Mountain West, Conference USA to discuss merger

No one will step out and say Sunday's meeting between school presidents from the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA will finally result in a merger, but there is hope -- and perhaps optimism -- that will be the outcome.

This will be the second time in less than a month the parties will have met in Dallas. No significant news emerged from the previous meeting.

"I think there needs to be a decision soon," UNLV athletic director Jim Livengood said Thursday. "I don't think we can have a lot more meetings. I know Neal (Smatresk) believes that as well.

"I'm very much in favor of having the two conferences together."

Smatresk, UNLV's president and chairman of the Mountain West board of directors, is the key figure in the talks.

He was careful to choose his words when asked about the upcoming meeting, saying, "It's open knowledge we're talking with Conference USA, and those talks are continuing and, I believe, highly productive."

Both conferences were hit with the news this week of Memphis leaving C-USA in all sports for the Big East Conference in 2013. That defection will reduce that conference's membership to eight schools in which to merge with the Mountain West.

The Mountain West, of course, has had its own issues, with Texas Christian leaving this year for a full membership in the Big 12 Conference and Boise State and San Diego State departing in 2013 for the Big East in football only while their other sports move to separate leagues.

UNR and Fresno State will join the Mountain West in all sports this year, and Hawaii will be admitted in football only. If it didn't merge with C-USA, the Mountain West would have eight football teams and seven full members beginning in 2013.

"Our responsibility is to do the best thing for UNLV," Livengood said. "We have a wonderful university in a wonderful city of great size and great interest in intercollegiate athletics. I think we're very marketable. Now I don't want that to be misinterpreted that we're out trying to shop UNLV.

"I want us to be active members in whatever conference we're in. I really believe that we need to be all in. In other words, all of our programs need to be in one place."

A merger between the Mountain West and C-USA probably would take place in 2013, but in what form is uncertain, and probably a major reason that discussions have been slow.

The presidents have to decide whether the merger would be for football only or all sports. Television, scheduling and postseason details also need to be worked out, among other issues.

Contact reporter Mark Anderson at manderson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2914. Follow him on Twitter: @markanderson65.