Boise State is currently upgrading the pressbox and adding luxury seats that will increase capacity to 32,000. They have plans to add seats in the south endzone and increase overall capacity to 50,000. That is more than LES North holds where the ewetes play. BSU is doing all they can to become a major program. Their winning tradition has made expansion possible. Their basketball team surprisingly is the early leader in the WAC so far this season.

Be that as it may, I am not a proponent of adding BSU to the MWC unless the BCS makes it a condition of a guaranteed bid to a BCS bowl. If the MWC were to expand to 12 teams, I could see adding BSU, Fresno St. and another team in Texas, such as Houston, Rice, or UTEP. I would pick Houston first. They have a small football stadium (32,000), but they are in Houston and have access to the Texan's stadium possibly. Again, expansion would be contingent on getting an automatic bid to a BCS bowl only.

PlayoffDude wrote:

The biggest problem is Boise State's facilities. Unless there are major expansion plans, the stadium only holds 30,000. That is nearly 3,000 fewer seats than Wyoming, the smallest stadium in the Mountain West. Also, I do not know that Boise St. brings enough to the table in other sports to merit any serious consideration.

If Boise State were to join the Mountain West, I think it would need to be part of a three-team expansion. The Mountain West would then create two divisions and a conference championship game. That could make sense. Otherwise, Boise St. brings the MWC total to 10 teams, and most teams do not want to schedule more than 8 conference games. (and you definitely do not want a Big Ten situation where there are no divisions but you still don't play every team in the conference every year).

I am a BIG proponent of the three-team expansion idea. The only WAC schools that have facilities in the ball park of the average MWC school are Hawaii and Fresno St. Both also have decent football and/or basketball programs that would strengthen the Mountain West. You could also look to Memphis, UTEP, or Rice from Conference USA because they have good facilities, but I don't know that they are attractive enough from a competitive standpoint. UTEP does have history as it was one of the original WAC members with BYU and friends.

My pick would be for Boise St., Fresno St., and Hawaii. You could bring the Boise and Hawaii bowls into the Mountain West affiliation and thus have 6 or 7 MWC bowl tie-ins.

The MWC divisions could look like this:

Mountain Division
Air Force
Boise State
Colorado State
New Mexico
TCU
Wyoming

West Division
BYU
Fresno St.
Hawaii
San Diego St.
UNLV
Utah

As an alternative to the MWC commissioner's suggestion of a play-in game to the BCS between the MW and WAC, why not also suggest to the BC$ that if given an automatic BC$ berth, we will add Hawai'i and Boise State and Fresno State and have a MWC championship game?

Does adding BSU to the MWC make it a better conference? I think yes. Sure Boise is a small market...but we are not talking Laramie...Sure it's stadium seats only 30,000, but that is the average attendance of each game, because every game is a sell out. That beats UNLV, where they just reported the highest attendance average ever...at 29,000....BSU's basketball team is not as bad as you think....I actually am a little nervous about this week's game--I got tickets and am going!--last time we played at BSU we lost--....Bottom line is that they are competitive in BB, with a very good coach.... They have a perennial top 25 tennis and wrestling team too....I am not a BSU homer...those of you who have been on Cougar Blue for a while know that...but in the end, and for me the bottom line, is that adding them would make the MWC a better more respectable conference....And besides then we could play them every year and show them who's who!

I think the reality of anything happening is pretty much nothing.

However,

I do think that adding Boise St would strengthen the MWC, but I think that overall, it would weaken the cause. The other conferences aren't going to share any BCS money or agree that our 12 team conference champ gets an Auto birth. Why? Because they just don't care. The BCS created more controversy, sports radio material, and general useless mindnumbing buzz than ever before this year. Why fix what's not broke(still lining your pockets).

This is just my opinion, but I also think that if Colorado joined the Pac-10, the Big 12 would pick up either TCU or Houston way before they ever picked up BYU. For a number of reasons as well. Geographic location and size of the media market would be the major reasons. I also think that within 4 years, either team could compete annually for 2nd in the southern division. Texas or OU win it every year though, and I don't think that will change, but they could easily complete with some of the other schools and pull off the occasional upset.

I also think the same about BYU if we ever joined the Pac-10. I think we would come in second in year 3 and 4...maybe year 2, and then really compete for the title after that.

I believe all this for only one reason. BC$ money. Look what it did to South Flordia. They were exposed in the second half of the year, but no one had ever heard of them until they joined the Big East. I remember hearing they were part of the Big East and thinking...who the hell is that? But then they started getting BCS money and look what happened. Number 2 in the nation at one point.

This same rational applies to Boise St and we are already seeing it. They are taking their bowl money and building bigger and better things. I'd love to see what BYU would do with some more BCS money.

Wow, I just rambled alot. Anyway, I don't think its a good idea for Boise St to join the MWC because it won't financially improve anything for either school and it won't improve recruiting. The only benefit is better competition for the fans.

Speaking of brand name football programs, when is the last time that a MWC program had this type of recognition? Anyone??? Out here in Texas, everyone I've talked football with knows who Boise State is. They don't know squat about most of the teams in the MWC. Bringing Boise State in is a big improvement.

SanAntonioBlue wrote:

Speaking of brand name football programs, when is the last time that a MWC program had this type of recognition? Anyone??? Out here in Texas, everyone I've talked football with knows who Boise State is. They don't know squat about most of the teams in the MWC. Bringing Boise State in is a big improvement.

I'll admit, Boise St has brand recognition right now. Start asking people about SMU though and then we'll see how long brand recognition lasts. Ask outside of Texas though, just to be fair.

I also heard that there was a Zabransky siteing at a local McDonalds in Boise last week. He was cooking.

JK, he's actually on the Texans practice squad. Good for him