Northridge Remains Keen on Big West Membership

In a continuing game of musical chairs within college athletics, Cal State Northridge seems closer than ever to finding a seat in the Big West Conference.

Reacting to the recent defections of Nevada Las Vegas and San Jose State to the Western Athletic Conference, Big West athletic directors and college presidents will meet Sunday in Los Angeles to consider a new direction, a conference official said Wednesday.

Among the probable topics of conversation: expansion.

“I’m sure expansion is something that will be talked about,” said Jody McRoberts, an assistant Big West Conference commissioner. “The problem is we don’t know what people are thinking. Everyone has different agendas.”

At Northridge, the agenda is clear. Athletic Director Bob Hiegert said the school has attempted to become a Big West member on an annual basis.

“They’ve had an official moratorium on expansion the last two years; that’s been their position,” Hiegert said. “But they’ve been very open with us. They know our strengths. As soon as they can define what the Big West is and where the conference is going, they can move from there.”

Conference officials are unlikely to take immediate action. Instead, they probably will consider the pros and cons of several scenarios, McRoberts said.

Hiegert met informally with Rob Halvaks, another Big West assistant commissioner, Tuesday while both attended the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men’s volleyball tournament at Stanford.

Halvaks was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but Hiegert said “there seems to be a fair amount of controversy between the non-football-playing members (of the conference) and the I-A football programs left.”

The Big West has eight member schools, but half of them--UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton--do not play football.

Nevada, New Mexico State, Utah State and Pacific are conference members with NCAA Division I-A football teams. Affiliate members of the conference last season for football only were Arkansas State, Southwest Louisiana, Northern Illinois and Louisiana Tech.

Currently, Northridge’s teams are scattered throughout the Western Athletic, American West and Pacific Coast conferences and the MPSF. Others compete as independents. Northridge’s football team plays at the NCAA Division I-AA level in the American West and finances fewer than half the scholarships of schools in the Big West. However, Northridge’s broad athletics program otherwise fits well within the Big West.

“Picking up our athletic program could save them a lot of money in travel and other expenses,” Hiegert said. “It makes a lot of sense for us. We think it makes a lot of sense for everybody, really.”

Northridge has not been invited to Sunday’s discussions.