Utah State Get's Screwed Again

Utah State's athletic program continues to be a Warren Zevon song. "Bad Karma".

In the early 60's, when they had, Merlin Olsen and were on top of the world as a football independent, they turned down an invitation to join the newly forming, Western Athletic Conference with Utah and, "That School Down South" because they didn't need them!

Since then, they have been through countless conference's looking for a permanent home. Big West, Sun Belt, independence again for a while, and finally got accepted into the WAC. Now, the WAC is crumbling around them.

Tonight it was announced that Hawaii was going to jump ship from the WAC to The Mountain West Conference. This leaves the WAC without the NCAA minimum of 6 teams that have competed for at least two years together, to get an automatic qualifying spot in ANY NCAA tournaments. Are you listening Aggie basketball fans?

This means that as good as their team is, starting next year, you don't get to go to, "The Big Dance" because your conference is in such flux, that it can't be trusted.

And you know who to blame for this mess? The Utah Legislature! You think that's a stretch? Well, let me connect the dots for you.

Years ago, the Utes pursuing a move to the more prestigious, and prosperous PAC 10 were forced to keep that effort under the radar because there was a fear that the Legislature would pass a law that required the Utes play in the same conference as BYU, if they knew it was going to happen. Thus dragging the Utes down to the level of that seminary in Provo.

Think I'm kidding? Think it couldn't happen? Do a little research to find out why the Big 12 was able to kick out TCU, SMU and Rice but not the Baptist school Baylor when they quit being the Southwest Conference. And former Texas Governor, Ann Richards will figure prominently in the picture.

Why do you think the Utes jump to the PAC was not announced when there was any chance of the Legislature stopping it?

And did you read the papers this summer? How Utah State, fear full of retaliation from the Legislature, turned DOWN an offer from the MWC, to try to lure BYU to the WAC for the rest of it's sports while they would go independent in football?

Boy, if you're a Utah State fan, and you vote for Mormon Republicans you have no one to blame for your status but yourself.

So, the Aggie's get screwed again. They won't get into the MWC after turning down their first, and probably only, invitation to THAT dance. The WAC is going to become a non-entity as far as the NCAA is concerned, so they can't even hope to get into the NCAA tournaments. And it's all because they couldn't risk alienating the Legislature.

That is really sad.

What's next? Plead with the MWC to ask them again when TCU goes to the Big East? Drop down a level and join The Big Sky? After all, THAT conference still has an automatic bid to the NCAA basketball tournament, and they are looking to get bigger. And you could have local rivals in Weber State and Southern Utah "University".

I don't know which direction they should go, but I do know this. They shot themselves in the foot 50 years ago, and Karma has kept the wound open. Are you listening, BYU?