The Mountain West Conference and Conference USA have agreed to form an association for football, hoping the move will help solidify both leagues and increase their chances at obtaining a automatic qualifying bid for the Bowl Championship Series.
The 22-team league will have a two-division alignment and will play a championship game, Conference USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said at a news conference announcing the move on Friday.
The two leagues would maintain their independent structures in all other sports under the arrangement, which is expected to begin in 2013.
The timing of the announcement comes amid reports that the Big East is close to inviting Mountain West members Boise State and Air Force and C-USA member Central Florida.
Banowski and Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson said Boise State, Air Force and UCF were on the conference call announcing the alliance, and that all three schools endorsed the move.
"The role of a conference is to provide its members with the best possible environment in which to conduct their intercollegiate athletics programs," Thompson said in a statement. "Rather than await changes in membership due to realignment, it became clear the best way to serve our institutions was to pursue an original concept.
"The Mountain West and C-USA share a number of similarities, and the creative merger of our football assets firmly positions our respective members for the future."
"The potential of this association is very exciting," Banowsky added. "By taking an innovative approach, we feel we can offer tremendous opportunities for exposure and stability without breaking up the regional rivalries that truly make up the college football tradition."
The current 22 members of the MWC and C-USA are located in 16 different states. Their football-only association would not affect their status within the NCAA structure.
