Rumors are running rampant again in the latest conference realignment moves.
If all goes as expected, Boise State will announce it is departing the Mountain West Conference in the sport of football tomorrow. And with that move, the Broncos are expected to return some, if not all, of their other sports to the Western Athletic Conference, where Boise State grad Karl Benson serves as the league's commissioner.
That means Boise State softball could be back in the WAC by either the 2013 or 2014 season.
Also tomorrow, San Diego State is expected to announce it is leaving the Mountain West in football and taking its other sports (including softball) to the Big West Conference.
The dominoes won't end there. Much speculation has centered around the Mountain West adding Utah State and San Jose State in all sports to offset the losses of Boise State and San Diego State.
No timetable has been set for those moves, though the San Jose Mercury News today is reporting that San Jose State "last month submitted paperwork outlining the university's position" for inclusion in the Mountain West.
And Utah State has long been believed to be on the short list of schools being courted by the Mountain West. Both the Aggies and Spartans would likely move all of their sports (including softball) to the Mountain West if invited.
As usual, nothing is set in stone and dates of departure and admission are fluctuating but you can bet we'll be hearing more and more on this in the coming days and weeks.
UPDATE - As expected, Boise State was welcomed back into the WAC in all conference sports except football by conference commissioner and Boise State alum Karl Benson. The Broncos, who left the WAC just five months ago, will rejoin the conference on July 1, 2013. Boise State will play softball again in the WAC beginning with the 2014 season. By that time, nearly all conference softball powers (Fresno State, Hawai'i, BYU and Nevada) will have departed the WAC.
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