Front Page  sports

Sunday, July 20, 2008

MWC hopes camaraderie of members is enough to keep Utah, BYU

By Greg Archuleta
Journal Staff Writer
       The Mountain West Conference has no plans for expansion, even when football bowl contracts expire in two years, inviting conferences to position themselves for more and/or better postseason opportunities.
    The league, however, may not have a choice.
    Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen is set to retire July 1, 2009, which could set off a chain of events that could have a major impact on the MWC.
    The June 15 issue of The Sporting News contained a note speculating that the Pac-10 might expand once a new commissioner gets on board. A 12-team conference could split into divisions, create a conference championship football game and give the league more status with TV and bowl contracts.
    Hansen fought expansion, the note says, but shrinking athletic budgets could bolster the move.
    TSN reported that expansion would revolve around TV markets and speculated that BYU and Utah would be at the top of the Pac-10's list of candidates.
    Another possible development that might spur the Pac-10's piracy of the Utah schools is The Sporting News mentioning WAC commissioner Karl Benson as a candidate to succeed Hansen.
    When asked about the speculation, Utah athletic director Dr. Chris Hill said, "I think everybody in the country has to keep their eyes and ears open for what's going on," he says. "We're happy where we are. At the same time, you don't want to keep a blind eye if other things transpire."
    Air Force athletics director Dr. Hans Mueh says he thinks the advent of The Mtn. on DirecTV should alleviate some of the concerns the Utah schools may have about remaining with the MWC.
    "I think the biggest sore point for them was the TV deal, and I don't blame them," Mueh says. "They were missing out on coverage; BYU in particular really needed a national scope on coverage for their games, and we didn't have it until now.
    "I think a lot of that talk may be moot at this point. The future of this conference is solid enough that BYU and Utah will have second thoughts about bolting because I think we'll keep getting better."
    Mueh added he thinks the MWC would survive if BYU and Utah were to defect. Boise State has lobbied openly to become a member of the conference, which bodes well for the league's future.
    MWC commissioner Craig Thompson says he can't worry about what-ifs.
    "All we can do is make a comfortable home for all our partners," he says. "I think one of the backbones of the Mountain West is the philosophy we've had from Day One of one for all and all for one. Certainly, other conferences have more to offer, perhaps, but I think unity, camaraderie and similar opponents are very important."
    After all, BYU and Utah left the Western Athletic Conference to retain long-standing rivalries.