Just when you thought you were safe from conference realignment talk, this happens. Sources say that BYU plans on ending its affiliation with the Mountain West Conference in order to go independent in football and join the WAC in all other sports.
The news comes courtesy of Colorado State's official Twitter feed, which is kind of like getting an astigmatism diagnosis from a proctologist. CSU says a BYU press conference is happening tomorrow. (UPDATE: CSU claims Twitter fraud.)
Since news broke, ESPN ran with the story, the Idaho Statesman picked up on it, and the Twitter/Facebook machine cranked up to Speculation Level Orange. Presumably, more news will keep trickling out as the day drags on, and I'll update this post as needed.
What does this news mean to Boise State? I'd love to hear your theories in the comments. I have a quick take after the jump, and then I'll leave it up to you to discuss the story as you see fit.
A big tip of the hat to readers Grindhouse, Loque, and Jeremy for jumping on this story while I was sleeping.
My take on Expansiongeddon, Volume 2
I love college football for one simple reason: football. The summer of expansion was a fun ride for awhile, but now I'd really like to get off. Too many money grabs, power moves, and bloated rumors. If I wanted to have a daily dose of that stuff, I would follow politics. And I don't ever want to follow politics. The closer college football gets to a bureaucratic mess of haves and have-nots, the farther it pushes me away. Just let me enjoy my actual football in peace.
Of course, I'm interested in how this all shakes out for Boise State, but I'd much rather just fast forward to the end. Riding the rumor wave is exhausting. When I first saw the news about BYU, my initial reaction was not an "ooh, that's interesting." It was a sigh. I am fatigued, and the story is not even 24 hours old.
Anyone else feel the same way?
[Note by Kevan Lee, 08/18/10 12:37 PM MDT ]
The Salt Lake Tribune is calling the move a "done deal."