At the end of March, news of San Jose State and Utah State receiving visits from Mountain West Conference commissioner Craig Thompson leaked out, providing us with a glimpse of potential additions to the conference. It now appears that the Utah State Aggies are in a prime position to join the conference, reports the Salt Lake Tribune.
The Tribune believes that a decision on Utah State (and San Jose State) could come within 30 to 90 days, allowing the teams the time to leave the WAC before the conference's rules prohibit them from making the move until a later date. These dates, as we've seen over the last few months with Big East expansion, are definitely a deciding factor for when teams choose to exit their conferences. Exit fees and penalties are not something to scoff at lightly.
What remains to be seen, however, is what the Mountain West and Conference USA will announce in a couple of months. Will they form a whole new conference, merge one into the other or will they have an alliance of sorts? Whatever emerges is likely to what more teams in it and Utah State and San Jose State could be the first wave of expansion.
Stay tuned to SB Nation Denver for more updates. Head to SB Nation College Football for more in-depth coverage of the 2012 NCAA college football season.