Mountain West, Conference USA announce football consolidation

FROM RICE NEWS STAFF REPORTS

The Mountain West Conference and Conference USA have unanimously come to an agreement in principle to consolidate their member football programs into one large association.

Commissioners of the two leagues formulated this plan with the support of the presidents, chancellors and athletics directors. The move will join the 12 members of Conference USA and 10 football-playing members of the Mountain West. The two conferences will merge into a separate football-only entity without affecting their status within the NCAA structure.

“The role of a conference is to provide its members with the best possible environment in which to conduct their intercollegiate athletics programs,” said Mountain West Commissioner Craig Thompson. “Rather than await changes in membership due to realignment, it became clear the best way to serve our institutions was to pursue an original concept. The Mountain West and C-USA share a number of similarities, and the creative merger of our football assets firmly positions our respective members for the future.”

Rice Athletics Director Rick Greenspan said, “In the current climate of sudden change as it relates to conference affiliation, this proposal represents an effort to strengthen the overall position two existing conferences and offer each of our member institutions and their supporters a greater sense of stability as we look to the future. It has been conducted with an air of great civility and respect and represents a well thought-out approach to the challenges of recent times.”

The current 22 members are located in 16 different states, offering a prospective 16-hour window for competition. Conference USA has existing television partnerships with Fox Sports and CBS Sports, as well as ESPN for its championship game. The Mountain West has partnerships with CBS Sports and Comcast/NBC Universal.

“We have been a supporter of this consolidation from the start and firmly believe that this bold and proactive step is one that will create greater opportunities for Rice football in the future,” Greenspan said. “This consolidation allows Rice to continue to build on the competitive relationships we have forged in Conference USA over the last seven years, while doing so as part of a league that will play a significantly greater role in an enhanced postseason lineup.

“It also achieves the desired goals for football without negatively impacting the rest of our student-athletes, who successfully balance the demands of their academic and athletic pursuits,” he said. “They will not be asked to add additional travel requirements to the detriment of their studies. The mission of Rice remains to place our student-athletes in the best position to succeed in the classroom and in competition. “