(09-12-2020 12:02 AM)PojoaquePosse Wrote:  

(09-11-2020 06:09 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(09-11-2020 03:46 PM)DoubleRSU Wrote:  

(09-11-2020 03:22 PM)HawaiiMongoose Wrote:  

(09-11-2020 02:33 PM)PojoaquePosse Wrote:  Please produce your source that shows that having Chicago State “has hampered schools to join the WAC”.

Btw, every school is a flight risk. All want out of the WAC.

Not a fair question. No school that turns down a WAC offer is going to state on the record that Chicago State's membership in the conference had an impact on their decision. But anyone who follows conference realignment knows that key considerations for most schools evaluating a move include the geographic proximity and institutional compatibility of other schools in the destination conference. When it comes to WAC recruitment of new members in the western U.S., Chicago State is an impediment with respect to both of these factors.

UMKC, Cal Baptist, Dixie State, and Tarleton State all joined after Chicago State was added. Who has turned down a WAC offer?

Two that were reported publicly in 2018 are Colorado Mesa and Metropolitan State University-Denver. Also I have no doubt that the WAC took a run at UC San Diego after the Tritons were rejected by the Big West in 2017, but the Tritons elected to hold out for the Big West.

Read UC San Diego’s proposal on a move to D1. The vote was solely based on a move to the Big West. They did not consider any other conferences. It was Big West or bust.

Several schools have turned down the WAC. Maybe it was because of Chicago State. Maybe it wasn’t. But don’t speculate and try to play it off as facts. It’s just your opinion.

I stand by my statements. Unless the WAC is at 10-12 schools, we NEED Chicago State.

Colorado Mesa and Metro State turning down the WAC are facts. UCSD being unwilling to entertain WAC membership is a fact. But I completely grant that Chicago State’s WAC membership being an impediment to the conference’s expansion in the west — not the sole impediment, but one of the factors in the calculation that matters — is just my opinion. Just as I’m sure you would grant that your assertion the WAC still needs Chicago State is just your opinion.