With SDSU and Hawaii all set to become members in the Fall of 2013, one would think that expansion is done with the Big West; however, it could be the beginning of a very short expansion. The UCSD Guardian gave a very realistic introduction of the explanation of the vote, the pros and cons. And as it mentions in the article, the vote won't mean anything if the Big West doesn't invite the Tritons.
Why would the Big West want UCSD though? First and foremost, the Tritons are an ideal school to add, academically and athletically for the conference. They would have natural rivalries with UCR and UCI, but even more so, it would be an in-city rivalry for SDSU if they were invited. That alone would provide some high intensity matchups for the Big West, and with the regional FS San Diego starting in March, more games to highlight the city's athletics. Academically, they would be a perfect fit as well, as there are already 4 other UC schools, 4 of the top CSU schools, and Pacific. And travel costs wouldn't be an issue, with the exception of Hawaii.
The main reason not to expand, is just having to split revenues more, and for some, that's reason enough. Also, UCSD has already applied and gotten turned down once, so who's to say that they won't do it again. My personal sneaking suspicion though is if the student vote is a "yes," then the Big West will not say "no."
All this is fine and dandy if the vote goes through and the league says yes, however, there is another lurker in the midst as well. CSU-Bakersfield has applied and been denied once as well, and they are not giving up. They are already Division I and part of the WAC (baseball), Pac12 (wrestling), Great West (track and field and women's tennis) and Independent. While they were turned down originally for Hawaii (2010 vote), there is no reason why they shouldn't get in if UCSD's interest goes through. Academically, they are ranked No. 88 regionally in the West according to US News and World Reports, and it looks like they are still going up. They would provide another Central-Northern California school to form rivals with (UCD, UCSB, Cal Poly) and it would provide another potential larger city to bring in a media market. Once again, the biggest downside to bringing in the Roadrunners is splitting another piece of the money pie.
My personal opinion is that it is worth the student fees to move to Div I. Having graduated undergrad from a Div I school, and going to a Div I grad school, there is definitely an enhanced pride for the school.
For now though, everything comes down to the vote this week.
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