Mountain West Basketball: Examining 8 potential candidates for expansion
By Joey Loose
South Dakota State
We’ve already considered one FCS school, why not give serious thought to adding their rival as well? If North Dakota State were to be upgraded to the Mountain West, throwing in South Dakota State would be a pretty solid move as well. While the Jackrabbits might not have had the outstanding football success of the Bisons, this is still a very good program on the rise.
South Dakota State’s basketball program has been even better than North Dakota State since both joined the Summit League just over a decade ago. The Jackrabbits have appeared in five NCAA Tournaments and won a few other regular-season titles along the way. On the gridiron, it’s hard to complain about these Jackrabbits, having just appeared in the FCS title game this past season. They don’t have the postseason success or accolades as their rivals but this is still a great football program in the FCS and one that could make the transition upwards.
It may seem bizarre, especially with some pretty fantastic programs elsewhere on this list, but adding South Dakota State might be one of the better choices the Mountain West could make. After all, don’t we all dream of a conference with multiple SDSU’s in it? In all seriousness, two of the best FCS programs (with solid Summit League basketball pedigrees) could certainly help boost up the MWC, especially if they bid farewell to a few of their stronger members.