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.
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