Post by griz on May 17, 2011 16:26:07 GMT -5
voices.idahostatesman.com/2011/05/12/bmurphy/idaho_athletic_directors_talks_wac_expansion_scheduling_boise_st
Idaho athletic directors talks WAC expansion, scheduling Boise State in football, basketball
By Brian Murphy
bmurphy@idahostatesman.com
Idaho athletic director Rob Spear pointed to Seattle, Montana and Montana State as his top choices for expanding the Western Athletic Conference. The league is expected to announce membership changes on June 14.
The league is losing Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada by July 2012. At that time, the WAC will add Texas State, Texas-San Antonio and Denver, which does not have a football program.
The league will have seven football-playing members and eight overall members at that time. Spear said the league needs to add a member to comply with NCAA rules about having six members sponsoring six men's sports. The league also needs an additional football-playing member to meet rules regarding FBS membership, although the WAC could attempt to change the rule.
Spear said the league's athletic directors have made a recommendation to the presidents, but would not divulge their advice.
He said the league needs additional members in the West. In 2012 Idaho and San Jose State will be the league's only members in the Pacific Time Zone. Utah State and New Mexico State are in the Mountain Time Zone.
"I would not consider Texas the Western United States," Spear said.
He said the league's shift to the South and East "is a concern to me."
Seattle University, Spear said, would be a great addition as an affiliate member. Seattle does not have a football program.
"Seattle makes a lot of sense for the University of Idaho," said Spear, who added that the league would eventually like to split in North-South or East-West divisions for sports other than football. A split would ease travel concerns, he said.
As for football, where there does not seem to be Western schools looking to join the WAC or move up from the Football Championship Subdivision, Spear has his eye on the Montana schools.
"I like the Montana schools. It's important that the University of Idaho finds a rival. We have to have that," he said. "We had an unbelievable rivalry when we both competed as Big Sky members."
Montana recently indicated it was content in the FCS, where the Grizzlies are perennial championship contenders.
"It's up to us to make it more attractive," Spear said of the WAC.
As for the Vandals' in-state rival, Spear said he has not had conversations with Boise State counterpart Gene Bleymaier about football scheduling. Spear said the Vandals have one opening in their 2012 schedule, which he hopes to fill within the next week, and two openings in their 2013 schedule.
Boise State has Washington and BYU on its 2013 nonconference schedule. Until Boise State knows what year it will play new Mountain West mate Hawaii on the road, the Broncos aren't sure how many nonconference games they will need.
Spear said it is the Idaho athletic department's philosophy to play Boise State in all sports. The schools' soccer teams will play twice in 2011, but the volleyball teams were unable to find a time to schedule a match.
Spear said he has had conversations with Washington State about scheduling future football games.
Idaho athletic directors talks WAC expansion, scheduling Boise State in football, basketball
By Brian Murphy
bmurphy@idahostatesman.com
Idaho athletic director Rob Spear pointed to Seattle, Montana and Montana State as his top choices for expanding the Western Athletic Conference. The league is expected to announce membership changes on June 14.
The league is losing Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii and Nevada by July 2012. At that time, the WAC will add Texas State, Texas-San Antonio and Denver, which does not have a football program.
The league will have seven football-playing members and eight overall members at that time. Spear said the league needs to add a member to comply with NCAA rules about having six members sponsoring six men's sports. The league also needs an additional football-playing member to meet rules regarding FBS membership, although the WAC could attempt to change the rule.
Spear said the league's athletic directors have made a recommendation to the presidents, but would not divulge their advice.
He said the league needs additional members in the West. In 2012 Idaho and San Jose State will be the league's only members in the Pacific Time Zone. Utah State and New Mexico State are in the Mountain Time Zone.
"I would not consider Texas the Western United States," Spear said.
He said the league's shift to the South and East "is a concern to me."
Seattle University, Spear said, would be a great addition as an affiliate member. Seattle does not have a football program.
"Seattle makes a lot of sense for the University of Idaho," said Spear, who added that the league would eventually like to split in North-South or East-West divisions for sports other than football. A split would ease travel concerns, he said.
As for football, where there does not seem to be Western schools looking to join the WAC or move up from the Football Championship Subdivision, Spear has his eye on the Montana schools.
"I like the Montana schools. It's important that the University of Idaho finds a rival. We have to have that," he said. "We had an unbelievable rivalry when we both competed as Big Sky members."
Montana recently indicated it was content in the FCS, where the Grizzlies are perennial championship contenders.
"It's up to us to make it more attractive," Spear said of the WAC.
As for the Vandals' in-state rival, Spear said he has not had conversations with Boise State counterpart Gene Bleymaier about football scheduling. Spear said the Vandals have one opening in their 2012 schedule, which he hopes to fill within the next week, and two openings in their 2013 schedule.
Boise State has Washington and BYU on its 2013 nonconference schedule. Until Boise State knows what year it will play new Mountain West mate Hawaii on the road, the Broncos aren't sure how many nonconference games they will need.
Spear said it is the Idaho athletic department's philosophy to play Boise State in all sports. The schools' soccer teams will play twice in 2011, but the volleyball teams were unable to find a time to schedule a match.
Spear said he has had conversations with Washington State about scheduling future football games.