A bombshell of sorts could come as soon as today or tomorrow involving former WAC member Boise State. The State Board of Education in Idaho is meeting today with a topic of discussion being the Broncos' likely move to the Big East Conference. A possible move to the Big East comes just months after Boise State left the WAC to join the Mountain West.
And if Boise State does make the move to the Big East, it could jump start a domino effect that could create major havoc within the WAC.
Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson told the San Diego Union Tribune that if Boise State and Air Force depart his conference, as many expect those schools to do, then the Mountain West will look to the WAC for additional teams.
Apparently the Mountain West radar includes Utah State and San Jose State of the WAC. Those two schools were specifically mentioned by Thompson as "being on the radar screen," for inclusion in the Mountain West.
And if invited to the MW, one can safely assume both Utah State and San Jose State would accept, especially with the onslaught of schools (Fresno State, Hawai'i, Nevada -- and BYU in softball) already set to depart the WAC in less than a year.
Losing six of eight softball programs at once could be devastating for the WAC. And you thought Herman Cain was having a bad week!
In fact, in the sport of softball alone, it could mean that only two schools -- Louisiana Tech and New Mexico State -- that will be in the conference in the 2012 season might still be there by 2013. And that's provided Louisiana Tech doesn't make a move to Conference USA if that league loses Central Florida, SMU and Houston to the Big East this week or next, as most expect.
Tech has always been a natural geographic fit within Conference USA's footprint and is a logical candidate for possible inclusion to that league should it seek to offset the expected departures of UCF, SMU and Houston.
Where this could leave New Mexico State is anyone's guess. Could the Aggies be the odd-man out in all of this conference realignment discussion? Or could the Mountain West or Conference USA decide to add NMSU too? We may soon find out.
Still scheduled to join the WAC in softball for the 2013 season are Texas State, UT-San Antonio, Texas-Arlington and Seattle. But who will be left to join those four in the WAC? No one knows for sure, but we'll certainly learn more in the coming days and weeks, so stay tuned.
UPDATE: The State of Idaho Board of Education this afternoon voted to give Boise State's president the authority to accept an invitation to the Big East as a football only member and to another conference for the university's remaining sports.
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