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According to Salt Lake Tribune writer Tony Jones, multiple sources have confirmed that Utah State University and San Jose State University will be heading to the Mountain West Conference beginning in the 2013 season. Rumors had it that the university presidents from Conference USA and the Mountain West met this weekend, with conference expansion apparently on the agenda.
As we all know, news broke over the last 72 hours that the University of Texas Board of Regents is set to grant the University of Texas at San Antonio the ability to "accept an invitation to join CUSA, and to negotiate and finalize the terms of their athletic conference membership". It was only a matter of time before more dominoes began to fall.
If the reports are correct, the MWC adding USU and SJSU will get the conference to 9 member schools in all sports, and 10 in football (Hawaii). It is still unclear whether or not that will be the extent of their expansion. If it is, this would mean UTEP will remain in Conference USA along with current members East Carolina, Marshall, Rice, Southern Miss, Tulane, Tulsa, and UAB, along with any schools brought in through expansion.
UTSA seems to be a lock to join C-USA, and other potential expansion candidates include Florida International University, Louisiana Tech University, and the University of North Texas. Official word from both the Mountain West Conference and Conference USA is expected to come over the next few days so stay tuned to MinerRush for any updates on the situation.