Quoting: TZ11
Would make sense at first glance, but I feel like they'd want to stay in a conference with Army and the other schools they have a connection with now, even though it doesn't make sense geographically. But tbh College sport in total doesn't make sense geographically (for example: UCLA and USC joining Big 10, Hockey East being comprised of teams from New England and Indiana for a few years in the 2010s).
Quoting: Harebrained
I agree with you
Quoting: Litening95
Probably, geographically, but I don't know if they're cut out for that league. CC wasn't when they were inducted in
No way Air Force would hang in the NCHC and no way the league wants them. They don't add anything of value to the conference.
The 2 Alaska schools, and Arizona State seem like they could build a conference with 3 more additions: Air Force, Lindenwood, and Albama-Huntsville.
With LIU, Stonehill, and other teams trying to make the jump to D-I (Saint Anselm and Utica) already discussing an Eastern conference that probably limits what happens out west to the above.
Getting Air Force to leave the Atlantic and conference matchups with Army would be difficult; but they haven't been as competitive there recently. As a Federal institution the travel costs aren't as big of a deal to them as other schools.
Arizona State would bolt that conference as soon as a better option came along (NCHC, Big Ten, or maybe some day a PAC conference) however so not sure AFA would see it as viable long term.
Probably the only way AFA would leave the Atlantic is they convinced all the Ivy League schools to join them in a new conference with Army (maybe Navy down the road?).
Aside from that the only western teams that would have enough pull to get AFA out would be if they joined a Pac-12 type conference like Notre Dame did with Big Ten.
Since only Arizona State is D-1 and no one else is close that is long way off.
I still don't understand why BYU doesn't pursue a D-1 hockey team either.