The Front Row with MARK NELKE April 7, 2013

Some of you might consider it a victory if you can remember the names of everybody in your cubicle on a given day.

Now, imagine being a University of Idaho fan, trying to remember who is in your conference this season - and for which sport - as well as knowing who will be in your new conference(s) come 2014.

New Mexico State, Texas State, Arkansas State ...

Those are some of the teams in the Sun Belt Conference, which recently invited Idaho to join in football only, effective 2014, and the Vandals quickly accepted.

After spending this upcoming season as a football independent, the Vandals will be back in a league next fall. It's not the western league they desire (see: Mountain West), but it is a league, and it is in the Football Bowl Subdivision, despite clamoring from many fans to return to the Big Sky and the lower-level Football Championship Subdivision.

"We are in a great position right now," Idaho athletic director Rob Spear said a few days ago, in a phone interview with the Press. "First of all, we've stabilized our FBS membership, and we also place ourself in a great conference for all other sports in the West (the Big Sky). Basically, things worked out like we thought they would.

"Certainly there was a lot of pressure to forego this FBS opportunity, and transition to FCS football, but our vision is that there would be more change and that change would open up opportunities for our football program. And if we didn't take that course of action, I think we would have made a short-sighted decision."

Eastern Washington, Montana State, Montana, Northern Arizona ...

If either of the two FBS conferences in the West that don't offer football - the WAC and the Big West - decided to re-establish football, there would be an option for Idaho to be in a conference in the West. Spear doesn't think that's likely, so the next option might be if some of the bigger schools in the Big Sky - Montana comes to mind, perhaps Montana State as well - opt to move up to FBS.

“I do think eventually there’s going to be enough stress on the FCS system that will encourage some schools to probably look at transitioning up,” Spear said. “Ideally I’d like to see enough schools transition up out West so we can have a western conference.”

Sacramento State, Northern Colorado, Southern Utah, Cal Poly ...

One thing that could help push some of the Big Sky schools up to FBS is money — specifically, money from the new BCS four-team playoff which goes into effect in 2014.

“That has generated a significant amount of more revenue,” Spear said. “Granted, the five BCS conferences and Notre Dame get the majority of that, but just being in an FBS conference now, it almost seems at a minimum, you’re going to receive about $1 million in conference revenue, and that’s a lot more significant than it ever was when we were a member of the WAC, under the old agreement. That was the WAC’s downfall — we couldn’t attract membership because there just wasn’t enough conference revenue.”

Georgia Southern, Georgia State, South Alabama, Troy, Western Kentucky ...

In the Sun Belt, a pair of established FCS powers, Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, are moving up to FBS. One team (Western Kentucky) has already chosen to leave the Sun Belt (for Conference USA) since Idaho got the OK to join the Sun Belt, but that could open the door for another FCS school like James Madison to move up.

North Dakota, UC Davis, Portland State, Weber State, Idaho State ...

With the Big 10’s recent statement that it will no longer play FCS schools, Spear said he understands that philosophy will filter down to the other four BCS conferences.

That could put pressure on FCS schools to move up — and is something that works in Idaho’s favor.

“To be able to generate a significant payday from playing one of those schools is another advantage, being an FBS school,” Spear said.

Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Appalachian State ...

The Sun Belt wasn’t originally interested in Idaho (or New Mexico State), because the more teams, the less revenue each team receives. But now, a conference will get a bigger or smaller piece of the revenue pie based on how many teams they have. And the Sun Belt will have 12 teams in football 2014.

Under the new agreement, the BCS conferences will get 71 percent of the revenue, and the non-BCS FCS conferences (Sun Belt, Mid-American, Mountain West, Conference USA and the American Athletic Conference, formerly the Big East) will get the other 29 percent.

“There’s about 82 million in the first year that’s going to go to that group of five (non-BCS conferences),” Spear said. “The majority of it, roughly 60 million, will be divided based on how many teams you have in a conference. If you have 12 teams you get 12 million; if you have 10 you get 10 million. So there is not the stress on the conferences to not add teams anymore because if you add a team, you’re going to get more money, and you’re not going to penalize the other schools. Before, conferences wouldn’t add because they would have to divide their share among more teams.”

Missouri-Kansas City, Chicago State, Grand Canyon, New Mexico State, Texas-Pan American ...

By staying an extra year in the WAC, playing teams like those listed above, Spear said the Vandals will realize around $1.5 million in additional revenue, because of the exit fees paid by schools which have departed.

Spear said he has had informal talks with administrators at Boise State about again playing the Broncos in football. The two schools haven’t played since 2010, BSU’s last season in the WAC.

Spear said a 2-for-1 (two games in Boise, one in Moscow) arrangement was discussed, but financial details were never discussed. Plus, the Broncos appear to have all their nonconference games lined up until 2019.

As for offering to play Boise State in Pullman, in hopes of drawing a bigger crowd to the larger Martin Stadium, “you never say never, but I don’t feel comfortable taking football off of our campus,” Spear said, “because I want our student body engaged, I want our local community engaged ... but I say again, never say never.”

Spear said ideally, Idaho will play one “money” football game per year, but in some years there will be two.

This fall, Idaho’s big paydays are at Florida State ($950,000), Mississippi ($850,000) and Washington State ($550,000).

Spear said he still envisions a future in college football where there are three tiers — Tier 1 would be the BCS conferences and Notre Dame; Tier 2 would be the non-BCS FBS schools, along with the FCS schools which choose to move up; and a Tier 3 with the remaining FCS schools.

“Maybe it’s my wishful thinking, but it makes a lot of sense,” he said.

Tier 1 would continue to offer 85 scholarships, Tier 2 would offer 75, Tier 3 63 like the FCS does now.

“It makes a lot of sense, but I’m not in charge,” said Spear, noting more scholarships means more expense — he said Idaho paid an extra $300,000 annually in scholarships each of the past two years because of tuition increases. “I think Idaho belongs in a Tier 2.”

Cal State Bakersfield, Utah Valley, Seattle U ...

Those are the rest of the teams in the WAC in 2013-14, the last year Idaho will be in that league, in all sports but football.

“Next year we’re going to be in a WAC that has nine schools in nine states,” Spear said. “That will put a lot of stress on the travel budget, and a lot of stress on the student-athlete with missed class time.”

Not to mention all the stress on the Vandal fan, trying to remember who’s in their league and who’s not, who’s coming and who’s going.

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached at 664-8176, Ext. 2019, or via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at CdAPressSports.