MWC opts to not expand

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JACKSON, Wyo. -- The presidents of the Mountain West Conference voted Monday not to expand the nine-team league at this time.

Commissioner Craig Thompson said the decision to hold off on expansion is tied to the shake-ups and shifting landscape in some of the nation's bigger conferences. Officials from the Big Ten, Pac-10 and Big 12 are considering adding schools or reorganizing.

Thompson said the decision is not final, and that the board may reconsider once the dust settles in the other conferences.

"Due to the uncertainty in the intercollegiate landscape, the board did not make a decision to expand at the present time," Thompson said at the end of the board's annual meeting in Jackson, Wyo. "The Mountain West will continue to monitor developments ... and prepare for potential scenarios."

84% of the respondents in a KSL.com poll voiced their opinion in favor of Boise State joining the MWC.

Boise State officials and fans had hoped to join the Mountain West and leave the Western Athletic Conference, a league the Broncos have dominated for a decade in football. Moving to the Mountain West could have generated more revenue for the athletic department, increased athletic competition in football, basketball and other sports and given the Broncos a clearer path to college football's biggest stage, the Bowl Championship Series.

The Mountain West includes Brigham Young, Utah and TCU, which the Broncos beat in the Fiesta Bowl in January.

Boise State president Bob Kustra said the decision by Mountain West officials is understandable.

"The most appropriate action at this juncture is to wait and see how the variables unfold," Kustra said in a statement. "The opportunity has not been lost."

Bronco coach Chris Petersen, who has compiled a 49-4 record and won three WAC titles in four years, said the decision doesn't change anything about his plans for next season.

"We have a very challenging non-conference and conference schedule ahead of us and we are not planning to change our goals because of today's decision," he said.