I say just stay patient right now WAC sucks but horizon isn't much more than a lateral move. Big 12 about to expand!!! No doubt there will back fill options. For right now let's sit and wait till football season is over no real hurry to jump to horizon!!
Post by PanAmManiac on May 9, 2016 14:37:01 GMT -7
Wow, I'm really not sure what to make of this. First off I'll say don't underestimate the Horizon. I view it as a definite step up from the WAC in terms of level of competition. Granted it's not the Big XII or Big East, but most of those schools aren't pushovers either. Competition wise I'd rather be playing Valparaiso and Belmont than UVU and Chicago State. That being said, it looks like if this happens it will likely be DU and UMKC going with us, and that just brings the mediocrity of current and past conference associations right along with the move. We would no doubt be in a western division where we would get to play DU and UMKC twice every year, and it would be a single bid conference with a lot of schools competing for that one bid. And geography wise, we would be a huge outlier (although I can't say that's any worse than the geographic makeup of the WAC). The thing is if UMKC goes we may not have a whole lot of choice as it would officially put the WAC on the endangered species list again and potentially (once again) leave us holding the bag. If for example UMKC left for the Horizon and Chicago State ended up dropping basketball for budget reasons we'd be in a defunct conference with nowhere to go.
I would say given all of the pros and cons, if it's just us moving on our own then it probably isn't the right move. Sit tight and something will open up elsewhere at some point. If UMKC or some other WAC school goes to the Horizon then we probably have little choice other than to go with them.
Post by CrimsonPhantom on May 9, 2016 17:31:14 GMT -7
NMSU needs to be proactive. Sitting tight and waiting for something to happen is how we are in our current situation. I don't see Horizon inviting NMSU, DU and UMKC altogether, that would put the conference at 13 teams. I don't see CST lasting much longer, especially after cutting a third of their staff. If Horison invites NMSU they need to take it. There are no guarantees the WAC will last.