MWC raids WAC as BYU goes Indie

[BigE]

Throughout the day, reports have been flying that BYU has left the Mountain
West conference to go independent in football and join the WAC in all other
sports.

Just recently, it is being reported on ESPN and multiple other outlets that
Nevada and Fresno State have accepted invitations to join the Mountain West
Conference.

 

[BigE]

Utah St. Athletic Director, Scott Barnes. Apparently, before Fresno St. and Nevada received invitations from the Mountain West, Utah St. got the first and quickly rejected it. In their eyes, they assumed they'd be strong with 8 members and BYU joining for non-football sports. Utah St. never considered that other WAC schools would take the invitation.

Ouch.

http://www.utahstateaggies.com/genrel/081910aab.html

 

[BigE]

MWC - CUSA to play for a BCS autobid- possibly

The latest development involving the non-BcS leagues started this morning with a report from the Austin American-Statesman. According to the paper, the Mountain West and what was later confirmed to be Conference USA discussed during a previously scheduled meeting the possibility of the champions from the two leagues meeting in a title game, with the winner gaining an automatic BcS berth.

This so-called play-in game idea has since been confirmed by Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports.com, with part of the thought behind this concept being, obviously, to potentially grab a guaranteed BcS berth while also serving as an attempt to coax BYU into remaining in the MWC

http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsport...scussing-play-in-game-for-bcs-spot/?related=1

 

[BigE]

A thunderous summer of off-the-field news continues …

* We’ll hear more about this in the next 24 hours, but clearly BYU found a way to put together a football schedule for 2011 without the ready-made inventory of WAC games that had been lined up before Fresno State and Nevada blew town.

That was a huge obstacle, perhaps the biggest, in the drive for independence. My guess is that BYU fans won’t be thrilled with the ‘11 schedule, or even the ‘12 lineup. But there simply aren’t many options — most schools are booked solid for several years.

But I’d also guess that BYU fans will love the schedules starting in ‘13 or ‘14, when teams from AQ conferences have open dates to fill and ESPN can broker as many games as it pleases.


* BYU fans don’t want to hear it, and they don’t agree with it, but I’ve said all along that ego was the prime motivator behind the push for football independence, and nothing has made me think otherwise.

Put it this way: Would the Cougars really have gone independent, and put 11 teams in the WCC, if Utah hadn’t bolted for the Pac-10? No. Chance.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegespo ... next-move/

 

[BigE]

BYU, UCF Agree to Home-and-Home Football Series

PROVO, Utah (Sept. 3, 2010) — Brigham Young University and the University of Central Florida today announced the two schools have agreed to a home-and-home football series for the 2011 and 2014 seasons.

The series with UCF starts with a home game at LaVell Edwards Stadium in Provo on Sept. 23, 2011, with the Cougars making the return trip to Orlando and Bright House Networks Stadium on Sept. 6, 2014.

“We are pleased to announce this series with Central Florida,” said BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe. “With our recent move to independence we are looking to fill our schedule with quality home opponents and opportunities for our fans to see us play in different venues around the country. This series is a great fit for BYU.”

The Cougars and the Knights have never met before in football. BYU has played in the Orlando area twice, matching up against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the 1985 Florida Citrus Bowl, and the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 1976 Tangerine Bowl.

http://www.byucougars.com/Filing.jsp?ID=14310

 

[BigE]

West Coast Conference welcomes BYU

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The West Coast Conference announced today that Brigham Young University has formally accepted an invitation to join the WCC with competition to begin in the 2011-12 academic year.

"The West Coast Conference is excited to welcome Brigham Young University as our ninth member institution," University of Portland President and WCC Presidents' Council Chair Rev. E. William Beauchamp said. "In BYU, we are adding a private, faith-based institution with a strong academic reputation and tradition of excellence in athletics. We feel they will be a good athletic fit with our programs that are annually challenging for post-season appearances and national championships. We are looking forward to working with BYU in the months and years ahead."

"We're grateful and honored to accept this invitation from the West Coast Conference," said BYU President Cecil O. Samuelson. "We are pleased to be associating with a group of fellow private, faith-based institutions with whom we also share strong academics. We admire the collegiality and stability this conference enjoys and look forward to competing with them."

Brigham Young University brings to the West Coast Conference a track record of success in academics and athletics. BYU has been consistently recognized as one of the top-rated academic institutions in the nation and is home to an athletic program that has enjoyed success at both the conference and national levels. BYU, which will become an independent in FBS football, will compete in the West Coast Conference in baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, women's soccer, men's and women's tennis and women's volleyball.

"This is an historic day for the West Coast Conference," WCC Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich said. "The addition of Brigham Young University adds to our membership another private, faith-based institution, which shares the common bond of an aligned emphasis on combining excellence in academics with excellence in athletics. We look forward to welcoming the Cougars to the WCC for the 2011-12 academic year."

http://www.wccsports.com/genrel/090110aac.html

 

[BaNgMyPrOgRaM]

I cant tell the MWC from the WCC from Gonzaga's conference. BYU going indy is stupid and self-righteous.

 

[major ram]

so will BYU have its own network like Notre Dame (NBC)?

 

[BigE]

WAC sues Fresno State, Nevada

September, 14, 2010
We knew it was going to come down to this: The WAC has sued Fresno State and Nevada in order to keep the two schools in the conference through the 2011-12 season. The Mountain West is also included in the suit, in order to stop the league from scheduling those schools into conference play for next season.

Commissioner Karl Benson felt he had no other choice in the matter. When he was informed by both school presidents that they wanted to leave the WAC to join the Mountain West in August, both had missed the July 1 cutoff date specifically spelled out in league bylaws. They reiterated their intentions to leave after this season. Benson responded with a letter in writing Aug. 26 saying the league's bylaws stipulated they must remain members through June 30, 2012 and the WAC wouldn't agree to change that.

When he got no response, the WAC decided it had to take legal action as a protective measure for its six remaining teams. The suit was filed last Thursday.

http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/ ... ate-nevada