I saw a post on SoCalSoccer.com claiming that CSU Bakersfield would be joining the northern Big West division. Can't vouch for accuracy: http://www.socalsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43218
The delayed entry date for soccer compared to all other sports is very interesting. I don't think the shakeup is done yet. The Big West seems to have thrown the Pac 12 a bone there, giving them time to find somebody (or start up a program amongst existing members, though this is unlikely). The soon to be Pac-5 must add someone, and the Big West probably wants to add another program to get to two balanced divisions again. CSUB looks like a very promising dance partner for both conferences (probably the best geographically in both cases, and decent results the past couple of years). San Jose State is also a decent fit geographically (though on the pitch is another matter). The Pac-whatever they are has a lot more freedom geographically, since air travel is already involved for conference games, so more schools are in play for them, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. I also wouldn't be too surprised if they got a waiver to keep their auto bid with 5 teams for a year or two if they can't rope somebody in before then.
Having lived in the PNW for a long time I can't think of a team that might want to join the PAC 5 from the PNW. There is Seattle U, Gonzaga, and Univ of Portland. Seattle U can't currently compete adequately within the MPSF and Gonzaga and Portland have been longtime members of WCC and probably would not be interested. There are simply very few Div 1 soccer programs in the PNW.
So another bit of speculation I read on the UCSB board (take with a huge grain of salt) is that Sac State is only signed up as an associate member for 3 years, so Sac State would be dropped, and replaced by San Diego State. As for a replacement for the Pac whatever - current members are in Los Angeles (1 school), San Francisco Bay (2 schools), and the Pacific Northwest (Seattle 1, Oregon 1). Figure the replacement would be one of these areas, with strong preference to the LA area to keep travel partners lined up. They will probably not be able to pull from the BW or WCC, leaving the MPSF. The MPSF schools that are near an existing member are CSU Bakersfield, San Jose State, Sac State (off to the BW for at least the near future), Seattle, and (with a little stretch) UNLV. Things get really interesting if the Big West keeps Sac State and takes another MPSF school to even things out and the Pac takes a school to get back to 6, because the MPSF would be dropped to 5. Basically, if the Big West goes to two 5 team divisions, we would lose a western conference - either the MPSF or Pac 12 would be reduced to 5 teams. I don't see western teams ending up in a conference with no auto-bid...the remains of both conferences would probably merge, so we'd have the BW, WCC, and Pac/MPSF. The upshot of all this is that if the Big West is going to go to 10 members, they really shouldn't be looking at CSUB or San Jose State, they should be looking at UCLA or UC Berkeley. Regardless of who they take, the MPSF and Pac would merge, so why not get a name program? There are a bunch of options for how this shakes out. BW stays at 8 (SDSU replaces Sac State, CSUN jumps to Big West North), BW goes to 9 (keep Sac State - leaving either no divisions and an 8 game conference schedule, uneven divisions, or a weird conference schedule to keep home and homes in "rivalry" matches. There aren't really any great ways of scheduling this - you either eliminate home and home rivalry games or have an unbalanced schedule), BW goes to 10 (likely taking their pick of the Pac 5 and MPSF) or 12 (taking the 3 remaining California Pac schools). Basically, the Big West is in the driver's seat right now with respect to the fate of men's college soccer in 3 conferences.
Teams can't just leave their conference for one sport, apart from cases where their conference doesn't offer a sport and the odd football-only agreement. There is no chance the Pac-12 would let one of its member schools play soccer in the Big West. The Pac will find someone to stay at 6, the MPSF may be screwed (especially if the MWC and CUSA join, as I mentioned earlier).
I still think that the WCC has the best set-up of any conference with their home/home schedule for all seven teams (at least in the west - I'm not sure if any conferences east of the Rockies play a home/home conference schedule) So, why not push to have each "west" conference have seven to nine teams and schedule a home/home schedule for the regular season? That might mean the Big West dropping a couple of schools for the Pac "8" and having just one conference, or the MPSF not having soccer at all and those teams get reshuffled into the Pac "8" and the two conferences within the Big West...Maybe the WCC adds a team (Seattle or maybe Air Force, or Denver seem to be appropriate)... With a nine-team conference, and a home/home schedule, each team plays 16 conference games, and can participate in two college "tournaments" (where they play two games in a weekend) so every team plays a total of 20 games prior to the NCAA finals. The top two teams in each conference get an auto bid to the NCAA Finals, and one to three at large bids come from the western conferences...that is how I think it should be...in fact, that is how I think it should be throughout the country...AND GET RID OF THE RPI!!!
The home/home schedule can hurt as much as it helps. If the out-of-conference schedule is strong and successful it can be a boon. If not it can bite you from behind, particularly if you lose to a weaker conference team( which in conference games is not unusual) with a weak out of conference load. I also have to believe that playing an opponent twice probably favors the weaker teams who have a better idea how to stop you playing next time around
I think it only hurts when the out of conference games matter - but if we ditch the RPI and go with a straight "top two teams from the conference advance" it makes every game count...the "wild card/at large" bid is going to go to some third place team from the stronger conference...
My point saying the Big West should go after a Pac school is that were the Big West to go to 10 schools, the Pac might end up not existing in soccer - instead there could be an 11 team Pac/MPSF amalgamation. Would this be a new, big Pac 11? Possibly, but there are only 5 full Pac 12 members that offer soccer, so the majority of the new conference would be associate members, which seems like it would be a weird arrangement at the very least. It seems just as likely that the Pac 12 would cease sponsoring soccer, and the remaining schools would go to the MPSF. In that case, there is nothing stopping any or all of the California Pac schools from joining the Big West instead of the MPSF with their conference's dissolution. In fact, I would posit that it would be in the best interests of UCLA, UC Berkeley, and Stanford to join the Big West as opposed to the MPSF if the Pac were to dissolve, simply because of travel costs. It's also possible that we end up with a non-auto bid western conference, which would be a disaster for whatever programs were caught in it. A non auto-bid conference would also probably be a drag on all of the other western schools they would play. I don't see it happening because of this second reason - having 5 schools with no auto bid in the west would hurt everybody, not just the ones left in the cold. All of this devolves from the fact that there are not enough schools for 3 auto bids among the non WCC western conferences if one of those 3 conferences goes to 10 teams. It's simple math - if the Pac takes an MPSF school, the MPSF dies. If they don't, they die. I think the most likely option is that either the BW stays at 9 with SDSU, or drops Sac State (much as Davis would dislike it) to go back to 8. The Pac picks up an associate member from the MPSF (probably CSUB, since it's the closest to UCLA for travel purposes) to get back to 6, and the MPSF is at either 6 or 7 depending on Sac State. Then again, things could get weirder if there's some MWC/CUSA merger in all sports. Heck, SDSU might ditch the Big West in the 3 years before they join the conference in soccer. Or something really crazy might happen and a school could add soccer. The only things I know for certain is that the moves aren't done yet, because right now the Pac12 is not viable.
Never gonna happen and shouldn't. There are 8 or 10 conferences that should never get more than 1 bid and probably shouldn't get one. The RPI is here to stay. Pressure should be put on to tweak it or add another rating system to augment it. Out of conference games are fun and important and you need to have them and they need to matter.
Sorry Gaucho, I get you know. Still, I don't see any way the Pac's ego would let them drop a sport and have member schools playing in the Big West. They'll always find a willing 6th as long as the WAC or MWC exist in their current form - I'd bet a school like SJSU would prefer the prestige of playing with Cal and Stanford and UCLA to even the slightly lessened travel schedule of being in the Big West.
First off, this is my debut on the BigSoccer blogs. Now to the matter at hand... 1. I don't think the MPSF dissolves. What no one has mentioned is that Houston Baptist will replace Sacramento State this year and thus restore the conference to eight teams. Small matter, but an important one: http://www.hbuhuskies.com/news/2011/7/11/MSOC_0711115215.aspx 2. Even with SMU and UCF leaving for the Big East, there will still be seven members in C-USA (possibly eight with West Virginia needing a home since the Big 12 does not sponsor the sport). A MWC/C-USA union will not happen in all sports, so no C-USA soccer for UNLV, Air Force and New Mexico. All that aside, should I be wrong and that merger happens - no program is terminated because all MPSF teams will find a home: A. the current MW schools (plus HBU) go to C-USA B. Denver and San Jose State or Cal State Bakersfield join the Pac C. Seattle joins the WCC D. the Bakersfield/San Jose State team left out falls to the Big West Ultimately though, I think the Pac will take one MPSF team (Denver?) to stay viable and everyone wins.
Yep, appears to be official for all sports, starting in 2013. Will be interesting to see if the MPSF disappears and some schools lose soccer.
Another cupcake for New Mexico to trounce. Too bad the Lobos can't leave for a more competitive conference
So the men's soccer branch of the MWCUSA (or as I like to say it in my head mucusa): Marshall, UAB, Tulsa, Air Force, New Mexico, UNLV -- presumably Kentucky, South Carolina and Florida International will remain. Lots and lots of travel for the western sides. Perhaps Denver will be invited for men's soccer to balance the geography a bit more, especially if West Virginia joins up too. The MPSF, with Houston Baptist coming in, still has 6 teams if they have no more defections, certainly as a weaker conference without New Mexico. And it's hard to imagine that they won't lose at least one more team, so it will be interesting to see if someone like Grand Canyon or UC San Diego makes a leap as a basketball independent and puts their soccer in the MPSF until they figure where to get to. EDIT - forgot Sac State is leaving MPSF. Christ this is complicated. Remaining MPSF soccer coaches have to be in panic mode, despite jdgaucho's optimism.
Don't forget about San Diego State to the Big West at some indefinite date in the future. From what I've gathered, the Big West held off on the date to give the Pac-whatever time to find another member to keep their auto bid. As I see it, the free floating schools (right now) are the Pac-5: UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles, Stanford, Washington, Oregon State, and the Non-MWCUSA MPSF: Cal State Bakersfield, San Jose State, Denver, Seattle and Houston Baptist (maybe?). That's 10 teams, or 9 if you tell HBU to shove off (they have more options as an associate member someplace else). Even if the Big West spits Sac State out (unlikely - they make a good travel partner for Davis), that pool doesn't get to 12. I can see the Big West taking either CSUB or San Jose State to even out their divisions, and then the Pac absorbing everybody else. Regardless, I don't see how both the MPSF and the Pac-12 can simultaneously have leagues with auto-bids. I doubt anybody will be left orphaned - it would be a short step from there to termination, and there aren't enough teams out west as it is for scheduling purposes. Killing one or two off doesn't serve anyone's interests. Like Emile observed - this is complicated.
The western schools really need some of their athletic departments to step-up and add soccer. If Colorado, Utah or Arizona/AZ State add soccer, makes thinks a lot easier.
Both Arizona schools have major Title IX concerns as it is, so I don't see either adding men's soccer. Don't know about the Title IX situation at Utah or Colorado, but with pro teams nearby and presumably a fan base with an appetite for soccer, it might make some sense.
So West Virginia is officially out of the Big East at the end of the academic year, meaning the Mountaineers soccer team now needs a conference to play in next season. The good news for them is they actually have an AD with a background in soccer as an administrator so he likely won't ignore the situation and will help find a solution instead of hoping one falls from the sky.
WVU was reported to either be in the Mucusa or the MAC. My uneducated guess would be the merger makes it more likely they will go to the MAC, only because if the Mucusa goes to ten teams you'd think they'd want more regional balance, and a team like Denver would make a nice 5-5 split east and west. The Pac-12 team that should be on men's soccer is USC. They have a massively proftable AD budget, and could no doubt put a good team together fast - and, strangely have no softball team either which would be a tailor-made paired addition. Colorado's budget has been wrecked for years, and I don't recall the specifics of the AZ schools or Utah, I don't think they are much better.