in our division
1 home versus central
1 away versus east
1 home versus west (this round matches up all mountain and west teams by standing in division. #1 vs. #1, #2 vs #2, etc.... defacto semi-final for top teams)

Then you have your championship game.

The games outside of your divison would alternate each year between home and away. The seeded matchup versus West works because teams would already know which division is hosting. You whether know you have a home game or have to travel in advance, you just don't know you opponent until a week or two before.

[Granger900]

How bout the Big Mountain (Texas goes independent, Mizzou to SEC)
North: Kansas, Kansas St., Iowa St., Nevada, Boise, Oklahoma, Oklahoma St., Colo St.
South: UNM, TCU, Air Force, SDSU, Texas Tech, Baylor, UTEP, UNLV
This conference would clearly retain its AQ status with 7 teams in the top 25 at some point this year. Would be amazing to see Kansas, OU, and K-State in the pit. Also renew the rivalry with UTEP. The title game winner goes on to play the winner of the new Big East

And then the Big East can merge with C-USA and retain AQ status as well