This past Tuesday the Mountain West and Conference USA athletic directors met in Dallas to discuss the possibility of a football-only merger. After the meeting the two leagues sent out a joint statement saying they will push forward with the idea:
"Our intention is to move forward together with this discussion and analysis at a focused pace."
"Everything is on the table, we're trying to understand how we can elevate all of our programs and drive more interest. We want something fun for the fans, truly national in scope and that might provide heightened postseason-access opportunities."
In an interview last week with the Orlando Sentinel, Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said that to make this work that there would need to be 24 total teams to create two divisions of 12 teams. Banowsky also mentioned that play could begin play in 2012.
For more on the Mountain West and possible expansion, visit Mountain West Connection.