the Pac 12." Someone could have made the same statement 30 years ago using the same argument you did, but inserted WAC into the statement instead of MWC. 30 years ago, the WAC and PAC-10 at the time, were the only 2 real conferences in the west. Did the WAC ever compete with the PAC-10? No...Why?...because the schools in the WAC never invested the necessary money in facilities, coaching, etc., to compete with the PAC-10. If a school ever in the WAC was worth having (with the exception of BYU for religious reasons), the PAC-10 just invited the school to join (see UofA, ASU, Utah).