This quote from Thompson is interesting:
“We could look beyond 12 (schools),” Thompson said. “This membership/expansion door swings both ways. This week I’ve had more than one and less than five institutions reach out to me and say, ‘Can we be in the Mountain West Conference?’ ” (I'm sure that UTEP and NMSU called and probably Rice)
Those five teams are not all that hard to peg and they are most likely coming from the Texas schools of Conference USA, but that is pure speculation. Thompson did add that the league has not moved beyond the "philosophical" discussion on moving to 14 teams or beyond"
http://www.mwcconnection.com/2016/7/26/12291566/mountain-west-big-12-expansion
“We could look beyond 12 (schools),” Thompson said. “This membership/expansion door swings both ways. This week I’ve had more than one and less than five institutions reach out to me and say, ‘Can we be in the Mountain West Conference?’ ” (I'm sure that UTEP and NMSU called and probably Rice)
Those five teams are not all that hard to peg and they are most likely coming from the Texas schools of Conference USA, but that is pure speculation. Thompson did add that the league has not moved beyond the "philosophical" discussion on moving to 14 teams or beyond"
http://www.mwcconnection.com/2016/7/26/12291566/mountain-west-big-12-expansion