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MWC gazes across new landscape at TCU
By The Associated Press
FORT COLLINS, CO — Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson for
the first time has publicly endorsed an expansion of the eight-member
league.
Thompson had said previously that any decision on expansion should be left
to the league's board of directors — the eight university presidents.
But following a Monday conference call with the board, Thompson said he
favors expansion as the landscape in NCAA Division I-A athletics goes
through a dramatic change.
"My gut feeling as commissioner is that I think we should expand," Thompson
said Tuesday. "I still feel very comfortable with the eight members we have,
but I do feel we could strengthen ourselves with additional members."
Thompson said the presidents are considering adding from one to four new
members. He said Conference USA football power Texas Christian and Western
Athletic Conference member Hawaii are among the teams being discussed by the
board, but declined to identify any other schools.
Adding one member would simplify football scheduling, while adding two would
aid in scheduling for basketball, volleyball and other sports. Adding four
members would make the league eligible to stage a big-money championship
football game.
"We're under no timeline. In fact, we don't even have to expand," Thompson
said. "But we can't do this in a vacuum. We are a part of the national
landscape, so what's happening nationally is of great interest."
The Big East this week invited C-USA schools Cincinnati, Louisville and
South Florida to join the conference in football, responding to the
defections of Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College to the ACC.
C-USA reacted by taking Rice, Southern Methodist and Tulsa from the Western
Athletic Conference and Central Florida and Marshall from the Mid-American
Conference.
In turn, the WAC invited Sun Belt Conference schools New Mexico State and
Utah State to join.
The Mountain West was formed in May 1998, splitting from the 16-school
Western Athletic Conference.
Colorado State athletic director Mark Driscoll said he favors expansion
under the right conditions.
"If we can add schools that can give us more national prestige and more
potential to get involved in the [Bowl Championship Series], then we've
achieved something," he said.
©2003 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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contributed to this report.
02.23.07 11:02 AM
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