Some good points. Adding Hawaii will give us 6 for MVB and an auto bid. Also might prompt them to change to 8 teams in the playoffs. Adding UCSD and SJSU is good but will expand league to 12 teams but ideal would be to keep it at 10. Hmmmm. Gosh if only we could remove two schools to get back to that magic number 10. Hmmm. Which two would those be?
If you're coming to dinner, bring something to the table.
http://www.presstelegram.com/moresports/ci_16665203
KEISSER: Big West can now investigate expansion
By Bob Keisser, Sports Columnist
Posted: 11/19/2010 11:16:09 PM PST
Updated: 11/19/2010 11:54:13 PM PST
It was with a modest sense of pride that Big West Commissioner Dennis Farrell noted that his conference is the only one in the West that has exhibited a sense of stability this fall.
When everyone else is going willy-nilly in an effort to grab land, TV markets and BCS strength, the conference deserves some credit for taking a slow and steady path to its future.
As Farrell noted, there was a lot of selfish grabbing by the other conferences. The Pac-10 fumbled a run at Texas and wound up with Colorado and Utah, who expand the territory but don't really bring much to the table other than travel costs.
The Mountain West Conference (MWC) lost Utah to the Pac-10 and BYU declared its independence, leading the MWC to raid the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) of its best parts and further signal its desire to become a card-carrying member of the BCS world. By the BCS standards, it's more likely to happen than to not, probably by 2013.
The WAC not only lost four schools - Hawaii declared its intention to join the MWC (football-only) this week, joining Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada - but four schools with a combined football record of 31-7 this season. The five remaining WAC schools are 15-35.
The WAC signed Texas State, UT-San Antonio and Denver in a bid to save its existence, which was little more than adding TV markets, because those three schools have no tradition or anything in common with the WAC schools.
In this aftermath, the Big West is actually in a position to make sound moves for its future as opposed to reactionary or risky decisions.
The conference officially lifted its moratorium on expansion this week and will consider the options that come to them over the next few months.
"It leaves us in the position to analyze if there's any interest out there and consider what someone would bring to the conference," Farrell said. "We don't feel threatened by anyone now that UC Davis and Poly has solidified its football status" - they joined the Big Sky for football only - "and its commitment to the Big West.
"If we see someone who can improve our brand and product, we'll consider them, with an eye on their overall athletic program, how much success they have, the sports they sponsor, their RPIs in the major sports, and academics."
Farrell declined to speculate or mention any schools by name. But here are the potential opportunities:
Look for Hawaii to apply for full membership while playing football in the MWC. Hawaii was willing to stay in the WAC until the conference expanded to Texas, meaning more travel costs.
The Big West is perfect for Hawaii, with contained travel costs for all sports and synergy with basketball, baseball and volleyball. It is good for the Big West, because Hawaii would lift the RPI in key sports and, most importantly, enable the conference to sponsor men's volleyball.
Five Big West schools play men's volleyball, and six are needed to be a conference that can seek an automatic bid for its champion.
Right now, all of the schools in the west play in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, undoubtedly the toughest conference in any NCAA sport.
Having a second conference in the west would also force the NCAA's hand to expand its tournament from four teams to eight, which is good for the sport in general. Also notable: There isn't another available D-I school in the west that sponsors men's volleyball.
San Jose State is committed to keeping football because of a century of history and Athletic Director's Thomas Bowen relationship with the game.
He's a Notre Dame alum, a member of the NCAA Division I football committee, and has launched a fund-raising program to renovate and expand the school's stadium. He was part of the fund-raising team that upgraded the facilities at his previous job at Cal.
If San Jose State sought membership in the Big West while playing football elsewhere, schools would likely welcome them based on past relations, its CSU ties and its market ('Frisco-adjacent), even if the Spartans add just a little in the way of power ratings in other sports.
Cal State Bakersfield is a nouveau D-I program that's itchy for membership but isn't on anyone's wish list.
Here's your darkhorse: UC San Diego is a Division II program playing in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. It is finishing up an internal study on moving to Division I and it should be made public soon.
UCSD doesn't play football, plays men's volleyball and offers the UC pedigree. Its facilities are comparable or better - the basketball arena seats 5,000, the baseball field 1,200 and is adding lights - and its had good success in sports the Big West fancies, like soccer (the Tritons won the Division II West Region, volleyball (the women's team is in the regional semifinals) and baseball (54-8 last year and two straight trips to the D-II World Series).
The conference currently has nine members. Add Hawaii and it has a nice round 10, which would be fine with most everyone. Add San Jose State and UC San Diego and it opens two major markets.
It also could create divisional play that could save the conference some travel costs.
Consider a Southern Division of UC San Diego, UC Irvine, Long Beach State, Fullerton, UC Riverside and Northridge, and a Northern Division of UC Santa Barbara, Cal Poly SLO, UC Davis, Pacific, San Jose and Hawaii.
"One of the things we have to decide is how big do we want to be," Farrell said.
"Nine is working for us. Ten would be OK. Any more and we start discussing divisions, which may not be the way everyone wants to go.
"The thing we want to do is make sure we make decisions that will be for the benefit of everyone, will be lasting and improve the conference."
As opposed to adding Colorado on a lark or trying to sell someone the idea that UT-San Antonio, Idaho, Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State have anything in common.
