Proposed Football Alliance Includes Hawaii

By Fred Guzman

The goals of a recently announced merger involving the Mountain West and Conference-USA to create a 22-team football league are to stabilize both conferences and improve their chances at obtaining a BCS automatic qualifying bid.

The first goal is attainable – somewhat. There is a certain level of comfort in having numbers in an era of constant realignment. With so many teams, you still have a viable group; even a school or three decide to bail.

But the chances of reaching the second goal appear remote, at best.  That’s true even if Boise State decides to stick around instead of accepting an invitation to join the scrambling – and scrambled – Big East.

And you have to figure that, at some point, the Big 12 will realize – particularly if Missouri leaves for the SEC — that adding the Broncos, which has played BCS games, would enhance its unstable league.

It should be noted that Boise State, Air Force and Central Florida voted on the alliance, and that all three schools endorsed the move.  Those three have informed their respective commissioners about discussions with the Big East.

SMU and Houston have not formally informed Conference-USA about any discussions with the Big East. Navy, an independent in football, also has been mentioned as Big East prospect.

Ironically, the new Mountain West, if nothing changes by next fall, increasingly resembles what used to be the old WAC.

Boise State already bolted this season, and is scheduled to be joined by Hawaii – for football only – along with full-time members-to-be Fresno State and Nevada in 2012.

Given what’s transpired in recent years and the unpredictability of further shifts in college football landscape, it’s a good thing that Hawaii got out of the crumbling current WAC to the Mountain West.