Anyone who was following conference realignment last summer knows that once the first domino falls, it doesn’t take long for things to start spiraling.
It appears that could be the case for the Mountain West, who already saw four huge programs depart for the new-look Pac-12 last week.
Losing Boise State, San Diego State, Fresno State, and Colorado State and going from 11 schools to seven was a devastating blow for one of the most well-known non-power conferences in college athletics, but it wasn’t a knockout punch.
However, the recent rumor that talks between the American Athletic Conference and Air Force are heating up is a frightening sign for the league, which has been around since 1999.
Air Force has been in discussion with the AAC since before the Mountain West was gutted, and certainly it’s easy to see the appeal as a service academy to join a league that already features Army and Navy.
The Falcons have been Mountain West members since its inception, posting an impressive 131-84 record since Troy Calhoun took over as head coach in 2007.
https://twitter.com/PeteThamel/status/1835757632793296985
If the Mountain West does lose Air Force to the AAC, it drops them to just six programs and creates an urgent situation for commissioner Gloria Nevarez to backfill the league as soon as possible or risk continued departures.
Teams like New Mexico State, UTEP, Texas State, or even FCS programs North Dakota State and South Dakota State are on the table for this league to sustain themselves in the ever changing college sports landscape.