The ESPN SuperLeague?

Now I don't have any link that would indicate such a thing, but the new rumor around the nation is that ESPN(TWWMIS) has proposed a new alignment that would merge various elements of the Mountain West, Sun Belt and Western Athletic Conferences and Conference USA into a single SUPERLEAGUE. 20 teams would be involved. The actual list of teams for the proposal is unknown, but I have a hunch it will involve the following:

Air Force, Brigham Young, Boise State, San Diego State, Houston, TCU, Nevada, UNLV, Louisiana Tech, UTEP, New Mexico, Utah State, Tulsa, Wyoming, Fresno State, Colorado State and 4 of the following: Rice, SMU, Tulane, New Mexico State, Hawai'i, North Texas, Memphis and Southern Mississippi.

The 1996-99 WAC thinks this is too spread out, but then again ESPN has a hand in this, and I would expect them to reshape the provinces in their desired shape, as well as to bich-slap CBS College Sports, FSN and Vs. at the same time with their other hand.

MWC+WAC=MAD

Now that Fresno State and Nevada have accepted the Mountain West's overtures, the ball is back in BYU's hands, and the Cougars have three options.

1) Continue to stick it to the MWC and say yes to the WAC(not to mention it's desired football independence);
2) Follow option 1, but go to the more stable West Coast Conference, to which it would immediately form rivalries with Gonzaga and St. Mary's, or;
3) Wimp out and return to the MWC, who will then try to lure Houston or Hawai'i into it's ranks for a 12-team Pac-12 Jr. Of course, this particular lineup still won't be able to secure a BCS Automatic Qualifying Berth because the BCS 6 is the sporting equivalent of a high school girl pack(The Big Ten+2 and SEC are fighting out for the role of The Libby(don't ask)).

Give me Liberty, or a new TV deal

Appalled at the paltry $2 million dollars they were getting annually from CBS College Sports and Vs., Brigham Young has all but declared it's independence from the Mountain West Conference in football and pull a Notre Dame by placing basketball(and the other not-on-the-bus sports) in the Western Athletic Conference. The MWC, however, in the realignment equivalent of the formation of Mount Everest, has responded by inviting Fresno State and Nevada to join fellow ex-WACer Boise State and seven others in a new 10 team concoction, but a 5 million dollar penalty may make the Bulldogs and Wolfpack stay put(and allow the WAC to reclaim Boise, but also San Diego State and UNLV in the process). Not that it will mean much, even for the brief period of time the Cougars, Broncos, TCU and Utah there was little chance the MWC would even have a fleeting chance of securing a BCS AQ spot. It's all about BYU's opprotunity to present it's own sports programs on it's BYU-TV channel, which is available to about 50 million homes.

And speaking of confusing battle cries....
DEATH BY BROWN PANTS!!!!