The MWC may become a power conference

SLB · Post by **SLB** » August 15th, 2023, 4:32 pm

Something that is not mentioned is the fact about TV money. TV networks have a new vacuum for late night games because the PAC 12 schools went to conferences that are centrally located in the Central and Eastern Time Zones which means less Pacific Time Zone games from the many road games for former PAC 12 schools in the central and eastern time zones. It would be wise for MWC to go to TV networks in offering late night football for every network.

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » August 15th, 2023, 4:36 pm

I've heard this before, but won't there be an equal number of games played in the western time zones? Conference affiliations have changed, but volume of west coast games has stayed the same. Won't they just use the later games that are included in their conference package as material for those slots, putting us exactly where we were before?

Post by **ProvoAggie** » August 15th, 2023, 4:39 pm

Turtle wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:36 pm
I've heard this before, but won't there be an equal number of games played in the western time zones? Conference affiliations have changed, but volume of west coast games has stayed the same. Won't they just use the later games that are included in their conference package as material for those slots, putting us exactly where we were before?

I agree with this. Nothing has changed except the opponents. The former Pac-12 schools will have just as many home games as they did before but it's going to bring more Eastern teams into those games. We'll see how fans of East Coast schools like 11:00 PM kickoffs.

ViAggie · Post by **ViAggie** » August 15th, 2023, 4:40 pm

I think you might be onto something. The breakup of the PAC should benefit us as being the one and only truly western based D1 FBS FB conference that doesn't have this whacky coast to coast membership with teams playing other teams no one really cares about because there are no natural rivalries with half of them. Throw in the two Northwestern schools and we're really onto something. Geography still becomes an issue, but I think we can work things out in a pod type of set up like we have now.

NavyBlueAggie · Post by **NavyBlueAggie** » August 15th, 2023, 4:44 pm

ProvoAggie wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:39 pm

Turtle wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:36 pm
I've heard this before, but won't there be an equal number of games played in the western time zones? Conference affiliations have changed, but volume of west coast games has stayed the same. Won't they just use the later games that are included in their conference package as material for those slots, putting us exactly where we were before?
I agree with this. Nothing has changed except the opponents. The former Pac-12 schools will have just as many home games as they did before but it's going to bring more Eastern teams into those games. We'll see how fans of East Coast schools like 11:00 PM kickoffs.

Very insightful post ProvoAggie. Well noted comment. Likely a year or two of declining viewership and the financial T V winds of change will begin blowing one more time.

flying_scotsman2.0 · Post by **flying_scotsman2.0** » August 15th, 2023, 5:11 pm

ProvoAggie wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:39 pm

Turtle wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:36 pm
I've heard this before, but won't there be an equal number of games played in the western time zones? Conference affiliations have changed, but volume of west coast games has stayed the same. Won't they just use the later games that are included in their conference package as material for those slots, putting us exactly where we were before?
I agree with this. Nothing has changed except the opponents. The former Pac-12 schools will have just as many home games as they did before but it's going to bring more Eastern teams into those games. We'll see how fans of East Coast schools like 11:00 PM kickoffs.

Living in Michigan I’ve found that the fans are thrilled about this. They used to complain about the games in the middle of the day and how they were forced to use the whole day to celebrate Michigan football. Now they will get some games in the middle of the night and early morning, which frees up your day to do more excellent things.

In reality I don’t think I’ve met a Michigan fan who gives a darn about the addition of the western schools, and none of them seem to have considered 11pm start times, but they’re absolutely going to hate it. I hated watching USU hoops with midnight start times, actually fell asleep once. I think we may have an opening to get late night football games, and maybe more money from the next deal, but time will tell.

dogie · Post by **dogie** » August 15th, 2023, 5:21 pm

SLB wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:32 pm
Something that is not mentioned is the fact about TV money. TV networks have a new vacuum for late night games because the PAC 12 schools went to conferences that are centrally located in the Central and Eastern Time Zones which means less Pacific Time Zone games from the many road games for former PAC 12 schools in the central and eastern time zones. It would be wise for MWC to go to TV networks in offering late night football for every network.

Am I missing something? The same number of west coast teams will exist next season and those teams will have the same number of home games

The same number of west coast games will be played next season. It just won’t be under the PAC-12 banner, and a lot of the opponents will have travelled in from the Central and East time zones. Because of that final factor, those non-MWC games on the west coast might be even more valuable for late-night TV.

Edit - clearly I wasn’t the first to make this observation.

Zaggie07 · Post by **Zaggie07** » August 15th, 2023, 5:32 pm

ProvoAggie wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:39 pm

Turtle wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:36 pm
I've heard this before, but won't there be an equal number of games played in the western time zones? Conference affiliations have changed, but volume of west coast games has stayed the same. Won't they just use the later games that are included in their conference package as material for those slots, putting us exactly where we were before?
I agree with this. Nothing has changed except the opponents. The former Pac-12 schools will have just as many home games as they did before but it's going to bring more Eastern teams into those games. We'll see how fans of East Coast schools like 11:00 PM kickoffs.

Yeah, it's all a wash. Same number of home games, just with more western teams going east and eastern teams coming west. If anything, this might hurt the MW in the short term. Because instead of mostly competing with western schools for late viewers now we are competing with eastern schools that will be playing late. People who otherwise may have just turned on a MW game may have their own team to watch or at least their own conference to watch.

WannabeAgAlum · Post by **WannabeAgAlum** » August 15th, 2023, 5:50 pm

I may have already won $10,000,000. I have proof.

SLB · Post by **SLB** » August 15th, 2023, 6:04 pm

dogie wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 5:21 pm

SLB wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:32 pm
Something that is not mentioned is the fact about TV money. TV networks have a new vacuum for late night games because the PAC 12 schools went to conferences that are centrally located in the Central and Eastern Time Zones which means less Pacific Time Zone games from the many road games for former PAC 12 schools in the central and eastern time zones. It would be wise for MWC to go to TV networks in offering late night football for every network.
Am I missing something? The same number of west coast teams will exist next season and those teams will have the same number of home games

The same number of west coast games will be played next season. It just won’t be under the PAC-12 banner, and a lot of the opponents will have travelled in from the Central and East time zones. Because of that final factor, those non-MWC games on the west coast might be even more valuable for late-night TV.

Edit - clearly I wasn’t the first to make this observation.

The games will take early to primetime hours. MWC can consistently bring late-night games.

Post by **ProvoAggie** » August 15th, 2023, 6:06 pm

SLB wrote:
dogie wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 5:21 pm

SLB wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:32 pm
Something that is not mentioned is the fact about TV money. TV networks have a new vacuum for late night games because the PAC 12 schools went to conferences that are centrally located in the Central and Eastern Time Zones which means less Pacific Time Zone games from the many road games for former PAC 12 schools in the central and eastern time zones. It would be wise for MWC to go to TV networks in offering late night football for every network.
Am I missing something? The same number of west coast teams will exist next season and those teams will have the same number of home games

The same number of west coast games will be played next season. It just won’t be under the PAC-12 banner, and a lot of the opponents will have travelled in from the Central and East time zones. Because of that final factor, those non-MWC games on the west coast might be even more valuable for late-night TV.

Edit - clearly I wasn’t the first to make this observation.
The games will take early to primetime hours. MWC can consistently bring late-night games.

The TV Networks pushed to add these teams to conferences that they already had to get the Pacific timezone. Big games will be in primetime as they always were but the majority of these games well be late.

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

Aggiealum13 · Post by **Aggiealum13** » August 15th, 2023, 6:28 pm

I think our chances are good that we're going to be at the very least the strongest G5 / 6 conference going forward. It all depends on Stanford. Hopefully they're arrogance pays off for us. If they decide to build the PAC 4, then it depends on how many teams are poached from the Mountain West. The fear is I don't think they're going to receive power conference status so they'll be a G6 which will make it more difficult for us to have a continual team in the college football playoff, because let's face it that's really what's at stake right now. Whether they join the ACC or go independence, Stanford's going to be the key going forward on how this is going to shake out for us. They're not going to get great money if they rebuild the PAC (maybe they can get a media rights deal of about $10M), but if some presidents like Schultz from Washington State is complaining about travel expenses even with P5/4 money can you imagine with G5 money how much of an uproar that will be especially if they discuss merging with AAC? I believe Stanford will make more if they go Independence in football and move their Olympic sports in either the big West, or the WCC, or maybe our conference. It'll be interesting to see. I think we'll have some closure on this matter probably by the end of this month or next month because a direction has to be made with the remaining four because they don't have a football season next year.

Agezzz · Post by **Agezzz** » August 15th, 2023, 6:47 pm

Thought is was interesting:

Washington State President Kirk Schulz has established the 19-person WSU Athletics Advisory Committee to help the athletic department navigate its path forward. Schulz: “This committee will provide essential insights and feedback to Athletic Director Pat Chun and me as we explore the opportunities presented by potential new conference affiliations. The choices we make during this pivotal juncture will impact our remarkable student-athletes and will have a bearing on the financial health of WSU Athletics. These decisions will resonate throughout the wider WSU community as well.” (link)

The remaining Pac-12 schools stand to receive $4.38M each in NCAA Tournament units in 2025, per The Mercury News’ Jon Wilner’s back-of-the-envelope math. Wilner notes the four schools could keep the money for themselves, use it to offset the loss of media rights revenue or put it toward a project to rebuild the conference. Regarding the latter, WIlner points out the “Pac-12’s remaining schools will have access to units earned by UCLA, Arizona and the other departing programs until 2030. Based on the units generated by the 12 schools to date — and using our estimated total for 2024 — the conference will receive $65.6M from the NCAA over the payout period. Again, we offer the splits: With no changes to membership, that would mean $5.5M per school. But if paid only to Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State, that’s $16.4M — a difference of $11M per campus. If that excess cash were pooled, then used to fund expansion or offset lost media rights revenue, the Pac-12 would have $44M available to support the renovation.” (link)

Aggiealum13 · Post by **Aggiealum13** » August 15th, 2023, 6:58 pm

Agezzz wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 6:47 pm
Thought is was interesting:

Washington State President Kirk Schulz has established the 19-person WSU Athletics Advisory Committee to help the athletic department navigate its path forward. Schulz: “This committee will provide essential insights and feedback to Athletic Director Pat Chun and me as we explore the opportunities presented by potential new conference affiliations. The choices we make during this pivotal juncture will impact our remarkable student-athletes and will have a bearing on the financial health of WSU Athletics. These decisions will resonate throughout the wider WSU community as well.” (link)

The remaining Pac-12 schools stand to receive $4.38M each in NCAA Tournament units in 2025, per The Mercury News’ Jon Wilner’s back-of-the-envelope math. Wilner notes the four schools could keep the money for themselves, use it to offset the loss of media rights revenue or put it toward a project to rebuild the conference. Regarding the latter, WIlner points out the “Pac-12’s remaining schools will have access to units earned by UCLA, Arizona and the other departing programs until 2030. Based on the units generated by the 12 schools to date — and using our estimated total for 2024 — the conference will receive $65.6M from the NCAA over the payout period. Again, we offer the splits: With no changes to membership, that would mean $5.5M per school. But if paid only to Cal, Stanford, Oregon State and Washington State, that’s $16.4M — a difference of $11M per campus. If that excess cash were pooled, then used to fund expansion or offset lost media rights revenue, the Pac-12 would have $44M available to support the renovation.” (link)

That $44 million will be only enough to poach one Mountain West team in time for next football season. It's a difficult decision for these four teams. Honestly I'd probably ride out the money into the Mountain West because it'll give them about four or five year ($16.4M) head start on anybody in the Mountain West Conference.

SLB · Post by **SLB** » August 15th, 2023, 7:31 pm

current AAC overall records
Football 2021-2022
2022
85-94
2021
80-93
current MWC 2021-2022
2022
72-81
2021
84-69
I would add that C-USA have a bad record in non-conference play.
UTSA who was 11-3 in 2022 was 2-3 in non-conference play (the wins were FCS Texas Southern and 6-6 Army)

ViAggie · Post by **ViAggie** » August 15th, 2023, 9:06 pm

SLB wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 7:31 pm
current AAC overall records
Football 2021-2022
2022
85-94
2021
80-93
current MWC 2021-2022
2022
72-81
2021
84-69
I would add that C-USA have a bad record in non-conference play.
UTSA who was 11-3 in 2022 was 2-3 in non-conference play (the wins were FCS Texas Southern and 6-6 Army)

anyone who thinks the AAC is better than the MWC has been smoking some good stuff (and you need to puff and pass)

brownjeans · Post by **brownjeans** » August 15th, 2023, 10:57 pm

No.

Big 10 and Big 12 will play later games when playing @ Western stadiums - it's why they added those teams!

swordsman1989 · Post by **swordsman1989** » August 16th, 2023, 5:44 am

The thing is now the West coast games will be split up around different broadcast deals. In other words the PAC-12 games were all carried under one network (ESPN?). Now they will be split up between the at least the Big Ten and Big-12 contracts. So whatever network had the rights to the PAC-12 games, now suddenly has less late night games it can broadcast. Also, with the PAC-12, all conference games, whether home or away, could be late night games. Now, up to half of USC conference games will be in the Midwest, and thus not suitable for 10 pm eastern time kick offs. So the total number of games/teams will be the same, they will now be spread out among different broadcast contracts and more of the conference games will be less suitable for late nights.

EDITED TO FIX TYPOS.

LarryTheAggie · Post by **LarryTheAggie** » August 16th, 2023, 7:03 am

I have a hard time believing that they are going to be sending Maryland or Rutgers to LA to play a game that starts at 7:00 pm Pacific time (10:00 eastern). Okay maybe they will because no one cares about Maryland or Rutgers. But I think those schools will throw fits about it.

SLB · Post by **SLB** » August 16th, 2023, 7:41 am

LarryTheAggie wrote: ↑
August 16th, 2023, 7:03 am
I have a hard time believing that they are going to be sending Maryland or Rutgers to LA to play a game that starts at 7:00 pm Pacific time (10:00 eastern). Okay maybe they will because no one cares about Maryland or Rutgers. But I think those schools will throw fits about it.

Exactly

NVAggie · Post by **NVAggie** » August 16th, 2023, 7:56 am

And more importantly, who is going to stay up late to watch them?

AggieFBObsession · Post by **AggieFBObsession** » August 16th, 2023, 7:59 am

ProvoAggie wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:39 pm

Turtle wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:36 pm
I've heard this before, but won't there be an equal number of games played in the western time zones? Conference affiliations have changed, but volume of west coast games has stayed the same. Won't they just use the later games that are included in their conference package as material for those slots, putting us exactly where we were before?
I agree with this. Nothing has changed except the opponents. The former Pac-12 schools will have just as many home games as they did before but it's going to bring more Eastern teams into those games. We'll see how fans of East Coast schools like 11:00 PM kickoffs.

A lot of people on the east coast like to start drinking at a sports bar at that time.

AggieFBObsession · Post by **AggieFBObsession** » August 16th, 2023, 8:07 am

NVAggie wrote: ↑
August 16th, 2023, 7:56 am
And more importantly, who is going to stay up late to watch them?

These days there are a lot of bars and restaurants running at those hours that will be happy about showing an eastern team. The east coast metro areas are completely full of such places

Post by **ProvoAggie** » August 16th, 2023, 8:18 am

AggieFBObsession wrote: ↑
August 16th, 2023, 7:59 am

ProvoAggie wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:39 pm

Turtle wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:36 pm
I've heard this before, but won't there be an equal number of games played in the western time zones? Conference affiliations have changed, but volume of west coast games has stayed the same. Won't they just use the later games that are included in their conference package as material for those slots, putting us exactly where we were before?
I agree with this. Nothing has changed except the opponents. The former Pac-12 schools will have just as many home games as they did before but it's going to bring more Eastern teams into those games. We'll see how fans of East Coast schools like 11:00 PM kickoffs.
A lot of people on the east coast like to start drinking at a sports bar at that time.

A few years ago I was in Atlanta for a business trip when USU had a late night kickoff against UNLV. I called around and could find a bar that would stay open as long as the game was going to last. I talked to one that said they wind down when the customers taper off. I went there and watched the first half of our game...I was the only 1 there and they kicked me out at halftime. I don't know if that's common in a lot of cities but starting at 10:00 means ending at 1:00-2:00 and I can't see the people still being at bars that late really being into games.

NavyBlue · Post by **NavyBlue** » August 16th, 2023, 8:30 am

ProvoAggie wrote: ↑
August 16th, 2023, 8:18 am

AggieFBObsession wrote: ↑
August 16th, 2023, 7:59 am

ProvoAggie wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:39 pm

Turtle wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:36 pm
I've heard this before, but won't there be an equal number of games played in the western time zones? Conference affiliations have changed, but volume of west coast games has stayed the same. Won't they just use the later games that are included in their conference package as material for those slots, putting us exactly where we were before?
I agree with this. Nothing has changed except the opponents. The former Pac-12 schools will have just as many home games as they did before but it's going to bring more Eastern teams into those games. We'll see how fans of East Coast schools like 11:00 PM kickoffs.
A lot of people on the east coast like to start drinking at a sports bar at that time.
A few years ago I was in Atlanta for a business trip when USU had a late night kickoff against UNLV. I called around and could find a bar that would stay open as long as the game was going to last. I talked to one that said they wind down when the customers taper off. I went there and watched the first half of our game...I was the only 1 there and they kicked me out at halftime. I don't know if that's common in a lot of cities but starting at 10:00 means ending at 1:00-2:00 and I can't see the people still being at bars that late really being into games.

As someone who has lived in the Eastern Time Zone for the past 16 years, it has been tough on my Aggie fandom. All games seem to start super late and end in the middle of the night. And "at Hawaii" games ....forget it.

LarryTheAggie · Post by **LarryTheAggie** » August 16th, 2023, 8:31 am

I think some fans will like it. I am on the east coast and I love late games. I can turn it on after the kids are in bed. But I don't think most people would be too happy about it. Bit more than that, I don't think the schools themselves will be happy about it.

Play a late game, ends at 2 am, get on a plane at 3 and be back home by 7 or 8. I don't think schools want to go for that.

jpswensen · Post by **jpswensen** » August 16th, 2023, 8:36 am

ProvoAggie wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:39 pm

Turtle wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:36 pm
I've heard this before, but won't there be an equal number of games played in the western time zones? Conference affiliations have changed, but volume of west coast games has stayed the same. Won't they just use the later games that are included in their conference package as material for those slots, putting us exactly where we were before?

In think this may be where the change happens. Teams won’t want 11PM Eastern kickoffs, so all those earlier time slots will be filled by the cross country games.

This means that the “after dark” games will still be open. The real question is whether a WSU versus USU game will be enough of a draw for college football diehard, as compared to a WSU versus USC.

I agree with this. Nothing has changed except the opponents. The former Pac-12 schools will have just as many home games as they did before but it's going to bring more Eastern teams into those games. We'll see how fans of East Coast schools like 11:00 PM kickoffs

brownjeans · Post by **brownjeans** » August 16th, 2023, 8:38 am

When Ohio State plays USC in Pasadena, people are going to tune in - doesn't matter what time it is on TV.

QuackAttackAggie · Post by **QuackAttackAggie** » August 16th, 2023, 8:53 am

ProvoAggie wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:39 pm

Turtle wrote: ↑
August 15th, 2023, 4:36 pm
I've heard this before, but won't there be an equal number of games played in the western time zones? Conference affiliations have changed, but volume of west coast games has stayed the same. Won't they just use the later games that are included in their conference package as material for those slots, putting us exactly where we were before?
I agree with this. Nothing has changed except the opponents. The former Pac-12 schools will have just as many home games as they did before but it's going to bring more Eastern teams into those games. We'll see how fans of East Coast schools like 11:00 PM kickoffs.

I think college kids will handle an 11 PM kickoff better than a 9 AM kickoff.

LarryTheAggie · Post by **LarryTheAggie** » August 16th, 2023, 9:01 am

brownjeans wrote: ↑
August 16th, 2023, 8:38 am
When Ohio State plays USC in Pasadena, people are going to tune in - doesn't matter what time it is on TV.

This argument is moot for that game, that will be a prime time game. No way they will push The Obio State and USC to a late night game.

My prediction is Ohio State and Michigan will not play any late night games on the west coast. That would be almost as ridiculous at those teams getting pushed to a Thursday night game.

Aggieiester · Post by **Aggieiester** » August 16th, 2023, 9:06 am

There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding about the politics behind the power conferences. There is no way to "qualify" to become a power conference, the power conferences do not want any more schools included, in fact what is happening now has more to do with consolidation, this is not just excluding the G5 schools but getting rid of the lower end of the Power 5 (see Cal and Stanford). If I was a fan of schools like Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest etc. I would be nervous. All of the top schools are gradually moving to the B1G and the SEC, Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC; USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon to the B1G with lots of talk now about Florida State and Clemson.

LarryTheAggie · Post by **LarryTheAggie** » August 16th, 2023, 9:15 am

Aggieiester wrote: ↑
August 16th, 2023, 9:06 am
There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding about the politics behind the power conferences. There is no way to "qualify" to become a power conference, the power conferences do not want any more schools included, in fact what is happening now has more to do with consolidation, this is not just excluding the G5 schools but getting rid of the lower end of the Power 5 (see Cal and Stanford). If I was a fan of schools like Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest etc. I would be nervous. All of the top schools are gradually moving to the B1G and the SEC, Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC; USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon to the B1G with lots of talk now about Florida State and Clemson.

This×10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

flying_scotsman2.0 · Post by **flying_scotsman2.0** » August 16th, 2023, 9:23 am

Aggieiester wrote: ↑
August 16th, 2023, 9:06 am
There seems to be a fundamental misunderstanding about the politics behind the power conferences. There is no way to "qualify" to become a power conference, the power conferences do not want any more schools included, in fact what is happening now has more to do with consolidation, this is not just excluding the G5 schools but getting rid of the lower end of the Power 5 (see Cal and Stanford). If I was a fan of schools like Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest etc. I would be nervous. All of the top schools are gradually moving to the B1G and the SEC, Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC; USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon to the B1G with lots of talk now about Florida State and Clemson.

Yeah, I was actually interested in WSU and OSU's proposition to become partial members of the Big12 receiving only half revenue but maintaining greater access to the playoff and such. When do Ohio State, Michigan, and USC figure out that they are worth 120M while Purdue and Illinois are only worth 40M in TV revenue? How do they make the play for even more money? As long as USU has a path to the playoff, which we will under the new format, I will be content to play our MW peers and continue to support a reasonable athletics department that should exist at a public university. Being a Cinderella is more fun anyway.

ineptimusprime · Post by **ineptimusprime** » August 16th, 2023, 9:39 am

Counterpoint -- the MW may not become a power conference.

I want a strong Mountain West and would love to add Oregon State and Washington State, but I like the conference we have right now, and the level we compete at right now very much fits us. It allows us to be solid in football and best positions us for basketball.

I think there's a good chance a rebuilt Pac-12 ends up being a worse basketball conference than the current MW.

As a "basketball first" Aggie fan, I find conference realignment based on football and TV markets to be loathsome. The directional Texas schools and North Dakota schools thrown out previously in MW expansion discussions do nothing for me, and the thought of those schools NET rankings bringing the whole conference down in basketball keeps me up at night.

SLB · Post by **SLB** » August 16th, 2023, 10:04 am

ineptimusprime wrote: ↑
August 16th, 2023, 9:39 am
Counterpoint -- the MW may not become a power conference.

I want a strong Mountain West and would love to add Oregon State and Washington State, but I like the conference we have right now, and the level we compete at right now very much fits us. It allows us to be solid in football and best positions us for basketball.

I think there's a good chance a rebuilt Pac-12 ends up being a worse basketball conference than the current MW. As a "basketball first" Aggie fan, I find conference realignment based on football and TV markets to be loathsome. The directional Texas schools and North Dakota schools thrown out previously in MW expansion discussions do nothing for me, and the thought of those schools NET rankings bringing the whole conference down in basketball keeps me up at night.

Some of my power conference beliefs agree with you.
This is part of why I feel that adding Gonzaga makes sense, and we have now the former WCC commissioner.

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