Meh, not a good take given what is currently transpiring or the current situation the Pac/MW find themselves in. On the field success is rarely a reason for an invite. If it was a major metric, UTEP doesn't get an MW invite, UNLV wouldn't have been in consideration for a Pac invite, the list goes on. Countless other former FCS transitioned programs never get an FBS ticket if there was some "on the field" metric required.
I put the "Big Ten Information" guy in the same bucket as the rest of the haters on the distant outside making comments on what they want to happen. Making a statement about concerns and not following up on details is just click bait. Yawn.
That said, Dr. Wood is going to have to deliver on the stadium funding details fairly soon. If he is in fact taking a bonding measure to the CSU board in November, we'll see it pop up on a Board meeting agenda in the coming weeks.
Regarding the pending Pac moves, their current pause means they are putting their future fully in the hands of TV executives as they await their market valuations to be complete. The Pac will need a TV deal worth $12M+ per year to have any chance at luring any of the AAC schools away from their current situation. If that TV deal money doesn't materialize, the Pac will have to make some emergency/bottom of the barrel additions, probably from the CUSA (Texas State, Sam Houston State, and if desperate enough, even a horrid New Mexico State). The Pac has to add a current FBS school in all sports to maintain its FBS status, otherwise they'll lose out on playoff payouts.
For the Mountain West, with Hawai'i's addition they hit the 8 minimum needed to maintain FBS status and will survive at least for another half decade. The MW needs to add one more member to get a full 8 game conference slate. Texas State publicly rejected the MW and New Mexico has blocked NMSU from sharing a conference for decades which leaves the MW with no regional FBS options. Football only additions from the MAC (Northern Illinois and Toledo) have been floated as possibilities.
If a TV exec tells the Pac to add us for TV deal reasons then we are in. It's that simple. We don't address their membership count issue, but in theory they could get a waiver for a year until we complete our transition to FBS. Unfortunately that would cost the Pac millions in payout monies so while that is an option, it would probably be their last play if all else falls through.
I'm more bullish on our MW membership potential. Of all the craziness that has been going on in FBS realignment, the MW has been the only one making logical/regional moves. Adding UTEP (they'll be a travel partner with UNM) and coercing Hawai'i into full membership status were no-brainer moves for the MW. I can't see a reason why the current MW membership wouldn't want to maintain at least one trip to CA for football every year, in addition to the other benefits of adding a large market to their lineup entails. They'll also need to bolster their membership lineup for the inevitable raid from the Pac (UNLV & maybe Air Force) that will happen in a handful of years. Getting us on board now (along with possibly even Tarleton State) would prime them for any future FCS move-ups for the next round of realignment.
tldr; given what we know as of now, I like our FBS chances. Dr. Wood needs to finalize the stadium funding details and I think everything else will fall into place for us.
and I’m so thankful!
