Tag: Mountain West Conference

Tarleton State, New Mexico State could be MWC targets

Could the MWC grab one of these teams?

After the Pac-12 stole four programs from the Mountain West Conference in a stunning move, there is a big question left to be answered. What does the Mountain West do?

The top talent just departed for the Pac-12, and now the Mountain West could lose more teams and has to rebuild once again.

Ross Delenger of Yahoo Sports, who broke the initial news about the Pac-12 expansion, mentioned a few Conference USA possibilities for the MWC.

New Mexico State, new to Conference USA, makes geographic sense. So does UTEP, also in CUSA. Both programs would likely see a doubling of annual distribution. Could they even get a signing bonus? The Mountain West is due as much as $110 million in exit and penalty fee money from the departing four members and the Pac-12.

Tarleton State, an up-and-coming FCS program with tons of money and potential residing just outside of Dallas-Fort Worth, is an option as well. And what about FCS teams like North Dakota State, South Dakota State, Montana State and Montana?

Once again, conference realignment is going to be busy.

Stanford and Cal unlikely to join Pac-12 following realignment

Cal and Stanford returning is a longshot.

The Pac-12 is alive and well following the addition of four news teams. But two familiar faces are unlikely to rejoin the newly resurrected conference.

The University of California and Stanford made an unexpected move, joining the ACC this offseason, with many questioning the feasibility of adding two West Coast teams to the conference. With the Pac-12 adding Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State, there were immediate questions about adding Cal and Stanford back to the conference to fill out the remaining spots.

According to Dennis Dodd of CBS Sports, however, it seems unlikely that the two former Pac-12 teams will find their way back to their old conference given the potential ramifications.

https://twitter.com/dennisdoddcbs/status/1834106604200800260

Having already played two games in the ACC, Stanford, and Cal are stuck in their new conference as the Pac-12 looks to add outside members for the future. With Wyoming, Hawai’i, and Nevada potentially eying a conference change, the Pac-12 could become the new Mountain West Conference in only a few years.

2023-24 Conference bowl records and bowl standings

Here are the updated bowl standings for each conference this college football bowl season.

Bowl season is the time of the year for the final bragging rights for the college football season. Conferences go toe-to-toe across the bowl season with bowl tie-ins lining up some good matchups and lining up for some terrific banter between fan bases. But which conference gets the ultimate bragging rights at the end of the bowl season? That’s what we are looking to find out.

We will be keeping tabs on every bowl game result, tracking each conference’s overall bowl record, and breaking down each conference’s records against individual conferences. This will be updated on a daily basis throughout the bowl season, so feel free to come back and check out the latest breakdown.

Here is the updated look at the conference bowl standings as of Jan. 9, based on total wins first and win percentage second.

Conference W L
Big Ten 6 4
PAC 12 5 4
Big 12 5 4
SEC 5 4
ACC 5 6
Sun Belt Conference 5 6
American Athletic Conference 3 3
Mountain West Conference 3 4
Conference USA 2 2
MAC 2 4

 

Oregon State, Washington State 2024 football schedule finalized with Mountain West

Oregon State and Washington State have their 2024 football schedules.

As the Pac-12 Conference is about to end, the only programs left will be Oregon State and Washington State until they find a new home.

The Pac-2, as many call it, will play a schedule against the Mountain West Conference teams, and that schedule was officially released on Thursday.

Each MWC team will play one game against either the Cougars or Beavers next season in a scheduling alliance. Nicole Auerbach of The Athletic reported the detailed schedule:

Oregon State will play Air Force, Colorado State, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State and UNLV. Washington State will face Boise State, Fresno State, New Mexico, Utah State, Wyoming, and Hawaii in the 2024 season.

Oregon State and Washington State have preserved their in-state rivalries against Oregon and Washington, respectively. They will also play each other in the 2024 season.

Oregon State is also playing Cal and Purdue next year. Washington State is playing Portland State and Texas Tech in addition to the Mountain West teams mentioned above. Wazzu had previously scheduled games against two other Mountain West teams, San Diego State and San Jose State, before this new scheduling alliance with the MWC.

A lot of questions have surfaced about what Washington State and Oregon State do next, but until they find a new conference, this will be how they schedule enough games to last as a program for the next two years, at least.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, and Ducks Wire.

MWC Commissioner Gloria Nevarez discusses Mountain West merger with ‘Pac-4’

Gloria Nevarez gave a revealing interview to On3 Sports about the #Pac12 – #MountainWest merger and a lot more.

A few days ago, we explored the possibility that the Pac-12 and the Mountain West might merge.

We wrote that if the Pac-12 and Mountain West do merge, it should be handled from the Mountain West side of things:

“If we are to consider the idea that the Pac-12 will retain its name (like the label on a soup can) and its Power Five/NCAA Tournament status, the man who presided over an unquestioned disaster, who failed at the task he was hired to perform (getting the media rights deal done) — should not be allowed to handle merger negotiations.

“George Kliavkoff needs to resign. People who made a mess don’t get to clean it up. Others do.”

Eric Prisbell of On3 Sports interviewed Mountain West Commissioner Gloria Nevarez.

She could be the person who makes a Pac-12/MWC merger come true.

Below are the various portions of Nevarez’s comments to Eric Prisbell:

Pac-12 and Mountain West merger: Will it happen, and how will it happen?

The Pac-4 and Mountain West could merge, but will all Mountain West schools be included? So many questions exist.

Will the Pac-12, which is really now a Pac-4, merge with the Mountain West? A lot of people are talking about it, and it is a possibility. However, we have numerous headaches and questions to sort through.

Will Stanford University even want to be in the Mountain West? Start there. Stanford would definitely prefer to go to the Big Ten. However, does the Big Ten want Stanford?

Follow-up question: Does the Big Ten want Stanford enough to also invite California, or does the Big Ten want Stanford, but not enough to invite the Cardinal alone, without Cal, and then find a 20th member elsewhere (possibly Florida State or North Carolina from the ACC)?

Another big question: Does the Big 12, which reportedly is considering further expansion to 18 schools, want Oregon State? The Beavers would love to go to the Big 12, but the Big 12 has to want them.

These questions are the beginning of a long and difficult process for schools without a lot of leverage as a Pac-4 merger with the Mountain West is discussed.

There is significant backroom chatter surrounding this. We’ll give you a sample below, accompanied by reportage from the San Diego Tribune and reactions from people in both conferences:

Every FBS conference realignment change in 2024

Happy realignment day! Every FBS conference alignment change in 2024 and what’s coming in 2025 and beyond.

Today is the start of the month of July. For many, that means a jump on the July 4th festivities with fireworks and firing up the grills for some burgers and hot dogs. But today is a milestone day for college athletics as it marks the beginning of the new fiscal years for conferences. And with that comes a flurry of official conference realignment changes for the upcoming college athletics calendar.

The Big Ten is not making any changes this year, but the one-year countdown to the additions of USC and UCLA from the Pac-12 is now officially underway. The highest profile changes this year will take place in the Big 12 as the conference adds four new members and begins the final year with Oklahoma and Texas before the Sooners and Longhorns ride off to the SEC a year from now.

To keep you updated on all of the changes we are about to see in college football this fall, here is a look at the conference alignment changes going down effective today.

The Mountain West Should Invite North Dakota State To The Conference

Examining possible additions to the Mountain West Conference.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01g1kx1m9c8rz2mjgq player_id=none image=https://mwwire.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

The Mountain West Should Invite North Dakota State To The Conference

The Conference Will Likely Need To Add Another School

Contact/Follow @michaelbraydaly & @MWCwire

Could North Dakota State Be Added In The Future?

With the recent news of San Diego State reportedly looking at resigning from the Mountain West in June 2024, the conference will need to find a suitable replacement for the Aztecs.

If San Diego State leaves, the Mountain West will need to fill the void of losing a strong basketball and football program. One potential option for the Mountain West could be adding a dominant FCS school for football with a strong track record in basketball. North Dakota State would be a terrific option to join a Group of Five football conference and a competitive mid-major basketball conference.

Regardless of who eventually joins the Mountain West, it will be difficult to fully replace a mainstay like San Diego State. North Dakota State would be able to fit the conference’s geographic landscape. Not only would North Dakota State’s location work for both sides, but the program’s dominant football team would seamlessly elevate to the Mountain West.

In the FCS, North Dakota State has captured nine national football championships since 2011. In 2022, North Dakota State came up short of winning its 10th national championship, but the Bison reached the national championship game against South Dakota State.

North Dakota State is a football powerhouse in the FCS and would be able to transition to the Mountain West Conference in football. The school also has direct ties to the Mountain West. Craig Bohl, who is currently Wyoming’s head coach, was previously North Dakota State’s head coach from 2003 to 2013. It would set up an interesting storyline to have North Dakota State potentially face its former head coach.

San Diego State ‘Intends To Resign From Mountain West,’ Per Reports

The Bison would be able to bring NFL Draft prospects to the conference. Currently, there are 17 former North Dakota State players in the NFL. The Mountain West would benefit from a school that generates solid professional players. Former North Dakota State offensive lineman Cody Mauch was one of 10 FCS players drafted in 2023. Mauch was also the first FCS player selected in this year’s NFL Draft.

Football would be the biggest selling point for North Dakota State to join the Mountain West Conference, but the school would be a willing competitor in men’s basketball. As a Summit League member, North Dakota State reached the NCAA Tournament four times in program history.

In order for North Dakota State to join a Group of Five football conference and a high-end mid-major basketball conference, they will need to receive a formal invitation to join the conference. The Mountain West could decide to add a notable brand in the FCS like North Dakota State to its conference. Other schools like South Dakota State and Sacramento State could also be potential options for the Mountain West. However, it will be difficult to select any other FCS school over North Dakota State.

If the Mountain West has any doubts about adding an FCS school to the conference, look no further than James Madison’s success in football in the Sun Belt Conference in 2022. James Madison finished with an 8-3 record in its first season as an FBS program.

North Dakota State would be able to adjust to a competitive FBS conference. It will be up to the Mountain West to extend the invite to North Dakota State.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1360]

One very good piece of news for USC basketball: Mountain West misery

Over the past two weeks, the Mountain West has gone from a likely 5-bid NCAA Tournament league to a 3-bid league.

The USC Trojans are in bubble trouble. They’re one of the first four teams out of the NCAA Tournament in ESPN’s latest bracketology forecast. This is what happens when a team loses to Oregon State, the ultimate bubble sin. USC committed a big no-no, and as a result, a team which was a No. 10 seed for the Big Dance is now on the wrong side of the cut line.

To be clear, USC has a lot of work to do. It starts with going at least 3-1 in these next four games against non-NCAA Tournament teams (Cal, Stanford, Colorado, Utah). USC will then need to beat Arizona State for sure, and it might need to beat Arizona as well. USC will need to win at least one game in the Pac-12 Tournament as well. Life just became a lot more difficult as a result of the OSU loss.

However, USC also needs help on the bubble. National results in other conferences need to give USC more margin for error. Is that happening? Generally, yes … and the Mountain West Conference is a great example.

In the past two weeks, Utah State and New Mexico have lost multiple games. Utah State failed to get a quality win at home versus San Diego State. It then lost at San Jose State. New Mexico has been blown out by Air Force and Wyoming in consecutive games. The Lobos’ profile took two massive hits, and what’s worse for the Mountain West is that with New Mexico’s NET ranking plunging, the other teams which beat UNM will also suffer in the NET rankings and the other metrics college basketball bracketologists are studying every day.

The Mountain West appeared to be a five-bid NCAA Tournament league two weeks ago. Now? Probably only three bids will come from the MWC.

USC might be able to jump into one of those last two slots, quite possibly at the First Four in Dayton.

[mm-video type=video id=01gs8sn2hkpnvfnkq5x3 playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gs8sn2hkpnvfnkq5x3/01gs8sn2hkpnvfnkq5x3-d1aee699d8d415dc3b4f88b64e9369c3.jpg]

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 tag=696091123]

Transfer Profile: 5 things to know about Oregon newest DB Evan Williams

Evan Williams is more than just Bennett’s younger brother. He comes to Eugene as one of the best safeties in the Mountain West.

Perhaps it was destiny, common sense or a little of both. But when Fresno State safety Evan Williams announced he was transferring, Eugene popped up as an obvious landing spot.

Williams made it official when he told the world he was coming to Oregon to play for the Ducks, following in the footsteps of his older brother Bennett Williams, who put a bow on his Oregon career in 2022.

Evan is much more than Bennett’s younger brother. He is one of the Mountain West’s best defenders over the last two seasons. Oregon’s secondary is looking to improve, and it just added one of the best safeties on the West Coast.

With the quarterback talent in the conference, the Ducks will need all the secondary talent they can get, and adding another Williams brother will go a long way toward competing for a Pac-12 title.

Are you looking to know more about Williams and what he brings to the Ducks? We’ve got you covered.