The Mountain West Conference and Conference USA will continue to explore the possibility of a strategic alliance for football, the conferences said in a joint announcement today.

The two non-automatic Bowl Championship Series conferences are pursuing a plan that could package their TV rights and match their champions in a title game as soon as 2013.

“Athletics directors and administrators at Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference enjoyed a productive exchange of ideas this week,” the leagues said in a release. “In today’s dynamic intercollegiate athletics environment, we feel it is important to be proactive and creative. Our intention is to move forward together with this discussion and analysis at a focused pace.”

The University of Hawaii will join the MWC Aug. 1.

Athletic directors from the current and future members met this week in Dallas to discuss possibilities.