Conferences’ merger isn’t great, but it beats the WAC

There are some things to like about the pending alliance of the Mountain West and Conference USA if you’re a University of Hawaii football fan. The biggest are security in numbers (for now) and the possibility of a beneficial TV contract.

But the marquee value — or in most cases, lack thereof — of the programs involved is not a positive.

The Mountain West was a lot more attractive when Hawaii signed up in 2010, before talk about Boise State and San Diego State intending to bolt for greener pastures. And a C-USA without Houston, Central Florida and SMU removes quite a bit of what little luster the eastern component featured.

Don’t be fooled by those acting like this is the greatest thing to ever happen in the history of UH sports (although it’s still better than being stuck in the WAC). It’s a good proactive move by two mid-major conferences to buy some time and provide some buffering in case more schools are picked off by the bigger conferences. It’s good for both leagues in that it staves off potential disaster.

But it’s not a game-changer for UH in its national profile or access to a bigger piece of the BCS money pie.

An automatic qualifier to BCS games is still a pipe dream — especially since most of the schools that made that a possibility are gone, schools like Utah and TCU.

The little schools banding together for protection is analogous to a workforce unionizing. But if the mid-majors continue to push this strategy it could hasten what some have foreseen for several years — a breakaway from the NCAA by the nation’s 64 most prominent athletic programs.

That could encounter government intervention, but if you’re at the level of UH and the other non-BCS schools do you want to do things to force the big boys’ hand? Maybe. Maybe no one is really thinking that far ahead.

When the WAC tried something similar to this, going to 16 schools, it didn’t work, largely because of geography. Teams that needed to play each other on a regular basis didn’t do so. Hopefully a lesson has been learned.

And geography is also a reason — especially with this development — that the Big West is a fine spot for Hawaii’s non-football teams. Travel costs are a huge consideration (especially now with having to pay subsidies for opponents to come here). And the Big West, with so many teams near Los Angeles, is ideal.

The Big WEST isn’t a great basketball conference, but the difference is negligible compared to the Mountain West and Conference USA programs. Recruiting advantages in California far outweigh what is basically a wash.

And the Big West is a big deal in baseball and volleyball, two UH sports that are always good and could reach greater heights with better conference competition.

If Hawaii is invited to bring its other sports into the new alliance, it must receive assurances, if not guarantees, that it will never be forced to send teams past the Mountain Time Zone during the regular season. That should be a given for football, too.

Isn’t this part of what UH was trying to get away from in the first place? Geographical nonsense?

It’s understood that if you’re a little guy and you stand still in today’s college sports environment of rapid redeployment, you can get run over and left for dead.

The Mountain West and Conference USA marriage is more of necessity than opportunity. It opens possibilities for UH, but also potential pitfalls.