(04-15-2017 12:01 AM)SDHornet Wrote:  

(04-14-2017 11:01 PM)SJHornet Wrote:  How important is RPI for conferences that are one bid leagues? Unless a school is ranked in the top 25 nearly all season long, the Big West, WAC, and other mid majors are only sending one team to the tourney.

Becuase it's not. RPI is an easy out to use. SDSU used it on the BW, but the real reason was they didn't want their program prestige to take a hit by playing in glorified HS gyms. Not even Fisher could have landed top recruits with them knowing the type of digs they would be playing in.

The better reason for the BW to not expand is so they don't have to split their pie between 2 more mouths. More money is always a legit reason to stay put, and a believable one too.

And stop with the talk about the BW adding a pair of programs that require air travel. That's just total nonsense.

I like the WAC over the BW because it gives us regional exposure while the BW is just a CA also ran league. If athletics is truly viewed as an avenue to expand the brand, then being in a CA only league does nothing to benefit that concept. I like to look at Bako and their recent increase in athletic success and exposure. They wouldn't be anywhere near what they have become had they been accepted into the CA bus league. The WAC offers exposure (albeit minimal, but better than nothing) in major markets across the west coast...and it will increase when CBU comes on board.

The WAC offers more recruiting avenues being in 8 different states and a more interesting conference schedule to prospective recruits than just playing in a California bus league like the BWC; although a trip to Hawaii is nice.

If Hurd can continue to add more programs located in large western cities with major commercial airports (Denver, San Diego, San Francisco, Portland, Sacramento, etc.), then the WAC will have its' new identity as a conference progressing forward... big city, non-football playing, schools.