What If? The Border Conference

The American Southwest has been home to many a legend over the years. Tombstone, Billy the Kid, Pacos Bill, Davey Crockett, and Butch Cassidy. Stories of those who burned bright only to burn out from their misguided doings. The same could be said about the conference that housed the institutions of the area. The Border Conference is named as such because the schools are in states on the US-Mexico border. Founded in 1931 by the schools that would go on to be Arizona, Arizona State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, and Northern Arizona. These five schools would set the tone as to how the conference would play out over the years. Over the next ten years, the conference would grow. The Border conference welcomed Texas Tech in 1932. UTEP in 1935, Hardin-Simmons and West Texas A&M in 1941. This would be the peak of the conference; however, as in 1952, New Mexico would leave to join the Skyline Conference. One year later, Northern Arizona would join the Frontier conference. And in 1957, Texas Tech, which had seen the smoke, left to join the Southwest Conference. The conference would consider expansion many times over the next few years, but would never act on it, as in 1962, the Border Conference was shut down.

But what if the Border Conference expanded? Well, if they had, the following schools were floated as possibilities. San Diego State, Fresno State, San Jose State, and Pacific College from California. New Mexico coming back. Abilene Christian, Trinity, and North Texas from Texas. Along with both Tulsa and Wichita State. Ah, yes, Kansas, well-known for its border with Mexico, much like Cal and Stanford are on the Atlantic coast. Jokes aside, there were options on the table for the Border Conference to stay afloat; however, for one reason or another, fate blew in the direction of change. But don’t shed a tear for what could have been, smile for what was. And yet still

What if the Border Conference came back? A great question, however, there is a slight issue. The schools that made up the Border Conference. As a third of the members that it had when it ended are in DII or lower, another third is in the Big 12, and UTEP, which is joining the Mountain West in 2026. Leaving just New Mexico State as the lone survivor. But for argument's sake, here’s what it could look like. First, New Mexico would be returning joining their brother back in the conference, just as it talked about back in 1960. That’s where this scenario gets very murky, as we are stuck with four states to work with in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. One of which I have used all the schools that compete at DI at any level. So the gloves are off for the rest of this experiment. The only restrictions I have are that 1 the schools must be from the border states, 2 the must be at a DI level with a current football team, 3 if a school is moving to a new conference in 2025 or 2026 they are not available see UTEP, and 4 there can not be more than nine schools as the border conference had that many at it’s peak. With the New Mexico schools, there are two members so far. We will grab another founding member in Northern Arizona to bring the conference up to three members. While California never had any members officially join the border, several were brought up in discussions. Unfortunately, none of the ones brought up would pick up the phone for that call; however, one is currently awaiting such a call. Sacramento State who along with San Diego, are my picks for California. The only hang-up might be that San Diego’s football team plays in the non-scholarship Pioneer League currently, but that can be overcome with these two schools, which puts the border conference at 5 members, with just Texas remaining. Which isn't the worst fate in the world, considering only four spots are remaining. Thankfully, there are plenty of options, such as the following, that would fit. Abilene Christian who was talked about for expansion, Incarnate Word who has become a top team in the Southland conference, Tarleton State who has quickly proved themselves as a force in the WAC, and UT Rio Grand Valley as they have started their football team back up for the 2025 season and they have a solid baseball program.

These four would bring the conference to nine schools for football, and you could have other schools like Texas A&M Corpus Christi or Cal Baptist as non-football members. But in the current landscape of college sports, Football is the driving factor for conference movement.

The Border Conference may not go down in history as one of the greatest what-ifs, unlike the Southwest conference, but its fate is that of many who have come before and after it. Twenty years after the Border Conference’s collapse, the schools and conferences themselves would start picking their TV contacts. Could the Border conference have survived the first wave of conference realignment? It is doubtful that not long after the conference fell, the two largest universities in Arizona and Arizona State, would join the Pac-8 to form the PAC-10 in 1978, much like in our timeline. Six years before the landmark NCAA v. Board of Regents of the University of Oklahoma in 1984. It still may have limped along after their departure, but with Hardin-Simmons and West Texas A&M being in DIII and DII, respectively, the conference would have to climb out of a hole the size of the Grand Canyon to stay afloat.

Perhaps the sun set at the right time on the Border Conference, as the sands of time would not have been kind to her. Her fate was the same as the land she walked. Passed over for the shinier lands that were seen as more fertile. Today, she has become one of the legends that once roamed the southwest. She stands as a cautionary tale, as those who do not heed her warnings are destined to join her in the ruins of what once was. In the never-ending march of greed in college sports, she took a boot to the face, and she was tossed to the side. She may not have had her day in the spotlight when she was around, but her former members have had their days in the sun. Devils, Wildcats, Lobos, Aggies, Lumberjacks, Red Raiders, Cowboys, and Buffalos all have gone on to make her proud.