I would argue that nothing in the June conference expansion insanity was matched for sheer lunacy in such a compressed period as yesterday.

Briefly recapping and a hat tip to the Wiz of Odds for some links.

News leaked that BYU was going to bolt the MWC and strike out as an independent in football. They would pull a ND and join the WAC in all other sports.

Keep in mind that BYU was the lead team in creating the MWC and crippling the WAC in the first place.

The WAC, though, with losing Boise to MWC kind of has no choice. They need something to help them, and if they can get BYU to at least play a few home-and-homes with their schools in football (like ND and the Big East) it keeps them viable.

The MWC has to scramble, since it already is losing Utah. Even with the addition of Boise, this hurts on many levels. Not the least is the complete loss of the Utah market. Make jokes all you want, they still need any reasonably large TV markets they can get to offset Wyoming and New Mexico.

They extend offers rapidly to some WAC schools, but after Boise St. the WAC raised the exit fee to $5 million and that makes it unlikely anyone would run. Plus, it isn’t like the MWC is looking that good right now.

The WCC (Gonzaga’s conference) abruptly makes it known they would like to get in on that hot Mormon action since they don’t have any football in the first place it would give BYU more freedom to schedule.

It is speculated that TCU might bolt the MWC to return to C-USA — where they do have natural in-state “rivalries” with Houston, UTEP, Rice and SMU.

It comes out that Nevada never signed off on the new WAC exit fee and takes the MWC up on its offer. As does Fresno State.

The MWC is still viable and might still be able to keep everyone from jumping. Speculation that the MWC might make a move to get Houston on board.

BYU makes no announcement at this time as the WAC landing seems a lot less viable. Still it seems damn likely they are still going to go independent at this point, but BYU does know they need a place for the non-football sports.

The WAC is down to something like 6 teams, and even Hawaii is pondering independence.

So what does this have to do with Pitt and the Big East?

Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician has the piece to read on it.

The Big East is officially turning into college football’s Dukes of Hazzard.  They keep getting into crazy predicaments only to jump the General Lee at the last moment and live to see another day.

It looks like they’re going to get raided by the Big Ten…somehow the mighty Big 12 crumbles instead.

Just when it seemed like a non-BCS conference was overtaking it in the hearts and minds of fans everywhere…that conference loses two of it’s best programs.

The Big East doesn’t do anything proactively to protect itself…but then again it looks like it doesn’t have to.

The Mountain West by the end of last season was making plenty of claims to be better than the Big East and from a perception standpoint — they were gaining traction with TCU, Utah and BYU at the top. Even losing Utah, they were swapping in Boise.

Now BYU is bolting and while TCU and Boise are at the top, it becomes harder to ignore the Wyoming, New Mexico, UNLV (and now Nevada) at the bottom. To say nothing of the sheer mediocrity (at best) of Fresno St., SDSU, and Colorado St.

Really weird stuff going on out west.