The Wiz of Odds

Why the Mtn. Is Going Belly Up

When it launched in 2006, the Mtn. was the first of its kind: A college sports network dedicated solely to a conference. Last month, the owners of the network —  CBS Sports Network and NBC Universal — announced that they will shut down the Mtn. on May 31.

So what happened? Mountain West Conference officials are — in part — blaming realignment. Utah, Brigham Young and Texas Christian have left the league, and Boise State and San Diego State are Big East-bound after this season. But the departures are only a small part of the story.

The demise of the Mtn. rests with league officials and member teams, who bungled a terrific idea from the start by underestimating the challenge of getting the network distributed.

Alvarez: No Texas on Initial Big Ten List

Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez said a firm hired by the Big Ten did not list Texas among potential candidates for expansion.

"In our initial study, there wasn't anything on Texas," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

That's not to say that the Longhorns might be added. But if that is going to happen, it had better happen soon because Alvarez said Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany could make a recommendation to university presidents this summer.