1,000 Words: Mountain West needs to do something about San Jose State

Chris Murray | Reno Gazette-Journal

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Reno Gazette-Journal columnist Chris Murray has been known to be a bit wordy, so we're giving him 1,000 words (no more than that) to share his thoughts from the week that was in the world of sports.

* I’VE COME CLOSE TO WRITING about his topic before but haven’t pulled the trigger. It felt a bit too soon and perhaps a touch mean. But the time has come. The Mountain West needs to seriously consider San Jose State’s future in its conference. Like I said, I’ve thought about this in the past but haven’t broached the subject. But after SJSU’s 44-38 season-opening loss to FCS school UC Davis – a team picked to finish ninth in the 13-team Big Sky – in which the Spartans allowed 589 yards and was flagged 12 times for 125 yards while turning it over three times, does SJSU really belong in the conference anymore?

* THIS IS NOT A ONE-GAME knee-jerk reaction. Nevada lost to an FCS team last year. So, too, did UNLV. FBS teams fall to FCS teams a handful of times every year. There’s shame in that, but you don’t kick a team out of the conference because of it. But this is part of a bigger trend for SJSU. Since the Spartans joined the MW in 2013, their football team is 21-42 overall and 15-26 in the MW. Their men’s basketball team is 36-116 overall and 13-77 in the MW. Their women’s basketball team is 57-97 overall and 34-56 in the MW. And their baseball team is 112-227-1 overall and 60-115-1 in the MW.

* IF YOU COMBINE THE WIN-LOSS record of those four marquee sports – other sports matter, but if we’re being real these are the four that truly matter – SJSU is 226-487-1 overall and 122-274-1 in the MW. That’s a 31.6 winning percent overall and an even worse 30.7 winning percent in the MW. And it’s not like one sport is dragging down those numbers. None of these four teams have an overall winning mark higher than 37 percent since moving from the WAC to the MW five years ago.

* BUT THIS MIGHT BE THE MOST eye-opening stat of them all (so eye-opening I double-checked a few times to make sure I had it right). Since joining the MW, SJSU’s football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball teams have failed to post even one season with a winning record. Not one! The closest football got was 6-6 in 2013. The closest men’s basketball got was 14-16 in 2016-17. The closest women’s basketball got was 15-17 in 2014-15. And the closest baseball got was 27-30 in 2018. It takes time to adjust to a new conference when making a jump in competition. Nevada is proof of that. But there’s a problem if you can’t post a single winning record in the key sports in five years.

* WE SHOULD POINT OUT SJSU has won four MW titles since the current membership was formed in 2013. That ranks 10th out of 11 full-time members, ahead of only Wyoming (one). Those titles came in women’s tennis (2017), softball (2017) and women’s soccer (2015 and 2017). Kudos to those teams. But leagues build membership based on the four big sports. SJSU has been brutal in each and if it continues this year, the MW presidents must take a hard look at why the Spartans are in the league. This isn’t just a five-year downturn, either. Football has just three winning seasons since 1993. Men’s basketball two winning seasons since 1987. Women’s basketball four winning seasons since 1983. Baseball has more recent success, with five winning seasons since 2003. But, SJSU has been bad in the key sports for decades.

* GIVEN THIS INFORMATION, SJSU never should have been invited to the MW in the first place. I stumped for Texas-San Antonio at the time given the school’s location in Texas – a state the MW is lacking – and its higher ceiling. To gain entrance into the MW, the Spartans assured the conference they would upgrade their facilities. They have not, at least in the revenue sports. SJSU also has had some sketchy headlines in recent years. Baseball coach Jason Hawkins resigned four days before the start of the 2018 season after being placed on administrative leave. Basketball coach Dave Wojick resigned four months after the 2016-17 season following a school investigation and lawsuit from a former player.

* WHILE IT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL for the MW to move on without SJSU, it also would be good for the the Spartans, which is funded heavily from student/university fees. (Per USA Today, SJSU had a budget of $31 million in fiscal year 2017, with more than $21 million of that revenue coming from student/university fees; it sold only $846,364 in tickets for all sports). If it wants to continue football, SJSU belongs in the Big Sky. Without football, it should be in the Big West. It’s never easy kicking a school out of your conference, but a parting between the MW and SJSU makes sense for both parties.

* IT HAS BEEN INTERESTING watching this Urban Meyer-Ohio State thing unfold. You knew from the start he wouldn’t get fired. He wins too many games. But the twisting of common sense has been crazy, with Meyer releasing one “clarification” after another. After Meyer was caught in a lie, Ohio State’s investigation found Meyer has “periodically taken medicine that can negatively impair his memory, concentration, and focus.” It also said Meyer’s “denials were plainly not accurate, but he didn’t deliberately lie” and that he “falsely stated he lacked knowledge of all relevant events regarding alleged domestic violence by Zach Smith in 2015.” The investigation also used words like “clearly misspoke” and “made misstatements.” The investigation should have read: “He lied. We like to win. So he’s staying.”

* THE NFL OPENS ITS REGULAR SEASON Thursday, so time for some predictions. In the AFC, the Patriots (East), Chargers (West), Steelers (North) and Jaguars (South) win their divisions, with the Broncos and Texans earning wild-card berths. In the NFC, the Eagles (East), Rams (West), Packers (North) and Saints (South) win their divisions, with the Falcons and Vikings earning wild-card berths. I’ll take the Patriots over the Steelers in the AFC title game and the Rams over the Packers in the NFC title game. Los Angeles wins the Super Bowl over New England, with defensive tackle Aaron Donald being the game’s MVP.

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at cmurray@rgj.com or follow him on Twitter @MurrayRGJ.