The summer shuffle within the major conferences of college sports has reshaped the landscape of what was once thought to be an unchanging world. Whether because of rivalries, television contracts or the vast amount of money that ends up in the "big" conferences, it was clear that the "big" schools wanted to stay firmly planted in their respective places.
Perhaps just to stir the water, conferences like the Big XII, Pac-10 and Big Ten dropped to their knees and pleaded for a major addition to their already stacked selection of teams. It was a welcome invitation to teams like Nebraska, Colorado and Utah, all of which made front-page news by dropping their commitments and bolting to either more money or an easier schedule. The drama that unfolded on ESPN's Bottom Line looked like it belonged on "E! News" or "Jersey Shore."
Not to be forgotten, some of the mid-major conferences looked to land a big name school. The always-overlooked Mountain West Conference made an offer to the king of the forgotten, Boise State. The result for the Mountain West will ultimately be minimal, as voters will still not regard them as a major conference. Think of that what you will.
Yet, as in all aspects of life, significant drama cannot be played out completely until the West Coast is involved. And right on time, here comes our very own WCC. On Tuesday, Brigham Young University formally accepted an invitation to join the WCC. This means that in 2011-12 Gonzaga will meet the BYU Cougars twice on the hardwood.
Don't get too excited, though, as we will not be seeing them playing football on Mulligan. Instead they will be going down the trail that Notre Dame blazed years ago. This in itself is a fairly bold move, seeing how Notre Dame is criticized year after year for staying independent.
BYU will join Gonzaga and the rest of the WCC in all other sports, though. This means that there will now be nine teams, with the newest one bringing in a surplus of outstanding athletes. The Cougars have plenty to choose from, being the second largest private school in the nation.
It seems as though the move might have come one year too late. I would have enjoyed seeing Steven Gray go up against BYU guard Jimmer Fredette, after Fredette announced in May he would be returning for his senior season. He proved last season that BYU basketball is nothing to overlook. Hopefully Gonzaga takes the hint, because in 2011-12 not all the WCC teams will roll over and play dead, like they usually do.
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