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From Languishment to Vitality: Conference Realignment

5

5thAvenueVik

Active member
Why did we play Boise State so tough, even though, on paper, we were clearly overmatched?

Why did San Diego State come alive when they played Portland State, but have now returned to their less-than-stellar ways?

In the first case, I believe it is because we relate correspondingly to Boise State, they are to Boise what we are to Portland, and we are both NW city representatives. In the second case, I believe San Diego State saw Portland State as being like them (representing a major West Coast city) but they also represent a much bigger city with more developed team history. We all three mirror corresponding images of ourselves to one another, and that is very reaffirming to our own unique sense of each university's identity. We all fit in the same category.

As to why San Diego State has faltered overall, I believe it is because they are a "outlier" within their conference. Conferences tend to form and realign on two premises: geographic proxemity and similar athletics developmental status (and sometimes on academic quality as well). Look at the Mountain West Conference and you see a host of Rocky Mountain universities and three "outliers": San Diego State, UNLV and TCU.

Being a conference "outlier", TCU may likely bolt from the MWC, given an opportunity for better conference fit and affiliation closer to home. San Diego State and UNLV would most likely be better off, too, if they had West Coast rather than Rocky Mountain affiliation.

With Dick Tomey leading San Jose State and Pat Hill leading Fresno State, there is more of a geographical proxemity and athletics developmental rationale for joining these teams with San Diego State and UNLV in a separate, realigned conference. I would also like to see Boise State and Portland State included along with other conference "outliers" that really belong together in the same 12-team conference as follows:

North Division:
San Jose State-Portland State
Boise State-Idaho
Sacramento State-UC-Davis

South Division:
San Diego State-Hawai'i
UNLV-Nevada
Fresno State-Cal Poly

My guess is that San Diego State, Boise State and Hawai'i would dominate initially and that Portland State, Cal Poly and UC-Davis would adapt quickly with Sac State lagging behind just a bit. Such conference affililation gives all the members a deep sense of identity affirmation.
 
I'm sorry. Kids are kids. I don't think they're fighting for or against urban vitality when they're smashing into each other and executing draws and screens and dive plays on the field.

I think Boise State thought they had a cakewalk a couple years ago. I think Appalachian State was the main reason San Diego State was motivated to score points. I also think, BTW, that New Mexico (in Albuquerque, a place that also values its particular and unique culture) thought they had a cakewalk last year.
 
I think the above would be my ideal conference, where all the teams have similarities in the size of the cities they represent, and the travel would not be ridiculous.

Maybe in the next 10 years, we can hope for something like this.
 
5thAvenueVik,
Your prose is poetic, and your enthusiasm is essential, but you tend to stretch to make your point. I doubt that players at San Diego State, Boise St., or Fresno St. view PSU as a similar institution. For the most part, I doubt their fans or coaches see parallels between the schools, either. You are right to point out the reality of the overlap, but perception and reality are two different things. You seem to imply (in this and other posts) that the Big Sky hinders PSU's success, but I think most of us agree that PSU should try winning in the Big Sky consistently before expecting other schools or conferences to seek out PSU's company. If I misunderstand, then by all means clarify, because conference alignment is surely an important discussion for PSU at this point in time.
 
Thank you. By all means, we should win the big sky conference before moving on. I would love to have our "incubator program" progress outshine those other big sky conference teams and winning conference titles, particularly in football and basketball. We would never be real happy if we ever chose to stay here as 7 conference members up make a discernable group and we (and Sac State) are "outliers" lying outside that group. They belong and we don't. San Diego State fits the same pattern within the MWC. We will be happy when we play with like teams with whom we can identify. We gain strength through Identity reaffirmation.

But, by all means, while we're here, let's win it all in this conference and then move on.
 
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