There's a market for a G5 conference expansion and merger

[95coug]

All BS aside, WSU has never been a serious contender for a national championship and with an expanded playoff, our chances of winning one went to zero. The closest we got was late in 2002 and after that gack against UW, we were no longer close. Frankly, even if we had beaten UW and Ohio State had not converted that fourth down....the college football powers would have jumped Iowa or Georgia over WSU. We never had a shot.

Anyone who thinks that WSU could make a run through a playoff is delusional. Mike Leach's best team in 2018 had something like a 5% chance of making the playoff before we got our asses thumped in the Apple Cup. That team would have gotten crushed by Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State. As much as I love the Cougs, I realized a long time ago that our best hope was a conference championship and another Rose Bowl appearance.

Now, relegation to a glorified MWC masquerading as the Pac-16 would not get us another Rose Bowl, but it puts us in the position to be in the playoff or other NY6 bowl game, which is better than being a bottom feeder in a bloated Big 10 or Big 12 is likely to get us. So, our fans can say that you don't find passion in playing MWC teams and I get that, but let's not pretend that it was ever about winning national championships.

Cinderella will never make a run to an NCAA title in football. Cinderella wins 1 game in football...not 3-4 straight.

People get all excited when high seeds win a couple games, but the truth is Cinderella never really even makes it to the ball. In the MBB tournament (64-game era) no team seeded higher than 8 has ever even reached the final. That's only happened 4 times, and only 1 8-seed has won (Villanova, 1985...and that team shouldn't have been an 8). Teams seeded 1, 2, or 3 have won 33 of 37 tournaments. Teams seeded 9+ have only played 7 final four games...and lost them all. No team 12+ has ever even been to the final 4.

It's going to be a hell of a lot harder for Cinderella to win in football. And, the bigger the tournament is (more teams, more games) the less likely a high seed makes it.

 

[Wazzubrooz]

I will continue to buy WSU season tickets for football, no matter what conference they are in. However, I reserve the right to stay home, if we are hosting Utah State or New Mexico for a 7:30 pm start.

 

[Chucksizzle1]

Cinderella will never make a run to an NCAA title in football. Cinderella wins 1 game in football...not 3-4 straight.

People get all excited when high seeds win a couple games, but the truth is Cinderella never really even makes it to the ball. In the MBB tournament (64-game era) no team seeded higher than 8 has ever even reached the final. That's only happened 4 times, and only 1 8-seed has won (Villanova, 1985...and that team shouldn't have been an 8). Teams seeded 1, 2, or 3 have won 33 of 37 tournaments. Teams seeded 9+ have only played 7 final four games...and lost them all. No team 12+ has ever even been to the final 4.

It's going to be a hell of a lot harder for Cinderella to win in football. And, the bigger the tournament is (more teams, more games) the less likely a high seed makes it.

With the crooked officiating I’ve seen in the sec, the tv overlords will be picking the winners and losers based on potential revenue. IF not for that, there would be more real upsets.

 

[OrangeGravy]

All BS aside, WSU has never been a serious contender for a national championship and with an expanded playoff, our chances of winning one went to zero. The closest we got was late in 2002 and after that gack against UW, we were no longer close. Frankly, even if we had beaten UW and Ohio State had not converted that fourth down....the college football powers would have jumped Iowa or Georgia over WSU. We never had a shot.

Anyone who thinks that WSU could make a run through a playoff is delusional. Mike Leach's best team in 2018 had something like a 5% chance of making the playoff before we got our asses thumped in the Apple Cup. That team would have gotten crushed by Alabama, Clemson or Ohio State. As much as I love the Cougs, I realized a long time ago that our best hope was a conference championship and another Rose Bowl appearance.

Now, relegation to a glorified MWC masquerading as the Pac-16 would not get us another Rose Bowl, but it puts us in the position to be in the playoff or other NY6 bowl game, which is better than being a bottom feeder in a bloated Big 10 or Big 12 is likely to get us. So, our fans can say that you don't find passion in playing MWC teams and I get that, but let's not pretend that it was ever about winning national championships.

That auto bid will get rescinded if some mutant Pac/mtnwst hybrid conference is formed. There's no way the big boys allow that. A 100+ year old P5 conference is dead. The veil has been lifted. They don't have to pretend to respect the little guys anymore. If you want a playoff birth, better ring up the big sky

 

[COUGinNCW]

Cinderella will never make a run to an NCAA title in football. Cinderella wins 1 game in football...not 3-4 straight.

People get all excited when high seeds win a couple games, but the truth is Cinderella never really even makes it to the ball. In the MBB tournament (64-game era) no team seeded higher than 8 has ever even reached the final. That's only happened 4 times, and only 1 8-seed has won (Villanova, 1985...and that team shouldn't have been an 8). Teams seeded 1, 2, or 3 have won 33 of 37 tournaments. Teams seeded 9+ have only played 7 final four games...and lost them all. No team 12+ has ever even been to the final 4.

It's going to be a hell of a lot harder for Cinderella to win in football. And, the bigger the tournament is (more teams, more games) the less likely a high seed makes it.

NIL and the transfer portal have made the concept of Cinderella in football and basketball virtually impossible. Basketball won’t be as bad bc if you can get hot at the right time you can over come lack of talent for a game or two but the G5s will have their talent picked clean every year in football and never will be able to build a winner.

 

[95coug]

That auto bid will get rescinded if some mutant Pac/mtnwst hybrid conference is formed. There's no way the big boys allow that. A 100+ year old P5 conference is dead. The veil has been lifted. They don't have to pretend to respect the little guys anymore. If you want a playoff birth, better ring up the big sky

Different perspective - give automatic berths to the AAC, CUSA, and the hybrid PacWest. Makes it look like they’re giving the little guys a chance, and also makes it so their road to the big game is easier. Those teams will never win.

Again, look at the NCAA tournament. The #16 seed is 1-127 all time in the first round, and 0-1 in the second. They’re cannon fodder - sacrificial lambs served as a tune-up for the teams that have a shot. The upper teams will be more than happy to have the same situation in the football playoff.

 

[95coug]

NIL and the transfer portal have made the concept of Cinderella in football and basketball virtually impossible. Basketball won’t be as bad bc if you can get hot at the right time you can over come lack of talent for a game or two but the G5s will have their talent picked clean every year in football and never will be able to build a winner.

I don’t really think the G5s had a prayer even before NIL and the portal. If the Oklahoma-Boise state Fiesta bowl had been a first round game, BSU never makes it past the 2nd round. They had to pull out all the stops to win, there are no surprises in round 2.

 

[Coug90]

I stayed the whole game where WSU lost 69-0 to USC. I lived through 9-40, part of that timing coincided when I was at school there. If you consider playing the same teams for 100+ years on a yearly basis "big teams" then yeah, sure. I recognize that's not the reality anymore, but I'm not going to pretend to be excited either. G5 are going to get squeezed out of the CFP/big bowl games as things move forward. Those at-large bids will be a farce.

So that said. More fun, watching the Cougs lose 69-0 to USC or come from behind to beat Wyoming in Laramie? Cuz we had no idea what kind of a Coug team we had going into that game and I’m not sure we knew coming out of that game. But I remember where I was at watching the Cougs beat Wyoming and it was fantastic and so was that season. And as much as this all sucks, if we get a QB like Gardner Minshew again who blazes through the new Pac whatever schedule that includes BSU, Fresno State, UNLV…then plays in the fiesta bowl. Still gonna be damn fun and I’ll be here for it.