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No expansion yet in Mountain West

Today’s expected invitation from the Mountain West Conference to Boise State was put on hold by the league’s presidents, who were meeting in Wyoming.

League commissioner Craig Thompson said in a press conference today that the MWC’s nine presidents decided to wait to make a decision on expansion until more is known about the ever-shifting college football landscape.

Boise State has been trying to leave the Western Athletic Conference for the Mountain West for six years. Had the Pac-10 last week not offered six schools from the Big 12 to join that conference and form a new 16-team league, it’s likely an invitation would have been extended.

It could decimate the Big 12, especially if Missouri and Nebraska are extended invitations to join a new expanded Big Ten. That leaves several major programs like Kansas and Kansas State without a home, giving MWC presidents pause.

It’s possible the Big 12 could survive by inviting members like TCU, Utah and Brigham Young into that conference, so with so much uncertainty, the Mountain West presidents left Wyoming without voting on Boise State’s status.

 

“The Mountain West Conference’s decision not to expand is understandable at this time of uncertainty in intercollegiate athletics,” Boise St. president Bob Kustra said in a statement.

“Boise State University remains an attractive school for its academics and athletics. Any future conference affiliation should support the long-term vision of the university. The most appropriate action at this juncture is to wait and see how the variables unfold. The opportunity has not been lost. Boise State will continue to grow, develop and excel as one of the premier institutions in the West, competing and partnering with the Western Athletic Conference schools to strengthen and enhance the WAC.”

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