Finally, the MWC is Proactive

In recent years the Mountain West Conference was reactive instead of proactive when it came to aspects of the conference as far as television deals along with conference realignment.

Instead of working actively to secure smaller teams in major markets, the conference watched as those schools would move to the AAC, or even Conference USA.

Then something happened. The conference was poached by another conference that had been kept alive thanks in large part to the MWC. The Pac-12 raided the conference and

left it for dead with the buzzards.

 The conference scrambled for replacements. Keeping some seven conference members but trying to get new ones. It reached out to Grand Canyon, adding them to make eight. Being reactive kept them alive, for now.

Then the conference finally became proactive. Adding Northern Illinois and the Chicago television market. UTEP came along and brings another big television market. Then, UC-Davis was added, bringing in the Sacramento tv market.

To add to those markets, the conference struck a new media rights deal with CBS, Fox, Kiswe and the CW. Meaning that even the Olympic sports will have a home to be televised.

Then the latest news. The conference is adding North Dakota State in football only. The FCS powerhouse that has beaten Big Ten teams with regularity, now gives the conference its potential Boise State replacement.

Proactivity is what the conference needed and yet was blatantly missing over the previous decades. Many missed opportunities allowed the conference to near death much like the WAC in football. For now, it appears for the next six seasons as though the conference could be in good hands.

However, complacency will not work next time around. The conference needs to continue down the road it is going in order to not only to be legitimate, but to also survive in this ever-evolving college sports landscape. Those who cannot will ultimately see their own demise, much like the Mountain West was close to experiencing.

For now, we can relish in a job well done by the commissioner and her team.