How about Wichita State and Creighton to the MWC.

[StillCJ]

We're forming a nine team division of an alliance with CUSA or we might stay western. Either way we're looking at adding some schools.

Hawaii is a football only member of our league. We need to balance them with a basketball/olympic school. Air Force is looking at housing their other sports in a conference they can be more competitive in. We might need another basketball/olympic sports team...

Wichita State R.P.I. 18
MVC record 12-2
1st in MVC
Overall record 20-4

Creighton R.P.I. 22
MVC record 11-3
2nd in MVC
Overall record 21-4


That would leave us at nine basketball playing schools:

Fresno R.P.I. 212
Nevada 31
UNLV 11
Utep 169
UNM 36
Wyo 54
CSU 49
Creighton 22
Wichita State 18

It would replace R.P.I.'s: 17 SDSU, 189 Boise, 121 TCU, and 165 AFA's with,

18 Wichita State, 22 Creighton, 31 Nevada, 169 Utep(low but rebuilding), 212 Fresno(same as Utep).

So even after losing SDSU, we would add THREE N.C.A.A. tournament teams and a rebuilding power in Utep. Fresno has a great young coach as well.

That looks like a league or division I want to be a part of.

What do you think Wichita State? Would you guys be interested in that?

[wu_shizzle]

It's Wichita.

[StillCJ]

Thanks, I'll edit that.

[BOBB]

Step down

[another shocker]

Hmm.. I'd put Van Vleet and Early up against Frankamp and Ellis ANY DAY, so maybe so, bobbi soxer.

[Shocker85]

What do you think Wichita State? Would you guys be interested in that?

All existing teams in Mountain or Pacific time zone, really long travel. sCUm and WSU don't have football.

I think WSU would be "all-in" in any a conference re-alignment - meaning all sports. For a non-football school, the travel costs would be a deal-breaker.

--'85.

[shockmonster]

All existing teams in Mountain or Pacific time zone, really long travel. sCUm and WSU don't have football.

I think WSU would be "all-in" in any a conference re-alignment - meaning all sports. For a non-football school, the travel costs would be a deal-breaker.

--'85.

Travel is that much different? Ok California is farther. How much different travel time is ISUb and Evansville to Nevada and UNLV? I would think that baseball would be better too.

[rrshock]

That would be better than what we are in now.

[StillCJ]

We're negotiating a new deal to get out of our old one, so the revenue is going to be pretty nice. You guys don't need to play football. You just take the place of Hawaii and Air Force as football only's.

[StillCJ]

There are some basketball mecas in the West. The Pit, the Thomas and Mack in Vegas, the Haskins center in El Paso, the Arena Auditorium in Laramie. The majority of our Arenas are over 10,000. The four I just mentioned are over 15,000.

That would be without question a five bid league this year, probably six. Out of nine teams, that's over half that would be in the dance. It's probably two thirds of the teams in the league in the dance.

[StillCJ]

Just as an F.Y.I, there's some basketball history in that league. Wyoming, Utep, and UNLV have all won national titles.

[Aargh]

Mountain West does have its own network with revenue sharing. More teams in the NCAA's would produce more revenue for distribution. The added revenue could offset the added travel.

The schools in the MWC have a longer history and more tradition than many Valley schools. University of Northern Iowa Teacher's College and Evansville are approximately their MVC history away from being the equivalent of Emporia State.

I'd wager that funding is on better footing in the MWC schools than in Valley schools. Underfunding of athletic departments leads to debacles like we're seeing at Southern Illinois right now - and UNI threatening to drop all sports if the State of Iowa stops subsidizing their athletic department.

Associating with schools with FBS football brings status that isn't available in the Valley. The added couple of months of relevance for the league gets more attention on a national basis - which results in more national respect for the members.

Put CU and WSU into that basketball lineup and that's a pretty solid basketball conference. Probably a 6th - 8th conference RPI every year.

I see enough upside that I'd encourage the WSU athletic department to consider that very seriously if it were offered. I'd be hoping they would make the move.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

who the **** is WE?

[another shocker]

No way. Forget it.

WSU-76 KU-66

[DwShock]

I like the Mo Valley. I hope wsu doesn't conference hop it takes away tradition.