program with a 20K bball arena and a football program with a 65K football venue plopped down in the middle of a tiny catholic conference because we bolted a conference with similar size schools and had nowhere to go. Nobody is blaming the WCC schools for anything. We are blaming ourselves for our association with it when it was never necessary.

Nobody is saying that San Diego can't beat San Diego St. now and again, but they are still San Diego, it's like saying Mountain Rush tastes better than Mountain Dew. Nobody cares. Brand identity is what matters.

i don't care what year it is or what the records are but New Mexico UNLV and San Diego St, are going to have more brand recognition than San Francisco, Sand Diego and St. Mary's. They just are. They are much bigger, play football, have fanbases that require seating. etc.

We made a decision to water down our brand. To go play in venues without fans. This impacts our fanbase, it makes games less entertaining. Rivalries are lost. Apathy sets in. Recruiting is affected. Retaining players is affected.

But Gonzaga succeeded?

Gonzaga belongs here. They are small. They have no football. They have been in this conference for decades. They've perfected it and are a bit of a freak.

We are not Gonzaga. We are not LMU. We are BYU. We belong with New Mexico, Utah St. UNLV, San Diego St, Wyoming, Boise, etc... despite what our arrogant fanbase thinks about those schools.

We can pretend our association in the WCC doesn't matter, the facts state otherwise. The results state otherwise. The state of the entire program states otherwise. We are Will Ferrell sitting on Bob Newhart's lap with no upside whatsoever in the WCC. And our brand identity is being dissolved.