Thursday, August 16, 2012

Idaho's status brings about familiar questions

The news that the University of Idaho will soon likely seek membership in the Big Sky Conference is all-too-familiar for New Mexico State Aggie sports fans.

In a nutshell: One team leaves the WAC, the conference is further depleted, leaving NMSU holding the bag as one of its final remaining members.

And then followed by a question: why is it the Aggies are always the ones left holding the bag? The bystanders, and not the aggressors? The victims, not the inflictors?

Forget market size, football history, or financial strain. The questions are fair, and valid.

Let alone that New Mexico State going to the Big Sky — a possibility in itself that looks dim at the moment — would have been virtually unappealing last year at this time.

It's a conference without FBS football — Idaho, and soon the Aggies, will be declaring independence on the gridiron in the near future as well — and a league that is spread across the country, yet equally as inconsequential.

Yet it still is a league, one that Idaho will likely call its home, a scenario that's better than the alternative.

If such a scenario does come the fruition, NMSU will soon be part of a three-team WAC — which really is no league at all, and probably won't be one much longer.

It's not hard picturing Seattle and Denver — the WAC's other two members — planning an escape route, why with their cozy configerations to the West Coast Conference. Easy travel, some natural rivals, and with that conference's membership numbers adding up right, it makes the right sense.

And for the Aggies?

Who knows what their plan is, other than hope, which last we checked isn't much of a plan at all.

Hope the WAC holds together for football, hope the Mountain West has an open slot for a football team, hope independent football could work for a brief time, and now hope to hold off athletics independence all together.

Ironically, perhaps it's not too far off in a certain respect.

The one thing we do know, is that the only constant in conference realignment are the changes that have taken place, and the ones that will follow.

Just like the Big Sky would have been an afterthought last year at this time, and now looks like a salvation in the present, we really don't know where things will stand in August, 2013, for better or for worse.

One would think the Aggies won't be standing on the sidelines then. But how do we know that for sure?

From where they were, to where they are, to where they're going.

We do know where it stands today. And it's at a point where it shouldn't be.

Follow me on Twitter @TeddyFeinberg

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Independence won't work.
Stop listening to Boston & Couture!! Schools are NOT chomping at the bit to play us.

Look, Boise announced in June 2009 they were leaving the WAC in a year. Right then & their, Boston & Couture should have have started shopping around.

Instead, they listened to Karl Benson and watch Fresno, Hawaii, Nevada leave.
Karl Benson left for the Sun Belt a few months ago, while USU, SJSU La Tech, Texas St., UTSA moved to greener pastures...all this time, NMSU got left behind because people didn't do their jobs!!

I think we need to sue both Boston & Couture and all responsible parties for killing our beloved university!!
Anyone know a ruthless lawyer that will put these idiots on the street?

Anonymous said...

So has Conference USA ever remotely been an option to pursue? I know they share the market with UTEP, but considering the large amount of Aggie alum in the city, it would seem that having the two teams in the area would strengthen the market for Conference USA. Plus the travel wouldn't really be much different for the CUSA teams since they would be flying into the same airport as they do for UTEP. Just a thought since Boston/Couture seemed solely focused on the MWC.

Anonymous said...

Boston,s quotes in your article tell me that this guy still is clueless.

Idaho will get the permission to make changes and I see a move to the Big Sky very likely to happen,there is no future in the WAC.

Anonymous said...

It's been three years since the re-alignment wheel started turning and we've seen various universities making moves to secure their future.

Can anyone please tell me one thing that both Couture & Boston have done to secure our future?

As far as I know, nothing has been done.

Penn St. didn't get the death penalty.
NMSU got the death penalty from Boston & Couture's lack of action/ leadership!!!

Anonymous said...

Idaho realized months ago that they need a plan B and started taking immediate action.

Boston continued to believe that salvation was coming via the MWC or the SBC. Even when the handwriting was on the wall he just didn't get it.

Boston wasn't even aware that the MWC publicly told NMS to pursue a plan B.


The Cruces Kid said...

Will the last person out of the WAC please turn off the lights, this is NMSU final fate. After decades of conference envy by my Aggies & after endless politicking to finally receive an invite to the Western Athletic Conference we are once again left holding a cone and all the ice cream now coats our hand & lays on the floor in murky wet mess. You are absolutely correct with NMSU administrations game plan for the future is based only on HOPE! Albert Einstein once said, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” NMSU has never learned from its past, not when the WAC first came into being and State chose not to become part of that conference but passively waited to see if the Border conference would stay together. Then NMSU entered & watched the Missouri Valley and the Big West Conferences’ drop football altogether allowing its football program to become stranded not once but twice. NMSU then chose to leave the Sun Belt Conference due to the cost of travel and its perceived lack of Je ne sais quoi. As a fan outside looking in with no control of the situation we can only resolve ourselves to the fact that, “When things are bad, we take comfort in the thought that they could always be worse. And when they are, we find hope in the thought that things are so bad they have to get better.” The lack of effort/action or communication from the NMSU Athletic department and its administration is deafening & is instilling no confidence in what is left of the Aggie support base. This year may signal the last few remaining football seasons in NMSU long history and I have my season tickets in hand. I now plan to do what I always do when I visit Chope’s and order a plate of chile rellenos. Savor it while it’s in front of me. I would love to believe that “Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working.” I pray that’s what is going on behind the sequestered athletic doors of my alum mater. Lastly, I put my last bit of faith in an Oscar Wilde quote, “What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.” Let’s hope that those in charge of the New Mexico State Aggie institution can pull an Aztlan rabbit out of a hat because right now hope never abandons you but there are a lot of Aggies willing to abandon it!

Anonymous said...

NMSU and many of the fans thought they were too good to seek membership in the Big Sky, so now it looks like they would not even be welcome. The Aggie football team would not have been in the top 4 teams in the Big Sky but still they were just too big a program to move down for awhile. The Big Sky would have been the perfect fit. So now what is left is pure crap and I have lost total interest in Aggie sports. Think how it will look if they lose the first game to Sac St. It would actually be funny.

Anonymous said...

As expected Idaho received permission from the Idaho State Board of Education today to go independent in football and join the Big Sky

But Boston seems to think that no one should take them seriously about joining the Big Sky.

Raise your hand if you agree with the Wizard of Aggie Land.




Anonymous said...

Just got done watching the 6:00 news & ABC 7 had a live interview w/ Boston.
He said, "we are trying to re-build the WAC." SERIOUSLY?!!

NMSU is the only WAC football left. As much as I love my Alma Mater but, who in their right mind would want to join a one team conference, especially when NMSU is the seasoned vet?

It's official were screwed. Enjoy the remaining games...they are numbered.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I saw the live newscast interview w/ Boston.

Did you see his body language?!! OMG! The guy was uncomfortable when asked about the future of the WAC/ NMSU!
Talk about someone that is either clueless or lying thru his teeth!

A few years ago, Steve Macy did special guest commentary on the Sun News.
He publicly chastized Nevada, Fresno & Hawaii for leaving the WAC. He mentioned that there was no loyalty anymore and schools are looking out for their best interest.
Well Steve, look what loyalty has done for NMSU, NOTHING!!
In the meantime those selfish schools are sitting pretty right now.

Anonymous said...

This is not a problem about the product that NMSU is trying to sell but rather the people that they have trying to sell their product. The worse thing is that nothing will probably be done about this. Aggie fans have gotten so used to mediocrity that those at fault will continue to do dig the whole deeper.

Jesus

Anonymous said...

Couture & Boston are clearly the worst President & AD tandem in the 125 yr history of NMSU!!

How the two can stand on the sidelines watch NMSU take water is unbelievable.
We should have jumped ship a couple of years ago. Instead, we went down with the ship/ WAC!!

Anonymous said...

I have a feeling that NMSU wants to do away with the football program, the WAC not participating in football provides cover for the University. How is it that NMSU has not developed a plan by now? What conferences has NMSU approached for membership?