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BOISE, Idaho (AP) -- Boise State on Friday accepted an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference as the two-time Fiesta Bowl winner seeks out a league that's a better launching pad into lucrative bowl games.
Expansion scenarios
The future of the MWC
What it appears to come down to is this: the Utes' Pac-10 possibilities rest solely on the pending decision in College Station.Boise State, now with the Western Athletic Conference, would become the Mountain West Conference's 10th member. The move would be effective July 1, 2011.
"Boise State scored -- big time," Boise State president Bob Kustra said at a celebratory news conference.
The announcement was part of an ongoing conference shuffle nationwide, where leagues like the Pac-10 have lured Colorado and Nebraska is seeking membership in the Big Ten.
As Boise State aims to secure a clearer path to Bowl Championship Series games worth millions, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said his league is boosting its strength by adding a football program that's captured the nation's imagination, and prime-time television exposure. The league's main goal is to make a better case to become the seventh college football conference awarded an automatic BCS postseason berth.
Most wins last 10 seasons
| <b>Boise State</b> | 112 |
| Oklahoma | 110 |
| Texas | 110 |
| Ohio State | 102 |
| USC | 102 |
| TCU | 95 |
| <font color="#911"><b>Utah</b></font> | 86 |
| <font color="blue"><b>BYU</b></font> | 77 |
"It's my No. 1 goal, and I think I share it with members," Thompson said during a conference call. "We are going to try to challenge, and try to position ourselves as the seventh automatic qualifying conference."
In its two BCS bowl appearances so far, Boise State beat TCU, a Mountain West member, in the Fiesta Bowl in January and it scored an 43-42 overtime upset over Oklahoma in the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.
Boise State has also dominated the WAC, compiling a 49-4 record and winning three WAC titles in four years under Bronco coach Chris Petersen.
Thompson said Colorado's Pac-10 jump on Thursday was the catalyst for the Mountain West to move quickly to grab Boise State.
BYU is pleased to welcome Boise State University into the Mountain West Conference. Boise State has achieved success academically and athletically. This addition will make the conference stronger and more competitive, as exemplified by Boise State's recent football success. This certainly strengthens the Mountain West Conference's standing as one of the top athletic conferences.BYU Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe
I have a great deal of respect for Boise State University and what they have accomplished in a relatively short period of time since becoming a Division I program. They have risen to the upper echelon of college football in recent years and will add to the growing strength of the Mountain West Conference. We warmly welcome athletic director Gene Bleymaier and the Boise State athletic department to the Mountain West.Utah Director of Athletics Dr. Chris Hill
"We are excited to have Boise State join us in the Mountain West Conference and I am very supportive of the decision reached by our league presidents. Boise State is a wonderful addition and makes sense on many fronts. The MWC has made big inroads in establishing a national presence and adding Boise State will help keep our league keep moving in that positive direction."Utah Football Coach Kyle Whittingham
"We view the addition of Boise State as a positive move. They have an exceptional program and will strengthen the position of the Mountain West Conference on a national level."Scott Barnes, Utah State athletics director
"With Boise State University accepting an invitation to join the Mountain West Conference beginning in 2011, I will continue to be in constant contact with WAC commissioner Karl Benson, other commissioners and colleagues around the county to monitor movement as BCS conferences execute their expansion plans. Although this is an uncertain time, I'm hopeful in our ability to create opportunities out of this perceived setback."Gary Andersen, Utah State head football coach
"Having been involved in both conferences, I have tremendous respect for the WAC and the Mountain West. The WAC is a conference that has great notoriety throughout the country. I believe this will remain the case with or without Boise State. Clearly Boise State sees this move as a great opportunity and the Mountain West is gaining a quality university. I look forward to what the future has in store for the WAC."Mike Locksley, New Mexico head football coach
"The Mountain West Conference showed its commitment to getting a BCS bid with the addition of Boise State. Boise State enhances the MWC from a football standpoint and strengthens our push for national recognition. BSU, with its two BSC bowl appearances, adds validity to an already strong conference and we look forward to playing them on a regular basis." Steve Alford, New Mexico head men's basketball coach
"Adding Boise State is great for football. Consequently, it's a plus in the MWC's pursuit of landing an automatic bid into the BCS."
He added there's still discussion among Mountain West university presidents on whether the league should remain at 10 schools, or expand to 12 or even 16, to boost its BCS chances.
"This is a game of musical chairs," Thompson said. "People want to have a seat when the music stops."
He expects to readjust his conference's television package with CBS Sports and Versus to reflect BSU's inclusion starting in 2011. The conference is midway through a 10-year, $120 million deal with the networks and Boise State athletic director Gene Bleymaier said he expects all 17 of his school's athletic disciplines to benefit.
For instance, 16 to 18 basketball games could be televised in 2011, compared to just a single game during the 2009-10 season, he said.
"Your reputation, your prestige, the growth of programs, how people perceive you -- we take another step up," Bleymaier said.
Karl Benson, the WAC commissioner and a former collegiate baseball player at Boise State, said he was disappointed in his alma mater's departure but aimed to pick up the pieces and rebound.
"It's not the first time a school has left the WAC and each time it has happened, a school or group of schools have stepped up and performed at a level that brings the WAC national credibility," Benson said. [CLICK HERE to read Benson's entire statement]
Kustra said the invitation, backed unanimously by Mountain West university presidents, shows Boise State has improved in both athletics and academic achievement, which he said is now on par with other schools in the conference. Another advantage for Boise State will be travel time. In the WAC, the team travels to Hawaii and Louisiana.
The Mountain West Conference is more concentrated. Boise State joins the Air Force Academy, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, TCU, UNLV, Utah and Wyoming.
"I'm delighted we can offer our students-athletes, coaches and fans the very best competition with the most reasonable travel schedules," Kustra said, declining to weigh in on whether he thinks the Mountain West should pursue further additions.
But Dan Hawkins, head coach at Boise State until jumping to Colorado in 2006, said he doesn't think the Mountain West is done adding teams.
"We'll see how that whole thing shakes out and what happens to other teams in the Big 12," Hawkins said. "There might be some other teams from ... the Sun Belt, the Big 12, or somebody melded in there to complete the roster."
Thompson all but ruled out adding more teams from the WAC.
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AP Sports Writer Pat Graham contributed from Boulder, Colo. AP Writer Elizabeth White contributed from Salt Lake City.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
