2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment
In the end, the "Big East" name, history, and contract to the Big East Tournament location rights at Madison Square Garden were exchanged for almost the entire balance of over $110 million left in the NCAA National Tournament prize pool accumulated by the Big East in prior years. The FBS schools retained the charter of the original 1979–2012 Big East Conference, starting the 2013 academic year under the new name of American Athletic Conference.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Background
The Big East was founded in 1979 by seven universities in the Northeastern United States—Boston College (BC), Connecticut (UConn), Georgetown, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Syracuse. The seven founders consisted of five Catholic institutions, one private but secular university (Syracuse) and one public school (UConn). More significantly, only two of these schools—BC and Syracuse—then played football in the top-level Division I-A (now Division I FBS). Another Catholic school, Villanova, joined the following year, and Pittsburgh (Pitt), a quasi-public institution, joined in 1982. At the time of their respective arrivals in the Big East, both Villanova and Pitt had I-A football programs, but Villanova dropped football after the 1980 season, only reinstating the sport in 1985 at the Division III level and upgrading to Division I-AA (now Division I FCS) in 1987.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Background
About a decade after the conference's founding, the members decided to launch a I-A football conference. To that end, the Big East added five schools with I-A programs—Miami as a full member, and Rutgers (which had turned down an invitation to become a charter member of the conference), Temple, Virginia Tech and West Virginia as football-only members. Big East football began play in 1991. In 1995, West Virginia and Rutgers became full members of the conference, and Notre Dame, with an independent football program, joined as a full but non-football member.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Background
These moves in the first half of the 1990s led to an unusual conference structure, in which only some of the full conference members played football in the Big East. Another of the 1991 football-only members, Virginia Tech, became a full member in 2000. Temple remained a football-only member until 2004, when it was voted out of the conference due to poor attendance figures, lack of playing success, and inadequate facilities. In the meantime, UConn announced in 1999 that it would upgrade its I-AA football program to I-A; its transition was completed in 2002, and it joined the Big East football conference in 2004.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Background
Once the Big East established a I-A football conference, tensions between the "football" and "non-football" schools were a constant issue, though mostly under the surface. Miami in particular had been dissatisfied with the Big East as early as 1999. These tensions came to the surface in 2003, when the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) announced plans to expand from 9 to 12 members, which would allow that conference to hold a potentially lucrative football championship game. Miami, BC, and Syracuse were rumored to be the three schools under consideration; however, Syracuse men's basketball coach Jim Boeheim publicly opposed a move.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Background
The five other football schools—UConn, Pitt, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia—filed two lawsuits against the proposal, one against the ACC and the other against BC and Miami (Syracuse was not sued because its administration made no public comments on the situation). Due to political pressure applied by Virginia governor Mark Warner on the ACC and the University of Virginia, the ACC decided to invite Virginia Tech instead of Syracuse. Tech immediately accepted, and filed legal papers to remove itself as a plaintiff in the lawsuits.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Background
At the last minute, North Carolina State cast a "no" vote on BC, which meant that only Miami and Virginia Tech were invited to join. By mid-October 2003, NC State had reversed its original "no" vote on BC, and the ACC also extended an invitation to that school. Due to timing issues, BC was not able to join the ACC until 2005, a year after their former Big East brethren arrived in the ACC. These moves by the ACC became the trigger for a major wave of conference realignment.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Background
The Big East responded to the loss of three football members by "raiding" Conference USA. Five members of that league were invited to join the Big East, with all five entering in 2005. Three of the new members were public schools with I-A football programs—Cincinnati, Louisville, and South Florida. The other two, DePaul and Marquette, were Catholic schools without varsity football programs.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Background
The most recent, and largest, wave of realignment began in 2010, after both the Big Ten Conference and Pacific-10 Conference (now Pac-12) announced plans to expand to 12 members. These plans triggered a cascade of conference moves, with the Big East as one of the main centers of activity.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First wave: TCU
On November 2, 2010, the Big East Conference officially announced its plans to expand from 8 to 10 football-playing schools. ESPN.com named TCU and UCF as leading candidates, along with the upgrade of current member Villanova's FCS football program to the FBS level. Other candidates included former Big East member and current football-only MAC member Temple and C-USA members Houston and Marshall.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First wave: TCU
On November 29, 2010, TCU officially announced that it would be joining the Big East Conference as an all-sports member starting in 2012. TCU was not subject to an exit fee from the Mountain West; under MWC bylaws at that time, a member was allowed to leave with no penalty if it registered its intention to leave with the conference office by September 1 of the calendar year before its departure.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First wave: TCU
The original idea that TCU should join the Big East reportedly came from a somewhat unexpected source—Pitt men's basketball coach Jamie Dixon. On September 18, Dixon, a former basketball player at TCU, attended the TCU–Baylor football game and suggested the idea to TCU athletic director Chris Del Conte. After the discussion, Dixon then went to Big East commissioner John Marinatto, which started the league's expansion talks. Rutgers AD Tim Pernetti pushed especially hard for the conference to invite TCU.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First wave: TCU
At first glance, the entry of TCU—a school located more than 750 miles (1100 km) from its nearest Big East neighbor in Louisville—would put huge financial pressure on both its athletic program and those of other Big East schools, specifically with regard to travel expenses for non-revenue sports. However, Marinatto pointed out to ESPN.com Big East reporter Brian Bennett that this issue was less serious than perceived.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First wave: TCU
At the time, the Big East did not require that its member schools play other league schools in the regular season in sports based on individual competition (such as swimming and diving, track, golf, and tennis). Conference teams in those sports could compete against local schools or in meets in their region and still compete in the Big East tournament. The conference only required travel to other league schools in pure team sports (such as football, basketball, and soccer). By contrast, the MWC then (as now) had such a requirement in all sports. The distance between TCU and the other conference members is less than the 1,300 miles between football members South Florida and Syracuse and comparable to the distance between Louisville and Providence.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First wave: TCU
The TCU move put pressure on Villanova to decide whether to accept its invitation to join the Big East in football. Marinatto indicated that he expected word from Villanova no later than the school's next scheduled board meeting in April 2011, and preferred to see a decision by the end of 2010. If Villanova decided not to upgrade to FBS, UCF and Houston were seen at the time as leading candidates for future expansion.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Loss of Pitt and Syracuse
At that time, speculation was rampant that the Big East might be able to attract a school from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which was in the midst of negotiating a new media deal. However, according to one industry source, "At that point when the Big East was intact, the only school the Big East could have legitimately added that made sense was UCF. Maryland and Boston College? They wouldn't even return the Big East's calls. But the Big East couldn't add UCF because Judy Genshaft [president of UCF in-state rival South Florida] kept shooting down UCF." A source within the conference added that Genshaft's insistence on keeping UCF out was a major contributing factor to the instability that would soon plague the Big East.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Loss of Pitt and Syracuse
The trigger for this instability proved to be the negotiations for a new television deal that took place in April 2011, when TCU was on board. Marinatto and the conference reached a nine-year, $1.4 billion deal and recommended that the conference presidents, who had the final say on the deal, accept it. The presidents reportedly voted 12–4 to accept in a preliminary vote.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Loss of Pitt and Syracuse
However, while the conference was going over the final details, the presidents had second thoughts upon learning of the deal that the Pac-12 had just reached with ESPN and Fox, reportedly worth $250 million annually, and in a second vote turned down the deal 16–0. In May 2012, one Big East source told Brett McMurphy, then of CBSSports.com, that turning down the deal "was the stupidest decision ever made in college athletics. To have the equity of ESPN as your brand and the stability that would have gone with it." Another source added, "If the TV deal was accepted and UCF had been added, who knows if Pitt and Syracuse ever leave. Everyone left because of stability and right there was your stability with that TV deal."


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Loss of Pitt and Syracuse
Five months after the aborted media deal, McMurphy reported on September 16, 2011 (coincidentally, the same day that Conference founder Dave Gavitt died) that two of the conference's mainstays—the University of Pittsburgh and Syracuse University—would leave for the ACC. He recalled in May 2012 that he tried to contact Marinatto for a quote, but could not reach him, and found out several weeks later that Marinatto first learned of the two schools' plans from McMurphy's report.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Loss of Pitt and Syracuse
In fact, no one at the conference office or at any other Big East school knew that Pitt and Syracuse were leaving until this report, and Jim Boeheim (who at the time had been involved with Syracuse athletics for over 50 years) did not know of Syracuse's intentions until they were announced as a new ACC member.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Loss of Pitt and Syracuse
On September 18, Pitt and Syracuse submitted formal applications to join the ACC, which were accepted later that day.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First major membership turnover
Marinatto's next attempt to stabilize the league was a dramatic increase in the conference exit fee. On October 2, he recommended to the conference presidents that the exit fee be increased from $5 million to a minimum of $12 million, and as much as $15 million. The presidents voted against Marinatto's proposal.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First major membership turnover
Days after the presidents rejected the increased exit fees, TCU reversed its acceptance on October 10 and decided not to join the Big East. Instead, TCU announced that it would accept a new invitation from the Big 12 Conference. The Big 12 is home to several former conference rivals of TCU from the Southwest Conference, which dissolved in 1996.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First major membership turnover
On October 28, 2011, West Virginia University was officially invited to join the Big 12 and accepted the same day. They aimed to become a full member effective July 1, 2012. To enforce this move, the university filed a lawsuit against the Big East, and blamed Marinatto for the departures of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and TCU. The Big East also filed a counter-suit against WVU to enforce the 27-month waiting period. By contrast, Pitt and Syracuse made no attempt at that time to overturn the waiting period.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First major membership turnover
The Big East invited nine schools – four (University of Houston, Southern Methodist University, University of Memphis, University of Central Florida) as full members, five as football-only members (United States Air Force Academy, United States Naval Academy, Boise State University, Brigham Young University, San Diego State University). To further stabilize the conference, members unanimously agreed to double the exit fee from $5 million to $10 million, contingent on any one accepted invitation. Of the schools, all four invited to full membership accepted, as well as football-only Boise State, Navy, and San Diego State. BYU and the Big East were unable to come to terms; the conference insisted that BYU relinquish its TV rights for its home games as a condition of membership, and BYU was unwilling to do so.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, First major membership turnover
On February 10, 2012, the Charleston Daily Mail reported that the Big East and WVU had settled their legal dispute. The settlement, which allowed WVU to join the Big 12 in July 2012, was officially made public on February 14. Under its terms, WVU would pay $11 million and the Big 12 $9 million. These amounts include the Big East's $5 million exit fee, half of which WVU had previously paid. By comparison, the Big 12 received a total of $24.8 million from Missouri and Texas A&M, which by that time had announced their departure for the Southeastern Conference.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, The return of Temple
With WVU's departure, the Big East was temporarily left with only seven football programs. In an attempt to fill the Mountaineers' place, the conference first sought to have Boise State football join a year early. However, the school turned the offer down because it would have been subject to steep financial penalties from both the Mountain West and WAC had the football team left for the Big East in 2012. The conference then entered into talks with Temple, which had been a football member of the Big East from 1991 until being expelled after the 2004 season. At the time of their expulsion, the Owls were one of the worst programs in major-college football, but had since achieved respectability in the Mid-American Conference, appearing in two bowl games in the previous three seasons.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, The return of Temple
On March 7, the Big East and Temple announced that the Owls would return to Big East football in 2012; the school would become a full conference member in 2013. Temple paid exit fees of $6 million to the MAC and $1 million to its then-current all-sports conference, the Atlantic 10, with the Big East picking up an undisclosed portion via future revenue distributions. Temple's move caused increased speculation that their crosstown rival Villanova could soon choose to upgrade to FBS and join the Big East football conference.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, The return of Temple
Villanova had been contemplating such a move in 2011 before the Big East backed out. During the discussions between the conference and Temple, Villanova was reportedly given $1 million earmarked toward upgrading its football facilities, with a possible $2 million more available if it chose to join for football. In addition, the Big East football entry fee, a reported $2.5 million, would be waived if Villanova joined within the next three years.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Further instability
The next significant event in the Big East was Marinatto's forced resignation on May 7, 2012. According to one league source, "He was the human pin cushion. Nobody in the world could have made this work. Look at the things he was dealt." McMurphy remarked that Marinatto "was set up to fail by the league's presidents because they handcuffed his ability to make any relevant changes."


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Further instability
Two days later, ESPN's Andy Katz reported that Louisville AD Tom Jurich told the Big East board of directors that it was looking to join either the Big 12 or ACC. Katz added that although Connecticut was on public record as wishing to stay in the conference, sources within the school said privately that they wanted to be in the ACC with Notre Dame. As for Notre Dame, it announced a major shift away from the Big East on September 12, 2012, formally joining the ACC as a conference member in all sports but football starting as early as 2014. While Notre Dame's football program retained nominal independence, the agreement included a commitment by the Fighting Irish to field five games per year against ACC opponents in future schedules. On March 12, 2013, Notre Dame and the Big East reached agreement on the Irish departure date of July 1, 2013


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Further instability
Arguing that by allowing West Virginia to purchase their early departure the Big East had effectively negated the 27-month waiting period for departing schools, Pittsburgh sued the conference demanding its own early departure. On July 16, 2012, Syracuse and the Big East announced that they had reached an agreement for Syracuse to leave the Big East after the 2012–13 season. At the time, Pittsburgh stated that they had no comment regarding any developments related to their upcoming departure from the Big East. Three days later on July 19, Pitt and the Big East announced they had also settled their dispute, allowing the Panthers to leave for the ACC after the 2012–13 season. Pitt and Syracuse paid $7.5 million each for their 2013 exits, which includes their $5 million exit fee.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Further instability
On November 20, 2012, Rutgers announced it was joining Maryland in a move to the Big Ten Conference. This once again sparked rumors of the ACC raiding the Big East for a 14th member to replace Maryland, with Louisville and Connecticut being the leading candidates. The Big East responded to these developments on November 27, 2012 by inviting Tulane to join for all sports and East Carolina to join for football only in 2014.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Further instability
On November 28, 2012, Louisville announced they would join the ACC as the league's 14th football member and 15th member in all sports in 2014, replacing Maryland.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
On December 10, veteran sportswriter Mark Blaudschun posted on his blog, A Jersey Guy, that the Big East's seven remaining non-FBS schools, all Catholic institutions—DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, and Villanova—had met the previous day with commissioner Mike Aresco to discuss their concerns about the future of the conference. This story was soon picked up by multiple national media outlets, including ESPN, CBS Sports, and Sporting News. According to several sources, this was the first meeting among this group of schools, and Blaudschun's original report indicated that the meeting agenda included a potential split by the non-FBS schools.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
The meeting came days after CBS Sports reported that the new Big East TV deal, currently up for negotiation, could be worth as little as $60 million per year—significantly less than the $100 million that the conference thought it could receive. This development was especially significant because several incoming Big East schools had negotiated deals regarding conference withdrawal that were linked to the new TV contract.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
For example, Houston could exit the Big East without penalty if certain TV revenue numbers were not met, and Boise State's buyout fee would be reduced if the total revenue from the new deal dropped by 25%, or if less than 70% of the new contract went to football schools. The basketball-first schools were also concerned about the addition of several new schools without strong histories in the sport.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
According to ESPN, one source from a Big East football member indicated that the basketball schools were "not thrilled with Tulane and what they will do to the league's RPI", and that they "would have fallen off the ledge if we would have added East Carolina as a full member and what that would have done to the basketball league."


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
Under normal circumstances, an exit by the non-FBS schools would have forced them to pay exit fees, denied them the use of the Big East brand, and forced them to forego money due them from exit fees of departing members and other members' NCAA basketball tournament appearances. However, Big East bylaws stated that the conference could be dissolved by a two-thirds vote of the all-sports members. The announcement of Louisville's future departure for the ACC meant that only three all-sports members with football were left in the conference—Connecticut, Cincinnati, and South Florida.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
This would have apparently given the basketball-first schools the power to dissolve the Big East before the five new all-sports members entered on July 1, 2013. This would in turn mean that no exit fees would be due. One wild card in this scenario was the role of Temple, which joined for football in 2012 and was one of the five incoming all-sports members. At the time of the initial reports, it was not certain whether Temple had a vote on membership matters, although it had voting rights on football issues.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
If Temple had a membership vote, it was seen as likely to use that vote to prevent the dissolution of the Big East. Later reports varied as to Temple's actual voting rights. An ESPN report on December 11 indicated that Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw had told The Philadelphia Inquirer that his school had full voting rights despite not yet being an all-sports member, seemingly taking the option of dissolution off the table. However, ESPN was told by other sources the following day that Temple had voting rights, but could not vote on dissolution of the league.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
Finally, it was discovered that despite the non-FBS schools having the necessary majority, dissolution also required the votes of at least two FBS schools, and all three FBS schools with voting rights wanted to keep the league intact. Nonetheless, by December 14, the exit of the basketball-first schools was seen as certain, though numerous details had to be worked out.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
The main issues in the split were money-related. Most significantly, it had to be determined which group received major assets belonging to the pre-split conference—such as the "Big East" name, the contract for the conference tournament at Madison Square Garden, and exit fees from schools that previously left the conference.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
Conference bylaws allowed for a mass departure without an exit fee, but only if the conference's 27-month notice period was honored. An earlier exit would have required some form of compensation. If the seven departing schools formed a new league, they would keep their automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament (and also the women's tournament); NCAA rules state that a group of seven or more schools that has been in the same conference for at least five years will keep its bid if they remain together in a new league. The FBS schools would have to petition the NCAA to keep their automatic bid, but an NCAA executive indicated that such a petition would likely be approved.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
Many urban private schools with prominent basketball programs and without FBS football teams were seen as potential expansion targets for the new basketball-first league. Media speculation immediately focused on four A10 members that fit this profile: Butler, Dayton, Richmond and Xavier. Two other schools in this category, A10 member Saint Louis and Missouri Valley Conference member Creighton, were also seen as likely candidates, but only if the new conference wanted to expand to 12 members.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
Two West Coast Conference members, Gonzaga and Saint Mary's, were also seen as possible candidates despite major geographic challenges; Gonzaga athletic director Mike Roth expressed an interest in the new league. Two public schools that otherwise fit the profile of these institutions, George Mason of the CAA and VCU of the A10, were also seen as potential but less likely targets.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
On December 15, the seven schools, which the media would soon dub the "Catholic 7", announced that they had voted unanimously to leave the Big East Conference, effective June 30, 2015. It was reported that the "Catholic 7", by leaving, were looking at a lucrative television deal. These non-football teams reportedly had an initial high offer from Fox and its new sports channel, Fox Sports 1, of more than $500 million for 12 years.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
The deal would allow each of the seven former Big East members to split the rights evenly, earning around $5 million each, and split the rest with future teams. It was widely considered that any additional members would have been content with a share from the leftover after the "Catholic 7" received their initial cut, as no school on the list of potential additions was then making more than $400,000 annually from its media rights. The core group also received interest from NBC and ESPN.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Split by non-FBS schools
On March 7, 2013, the Big East reached agreement with the "Catholic 7" to allow for their departure June 30, 2013. As part of the agreement, the "Catholic 7" purchased the Big East name and retain the rights to play their tournament at Madison Square Garden, while the FBS schools received $100 million from a $110 million pool that had accumulated from entry fees, exit fees, and NCAA basketball tournament appearances.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Boise State backs out
As the Big Ten was in the midst of its November 2012 wave of expansion that attracted Rutgers from the Big East, ESPN reported that Boise State and San Diego State had second thoughts about joining the Big East for football. According to this report, both schools, as well as FBS independent Brigham Young University (BYU), had been in talks to rejoin the Mountain West. The trigger for these talks was the decision of the BCS commissioners to award an automatic BCS bowl berth, beginning in 2014, to the highest-ranked champion of the so-called "Group of Five" conferences—the Big East, MW, C-USA, MAC, and Sun Belt Conference.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Boise State backs out
In the interim, Boise State had canceled plans to rejoin the Western Athletic Conference for non-football sports after that conference lost numerous schools in May 2012. Boise State announced on August 24, 2012 that most of their non-football sports would instead rejoin the Big West Conference (where San Diego State was also planning to return its non-football sports after a 35-year absence), which they were in from 1996–2001.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Boise State backs out
On December 22, 2012, after the "Catholic 7" announced their departure, ESPN followed up with a report that Boise State was playing off the Big East and MW in an attempt to retain TV rights to its home football games. At the time, no football member of an FBS conference retained its home TV rights (and none do to this day). One TV industry source indicated that at least one of the conferences might allow this arrangement, but both conferences and several other industry sources disagreed. Another source said that Boise State was the "linchpin" as to whether the Big East or MW would survive.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Boise State backs out
This later report indicated that if Boise State opted to remain in the MW, the Big East could become a target for that conference as it sought to expand to 12 football members. Since San Diego State then appeared committed to Big East football, the likeliest candidates were seen as incoming Big East members Houston and SMU, along with C-USA members Tulsa and UTEP. The Big East was not standing still; it had reached out to three MW members (Air Force, Fresno State, and UNLV) and BYU as potential football members. However, Air Force and BYU were apparently content with their current situations, and the other two schools reportedly had no interest in a Big East without Boise State.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Boise State backs out
On December 31, Boise State announced they had decided to stay in the MW, leaving the Big East, much like TCU, without ever playing a game in it. Boise State decided to remain in the MW because of that conference's geographic proximity and the Big East's continued instability. While the school's attempted TV rights power play was not successful, it did gain several concessions from the MW. Rights to the Broncos' home games would be sold in a separate package from the league's primary contract with the CBS Sports Network.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Boise State backs out
As a part of the deal, any MW member (not just Boise State) that appears in a nationally televised game on ESPN, ESPN2, CBS, NBC (which can only occur if an MW school visits Notre Dame), or Fox would receive a bonus of $300,000, with an extra $200,000 for a Saturday game.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Boise State backs out
Also, beginning in 2014, if an MW team appears in a bowl game associated with the successor to the BCS, the College Football Playoff (either the four-team national playoff, or one of the other so-called "New Year's Six" bowls; one of the latter group has a guaranteed spot for a "Group of Five" team)—the revenue from that game will be split 50-50 between the participating school and the conference. Finally, the MW removed its previous uniform restrictions on Boise State, allowing it to once again wear its standard home blue uniforms in conference games at Bronco Stadium, famous for its blue playing surface.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Boise State backs out
With Boise State staying in the Mountain West, it was reported that San Diego State would indeed try to rejoin the Mountain West as well. San Diego State's contract with the Big East allowed that school to leave without penalty if there were no other member schools west of the Rockies. The Mountain West was also looking at potentially adding Houston or SMU as its 12th football member, both of which had stated they would join the Big East in 2013 (and would ultimately end up in The American). Also of note was that a provision in Boise State's offer sheet stipulated that if the MW made a membership offer to any school on or before January 31, 2013, the first offer had to be made to San Diego State.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, San Diego State follows suit
On January 16, 2013, Blaudschun reported that San Diego State and the Big East were working on a joint release announcing that the Aztecs would not join the Big East, and would stay in the MW. ESPN and CBS Sports quickly picked up the story. The MW presidents voted that day to readmit SDSU.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, San Diego State follows suit
SDSU was not subject to a Big East exit fee (as noted earlier), but had to pay a $1.5 million exit fee to the Big West. The main concession SDSU received from the MW was that the school would receive its 2012–13 year-end distribution of $2.5 million from the MW, a sum that it had forfeited when it announced its departure.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, San Diego State follows suit
SDSU athletic director Jim Sherk reportedly tried to make the Big East move work even after Boise State's decision to stay in the MW. While the Big East had one more football season under its current TV deal, which likely would have meant more money for SDSU in the 2013 season, the ongoing membership turnover meant that the Big East could not guarantee or even solidly project future revenue. In addition, the decisions of Boise State and SDSU to stay in the MW meant that the conference would have 12 football members in 2013; as a result, the MW was expected to (and ultimately did) split into divisions and launch a football championship game.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Post-split developments
The new Big East was formally launched at a press conference in New York City on March 20, 2013. The new conference began with 10 members—the "Catholic 7" plus Butler, Creighton, and Xavier. Butler is the only non-Catholic school to be a full member of the new conference.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Post-split developments
As for the old Big East, its first post-split move came on March 27, when it announced that East Carolina's future membership was being upgraded from football-only to all-sports. According to the Associated Press, the soon-to-be-renamed conference perceived a need to add more members. At the time of the report, it was believed that C-USA member Tulsa would be invited to join in the near future, and on April 2, Tulsa was officially announced as a new member effective in 2014.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Post-split developments
With Navy still on track to join the renamed conference for football only in 2015, Tulsa's arrival would give the league 12 football members, allowing it to split into divisions and start a championship game. The following day, the old Big East announced that it would change its name to the American Athletic Conference, or "The American" for short, starting on July 1. Although The American is the old Big East's legal successor, both The American and the Big East claim 1979 as their founding date, and the same history up to 2013.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Post-split developments
For instance, the new Big East claims that it "moved" its headquarters from its longtime home in Providence, Rhode Island (where The American remains based) to New York City. The new Big East named Val Ackerman as its commissioner on its first day of operations; it reckons Ackerman as its fifth commissioner (after Dave Gavitt, Mike Tranghese, John Marinatto and current American commissioner Michael Aresco).


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Post-split developments
To restate and clarify a somewhat confusing series of events: on July 1, the original Big East changed its name to the American Athletic Conference, while the "Catholic 7" split off and joined Butler, Creighton and Xavier to form a "new" Big East. The "new" Big East retained the rights to the original Big East's logo, wordmarks, basketball records, and the men's basketball conference tournament.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Post-split developments
An SB Nation blog covering Villanova sports reported on May 1, 2013 that The American and the new Big East had reached a verbal agreement that the new Big East would take in The American's field hockey and women's lacrosse teams as associate members for at least the 2013–14 school year. When the new Big East launched, it had only three full members that sponsored each sport—Georgetown and Villanova sponsored both sports, Providence sponsored only field hockey, and Marquette began sponsoring women's lacrosse in 2013–14. As for The American, very few of the members that were set to enter in 2013 and 2014 sponsored those sports.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Post-split developments
This led to Connecticut, Louisville, Rutgers, and Temple becoming Big East affiliates in both sports, Cincinnati (which does not sponsor field hockey) becoming a women's lacrosse affiliate, and Old Dominion (which had planned to join the original Big East in field hockey) becoming a field hockey affiliate. Rutgers, the only school in The American with a men's lacrosse program, also moved that team to the new Big East. Louisville and Rutgers both played in the Big East for the 2013–14 school year only.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Post-split developments
At the time of the launch of the reconfigured Big East, Louisville's future home of the ACC sponsored field hockey and women's lacrosse, and Rutgers' eventual home of the Big Ten sponsored field hockey and was set to add men's and women's lacrosse in 2014–15. The story raised the possibility that the other schools could stay as affiliates of the new Big East beyond the 2013–14 school year, which eventually proved true.


2010–2013 Big East Conference realignment, Post-split developments
In May 2013, the Big East and the University of Denver announced that Denver's men's lacrosse team would leave ECAC Lacrosse to become an affiliate of the new Big East starting in 2013–14 (2014 lacrosse season).


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment
The 2010–13 Colonial Athletic Association realignment refers to the Colonial Athletic Association dealing with several proposed and actual conference expansion and reduction plans among various NCAA conferences and institutions from 2010 to 2013. Moves that involved the Colonial Athletic Association were part of a much larger NCAA conference realignment.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment
Among the fallout from the moves in the CAA was that the conference dropped wrestling as a sponsored sport after the 2012–13 school year. The 2013 departures of all-sports members Old Dominion and George Mason left the CAA with too few schools to sponsor the sport, and all of its remaining wrestling schools would join other conferences for that sport.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, UMass football moves to FBS
The first move in the 2010–13 time frame affecting the CAA involved the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) football team. At the start of the realignment cycle, UMass was a CAA associate member in football and men's lacrosse, and a full member of the non-football Atlantic 10 Conference (A10).


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, UMass football moves to FBS
For nearly 20 years, UMass had intermittently considered moving its football program from the second-tier Division I FCS to the top-level Division I FBS (the subdivisions were respectively known as Divisions I-AA and I-A before 2006). The issue of an FBS move became more pressing to the UMass administration in the late 2000s due to significant changes in the CAA. Two full CAA members and natural football rivals for UMass, Northeastern (located in Boston) and Hofstra (on Long Island), dropped football after the 2009 season.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, UMass football moves to FBS
Another New England school with football-only membership in the CAA, Rhode Island, was soon to announce that it would leave the CAA for the Northeast Conference in the near future. In addition, Villlanova, a longtime member of the Big East Conference but a CAA football member, had long been rumored to be contemplating a move to Big East football. According to UMass athletic director James McCutcheon, these changes would have greatly impacted UMass football had it stayed in the CAA—most significantly in increased travel costs due to the CAA apparently becoming a more Southern-based league.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, UMass football moves to FBS
Accordingly, UMass announced on April 20, 2011 that it would transition to FBS beginning that fall, and would become a football-only member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at that time. Because its on-campus football stadium, Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, did not meet FBS standards, the school also announced that it would play all of its 2012 and 2013 home games, plus at least four home games in each season from 2014 to 2016, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, home to the NFL's New England Patriots and the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, UMass football moves to FBS
Although Gillette Stadium is nearly  100 miles (160 km) from the Amherst campus, it is within a half-hour drive of about 120,000 UMass alumni. In addition, UMass negotiated a deal with the stadium that gave the school a relatively low share of gameday revenue but limited its potential financial risk, and also allowed it to delay the possibility of having to build and finance a completely new stadium. McGuirk Stadium was then renovated to FBS standards, with essentially no increase in capacity.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departure of Georgia State
After the departure of UMass football, realignment activity passed the CAA by for nearly a year. In February 2012, Georgia State University, which had only begun a football program two years earlier, announced that it had commissioned a study to determine the feasibility of an FBS upgrade.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departure of Georgia State
The study, obtained later that month by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution through an open records request, concluded that the school was well placed for an upgrade, citing the university's location in the top-10 media market of Atlanta and its enrollment of over 30,000—although the report admitted that a large majority of GSU's athletic budget came from student fees. Significantly, the report stated that the best fit for GSU would be the Sun Belt Conference—whose then-incoming commissioner Karl Benson had named conference expansion as one of his leading priorities. Also of note is that GSU had been a charter member of the Sun Belt in 1976, but left that conference in 1981.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departure of Georgia State
The rumored return to the Sun Belt became official on April 9 at a press conference at the Georgia Dome, then GSU's football home. The Panthers would return to full Sun Belt membership on July 1, 2013; the football team would start its FBS transition with the 2012 season, begin playing a full Sun Belt schedule in 2013, and become a full FBS member in 2014.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departures of VCU and Old Dominion
Shortly after Georgia State announced its departure for the Sun Belt Conference, the CAA again became a target for conferences seeking to expand.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departures of VCU and Old Dominion
In March 2012, the A10 suffered a significant blow when conference mainstay Temple University announced its departure for the Big East Conference, with the school's FBS football team moving from the MAC that fall and its other sports joining the conference in July 2013 (by which time the Big East had split into two conferences, with Temple joining the football-sponsoring portion now known as the American Athletic Conference). Since the A10 does not sponsor football, it began membership discussions with three basketball-focused schools—Butler University, then of the Horizon League; and two CAA members, George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU).


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departures of VCU and Old Dominion
In the meantime, Conference USA (C-USA) was reeling from the loss of four members to the Big East, with Houston, Memphis, SMU, and UCF all having announced in the preceding months that they would join the Big East in 2013. In an attempt to replenish the league's numbers, C-USA entered into membership talks with several schools, with one of them being CAA member Old Dominion University.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departures of VCU and Old Dominion
Although Old Dominion had only established its football program in 2009, that program had been highly successful, going 27–8 in its first three seasons and advancing to the second round of the 2011 FCS playoffs. Old Dominion, located in Norfolk, Virginia, also provided access to a significant media market in Hampton Roads.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departures of VCU and Old Dominion
Of the CAA schools involved in this phase of realignment, the first to announce its departure was VCU, doing so on May 15. While it had initially planned to join the A10 for the 2013–14 school year, it ended up joining for the 2012–13 school year. One reason for the immediate move was that under CAA bylaws, a school that announces its departure becomes immediately ineligible for conference championships in team sports—most significantly the men's basketball tournament. VCU's move to the A10 was also a substantial upgrade in basketball competition.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departures of VCU and Old Dominion
The CAA had never received an at-large bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament until George Mason made the 2006 tournament and went on a surprise Final Four run. Only three other CAA teams received at-large bids from 2007 to 2012, with one of them being the 2011 VCU team that made its own surprise Final Four run. By comparison, the A10 had received 20 at-large bids from 2000 to 2012. The move also united VCU with cross-city rival Richmond.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departures of VCU and Old Dominion
Two days later, Old Dominion announced it would join C-USA in July 2013, and begin an FBS upgrade at that time. Under the original plan, ODU would not become a football member of C-USA until it became a full FBS member in 2015. C-USA later voted to make Old Dominion eligible for the conference football championship in 2014; in that season, ODU was counted as an FBS member for scheduling purposes but was not eligible for a bowl game (full FBS membership and bowl eligibility followed in 2015). Old Dominion got a head start on its future C-USA membership, moving five of its spring sports—men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, and women's rowing—from the CAA to C-USA for the 2012–13 school year.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departures of VCU and Old Dominion
Due to this move, ODU had to find new homes for three of its sports that C-USA does not sponsor. The wrestling team was the first to find a new affiliation, being announced on September 19, 2012 as an associate of the MAC effective in 2013–14. The field hockey team then announced in December 2012 that it would become a member of the original Big East in 2013.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departures of VCU and Old Dominion
However, the team was temporarily left in limbo due to the conference's upcoming split into the football-sponsoring American Athletic Conference (The American) and a new, non-football Big East, which would have led to neither conference having enough field hockey schools to qualify for an automatic NCAA tournament bid. This situation was resolved in May 2013, when the two leagues agreed that only the new Big East would sponsor that sport, with the field hockey schools from The American (including Old Dominion) becoming associate members. Finally, the women's lacrosse team announced on June 29 that it was joining the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2014 (2015 lacrosse season) after a transitional year as an independent.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Albany and Stony Brook join for football
After the losses of Georgia State, Old Dominion, and VCU, the CAA initially decided to reload with football in mind. On August 7, 2012, the conference announced that it would add Albany and Stony Brook as football-only associates in 2013. At the time of the announcement, both schools were full members of the America East with associate football memberships elsewhere—Albany in the Northeast Conference (NEC) and Stony Brook in the Big South Conference. Both remained America East members.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Albany and Stony Brook join for football
According to media reports, the CAA targeted the two schools for their location in the Northeast (maintaining geographic balance in the football conference) and their steady improvement in football in recent years. The two teams had played each other in the first round of the 2011 FCS playoffs, with Stony Brook winning.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Albany and Stony Brook join for football
The move was a significant upgrade for both football programs. At that time, Albany's football home of the NEC capped football scholarships at the equivalent of 38 full scholarships, while the CAA allows the FCS maximum of 63. The school was building a new 8,000-seat stadium, which had been viewed by local media as an attempt to gain football relevancy. As for Stony Brook, then-athletic director Jim Fiore said after the announcement, "We want to compete for a national championship in football." The Big South has generally been a one-bid league in the FCS playoffs, unlike the CAA, which routinely sends multiple teams.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Albany and Stony Brook join for football
Notably in a realignment cycle marked by secrecy and intrigue, CAA commissioner Tom Yeager opted for transparency, keeping his counterparts in the NEC and Big South informed throughout the process. In addition, Yeager asked Rhode Island to reconsider its November 2010 decision to leave CAA football for the NEC in 2013. On August 28, Rhode Island announced that it would keep its football team in the CAA.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Women's rowing: Enter Eastern Michigan, exit Boston University
In the meantime, the CAA welcomed a new associate member for women's rowing in Eastern Michigan University. The Eagles, a full MAC member which had competed as an independent in that sport since establishing a rowing program in 2001, were announced as a rowing affiliate on October 9, 2012, effective immediately. EMU would effectively replace another associate member, Boston University, in the CAA women's rowing league; four months earlier, the Terriers announced that they would move their entire athletic program to the rowing-sponsoring Patriot League in July 2013.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Charleston joins
The CAA also worked on shoring up its basketball side; as rumored several months earlier, it courted the College of Charleston and Davidson College from the Southern Conference (SoCon). At the time, Charleston did not have a football program, while Davidson operated a non-scholarship FCS program in the Pioneer Football League (as of 2020, neither school has changed its football status). In October 2012, the CAA formally invited both schools to join in July 2013. On October 17, Davidson turned down the CAA invitation. Charleston opted to accept; the school's board of trustees voted 12–5 in favor on October 19, and authorized the school's president to enter into final contract negotiations with the CAA. Charleston's arrival in the conference was officially announced on November 30.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Charleston joins
Jeff Eisenberg of Yahoo! Sports speculated that both schools made correct decisions for their individual situations, noting that "Davidson had more to lose by leaving the SoCon than Charleston because the Wildcats have the greater recent [men's basketball] history in the league." From 2002 through 2012, Davidson won at least a share of its SoCon division eight times and made five NCAA tournaments. In the same period, Charleston won its SoCon division four times, but made no NCAA appearances.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Charleston joins
During that time, the CAA had not regularly sent multiple teams to the NCAA tournament, but its schools typically earned higher seeds than SoCon schools. However, the departure of VCU and then-impending exit of Old Dominion robbed the CAA of two of its strongest basketball programs, making that conference a risky proposition for schools such as Charleston and Davidson—though apparently more so for Davidson because of its considerably greater recent SoCon success.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Charleston joins
A report by Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com, which cited an unnamed source with close ties to Davidson, shed light on that school's thinking. According to the source, Davidson was committed to the SoCon because the conference fit with the school's mission statement, and Davidson valued a comfortable conference fit much more highly than the potential of higher paychecks in a league less amenable to its mission. Eisenberg also noted that the CAA's basketball footprint extends far into the Northeast with Drexel and Northeastern, making travel costs a concern for Southeastern-based schools such as Davidson and Charleston. Davidson would eventually receive an offer from the A10 in 2013, officially joining that conference in 2014.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departure of George Mason
Although George Mason did not receive an invitation from the A10 in 2012, it was not the end of that school's involvement in realignment. Mason once again became an A10 candidate in 2013, and as in 2012, the process was set into motion by developments in the Big East Conference.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departure of George Mason
In December 2012, the seven non-FBS members of the Big East, a group that would soon be called the "Catholic 7" (from the shared religious affiliation of the group), announced they would leave the conference as a unit no later than 2015. In March 2013, the Big East and "Catholic 7" came to a separation agreement, under which the "Catholic 7" would leave the conference effective July 1, purchase the "Big East" name, and reorganize as a new Big East Conference.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departure of George Mason
With the new Big East wishing to expand to anywhere from 10 to 12 schools, media speculation on expansion candidates immediately focused on four A10 members that fit the new conference's profile of urban, private, basketball-focused schools without FBS football—Butler (which had only joined the A10 in July 2012), Dayton, Richmond, and Xavier. Later in March, the new Big East was unveiled, with the "Catholic 7" joined by Creighton from the Missouri Valley Conference, plus Butler and Xavier from the A10.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Departure of George Mason
In response to the A10 preparing to lose four schools in July 2013—the aforementioned Temple, Butler, and Xavier, plus Charlotte (to C-USA)— the conference once again entered into talks with Mason. On March 25, George Mason announced that it would become an A10 member effective July 1. Mason's move reunited the school with longtime CAA rival VCU, and also created a new local rivalry with George Washington (located in Washington, D.C., with Mason in nearby Fairfax, Virginia).


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, The end of CAA wrestling
The various moves in the CAA eventually led to the conference dropping the sport after the 2012–13 school year.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, The end of CAA wrestling
The first move involving that sport was, as previously noted, Old Dominion's (whose primary conference does not sponsor wrestling) move to associate membership in the MAC.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, The end of CAA wrestling
More attrition in the wrestling side of the league became imminent when George Mason announced its departure for the Atlantic 10, a conference that also does not sponsor the sport. Once Mason left the CAA, that would leave the conference with an unsustainable wrestling membership of five. On April 25, 2013, the death knell for CAA wrestling was sounded when four schools—wrestling affiliates Binghamton and Boston University, plus full CAA members Drexel and Hofstra—announced that they would join the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association for 2013–14, which led the CAA to announce it was dropping the sport immediately. The following month, the last two CAA wrestling schools revealed their future plans for that sport. Mason and wrestling associate Rider both announced on May 13 that they would join the Eastern Wrestling League for 2013–14.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Elon Joins
In the meantime, the Southern Conference (SoCon) was being battered by realignment, seeing four members announce their departures in a five-month time frame. This instability in the SoCon led another conference member, Elon University, to explore its options. The CAA, seeing an opportunity to shore up its southern flank, began membership talks with Elon in early April 2013.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Elon Joins
On May 23, the CAA and Elon announced that the school would become an all-sports member of the conference in July 2014, making Elon the second school (after Charleston) to announce a move from the SoCon to the CAA in the realignment cycle. Elon athletic director Dave Blank stated that the move was ultimately about what the school's administration believed was the best fit:


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Elon Joins
In our analysis, and in our decision, we were looking strictly at what was best for our institution. We had to make that decision not knowing with the Southern Conference is going to look like and not knowing what the Colonial Athletic Association is going to look like.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Elon Joins
Elon president Leo M. Lambert also noted that more than half of the private North Carolina school's enrollment in the upcoming 2013-14 school year came from the CAA's geographic footprint.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Men's lacrosse: Exit Penn State, enter Fairfield
In April 2013, the student newspaper of Fairfield University, The Mirror, reported that the administration of the small Catholic university in Connecticut was eyeing a move from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) to another league, with the CAA rumored as a favorite. While these rumors have not yet proven true, Fairfield did make a small move toward the CAA in June 2013.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Men's lacrosse: Exit Penn State, enter Fairfield
As the end of the 2012–13 school year approached, men's lacrosse became a significant realignment topic. The first seeds of this phase of realignment were sown in November 2012, when the Big Ten Conference announced that Maryland and Rutgers would become members in 2014. With five schools on board in men's lacrosse and six in women's lacrosse, the Big Ten then announced on June 3, 2013 that it would begin sponsoring lacrosse for both men and women beginning in the 2015 lacrosse season, with Johns Hopkins as an associate member in men's lacrosse.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Men's lacrosse: Exit Penn State, enter Fairfield
This move by the Big Ten was a blow for two men's lacrosse conferences in particular—the CAA and Fairfield's then-current home for men's lacrosse, ECAC Lacrosse. Those two leagues then housed the lacrosse programs of three Big Ten members, with Penn State having been a CAA associate since the 2010 season and Michigan and Ohio State playing in the ECAC. The latter conference was already set to lose Loyola (Maryland) to all-sports membership in the Patriot League and Denver to single-sport membership in the new Big East at the end of that month.


2010–2013 Colonial Athletic Association realignment, Timeline, Men's lacrosse: Exit Penn State, enter Fairfield
On June 18, just over two weeks after the Big Ten lacrosse announcement, Fairfield announced that it would move its men's lacrosse team to the CAA, effective with the 2015 lacrosse season. Shortly after the announcement, Fairfield athletic director Gene Doris indicated that the school had chosen the CAA over the MAAC because of the CAA's higher profile in that sport.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment
The 2010–13 Conference USA realignment refers to Conference USA (C-USA) dealing with several proposed and actual conference expansion and reduction plans among various NCAA conferences and institutions from 2010 to 2013.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
On October 14, 2011 Conference USA and the Mountain West Conference announced they would enter into a football-only alliance, forming a 22-team league. The league would span 15 states and 5 time zones.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
However, following further defections from both conferences, the two leagues decided to enter into talks on a full merger. In early February 2012, ESPN.com reported that the C-USA board of directors was to meet to discuss the merger. This topic had been on the agenda even before the recent announcement that C-USA charter member Memphis had accepted an invitation from the Big East. The two conferences then met on February 12, with media reporting the following day that an official announcement of a full merger was imminent. It was reported at the time that the new conference could begin as early as 2013–14.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
C-USA and the MW initially wished to dissolve and form a new association in order to negotiate new television deals. However, the NCAA told the conferences that if they merged, the new league would receive only one automatic bid to NCAA championships; at least one of the merging conferences would not receive its share of so-called "tournament units" (explained below); and at least one of the merging conferences would forfeit its conference exit fees to the departing schools.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
Conferences receive roughly $250,000 for each round that a member advances in the NCAA men's basketball tournament; the money is paid out after a rolling six-year period. In the event of a dissolution or merger, tournament units revert to the schools that earned them. The revenue loss to the two conferences potentially outweighed any possible gains from a new broadcast deal.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
With the option of a complete merger now likely off the table, the commissioners of both C-USA and the MW indicated that all 16 schools that had been committed to those conferences beyond 2013 (15 for all sports, and Hawaiʻi for football only) had entered into binding agreements to form a new alliance. In addition, five subgroups of school presidents had been working on various aspects of the alliance since mid-February. Finally, both commissioners stated that they expected the future membership of their conferences to be set by early June 2012.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
On March 12, CBSSports.com reported, citing "college football industry sources", that the MW and C-USA had been in contact with as many as 11 schools regarding the new alliance, including all seven schools that would be football members of the WAC in 2012. Other schools reportedly interested in the alliance included Sun Belt Conference members Florida Atlantic, FIU and North Texas, plus C-USA charter member Charlotte, then a non-football school in the Atlantic 10 but with plans to add a football program in 2013.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
The following month, CBSSports.com reported that Utah State and San Jose State were the likeliest candidates for MW membership, with the possibility of UTEP switching from C-USA to the MW. It also indicated that FIU, North Texas, and Louisiana Tech—the last of which was also being courted by the Sun Belt—were the top candidates for C-USA.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
Due to defections from the MW earlier in the realignment cycle, it had to expand to maintain its FBS status. The NCAA requires that FBS conferences sponsor at least six men's sports and eight women's sports, with at least six schools in each sport. As of April 2012, the MW did not have enough schools committed to the conference beyond 2013 to sponsor championships in baseball and men's cross country. C-USA also needed to expand if it wished to continue sponsoring women's swimming and diving.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
On May 4, no fewer than seven schools announced moves to one of the two conferences. Charlotte, FIU, Louisiana Tech, North Texas, and UTSA will join C-USA, with Utah State and San Jose State joining the MW. All moves will take effect in 2013. In addition, Old Dominion, an all-sports member of the CAA, including football, was reportedly considering an invitation from C-USA, which would also require an FBS upgrade. A later report indicated that Old Dominion would announce its decision no later than June 30. The Mountain West reportedly chose not to expand beyond 10 schools because it wanted to keep places open for Boise State and San Diego State to return if their football moves to the Big East did not work out.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
Old Dominion announced its move to C-USA on May 17. The Monarchs will not start their FBS transition until the 2013 season, matching the plans of fellow C-USA newcomer Charlotte. Both will become C-USA football members in 2015, when their FBS transitions are complete. At the time, this gave the conference 14 members in 2013 for all sports except football; as a result, C-USA was expected to split into divisions for all sports (it already uses divisions in football).


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
The dividing line will reportedly be the Mississippi River, with Tulane, located on the east bank of the river in New Orleans, joining the West Division. Since C-USA will continue to have at least 12 football members, its football championship game will continue for the foreseeable future. As for the CAA, reports indicated that it may pursue Davidson and Charleston from the Southern Conference. The conference ultimately invited both schools in October 2012; it was turned down by Davidson (who eventually agreed to join the Atlantic 10 Conference), but Charleston was expected to accept, and went on to officially join the CAA.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
In the wake of the Big East losing Rutgers and another school (Louisville a few days later), the Big East raided Conference USA and invited Tulane and East Carolina (football only) to join the conference and they accepted. Later in 2013 after the Big East non-football members decided to split and form a new conference East Carolina was invited as a full member to start with the 2014 season. Later on in November 28, 2012, rumors popped up that Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic of the Sun Belt would be invited to replace those schools.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
These rumors proved to be accurate; the following day, C-USA announced that both schools would join the conference no later than 2014. On January 18, 2013, CBS Sports reported that C-USA had reached an agreement for Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic to join in July 2013, a year earlier than originally planned. C-USA officially announced the change in plans on January 22.


2010–2013 Conference USA realignment, Background
Less than a week after ECU accepted the full-membership invite to the renamed conference (which would eventually choose the name American Athletic Conference), C-USA added Western Kentucky to start membership in 2014, bringing the conference into that state for the first time since Louisville left in 2005. C-USA was preparing to lose Tulsa to The American, which was confirmed the next day.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform
An Icelandic Constitutional Council (Stjórnlagaráð) for the purpose of reviewing the Constitution of the Republic was appointed by a resolution of Althingi, the Icelandic parliament, on 24 March 2011. Elections were held to create a Constitutional Assembly (Stjórnlagaþing) body, but given some electoral flaws, had been ruled null and void by the Supreme Court of Iceland on 25 January 2011, leading the parliament to place most of the winning candidates into a Constitutional Council with similar mission.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform
The question of whether the text of the proposed constitution should form a base for a future constitution was put to a non-binding referendum, where it won the approval of 67% of voters. However, the government's term finished before the reform bill could be passed, and the next government has not (as of April 2013) acted upon it.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Background
The present Constitution of Iceland was adopted in 1944. Critics of the constitution allege that it 'was drawn up in haste with minimal adjustment of the 1874 constitution as part of Iceland's declaration of independence from Nazi-occupied Denmark'. Furthermore, critics alleged that 2008–11 Icelandic financial crisis exposed the weaknesses of this document, originally intended to be provisional. Following the Kitchenware Revolution, the 2009 Icelandic parliamentary election brought to power a coalition government of the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement. This government undertook to create a new constitution, for the first time in Iceland's history reviewing broad areas of the constitution.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, The 2009 and 2010 National Assemblies
In 2009, private individuals organised a National Assembly of 1500 people—1200 chosen at random from the national registry and 300 chosen as representatives of companies, institutions and other groups—to discuss the core values on which Icelandic governance should proceed. This was followed in November 2010 by a government-organised assembly of 950 randomly selected citizens.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, The 2009 and 2010 National Assemblies
The 2010 Assembly concluded that the new constitution 'ought to contain certain key provisions concerning, e.g., electoral reform and the ownership of natural resources, for a long time two of the most contentious political issues in Iceland'.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Act on a Constitutional Assembly
The  government passed the Act on a Constitutional Assembly no. 90/2010, legislating a special Constitutional Assembly to revise the Icelandic Constitution of the Republic. The Assembly was to comprise 25 delegates elected by direct personal election. The Assembly had to convene by 15 February 2011 and finish its work no later than 15 April 2011. The revised constitution was to be voted on by the Althingi and then put to a referendum.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Act on a Constitutional Assembly
# The foundations of the Icelandic constitution and its fundamental concepts;


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Act on a Constitutional Assembly
The Constitutional Assembly was also empowered to address additional matters beyond "reviewing the Constitution of the Republic".


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Election
An election was held for the assembly on 27 November 2010 using STV-PR under the Weighted Inclusive Gregory Method. 522 people stood in the election, more than double the most optimistic estimates.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Election
The voter turnout was 36%. 15 men and 10 women were elected, fulfilling the quota of 40% women required. The elected candidates were:


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Election declared null and void by the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Iceland ruled the election to the Constitutional Assembly null and void with a decision on 25 January 2011. Six Supreme Court Justices examined complaints about the election process. The Justices were: Garðar Gíslason, Árni Kolbeinsson, Gunnlaugur Claessen, Jón Steinar Gunnlaugsson, Páll Hreinsson and Viðar Már Matthíasson.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Election declared null and void by the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Iceland received complaints from Óðinn Sigþórsson, Skafti Harðarson and Þorgrímur S. Þorgrímsson. The complaints regarded various faults of the election process, according to the complainants. The Supreme Court of Iceland found five separate faults on the election process, thereof it considered two of them serious faults.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Election declared null and void by the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court referred to the fact that it was the role of the legislature to establish clear and unambiguous rules for the conduct of public elections which take into account the circumstances resulting from their special nature. It was however not lawful for the government to deviate from the clear provisions of the laws concerning elections, because of the number of candidates or because of new procedures thought suitable for electronic tallying of votes.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Election declared null and void by the Supreme Court
The Court further pointed to case law supporting its decision. There was precedent for declaring elections null and void when the election process was in breach of law and suited to violate election secrecy. For example, elections in Helgafellssveit regarding the unification of municipalities had been declared null and void because the ballot paper was of such a make that it was possible to see writing though it, even though it was folded. In its reasoning in that case the Supreme Court said:


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Election declared null and void by the Supreme Court
Another precedent was the election to a Municipal Commission in Geithellnahreppur 25 June 1978, declared null and void because of faults in election secrecy. The ballot papers were of such a make that it was possible to see writing through them when folded. The Supreme Court stated:


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Election declared null and void by the Supreme Court
According to Þorvaldur Gylfason (the most popular candidate in the election) this was 'a bizarre technical complaint about the way the election to the constituent assembly had been conducted'.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Election declared null and void by the Supreme Court
After receiving their election certificate (kjörbréf) on 2 December 2010, the elected delegates were informed on 27 January 2011, that the election certificates had been revoked by the National Election Commission. The following day, all of the Commission members tendered their resignation citing the circumstances that had arisen and the harmony necessary for the Commission to carry out its functions.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Election declared null and void by the Supreme Court
Non -legal opposition was more widespread, and not confined to the Independence Party. The Progressives, who had previously expressed strong support for a new constitution, changed course and joined the opposition to reform. Even within the new governing coalition of the Social Democratic Alliance and the Left-Green Movement, there were pockets of passive resistance to change as well as among some academics apparently disappointed that they had not been asked to rewrite the constitution.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Parliament appoints the candidates
Parliament began the same day to deliberate whether and how to continue the process. It was decided on 25 February 2011 that the elected assembly members would be appointed by Parliament to a Constitutional Council with basically the same role. A resolution passed which appointed most of the delegates that had been elected. The Parliament voted thus:


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Appointing the Constitutional Assembly, Parliament appoints the candidates
All members of Parliament for the Independence Party were against this solution. Six of the seven who abstained were members of the governing coalition.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, The assembly's proposals
The constitution draft was finished on 29 July 2011 and presented to parliament on the same day.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, The assembly's proposals
The proposals included most of the recommendations of the 2010 National Assembly and were supported unanimously by the Constitutional Assembly itself. Among the more important ones were:


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Referendum
A non-binding constitutional referendum was held in Iceland on 20 October 2012. It had originally been scheduled to coincide with the presidential election of June 2012 but was delayed due to opposition from the Independence Party and Progressive Party.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, Referendum
Voters were asked whether they approved of six proposals included in the new draft constitution:


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, The stalling of the bill before the 2013 parliamentary election
The referendum provided a clear but non-binding guide from the Icelandic electorate to their politicians. To become law, it needed to pass as a motion in the Althingi.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, The stalling of the bill before the 2013 parliamentary election
Further deliberation included media commentary from a range of parties, much of it negative. However, Thorvaldur Gylfason notes that these parties had had an opportunity to air their views before the referendum and had not done so, suggesting that 'it seems that the dissenting academics hoped the bill would be rejected in the referendum and thought it unnecessary to discuss it'. The Venice Commission (an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law) also produced a report on the constitution, leading to some alterations.


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, The stalling of the bill before the 2013 parliamentary election
The bill was now ready to receive a parliamentary vote, and was supported by a majority of MPs. However, partly through filibuster by the opposition, the bill did not come before parliament for a vote before recess was called prior to the 2013 Icelandic parliamentary election. This election was won by opponents to the new constitution, though the constitution was not a major part of their election platform. The bill appears to have been put on ice and its future is uncertain. The judgement of Thorvaldur Gylfason is:


2010–2013 Icelandic constitutional reform, The stalling of the bill before the 2013 parliamentary election
More positively, he has elsewhere written that 'As always, however, there will be a new parliament after this one. One day, most probably, the constitutional bill approved by the people of Iceland in the 2012 referendum or a similar one will become the law of the land'.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment
The 2010–13 Mountain West Conference realignment refers to the Mountain West Conference (formally abbreviated as MW since July 2011; also MWC) dealing with several proposed and actual conference expansion and reduction plans among various NCAA conferences and institutions from 2010 to 2013. Moves that involved the MW were part of a much larger NCAA conference realignment in which the MW was one of the more impacted conferences.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment
During this period, four schools that had been members at the beginning of the realignment cycle announced plans to join other conferences, and six schools announced plans to join the conference (five as all-sports members, and one for football only). Two schools—one a pre-2010 member, and the other joining during the cycle—had announced their upcoming departure, but later decided to stay in the MW.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Background
In 1996, the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) took advantage of the demise of the Southwest Conference (SWC) to expand from 10 members to 16, bringing in new members from the SWC, Big West Conference, and Missouri Valley Conference. This arrangement, however, proved to be less than satisfactory to most of the pre-1996 members, as the conference now spanned from Hawaii to Oklahoma—a distance of about 3,900 miles (6,300 km) and four time zones.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Background
As a result, the presidents of five of the pre-1996 members—the United States Air Force Academy (Air Force), Brigham Young University (BYU), Colorado State University, the University of Utah, and the University of Wyoming—met at Denver International Airport in 1998 and decided to form a new league. They invited two fellow pre-1996 members, the University of New Mexico and San Diego State University, plus a 1996 WAC arrival, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), to join them in the new Mountain West Conference, which began play in 1999.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Background
During another major round of realignment in 2005, Texas Christian University (TCU) joined, seeing the MWC as an upgrade from its then-current home of Conference USA (C-USA).


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Background
The early-2010s wave of realignment began in 2010, after both the Big Ten Conference and Pacific-10 Conference (now Pac-12) announced plans to expand to 12 members. These moves triggered a cascade of conference moves, with the Mountain West as a significant center of movement.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, First moves: Boise State joins, Utah leaves
The Mountain West, which had previously announced that their plans for expansion were on hold for a potential expansion including Boise State, announced on June 11, 2010, in advance of a July 1 deadline for WAC teams to withdraw from their conference, that Boise State had joined the conference, and would begin play for the 2011–2012 season. Speculation at the time indicated that the conference would continue to expand if the Big 12 Conference, then the center of realignment activity, dissolved.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, First moves: Boise State joins, Utah leaves
This development presumably would have boosted the MWC's hopes of securing an automatic bid to college football's lucrative Bowl Championship Series. If Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State had left the Big 12 to join the Pac-10 (either with Texas A&M joining them in the move, or making a separate move to the Southeastern Conference), presumably a fatal blow to the Big 12, the MWC would likely attempt to add any combination (or all) of the remaining Big 12 teams (Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri).


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, First moves: Boise State joins, Utah leaves
With the decision of the Big 12's Texas and Oklahoma public schools to stay in that conference, the Mountain West then became an expansion target itself, with the Pac-10 reportedly focusing on Utah. On June 16, 2010, ESPN announced that the Pac-10 had extended an invitation to Utah to join the conference and the Utes accepted the following day.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
The June 2010 activity proved to be only the beginning of movement in the Mountain West. On August 18, Andy Katz of ESPN.com, citing multiple sources, reported that BYU was considering leaving the MWC to become an independent in football, while its other sports would rejoin the WAC. According to Katz' sources, BYU was stunned that it did not receive an invitation during the earlier conference shuffle, and the school wanted to further differentiate itself from its archrival Utah. More to the point, some saw the school as a potential "Notre Dame of the West".


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
A follow-up report from Katz later that day indicated that such a move was likely, with one source saying, "I'm not sure how it could stop now unless BYU gets nervous." On August 31, the school announced it would indeed leave the MWC in all sports, becoming independent in football, as expected, but would instead join the West Coast Conference in all other sports starting with the 2011–12 academic year.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
BYU and Notre Dame share some key similarities. Both are religiously affiliated schools—BYU with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and Notre Dame with the Catholic Church. Both also have their own television affiliations, with BYU owning a cable channel and Notre Dame having its own network deal with NBC. With BYU's move to football independence, its arrangement with the WCC was similar to Notre Dame's then-current status as a non-football member of the Big East Conference (although unlike the Big East, the WCC does not sponsor football). Katz reported that BYU was in discussions with ESPN for its football rights.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
These reports were not the first to involve a possible affiliation change by BYU; local media in Utah had reported in 2007 that BYU had long considered going independent in all sports, but ultimately decided against it. Rumors regarding a potential BYU conference change returned in July 2010, when BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said that the school would consider going independent in football in the wake of not being invited in the earlier conference shuffle. He told reporters at that time, "We have a national base. We can go all over the country and people can see that.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
That is a very important thing to us right now — exposure." The story, bubbling under the surface for several weeks, erupted when hackers reportedly broke into the Twitter account of the athletic department of another MWC member, Colorado State, and said that an announcement of BYU's plans was imminent, leading the Salt Lake Tribune to publish Holmoe's remarks on August 18.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
While Katz' first report indicated that such a move by BYU was unlikely unless it gets access to the BCS similar to that of Notre Dame, his follow-up report noted that this was not a major concern for the school, and that BYU was well aware that it would not likely receive a similar arrangement to Notre Dame from the BCS. BYU had to receive approval for its move from the leadership of the LDS Church, which presumably occurred.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
In the wake of BYU's potential move, the MWC responded the same day by inviting WAC members Utah State, Fresno State and Nevada to move to the MWC. The MWC also reportedly studied the feasibility of inviting Houston and UTEP, then in Conference USA. By the end of the day, Utah State declined while Fresno State and Nevada accepted the MWC's invitations.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
The one stumbling block to the departures of Nevada and Fresno State was a buyout provision agreed to by the remaining WAC schools after Boise State's departure. Under its terms, any school leaving the conference in the next five years must pay a $5 million buyout. All reports indicated that Fresno State had signed the agreement, but reports varied as to whether Nevada had done so. Reports also began to surface that BYU might reconsider leaving the MWC, and ESPN also reported that the West Coast Conference had shown interest in inviting BYU's non-football sports.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
The WAC buyout agreement, however, included a number of provisions that were initially considered likely to spark legal action.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
Although not at issue in the context of Fresno State and Nevada, it is also of note that the agreement also allowed any WAC school to leave for a conference that has an automatic BCS berth without penalty, and the WAC had long said that Louisiana Tech (at that time the WAC's geographically easternmost member) would be free to leave the conference if it received an invitation from C-USA (where it would be closer to many of its similarly situated rivals).


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
Ultimately, the two schools and the WAC came to a settlement, with Fresno State and Nevada agreeing to remain in the conference through the 2011–12 academic year in exchange for a reduced exit fee.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
Nevada's move also put them in the same conference as their in-state rivals, the UNLV Rebels, for the first time since the 1995–96 academic year, in which they were both part of the Big West Conference. As such, this move made the Battle for the Fremont Cannon all the more significant.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Departure of BYU, addition of Fresno State and Nevada
At that time, Utah State had been rumored to have changed its mind since originally declining its invitation, and once again actively sought acceptance into the Mountain West. The Aggies featured solid programs in both men's and women's basketball, and also fit in well with the MWC's geographic footprint. Had BYU stayed in the MWC, Utah State's presence would have given the Cougars a new in-conference local rival to supplement their historic rivalry with Utah. With BYU's departure confirmed, Utah State would secure the state's media market for the MWC.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Hawaiʻi joins for football, TCU leaves
On November 19, media reports indicated that the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (Hawaiʻi or UH) was nearing a deal to join the MWC for football only, with the remainder of its sports joining the Big West Conference—a league which was once home to the school's women's sports. With respect to the MWC, UH system president M. R. C. Greenwood stated in a news conference, "We have a handshake but we have yet to agree on the details." On December 10, Hawaiʻi accepted football-only membership in the MWC, beginning with the 2012 season. It placed the bulk of its other sports in the Big West.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Hawaiʻi joins for football, TCU leaves
Hawaiʻi began seriously looking at its options, including going independent, once Fresno State and Nevada left the WAC. With two schools on or near the West Coast leaving the conference, ultimately being replaced by two Texas schools, travel costs became an increasing concern for Hawaiʻi. The MWC football move would enable the Warriors to maintain a number of existing regional rivalries.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Hawaiʻi joins for football, TCU leaves
The school's other sports, and its athletic budget, were seen as likely to benefit from a move to the Big West; because all of the then-current BWC members were in California and either in or near the Los Angeles and Bay Areas (with the exception of Cal Poly), Hawaiʻi could reach all of its conference opponents by flying only to those two metropolitan areas. The application of CSU Bakersfield and UC San Diego for BWC membership alongside Hawaiʻi did not significantly change the equation, with only the San Diego area added as a potential flight destination.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Hawaiʻi joins for football, TCU leaves
Neither of the latter two schools were invited (they would eventually join in 2020). As a part of the agreement that brought Hawaiʻi into the Big West, the school would provide an annual total of about $500,000 in travel subsidies to other conference members. However, Hawaiʻi was not required to provide any subsidy to schools that joined the Big West after 2012.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Hawaiʻi joins for football, TCU leaves
The overtures toward Hawaiʻi were at least partially driven by the prospect that TCU would receive an invitation to the Big East Conference, which ultimately came on November 29. Following TCU's impending departure, several current Conference USA members in Texas, especially Houston alongside either UTEP or SMU, as well as WAC member Utah State, were seen as potential MWC targets. In the end, TCU never joined the Big East, instead accepting an invitation from the Big 12 Conference in October 2011. The latter conference is home to several of the Horned Frogs' former Southwest Conference rivals. The Big 12 added TCU in part because Texas A&M had announced a move to the Southeastern Conference. Additionally, TCU's Fort Worth campus is also in the same metropolitan area as the Big 12 headquarters.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Hawaiʻi joins for football, TCU leaves
In January 2011, rumors spread that the MWC was considering further expansion. In addition to Utah State (for the second time) and the aforementioned C-USA schools in Texas, San Jose State emerged as a possible candidate. The MWC's board of directors met in Las Vegas on January 23 with expansion on the agenda, although no invitations were expected to be issued. On January 25, the board issued a statement unequivocally denying any interest in further expansion.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Attempted alliance with Conference USA and two new members
On October 14, 2011, Conference USA and the MW announced they would enter into a football-only alliance, forming a 22-team league. The league would span 15 states and 5 time zones.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Attempted alliance with Conference USA and two new members
The two conferences entered into talks on a full merger, and media reports in February 2012 indicated that a merger was imminent. However, financial issues resulting from provisions of NCAA rules scuttled the proposed merger, and the two conferences were reported to have entered into the originally planned football alliance (which in the end never materialized after both conferences added several new members). In May of that year, WAC members San Jose State and Utah State announced that they would join the MW in 2013.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Boise State reconsiders
At about the same time that San Jose State and Utah State were announced as the MW's newest members, CBS Sports reported that Boise State was reconsidering its decision to join Big East football. The school had not yet formally withdrawn from the MW; under league bylaws, it was only required to give one year's notice. According to the report, possible concerns for Boise State were:


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Boise State reconsiders
Because Boise State signed a contract to join Big East football, it would have been required to pay an exit fee of $5 million if it decided to stay in the MW. The school waited until the last possible date of June 30 to officially notify the MW of its departure. It paid an exit fee of $2.5 million, which would have risen to $7.5 million had it waited any longer.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Boise State reconsiders
At the same time, Boise State announced that they were in discussions to place their other sports (except wrestling) into the Big West Conference rather than the WAC, and expected a vote by the Big West presidents by the start of the 2012 academic year. Like Hawaii, they would be required to help the other schools defray their extra travel costs, and the Big East was expected to contribute some of this money.


2010–2013 Mountain West Conference realignment, Boise State remains in MW
As the Big Ten Conference was in the midst of its November 2012 wave of expansion, ESPN reported that Boise State, BYU, and San Diego State were all in talks to rejoin the Mountain West. The trigger for these talks was the decision of the BCS commissioners to award an automatic BCS bowl berth, beginning in 2014, to the highest-ranked champion of the so-called "Group of Five" conferences—the MW, Big East, C-USA, Mid-American Conference, and Sun Belt Conference.