Updated 1/6/18: MVC Expansion Poll

[Redhawk]

One thing to watch: if Gonzaga leaves, the WCC is in prime position to poach Seattle from the WAC, and the WAC would once again be pressed against the minimum limit required to exist as a conference.

I'd do a couple things:

1) Call BYU. It's a longshot, but the WCC sans Gonzaga is not what they want their endgame to be. With the MWC filled up and Wichita taking the non-football spot in the AAC, it's possible the MVC represents their last best chance at having semi-regular chances at at-large bids in the future.

2) Call New Mexico St. If the WAC is gonna go down in flames.....

I really like this outside the box thinking. Adding these two together would create quite a buzz nationally
and make the MVC stronger in their battle for prominence with the A10 and MWC.
This pairing would most likely not be sustainable long term but would be great while it lasts!

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

One thing to watch: if Gonzaga leaves, the WCC is in prime position to poach Seattle from the WAC, and the WAC would once again be pressed against the minimum limit required to exist as a conference.

I'd do a couple things:

1) Call BYU. It's a longshot, but the WCC sans Gonzaga is not what they want their endgame to be. With the MWC filled up and Wichita taking the non-football spot in the AAC, it's possible the MVC represents their last best chance at having semi-regular chances at at-large bids in the future.

2) Call New Mexico St. If the WAC is gonna go down in flames.....

I really like this outside the box thinking. Adding these two together would create quite a buzz nationally
and make the MVC stronger in their battle for prominence with the A10 and MWC.
This pairing would most likely not be sustainable long term but would be great while it lasts!

1. BYU is also being rumored as a MWC addition along with Gonzaga.
2. I've been saying NMSU with GCU all year. Everyone has s*** on it for logistical reasons. But, BYU and NMSU is okay? This makes even less sense logistically because NMSU doesn't have the money to not need a travel partner like BYU.

[Mikovio]

BYU and GCU are in different galaxies. BYU has its own TV network and national religion for all intents and purposes.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

BYU and GCU are in different galaxies. BYU has its own TV network and national religion for all intents and purposes.

What I'm saying is if NMSU comes to the MVC they have to have a travel partner because they simply don't have the money. No question BYU is a good add. I'd love it. BYU is too far from NMSU to be a travel partner (776 miles). Maybe BYU and GCU could be added because neither NEED a travel partner. They have the money to be each other's travel partners even though they are still far away (619 miles). MVC takes GCU and BYU and MWC takes St. Mary's and Gonzaga. NMSU gets screwed.

[PurpleAcesFootball]

BYU and GCU are in different galaxies. BYU has its own TV network and national religion for all intents and purposes.

What I'm saying is if NMSU comes to the MVC they have to have a travel partner because they simply don't have the money. No question BYU is a good add. I'd love it. BYU is too far from NMSU to be a travel partner (776 miles). Maybe BYU and GCU could be added because neither NEED a travel partner. They have the money to be each other's travel partners even though they are still far away (619 miles). MVC takes GCU and BYU and MWC takes St. Mary's and Gonzaga. NMSU gets screwed.

How have you still not figured out how travel scheduling partners work?

It has nothing to do with whether or not NMSU NEEDS a travel partner. It has everything to do with getting a women's volleyball team from Valparaiso to Las Cruces or a women's basketball team from Carbondale to Provo.

[uniguy]

While I agree you have to make the call, I don't think there would be any interest from BYU. The MVC isn't so much better than the WCC (even without Gonzaga) that they could justify sending all of their teams all the way to the midwest for every road game. They would probably try to join the MWC again, and failing that, they're probably happy with their independent status in football and being a big fish in a small pond in all other sports.

If they join the MWC that puts them at 13 schools for football, so they would probably need to add yet another football school at that point too. Easier said than done. New Mexico State would probably want in, but if they aren't willing to do that......you're looking at trying to pry an American team like Houston or SMU. If you can't do that.....now you're looking at Conference USA school (North Texas, La Tech, Rice, Southern Miss, etc) or a Sun Belt school, or Northern Illinois. None of those are particularly attractive. Regardless, it is easier said than done.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

While I agree you have to make the call, I don't think there would be any interest from BYU. The MVC isn't so much better than the WCC (even without Gonzaga) that they could justify sending all of their teams all the way to the midwest for every road game. They would probably try to join the MWC again, and failing that, they're probably happy with their independent status in football and being a big fish in a small pond in all other sports.

If they join the MWC that puts them at 13 schools for football, so they would probably need to add yet another football school at that point too. Easier said than done. New Mexico State would probably want in, but if they aren't willing to do that......you're looking at trying to pry an American team like Houston or SMU. If you can't do that.....now you're looking at Conference USA school (North Texas, La Tech, Rice, Southern Miss, etc) or a Sun Belt school, or Northern Illinois. None of those are particularly attractive. Regardless, it is easier said than done.

BYU is a football independant. They want to remain an independant too unless it's for a P5. That's widely known. It would keep the MWC a 12 team football conference. They want 2 basketball only schools.

[uniguy]

While I agree you have to make the call, I don't think there would be any interest from BYU. The MVC isn't so much better than the WCC (even without Gonzaga) that they could justify sending all of their teams all the way to the midwest for every road game. They would probably try to join the MWC again, and failing that, they're probably happy with their independent status in football and being a big fish in a small pond in all other sports.

If they join the MWC that puts them at 13 schools for football, so they would probably need to add yet another football school at that point too. Easier said than done. New Mexico State would probably want in, but if they aren't willing to do that......you're looking at trying to pry an American team like Houston or SMU. If you can't do that.....now you're looking at Conference USA school (North Texas, La Tech, Rice, Southern Miss, etc) or a Sun Belt school, or Northern Illinois. None of those are particularly attractive. Regardless, it is easier said than done.

BYU is a football independant. They want to remain an independant too unless it's for a P5. That's widely known. It would keep the MWC a 12 team football conference. They want 2 basketball only schools.

Yes, but their independent TV deal ends in 2019. Can they get another lucrative deal? Maybe.

It is also widely known that they ruffled some feathers with their exit from the MWC. Seems very unlikely that the conference would allow BYU to rejoin without including the football team. With Gonzaga they have 12 basketball playing members. They don't need another basketball-only school, 13 is a weird number.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

You are correct. I thought there were 12 basketball members, too.

[TheAsianSensation]

BYU is tricky because they want football independence and will protect that first. I just think they joined the WCC solely because of the Gonzaga bump, and that they were hardly thrilled with that situation to begin with. Now without Gonzaga, they're desperate.

They won't be let back in to the MWC without football, and even then, they burned some bridges so that's not a lock. Plus the MWC is sitting at 12 teams in football, and adding 2 teams is really costly to their CFP playoff. Football playoff payouts are much much different than basketball tournament payouts - adding teams is much much more costly in football.

If the MWC does decide to expand football (say, if BYU comes back), they do have UTEP sitting in CUSA who would probably go. New Mexico St is also there but their program is a bit of a tire fire.

So I do think BYU will be desperate to search for something....and Wichita took the 1 non-football opening in the AAC. Take a look at the budgets in the WCC. They do not spend, even at Valley levels. There's no question it'd be an awkward, really ugly looking merger, but BYU in a conference full of small private faith-based programs is already an awkward really ugly looking merger.


One other idea out there: BYU and NMSU as basketball-only to the MWC. Takes them to 14 teams...but they'd be adding 3 stalwarts to the conference, relatively speaking.