Rivalries a victim in conference shifting

LAS VEGAS —

In a rush to make more money and attract more TV sets, college football has set itself up for a greedy arms race that may not be best for the game and its fans, according to Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson.

Giving his 12th "State of the Conference" address at this week's MWC football media days at the Red Rock Casino Resort, Thompson painted the recent expansion rush as a sad situation that could water down the magic of what makes college football tick.

Thompson described the mad days of June as a circus, "a summer of discontent," as many speculated cataclysmic changes would rearrange the landscape of college football.

But when the dust settled, Thompson said most of it was "speculation, innuendo and hearsay," and only four teams jumped ship.

Nebraska left the Big 12 for a more elitist role in the Big Ten; Texas played the Pac-10 like a fiddle, leaking rumors like a sieve, to get concessions from the Big 12 and create a bigger dynasty with its own network and then stayed pat. And as a fall-back plan, the Pac-10 made good on a goal to expand by adding Utah with Colorado, which had been previously invited. "Most of the decisions were based primarily on TV sets, contracts and market share," said Thompson. "As a traditionalist, that is the frustrating part of what we saw in the last 60 days and what we may see in the future. At the end of the day, we've lost something on history and natural rivalries."

Thompson said the MWC is the poster child for this, formed in the late '90s after a 16-team WAC crumbled because teams were forced into divisional play, ignoring some longtime ties within the league.

"Not playing a school you'd played annually for decades if not a century didn't make sense for us," said Thompson, who cited that Utah and BYU began playing each other in the 1890s; Colorado State and Wyoming began their series in 1899, and they had each first faced Utah in 1902 and 1904, respectively.

While neither Utah AD Chris Hill or BYU counterpart Tom Holmoe can certify an exact date for their rivalry to continue in the wake of Pac-10 expansion, both are working furiously to save the long-standing tradition.

"I hope that rivalry continues and is played forever," said Thompson.

But as Bronco Mendenhall told the media this week, it won't be the same — even if it continues — because of scheduling and lack of a conference championship at stake.

At a patio reception Tuesday at the resort, several voices from the CSU, Wyoming and Air Force range expressed doubt some of their schools would be able to play Utah again, and certainly not on a regular basis.