UNM pushing for NMSU's inclusion to Mountain West

By: Anthony Esparza

As conference realignment continues to lead the Western Athletic Conference to extinction, New Mexico State has the backing of its instate rival.

Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson said New Mexico State and Idaho were brought up in recent discussions to expand the conference. Thompson also said the University of New Mexico vouched for NMSU's inclusion into the conference.

“Yes, New Mexico State and Idaho had considerable consideration. Their presidents and athletic directors did a tremendous job in presenting material,” Thompson said during a teleconference announcing the additions of San Jose State and Utah State to the Mountain West in 2013. “I know particularly New Mexico pushed hard for New Mexico State’s inclusion. At the end of the day, it just was the decision of the Mountain West Board that San Jose State and Utah State made the most sense.”

Utah State and San Jose State will compete in the WAC for one more academic year before officially joining the Mountain West on July 1, 2013. Fresno State, Nevada and Hawai’i (football only) will become Mountain West members this summer.

Thompson said the merger between the Mountain West and Conference USA is still in the works. The two conferences have synchronized their new membership decisions and are still determining the form of their new alliance.

With Louisiana Tech and Texas-San Antonio heading to C USA, and Texas State going to the Sun Belt, NMSU and Idaho will be the remaining football-playing schools in the WAC.

UNM Athletics Director Paul Krebs believes adding NMSU to the Mountain West would benefit the State as a whole.

“Simply put, we think it is in the best interest of the State of New Mexico that we put forward New Mexico State University as a potential candidate for the Mountain West,” Krebs said.

Courture and Boston issue joint statement on conference alignments

Date:  May 1, 2012

To:  NMSU Community

From:  President Barbara Couture and Athletic Director McKinley Boston

Subject:   Conference Alignments

Much discussion is taking place in the news about possible shifts that may occur among the WAC football playing schools.  Some believe New Mexico State University and the University of Idaho are likely to end up on the outside looking in at the end of this process.

We both felt the need to address this issue with our fans, students, alumni and broader university community.

The changes in conference alignments that began several years ago and continue today are unprecedented in college sports.  This is truly a new day when the sports, primarily football, are ruled by the potential for TV coverage.  We all understand that.  Now we are beginning to better comprehend just how far-reaching this new reality can be.  Of course, New Mexico State University has no major media market to bring to the table. Without that market our “value” as a conference member appears to be less than other schools with less successful programs but that are located in areas with a greater population.  The same thing appears to be the case for the University of Idaho.

We want to assure the community that we will continue to take any and all measures we feel might assist us in reaching a successful solution to this current challenge.

We take great pride in our student-athletes and their successes on and off the court.  Our student-athletes are among our best and brightest students. They graduate at a higher rate with higher grade point averages than the student body as a whole.  They also achieve success on the field.  We are proud that we stand near the top of the WAC Commissioners Cup with the possibility of capturing it as the most overall successful athletic program among current WAC schools.

We continue to explore all options and ask our university community of alumni, supporters and students to stand united with us as we seek solutions. 

Make no mistake, we will be playing football next year and we will be competing in a revised WAC conference for the 2012-2013 school year.  Our near-term goals are to compete successfully.  We look forward to having you there with us as we show the rest of the world what makes NMSU an excellent athletic–and academic–institution.

New Mexico State University

MSC 3Z, Office of the President

PO Box 30001

Las Cruces, NM 88003

575-646-2035