Mountain West, Conference USA to join forces for football

The Mountain West Conference was known to be in discussions with Conference USA regarding some sort of football partnership, but the relationship announced Friday goes far deeper.

Both conferences said they will fully merge in football as early as next year and certainly by 2013.

"I think it's good," UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood said. "It's going to be, with some people, controversial. I have been consistent in saying we are better served by being as aggressive as we can and being forward thinking rather than reacting."

Livengood said the timing of the announcement had nothing to do with the possibility the Mountain West could lose Air Force and Boise State to the Big East Conference.

"If it's going to happen, why wait?" Livengood asked. "I don't think anything changes with the landscape. Several schools in our conference we don't know about, but there are several in Conference USA we don't know about."

ESPN.com reported, in fact, Air Force and Boise State indicated they want to remain in the Mountain West, and it was such signals from the Broncos that convinced the conferences to move forward with the merger.

The website also reported Air Force developed serious reservations about joining the Big East after Army turned down that conference Tuesday and Navy didn't show much enthusiasm for entering the league.

The Big East reportedly decided Friday to invite Air Force and Boise State as football-only members, and to extend full invitations to Conference USA schools Central Florida, Houston and Southern Methodist.

Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson flatly stated the other sports at Air Force and Boise State would not be allowed to remain in the league if their football programs bolted.

But that point might be moot, evidenced by the fact Air Force and Boise State took part in the unanimous vote for the alliance with Conference USA.

"I think (the merger) provides a viable option for both of them and certainly the stability they're both looking for," Thompson said.

Many issues still need to be resolved before the Mountain West-Conference USA merger is finalized:

■ Postseason setup: There could be division semifinals leading to a conference championship game. If so, NCAA approval would be required.

■ League structure: If the merger takes effect next year, both leagues are expected to remain in their current forms as separate divisions. Beginning in 2013, alignments could change and multiple divisions formed.

■ Scheduling: Most of the schedules will be regional, but there will be crossover games.

■ Television: The current TV contracts remain in place, but conference postseason games would be put up for bid.

■ Bowls: Similar to the TV deals, the current contracts remain in place. However, bowl contracts throughout the nation have two years remaining, and changes in league structures could alter the language in such deals before then.

■ Governance: Details haven't been worked out, but there will be some sort of shared oversight.

■ The name: One hasn't been chosen for the new league.

Whether this deal gets current Mountain West and Conference USA members closer to automatic Bowl Championship Series status is questionable at best. Thompson said no talks have taken place with the BCS.

"There is no indication that this means you're guaranteed an automatic bid," Thompson said. "There's no indication that it doesn't."

UNLV president Neal Smatresk, who also serves as the Mountain West board of directors chairman, said in a statement the step taken Friday was a necessary one.

"In an era of uncertainty in intercollegiate athletics, this collaborative partnership with C-USA lends stability and credibility to our collective football enterprise," Smatresk said. "We are excited about the prospect of having teams in five time zones and the many possibilities created by this extremely bold and proactive step."

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.