The MWC/CUSA merger is dead. They may do a television and scheduling alliance, but won't be a single conference.
Figured this would happen once the idea of AQ's went bye bye.
Man, BSU should have just stayed where they were and lobbied BYU to come back. I still think that may happen if/when Big 12 expansion includes neither BSU or BYU and they both realize the strongest 8-10 team mountain conference is their best possible scenario.
BYU, BSU, Nevada, Hawaii, Fresno State, AFA... that's the 5th best conference at the top over the past few years if the best teams in the mountain region would just stay together, not even counting Utah/TCU among them who obviously left for much better deals than non-AQ coast to coast Big East or independent.
The Big East is a real monkey wrench in the whole thing right now. If UConn, Rutgers and possibly Louisville could just get in the ACC or Big 12 already the rest of the Big East could go to either CUSA or MWC where they belong and it becomes a non-football conference. That would leave us with 4 great football conferences then 3 good to average football conferences (ACC has never been a good football conference in the BCS era), then MAC/SunBelt/WAC bringing up the rear.