Boise State Athletic Administration would like to have Idaho in WAC. It would benefit both school's programs. Idaho is still the numbe one rival for Boise State.

The only consideration is that Idaho would play all WAC games at Martin Stadium!

Idaho is high on my list bad timing, bad luck programs.

They make four great hires in football in a row and then make a clunker hire on #5 (with 4:27 left they go for 2 instead of settling for a PAT and lose 24-23 to ASU)

In the Big West they go 6-5, 6-5, 5-6, 9-3, 7-4. Then with their clunker of a head coach move to the Sun Belt and go 5-6, 1-10, 2-10. In the Belt they have played 2 home games in three years at home against western I-A schools in October and November (both NMSU).

They reduced their regional profile and raised their overhead at the time they made a hiring mis-step. That has been very costly.

In the WAC they have a shot to heal their program. If they remain in the Sun Belt I'm afraid they'll be like Pacific, Fullerton, and Long Beach and talking about football in the past-tense.

It's similar to what happened at Lamar. When they left the Southland and lost access to regional opponents in late fall they finally ran out of cash.

arkstfan Wrote:Idaho is high on my list bad timing, bad luck programs.

They make four great hires in football in a row and then make a clunker hire on #5 (with 4:27 left they go for 2 instead of settling for a PAT and lose 24-23 to ASU)

In the Big West they go 6-5, 6-5, 5-6, 9-3, 7-4. Then with their clunker of a head coach move to the Sun Belt and go 5-6, 1-10, 2-10. In the Belt they have played 2 home games in three years at home against western I-A schools in October and November (both NMSU).

They reduced their regional profile and raised their overhead at the time they made a hiring mis-step. That has been very costly.

In the WAC they have a shot to heal their program. If they remain in the Sun Belt I'm afraid they'll be like Pacific, Fullerton, and Long Beach and talking about football in the past-tense.

It's similar to what happened at Lamar. When they left the Southland and lost access to regional opponents in late fall they finally ran out of cash.

Add all that to the fact that they have made very little improvements in the athletic facilites for 20 years and they are a real hurting program right now.

They should spend less time in trying to keep up with Boise State and more time looking at how to solve their own woes.

But you are right Mark, they cannot survive as the only western team in the Sun Belt. An invitation to the WAC is a lifeline that can save their program. Without it, their future is very bleak indeed!

UL Monroe is the only school in the Belt comporable to them in facility spending the past few years. Everyone else is throwing a lot of cash at construction.

BTW our new sports medicine facility / student health / local hospital physical therapy complex opens soon. Our admin got the idea from Boise State. I don't mind admitting where good ideas are stolen from.

arkstfan Wrote:UL Monroe is the only school in the Belt comporable to them in facility spending the past few years. Everyone else is throwing a lot of cash at construction.

BTW our new sports medicine facility / student health / local hospital physical therapy complex opens soon. Our admin got the idea from Boise State. I don't mind admitting where good ideas are stolen from.

Wow, so it is part of your stadium complex. That is Sweet!

It's next door to the football complex.

Even though I like LaTech, I'd support an Idaho-LTU swap with the SBC.

Brillio Wrote:Even though I like LaTech, I'd support an Idaho-LTU swap with the SBC.

Adding Idaho will force LTU to re-think WAC affiliation. Tech needs 2-3 Central Time Zone teams to make the WAC work for them. Also Fresno, BSU, and Hawaii talking about splitting TV revenues based on appearances is designed to push Tech to leave as well. Don't believe all that you hear about everything in the WAC being OK. The western schools clearly would like to see Tech go away.

Dawg81 Wrote:

Brillio Wrote:Even though I like LaTech, I'd support an Idaho-LTU swap with the SBC.

Adding Idaho will force LTU to re-think WAC affiliation. Tech needs 2-3 Central Time Zone teams to make the WAC work for them. Also Fresno, BSU, and Hawaii talking about splitting TV revenues based on appearances is designed to push Tech to leave as well. Don't believe all that you hear about everything in the WAC being OK. The western schools clearly would like to see Tech go away.

Adding only Idaho would really put LaTech in a financial bind, but they would not be any worse than Hawaii. Difference is that Hawaii has a much bigger Athletic Budget.

If all we did was just add Idaho, I know that would hurt LTU, but I was suggesting to just trade schools with the SBC so we wouldn't have LTU anymore..

I think it is good idea to make the trade La Tech for Idaho. Part of the attendance problems is lack of local rivalries. La Tech wanted in C-USA and I don't blame them. In C-USA they would increase the attendance while increasing local interest. Boise State plays Idaho every year anyway. This way BSU could find an additional non conference school that might give more national attention.

La Tech in Sun Belt would have two other Louisiana schools as rivals. Then hope to get invited into C-USA later.

I don't see a big advantage to just invite NTSU into WAC to have one rival for La Tech. NTSU wants in C-USA to compete with their local rivals SMU, Houston, Tulsa and Rice. Wouldn't be surprised if they turned down an offer to join WAC.

The biggest problem for La Tech will be hurt pride if they went to Sun Belt. :crying:

The main problem with swapping LaTech for idaho, besides the large drop in competitiveness, is that we're back to 8 teams and that's not what we want or need. Unless they're working with Montana and or others on a 2006 timeframe to D1, we need both LaTech and idaho to stay at 9 or LaTech and a few of the better Sunbelt teams and go to 12 with 2 divisions.

Facts are that we're out of D1 teams in the west, we can't stay regional if we want to be more than an 8 team league. The WAC's only problem has been presidents with no vision and only short term thinking when it comes to athletic affiliation. I'd like to think that they are awake enough now to realize that bandaid every year or two won't last.

Roughrider Wrote:The main problem with swapping LaTech for idaho, besides the large drop in competitiveness, is that we're back to 8 teams and that's not what we want or need. Unless they're working with Montana and or others on a 2006 timeframe to D1, we need both LaTech and idaho to stay at 9 or LaTech and a few of the better Sunbelt teams and go to 12 with 2 divisions.

Facts are that we're out of D1 teams in the west, we can't stay regional if we want to be more than an 8 team league. The WAC's only problem has been presidents with no vision and only short term thinking when it comes to athletic affiliation. I'd like to think that they are awake enough now to realize that bandaid every year or two won't last.

Only choice is to add four sun belt teams. IF the WAC adds three sun belt teams and Idaho, it would force Utah State to be in the East Division of the WAC!

USU is not enamoured of the idea of playing in a SBC redux EWAC. We are a western school, a short drive from Boazy.

USU78 Wrote:USU is not enamoured of the idea of playing in a SBC redux EWAC. We are a western school, a short drive from Boazy.

I agree. I want Utah State and Boise State to play every year. Utah State would be the shortest drive of any WAC school. Utah State could become a very big rival for the Broncos in all sports. Plus Utah State and Boise State are big rivals in womens gymnastics already!!! Just thought I would throw that in.....

wouldn't nevada still be a closer drive?

1boisebro Wrote:wouldn't nevada still be a closer drive?

It is about 6.5 hours to Reno and only about 5 hours to Logan!

broncobob Wrote:

1boisebro Wrote:wouldn't nevada still be a closer drive?

It is about 6.5 hours to Reno and only about 5 hours to Logan!

I like how we measure distance in units of time. Is this a western thing only? :laugh:

I dout this happening but Ive suggested a 12 team WAC.

WAC

WEST
Boise St.
Fresno St.
Hawaii
Nevada
San Jose St.
Idaho

East
New Mexcio St
Arkansas St.
LA Tech
North Texas
Louisiana-Lafayette
Utah State
-----------------------------------

Yes Im sorry but I have to group USU in the East. I don't think this will ever happen and if it did I would give Boise and Nevada as Utah perm. cross div rivals if the WAC went with cross div rival set up. I myself would rather play all 3 teams every other year. In the other div. . This set up would def. kill the SunBelt and I don't know if Karl Benson has he balls to do that or not.

josephconlin Wrote:

broncobob Wrote:

1boisebro Wrote:wouldn't nevada still be a closer drive?

It is about 6.5 hours to Reno and only about 5 hours to Logan!

I like how we measure distance in units of time. Is this a western thing only? :laugh:

we did the same thing in the midwest.

we also told time by miles. which was rather odd, come to think of it....