Mountain West adds schools, clout

Football has driven conference movement this summer, but now the Mountain West is playing hardball.

With Brigham Young University reportedly on the verge of becoming independent in football and joining the Western Athletic Conference in all other sports, the Mountain West fired a salvo right back at the WAC on Wednesday by inviting the University of Nevada, Reno and California State University, Fresno.

Both schools quickly accepted, casting grave doubt on the WAC's future while perhaps saving the Mountain West.

UNR and Fresno State could join the Mountain West in time for the 2011-12 academic year or, depending upon negotiations with the WAC, would have to wait until the next year.

Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson repeatedly denied that BYU's expected departure played any role in the decisions to invite UNR and Fresno State. He said those discussions began Monday, and official invitations were extended Wednesday.

"We simply looked at if we would get better, and we got better tonight with Fresno State and Nevada joining our league," Thompson said.

Many reporters on the nearly 45-minute conference call were skeptical, pressing Thompson repeatedly about any connection to BYU's potential actions and the invitations to the WAC schools.

The Mountain West, after all, had the opportunity to invite both schools in June when it asked Boise State University, also a WAC member, to join. Boise State begins Mountain West play in the 2011-12 academic year.

Rumors of BYU's possible departure have been floating since its chief rival, the University of Utah, was invited in June into what will be the Pacific-12 Conference. Those rumors picked up steam in recent days, as did concerns about what a crushing effect losing BYU would have on the Mountain West.

Not only would it seriously hamper the conference's chances of receiving automatic Bowl Championship Series status in two years, but it would call into question the Mountain West's very survival with two of three marquee football programs departing in the same year.

Now it's the WAC's viability that's in doubt. The WAC is left with six members, and whether BYU would want to make it seven is uncertain. The University of Hawaii, a WAC member, is reportedly considering going independent in football, which would further damage that conference.

Thompson said he didn't know BYU's intentions. The Salt Lake Tribune reported the school awaits approval to leave the Mountain West from its owner, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"BYU has been a great member of the Mountain West Conference," said University of Nevada, Las Vegas athletic director Jim Livengood, who graduated from BYU. "I hope at the end of the day, BYU is still a member of the Mountain West Conference."

Also watching intently is MAACO Bowl Las Vegas executive director Tina Kunzer-Murphy, who has contracts with the Mountain West and Pac-10. The bowl is finalizing four-year deals with both conferences, and contracts can be affected if membership changes.

"This is all speculation," she said. "I'm not sure where it's going to go. Both conferences have been really great for us. We don't want that to change."

She also acknowledged BYU has been a key to the bowl's success, but if the Cougars do indeed ditch the Mountain West, the Cougars' days of playing in the Las Vegas bowl might be over.

Should BYU remain in the Mountain West, it will be an 11-member league. If the Mountain West went to 12 teams, it could stage a conference football championship, but Thompson said that possibility "hasn't been discussed."

For now, the Mountain West hopes adding UNR and Fresno State will increase its BCS hopes, but those football programs don't appear to have the numbers to grant that wish.

UNLV at least is in the same conference with its upstate neighbor, adding more heat to an already intense rivalry. UNR credited UNLV with helping pave the way for the Wolf Pack to join.

Livengood said the athletic department and university President Neal Smatresk "were supportive" of UNR's entry.

"We fight like brothers and sisters with the Wolf Pack, but at the end of the day, we're in the same state and have the same board of regents," Livengood said.

Rebels men's basketball coach Lon Kruger was pleased to see UNR and Fresno State admitted, calling them "two quality programs, two quality schools" and "a very good addition for our league."

UNLV football coach Bobby Hauck said he was too tied up with training camp in Ely to have an opinion on the conference happenings.

UNR football coach Chris Ault said via Twitter: "This is certainly exciting news. To be in the same conference as UNLV is important, as is having the ties to the West Coast schools."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@
reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914.