The Mountain West Conference has landed two more members after a week that can only be described as a whirlwind. News broke early this week that the BYU Cougars had arranged a deal with the Western Athletic Conference that would allow the Cougars to play football as an independent (with several WAC teams on its schedule) and let the Cougars play the rest of their sports as members of the WAC. The Cougars were looking to broadcast their games on their own station, BYU TV, in order to maximize revenue for the school. When news broke the Mountain West Conference reacted quickly by inviting Utah State, Fresno State, and Nevada to join the conference. As part of the BYU deal to the WAC, the WAC teams signed a $5 million dollar buy-out clause to not leave the WAC. Utah State declined the invitation first, citing loyalty to BYU. Nevada and Fresno State wasted no time in accepting an invitation to play in the Mountain West Conference. Karl Benson of the WAC is said to be forcing the two schools to wait until 2012 before they can move to the MWC and forcing them to pay the $5 million dollar buyout.  As of right now the BYU Cougars are still a member of the MWC with no plans finalized for them. The WAC, who will be left with six teams, may be looking to the FCS to fill some of its holes. Rumors are running around that Houston could become the 12th member of the MWC, but those reports have yet to be verified as truth.
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It’s that time of year again, Poke nation! Fall camp is here and the Wyoming Cowboy football team is back on the field prepping for their September 4th showdown with Southern Utah University. The opener will be a night game for the Pokes, so get your tickets now! Fireworks show to follow.
The Cowboys are through two scrimmages in this fall camp and so far defense has been the story. Marty English’s aggressive defense has been giving the offense fits, including a victory in today’s scrimmage. The Gipson brothers are having an outstanding camp thus far and looking to make an impact. One newcomer that’s opening eyes around camp is Oliver Schober, a recruit from Germany. He’s a linebacker who can also kick, and is slated to be the kickoff specialist for the Cowboys this year. He has impressed in his short time in the United States. Also having an impressive camp is freshman running back Nehemie Kankalongo. He is battling with Alvester Alexander for time in the depth chart.
Head coach Dave Christensen has been pleased with the effort of the Cowboys thus far into camp. His team is looking to improve upon the 7-6 record of last year, and setting their goals higher than the New Mexico Bowl. The Cowboys journey will be a difficult one as they have three opponents in the USA Today top 10 (Texas, Boise St, and TCU), and 1 more in the top 25 (Utah), with BYU just outside the top 25.
Remember to check out the forum for the latest and up-to-date information and interaction with other Cowboy fans.

The roller coaster of speculation of possible conference realignments and moves has officially begun. News early in the week was that Nebraska was set to join the Big 10. On Friday the Cornhuskers confirmed that move and officially accepted an invite from the Big 10, who will now be at 12 teams. Soon after the Cornhuskers announced their intentions, Colorado followed suit and joined the Pac 10 conference. And the last domino to fall last week was Boise State, of the Western Athletic Conference, was offered and accepted a spot in the Mountain West Conference. The Broncos, who are 47-4 in the WAC over the last four years seem like a natural fit in the MWC. The Broncos will strengthen a conference who’s been looking for an auto-bid to the BCS bowls for a few years. The Broncos also needed help from the MWC due to perceived weaker scheduling in the WAC. The Broncos have had trouble in the past getting national respect due to their weaker schedule, expects to see plenty of competition in the MWC, matching up with BYU, Utah, TCU, Air Force, and improving Wyoming and UNLV squads. The Broncos won’t have it easy in the MWC, which exactly what they’ve been looking for.. a shot at national respect.

The MWC may not be done expanding, however. Reports from ESPN.com today indicate that the MWC could be looking at taking in the Big 12 leftovers, if the Texas and Oklahoma schools leave for the Pac 10. The MWC would be looking at taking in Missouri, Kansas, and Kansas State. The addition of those schools would certainly boost the basketball SOS of the conference and make it an elite conference, as well as shoring up the football schedule as well. More is expected to be learned next week after the Texas Board of Regents meets to decide their next step.

It’s now the offseason for all Cowboy athletics (except track, which Wyoming has qualifiers going to the national meet), and it’s that time of year we all dread as we look forward to another season of Cowboy athletics. Not a whole lot going on in the world of UW athletics, but a few points of note. First, the Cowboys have a new assistant men’s basketball coach. His name is Nate Dixon and he comes to Wyoming from the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. He is considered one of the top mid-major assistants in the country, and UW basketball is fortunate to have such a coach now on their staff.

Another point of interest is Cowboy football. Four formers Cowboys signed free agent contracts with pro teams after the NFL draft concluded. John Fletcher signed with the Baltimore Ravens. Weston Johnson signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Ryan Otterson signed with the San Diego Chargers. Mitch Unrein signed with the Houston Texans. Good luck to those Cowboys, and with a little luck, we’ll see them on Sundays.

The Wildcatter section of War Memorial Stadium is still being built and coming along quite nicely. According to the Cowboy Joe Club, the seats for the Wildcatter expansion are selling like hot cakes, and anyone interested in purchasing seats in the new area should act quickly to get their hands on some seats. Speaking of the Cowboy Joe Club, they’ve been racing around Wyoming hosting various golf tournaments to raise money for the club, which helps fund scholarships for our student-athletes. It’s not too late to join one of their tournaments, and if you can’t make a tournament, they always take donations. A list of their tournament schedule can be found on the CJC website.

Have a great summer, Poke Nation, and keep checking back for more updates on Cowboy Athletics. Remember to hit up the forum to interact with other Cowboy fans, and a shameless plug for our new site, hit up BowlSubdivision.com for all of your FBS/1-A college football needs!