San Jose State Eyed By Mountain West Conference

By Tom Fornelli, Special to CBS Sports

SAN JOSE (CBS Sports) -- Who knew that an entire conference could disappear right before our eyes? That seems to be exactly what's happening to the WAC.

The conference has already lost Boise State, Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii to the Mountain West -- which has been hemorrhaging teams of its own -- and now it seems like the conference could be about to lose another school.

According to a report in the San Jose Mercury News, talks have begun within the Mountain West about extending San Jose State an invitation.

"San Jose State has emerged as a potential expansion target of the Mountain West Conference, according to sources familiar with discussions between SJSU officials and their counterparts in the MWC.
A longtime member of the Western Athletic Conference, San Jose State is one of several schools that could be invited to join the more prestigious MWC if the 10-team league expands by two in order to stage a football championship game."

The Mountain West's board of directors is scheduled to meet Monday in Las Vegas. Expansion is on the agenda, but the league isn't expected to issue invitations.

The other teams reportedly in consideration are another WAC school in Utah State, and three C-USA schools in UTEP, Houston and SMU.

Though, according to the source in the story, it's unlikely either Houston or SMU would leave C-USA. Which makes San Jose State an attractive option to the Mountain West in the same way that the lone girl at the bar looks more attractive because she's the only girl there.

Though the Mountain West will tell you it's because of the television market that San Jose State brings for the Mountain West's television network, as well as the fact it'd be joining fellow California schools Fresno State and San Diego State in the conference.

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