Conference Realignment

[stymeman]

We fill cuz it's a fairly small stadium, there's not much else to do and our fanbase hasn't truly given up on a scrappy product (yet)...D1 is truly a joke anymore and doesn't mean what it used to!

 

[Montana90]

Murray did this column on the MWC additions: https://nevadasportsnet.com/news/re...-stroke-but-utep-niu-invites-a-swing-and-miss

Murray is spot on with this crazy idea to add schools based on the media reach in the area the schools. Sac State’s school university president claimed that the FBS would have access the their large media market. They never one Big Sky Football title when they were in the Big Sky and the attendance at the games were so poor they had to have music concerts after the games to get people to attend. These schools that are in large media area’s like Chicago and Sacramento have so many other alternative athletic events they are competing with. The Cowboys, similar to the Cats and Grizzlies are the pro teams for Wyoming and Montana.

 

[LanderPoke]

I would rather the Montanas than northern Illinois. I have a soft spot for utep for some reason

 

[rocket city poke]

If you are old you remember UTEP in the WAC days. Fred Reynolds, Tim Hardaway, Wayne Campbell, Tiny Archibald, Antonio Davis, Jeep Jackson. In the heyday of Wyoming basketball, UTEP won 5 straight WAC titles. As a fan you had total respect for UTEP. There is a certain nostalgia to being a Wyoming fan during that time. UTEP was a huge part of it. Remember when we played the WAC tournament at the Marriott Center in 1988. UTEP took out BYU in the semis and probably the highlight of my Wyoming fandom we chanted "where are you - BYU?!!!!" at the Mariott Center. We took as much joy in seeing UTEP win that semi final as we did in winning ours. I honestly don't think Wyoming could have beat BYU in the final. UTEP was just a tougher team for BYU.

As Wyoming struggles to maintain relevancy it's easy to relate to UTEP's struggles.

 

[doreno5]

I think part of it is Wyoming and UTEP were both as part of their history NCAA champions in basketball. I realize it is a stretch but it is something the programs shared which made them unique among the teams in the conference when they both were members.