Where do Idaho and New Mexico State land in 2013?

With a bleak future upcoming including the losses of Louisiana Tech, San Jose State, Texas State, Texas San Antonio, and Utah State, the WAC has decided to disband as a conference in football effective next season.

The 5 teams leaving are following in the footsteps of recent defectors Hawaii, Fresno State, and Nevada who left after 2011 and are now members of the Mountain West Conference. Former WAC member Boise State left in 2010 and was a member of the MWC in 2011 but is leaving for the Big East in 2013.

The biggest question for the remaining teams, Idaho and New Mexico State, is where do we go from here. Both teams have currently decided to go the route of being an independent hoping to join a conference in the near future. Both teams seem to be fits for the Mountain West Conference although the MWC is sticking with the previously stated idea of holding firm with the additions for 2013.

Idaho and New Mexico State both have previous conference affiliations with the Sun Belt. Idaho was a member from 2000-2004 and New Mexico State was a member from 2001-2004. Let's look at the options:

1. Stay independent: Neither team fits geographically with any conference other than the MWC. If an invitation to the MWC is not forthcoming, both teams mat try to find the financial feasibility to running alone. BYU is a good model to study with its recent conversion although BYU has its own network and a national brand. Neither Idaho or New Mexico State are national brand names that can succeed on the level of a BYU or Notre Dame.

2. Join the MWC: The current best bet for both teams is to use whatever leverage they have to get invitations to the MWC in 2013 or most likely 2014. Both teams are geographic fits and New Mexico State has a natural rival in New Mexico. It may come down to one of the two teams getting an invite and New Mexico State would be the more likely team to get that invite.

3. Join the Sun Belt: Both teams were former members of the Sun Belt with Idaho staying one year longer total than New Mexico State. With the new direction of the Sun Belt, both teams seem to be long shots to get invites. New Mexico State did not leave the Sun Belt in the best of circumstances and that past with the Sun Belt will be remembered by several school presidents. Idaho left on much better terms but the traveling distance makes the Vandals a virtual impossibility. The one positive going for both teams being included even as temporary members is that former WAC commissioner Karl Benson is now heading the Sun Belt.

4. Re-form the WAC in 2014: With many teams all over the country in the FCS considering the possibilities of moving to the next level and performing at FBS schools, Idaho and New Mexico State could band together and be the building blocks of a new WAC. Using a conference such as the Big West or Big Sky and attempting to get members to move up is a possibility but the WAC was burned with that philosophy recently with members Texas State and UTSA leaving after their first year in the program.

5. Move down to FCS: If the teams have no offers from other conference and no FCS schools want to move up to form a new WAC, the teams may find being independents too costly and move down to the FCS division. This would be a death sentence to any program and end up with the teams losing any local notoriety.

Of the 5 possibilities, only three seem reasonable to me. Staying as an independent, joining the MWC, and re-forming the WAC are the only three reasonable options for the squads. I think independence in 2013 is almost a foregone conclusion with the possibility of joining the MWC in 2014 a more likely scenario. My personal belief is that sooner or later, Idaho and New Mexico State joining the MWC makes the most sense with the conference going to 12 teams.