(09-20-2021 12:42 PM)ManleyPointer Wrote:  

(09-20-2021 10:58 AM)Wedge Wrote:  I'm not referring to the WAC-16. I'm referring to Benson's scheme to give BYU a "Notre Dame deal" in the WAC while also recruiting SDSU and UNLV to switch from the MWC to the WAC. That fiasco is why the WAC is no longer an FBS conference.

It was a gamble. But I remember being surprised at the MWC's response. In cannibalizing the WAC, they destroyed a natural scheduling peer for OOC games & bowls.

The MWC would have been fine without those schools. The Front Range schools are solid institutions with a history of sticking together. They also had Boise & TCU, the best G5 brands in the west. The latter could have been a tent pole in a TX wing, maybe even blocking Big East expansion into TX.

Boise called Fresno and Nevada to tell them the MWC was going to invite them. UNLV held the conf. tourney, SDSU was the best bball school, the MWC didn't want to lose them. No way were we sticking w/ La Tech, NMSU, Idaho when we can have our old buddies from the WAC we joined in 1992

(09-21-2021 01:40 AM)Fresno St. Alum Wrote:  Boise called Fresno and Nevada to tell them the MWC was going to invite them. UNLV held the conf. tourney, SDSU was the best bball school, the MWC didn't want to lose them. No way were we sticking w/ La Tech, NMSU, Idaho when we can have our old buddies from the WAC we joined in 1992

Benson was right tho...

It was PROBABLY in Fresno and Nevada's best interest to hold... so it could add BYU to the mix as well as SDSU and UNLV.

Hair Thompson has proven to be the biggest catalyst for MWC erosion. Colorado State and Air Force are looking East for a lot of reasons - and Thompson's bad leadership is high on that list.

BYU would've made the expanded WAC more palatable than the MWC. Of course hindsight is 2020 but MWC basketball absolutely tanked when BYU left, and the MWC hasn't made many NY6 bowls.

Could Benson have successfully landed Gonzaga, when Thompson wasn't able to? I think so.

Remember that bizarre exchange where Gonzaga said they wanted to think about it but Thompson said to just get lost? The teams that are leaving the MWC are so tired of that man.

(09-20-2021 12:48 PM)CoastalJuan Wrote:  Time will tell if App spent their money wisely on this piece.

App isn't going anywhere, so it didn't coat us a dime.

(09-20-2021 01:17 PM)arkstfan Wrote:  

(09-20-2021 09:59 AM)freshtop Wrote:  

(09-20-2021 07:51 AM)Cruhawk Wrote:  

(09-19-2021 11:33 PM)Wedge Wrote:  So we're listening to realignment advice from Karl Benson without mentioning that his strategy for the WAC pretty much burned the conference to the ground?

And also set the Sun Belt Conference up for the success it is currently experiencing now (Not that I necessarily disagree on the WAC part though). But both experiences definitely give him a unique perspective into the college sports realignment landscape.

I don't know that I would credit him for much of the SBC success. The SBC lost a bunch of programs last go round (some good, some awful) and added strong FCS teams. Benson was part of the reasons the programs left in the first place. The SBC at the time had bad media payouts and awful bowl tie-ins. The SBC is in a much better place now, but I attribute that more to the member programs than Benson.

You reminded me of another example.

Sun Belt wanted a 10th football team. Benson arranged for EKU and Liberty to make presentations. The western teams were 100% opposed and said if those are the choices let’s add NMSU back.

The App president asked to table expansion consideration. Called up Coastal Carolina and they expressed tentative interest. App got AState involved and the two schools looked at the campus and facilities, told Coastal what they felt they’d need to be competitive. Coastal concluded those expenses were feasible and agreed to join even though their long-range plan had them waiting another ten years prior to considering FBS.

Coastal applied and was admitted with full support from the western teams because they balanced the league mostly and had a history of success across multiple sports. One good thunderstorm and their CWS championship would have come their first day in Sun Belt.

I recently spoke with Karl about the entire series of events that led to SB adding App, GASo & Coastal. Interesting part was after JMU didn't work out he went to Coastal. In the initial meeting the President says they weren't ready and it would take several years to get there. A year later Moglia & the President requested a meeting. They had just returned from the Big South meetings where several schools had expressed an interest in the conf moving to low or non scholarship football and they wanted out. Benson asked when could they be ready and Moglia responded "whenever we need to be". That man made a lot of things happen in a short amount of time.