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WAC Adds Two Members

SLCBengal said:
UVU will announce tomorrow (Tuesday) that it will join the WAC alongside Cal State Bakersfield. Not sure if/how this affects Idaho's decision to rejoin the Big Sky...

Salt Lake Tribune: Utah Valley set to join the WAC in 2013
Click to expand...

Apparently, Idaho won't be joining the Big Sky for at least two years, if ever. The WAC was granted a waiver to continue as an auto bid conference with just six members for two years. How would that be? Battling it out with just 5 other teams for a trip to the dance.... meanwhile, ISU has to conquer a bakers dozen.

The WAC commish stated Idaho has committed to the WAC for a two year period. I think the Big Sky should give them an ultimatum: now or never. Kill the WAC before it poaches the Big Sky. Otherwise, we can be certain Idaho State will be relegated to the land of misfit toys after Montana State, Montana, etc. leave for the WAC.

:twocents:
 
neither UVU or Bakersfield play football, so this does not do anything for Idaho's football problems. Why would any Big Sky school want to play in an inferior conference in basketball (it is easier to make the dance but...)
 
The WAC is also going after Dallas Baptist and Texas Pan American. Utah Valley and Cal Bakersfield are nothing new as this has been rumored for months.

The WAC in a desperate effort to survive, as a non-football playing league, is trying to round up every independent and lower division school hoping to move up.

This may be one of the worst leagues in division 1. I don't think it changes anything to be honest with you. Everything I've seen and heard said Idaho's coming for all sports but football in 2014. My guess is that football will also be coming since if they can't get home games the NCAA will not allow them to be an independent.

Last I saw they have two home games for next year, No. Illinois and New Mexico State. The minimum is five.

PBP
 
My guess is Idaho will be staying in the WAC long enough to collect the exit fees from the departing members. This is actually a great situation for them -- they get to keep their automatic NCAA tournament berth and the accompanying tournament revenue, and they only have to compete with five other schools to get in the Big Dance.
 
http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2012/10/09/bmurphy/wac_adds_utah_valley_cal_state_bakersfield_will_it_be_able_keep_" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PBP
 
Denver, Bakersfield, Seattle, UVU all have larger populations. Would These schools ever consider adding football? You could easily see the Montana schools joining this league if they did. In Basketball and in baseball this league would be very competitive.

"Situated in California’s heavily populated San Joaquin Valley, CSU Bakersfield has the distinction of being the only NCAA Division I program within a 110-mile radius of its campus. Accordingly, a top-75 media market with coverage from all four broadcast networks, over 20 radio stations and the presence of both English and Spanish newspapers serves the nearly 1,000,000 residents of Kern County, California."

If one expands the radius by a couple of miles one finds Fresno State, USC, UCLA and a host of other colleges and universities.
As to media markets, the LA market overwhelms Bakersfield.
While I'm sure that CalState Bakersfield has a nice local following, I suspect that Pac 12 sports will always overwhelm them.

Read more here: http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2012/10/09/bmurphy/wac_adds_utah_valley_cal_state_bakersfield_will_it_be_able_keep_#storylink=cpy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
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