If you are the University of Hawaii, here’s wishing Boise State and its conference-hopping president go ahead and put in that Big West Conference membership application any day now.
"Make our day" should be the operative wish around Manoa these days as UH relishes what circumstances might allow it to do with a vote at the Big West Board of Directors table.
After Robert "here today, gone tomorrow" Kustra and the Broncos pretty much torpedoed the Western Athletic Conference two years ago, UH looms as the biggest roadblock to their doing it to the Mountain West as well.
Boise State asks about Big West
Boise State has asked the Big West to consider the possibility of its membership for 2013, officials confirmed.
People involved in the process also said they expect the issue of the Broncos paying travel subsidies to be discussed.
Boise State, which will compete in the Mountain West in 2012, has announced its intention to join the Big East in football in 2013. It had planned to place its other sports in the Western Athletic Conference for 2013 but with the instability of the WAC has been casting about for alternatives.
The University of Hawaii joins the Big West in most sports other than football July 1st while football enters the Mountain West.
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With one thumbs-down vote on Boise State’s candidacy, UH might be in a position to not only help preserve the MWC as we know it but savor some revenge in the process. Not since quarterback Colt Brennan was slinging touchdown passes in 2007 at Aloha Stadium has UH been poised to deny the Broncos as much or so thoroughly enjoy doing it.
Here’s the deal: Boise State wants to bolt the MWC for the Big East in football and doesn’t mind further gutting the MWC by taking San Diego State along. This after earlier attempting to entice Air Force.
But the hangup to that grand breakaway is the Broncos need somewhere competitive and stable to park their other sports. Originally that place was the WAC. Now, with the WAC unraveling by the month, Boise has a problem and a fast-approaching July 1 deadline by which to do something about it.
Rather than a return to the MWC, which has served notice it wants all of Boise State’s teams or none, the Broncos are desperately knocking on doors as the rest of the MWC snickers at the spectacle. One of those doors is the Big West, which rejected similar overtures five months ago.
This time, however, Boise State has San Diego State out in front pleading its case. The Big West needs the Aztecs for the visibility of their men’s basketball program and SDSU wants to keep alive its Big East football deal, so the Aztecs made a strong push for Boise at Monday’s Board of Directors meeting in Los Angeles, getting the presidents to agree to at least reconsider a Boise State bid. One which, we’re told, could include a proposal for the Broncos to pay travel subsidies.
Membership for the Broncos would still require the approval of at least eight of the 10 Big West members, something a "no" vote from UH would put in serious jeopardy.
That wouldn’t make UH too popular in Boise or San Diego, of course. But, then, the Broncos have never really wanted much to do with UH, anyway. Besides, you know Boise State is out the door at the first whiff of the next opportunity.
What it has the potential to do, however, is give UH more of the MWC it thought it was getting when it pledged to ante up its own travel subsidy package 17 months ago as a condition of joining the league.
And, if it happens to jab the Broncos in the process, well, after all that has gone on, consider it a bonus.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
