Where will Cal Baptist go? The WAC is losing members by the min.
Cal Baptist would never join the Big West. The Big West will only get Cal States or maybe a private school.
Davis added NOTHING to the BW other than an occasional decent MBB season and their WBB was very good most seasons. Other than that there was nothing to get excited about. I agree that Davis will probably end up as a bottom feeder for MBB like Pacific has become in the WCC. The BW needs to strike and get Cal Baptist into the BW ASAP as they are local and would give UCR a travel partner.
I agree with your overall sentiment, the only caveat being "stronger" is a hard one to gauge. Nationally the remaining Mountain West has bigger name recognition, and definitely more basketball success. Would you rather have UTEP for a home game, or Bakersfield? Wyoming or UCR?
The Mountain West is regional, and Davis will get a distribution from realignment and new media deal that probably will dwarf their Big West cut.
In thinking about it, I think the debate is more if the move to Mountain West and increased costs are offset by additional exposure or perceived prestige? And can that lead to better fundraising and revenue, with the added benefit for them of having an easy stepping stone to FBS? That answer is probably yes.
The interesting question is if they are not really competitive at the top of the BW, what makes them think they can compete at the top of the MW?
In 17 years in the BW, their average place finish is 5.4. To put this perspective, Monson over the same period of time at LB had an average finish of 4.1 and just got canned. They have hardly dominated this league. The only way the move make sense to me is for Football, but football is not included. I see a UOP kind of future for them, as a perennial bottom feeder in a better league.
Outside of MBB, the BW is generally stronger than the MWC, so their hopes seem to be centered around MBB. Good luck to them.
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