Here is my memory: After it became clear that Utah was getting a P5 bid and we weren't, we set out to figure out how to make independence work. Part of that was to try to get affiliated with a conference similar to ND to house our non-Football sports and to help late-season scheduling. The MWC was our first choice, but they told us to take a hike. So we approached the WAC. The WAC was agreeable, but we wanted some safety that the WAC wouldn't collapse, and a few teams (Fresno St? Nevada? Utah St?) were talking about jumping over to the MWC (and paying the associated exit fees to the WAC).

Here is where my memory gets hazy- we did something with the WAC to try to make sure that they would hold those teams to the exit contract, which indirectly would have hurt the MWC as it tried to replace the teams that had just left. The WAC teams jumped ship anyway, and then somehow the narrative started that we tried to vindictively sink the MWC.

What am I misremembering?