My best guess as to what happens with UO and UW.

[UteFanatic]

Notre Dame, of course.

If Notre Dame joins the Big10, they provide enough financial coverage for themself and 3 other teams. If ND accepts, the Big10 picks up UO, UW, and Stanford and wraps it up with 20 teams. (And kills the P12 in the process, no more west coast competition, they now own the entire west coast market).

If Notre Dame doesn’t come, then I don’t think the Big10 takes anymore teams right now.

[dystopiamembrane]

I would like to see Utah find a new conference or new conference-mates with interesting histories and venues. I would enjoy seeing us in the Frontier Conference or the Northwest Conference, to name a couple, or form a new conference with several Montana and Idaho schools.

[Waybackutefan]

You and like nobody else, are you f’ing serious?

[dystopiamembrane]

very

[Utesbyfive]

Actually this is the prevailing theory on reddit r/cfb. So UteFanatic is hardly alone.

[Waybackutefan]

That Utah should join a league with Montana and Idaho schools?

[UteHorn21]

Are you wanting Utah to become an FCS level school? You can’t sustain playing at the highest level with that recruiting base.

[dystopiamembrane]

The level doesn’t matter to me. Some of the most interesting rivalries, histories, and venues are in D-III, for instance.

[dystopiamembrane]

It seems that I watch college sports differently than others.

[UtahUtesRock]

Um yeah, hard pass. Off the ledge, Utah has done too much to go off to “frontier land” with Montana and Idaho. Worse case scenario, we’re hitched back to the ugly step child down south in a tier two conference BIG12 or PAC something. 

[dystopiamembrane]

I see college sports differently than you do.

[AlohaUte]

While I don’t necessarily agree, I totally see where you are coming from. I really enjoy regional games and rivalries.  I do miss Utah playing Wyoming and Colorado State regularly.  That said, the talent gap between Utah and the Montana schools and U of Idaho is massive. Not sure that’s much fun to watch.

[dystopiamembrane]

Watching athletes from my alma mater is enjoyment. To the people who provided the numerous down-votes to my opinions above: would you stop watching Utah football if we left D-IA?

[Central Coast Ute]

Sounds about right.

[noneyadb]

Hopefully that south end zone remodel with high end suites isn’t an empty eyesore when Utah’s playing Oreg St, Wazzu, SDSU, Fresno St, UNLV, Cal, Colorado, UA, and ASU.