>> san jose state university athletics is excited for a change in its program starting in fall 2013. >> it feels good to finally get out. >> for most sports sjsu is jumping ship from the western athletic conference. we will show you why. >> you are watching equal time. exploring new issues each week giving equal time to competing points of view. >> hello from the campus of san jose state university. welcome to this edition of equal time.

i'm you're host journalism school director bob rubber -- rucker. sjsu was one of only 7 schools left in the western athletic conference. staying in the whack has gotten to be whack. >> looking around the stands of the san jose state football game -- there was one thing to notice -- empty seats. they are well known rivals who already left the conference. >> everyone is looking at fresno state and really checking and making sure we are all up beat and ready to go for that one game. >> the whack is losing against big name schools -- the whack has since added texas state and university of texas san antonio

and san jose is packing its bag. >> we used to have different dominant states -- we had teams at the beginning of the year you didn't know if they were going to be good or not. >> roots running deep -- having orchestrated black power salute given by carlos and smith in the 1968 olympics. the ex dust from the whack is a growing tendency. >> they tend to go to smaller conferences. the schools that are left in the wake of that typically try to regroup in fashion that's they have a dependable schedule

-- capability. >> edwards predicts most of the division one teams be 4-6 super conference and all the others struggle to survive. >> if you can get a few television contracts the athletes benefit because their costs be paid and the program will continue to revolve and lu continue to attract outstabbedding coaches and for the -- outstanding coaches and for the most part the program will survive. >> i think there is tremendous potential here in a lot of ways. i think this program is a sleeping giant. >> it is considered one of the bottom conferences and it is good to get out and show the rest of the nation we are good enough to play in a better conference. >> a better conversation presence demands better facilities. >> we have dramatic facility

need. >> the facility today plays a big factor. >> our locker could be looked at as almost portable which is not good. we want to upgrade so we can be more acceptable to other teams. >> we will see the changes san jose state athletics will encounter in their move to the mountain west conference when equal time returns

>> welcome back. we've seen why the western athletic conference is depleted and how the spartans are moving up to the mountain west conference. teams here on campus are excited to up their status with new competition and new facilities. brittany cohen continues our report. >> san jose spartans are looking to begin a legacy in the mountain west conference. coach mack headed to colorado and the spartan football brotherhood are putting their future in the hands of new coach. >> we share a bond definitely throughout the team from the young guys to the older guys. we all just kind of stick together and know that if we want to be good we all have to

grow into our roles and be one. >> the coach says the current special teams -- >> they have a tv deal with a couple different networks so we will be on national and local tv, there will be more espn game. >> the bar will be raised as they move to bigger named schools. they will add news one like san diego state. >> we got to play san degree state and a lot of those guys were from southern california. that was pretty cool. >> with more winning comes more fans comes more recruit. >> it looks more appeal forget they came to a good game. >> different plans in

reconstructing multiple areas. the kim center the walsh center and the football complex. these are all go nothing to help the football program survive. >> when we come back we'll sit down with a panel of experts when equal time continues

>> welcome back to this edition of equal time. our focus is the exciting move from san jose university to mountain west conference let's meet our guest. >> i'm jimmy reporter for the news. >> i'm joe -- tackle for san joses state. >> lauren spam athletics director for san jose. >> and i'm brittany cohen reporter on this story. >> is this exciting. >> it is exciting to go to a non west conference to show our talent. >> what does it mean as a college player being in a brand new conference. >> i was able to play a lot of team that's are in the mountain west now. we played colorado state they are in the mountain west. so it's a lot of the same team i'm familiar with and it is

nice to be able to play them again. >> joe are you feeling the same way about this. >> absolutely. i think a lot of the rivalries will be smart -- san diego state is always a good rivalry. just to up the level in competition. i think a dream for all athletes to be a bcs contender and it is important play the top level guys in order to get to that position. >> as a reporter on this what have you noticed about the preparation on the move. >> i mean -- it i think it was a natural move. the whack will no longer be a conference after this. the schools who didn't make this move are in trouble. so it was a natural move for san jose state. it gets people back in their

groove. it really was a big move to be able to get stability for the football program because you look at a program like idaho who wasn't able to get this move they are independent now hoping to find a conference and they could be in big trouble if they are not able to find a conference like san jose was able to do. >> there's a lot of good coming from this move but there are some concerns that you have to stay good in order to reap the benefit. >> exactly -- i think this move to the mountain west will show san jose's potential in being a top team but they have to keep doing what they are doing keep being a top tier team. >> i'm sure lawrence will tell me you will do just that. >> that's the idea. if you look at what football has done recently at san jose state -- they defeated colorado

state and hawai, and fresno. when you go back to when san jose state joined the conference -- all of these teams are in what is today known as mount west. we have gone full circle. san jose state is leaving the whack with only 17 years membership that is really a sign of today's times that in the last three years we have seen counsil -- countless changes in affiliation -- the standards in conferences like the big 10 and what used to be the big 8 now the big 12. the number doesn't mean the same -- it is the brand of the big 10 conference or the

pacific 12 conference or the big 12 conference. the southeast earn conference -- it is a brand and the brand is focused on football. >> you will have a new brand and a new conference it sounds like a lot of pressure. >> it doesn't come off as pressure because we are working hard every day. we are doing the same things we will be doing but we are doing it differently. now we know we are a good team so it is not necessarily pressure, everyone is more excited about it because you are working towards something instead of just trying to get through stuff. >> you certainly prove that in the 2012 season. i'm thinking 2013 everyone will be thinking are we good enough to play the conference -- it has to be pressure. >> that's why it was important for us to have such a great season. i think you see all across the

country where teams are pushing to make their teams better. they are making these smaller teams more talented and trying to find the best coach like we found mike mack inn tire. and being 10 and 2 that is just a forum for us to prove to other teams in this conference that we are going to be something to deal with. >> there's no question. you blue us -- blew us away with that record. can you -- you have to work to stay consistent. i know people will be looking to see how you will make it work. one thing we are hoping for is better recruiting and more money. >> yeah and that is one thing that helped the success of this past season. the coach talked about how he walks into a recruit's house

how the reception is better when you are sitting there a a ranked team who played in a bowl, that plays a huge role because people want to come to a winner. when you win you will get those recruits and the success of the season has helped that. you look at the talent that was on this team last year, a lot of it comes back especially on offense. i see no reason why they don't go into mountain west and be one the top 3 teams. >> i agree. i also think another good thing with moving to the mountain west next to recruiting is the tv coverage we will get with move nothing the mountain west you will get a lot more coverage and you will have more recruits watching tv, and more people seeing us doing the football team doing what they do -- pressing on and keep winning. >> a lot of us faculty, staff

and a lot of us think the television will make it better for the state -- better facility i would imagine. >> in terms of media expose you're, expose you're -- the conference doesn't have the same multi media rights that the mountain west seeks to have. for instance, the mountain west had its own television network and also had deals with cbs, and nbc sports -- the western athletic conference with espn was very limiting -- as an example, in men's basketball san jose state won't appear on

espn during the 2012-13 season but what we have seen from football is the fact that football is doing well. when san jose state has other sports teams on television there is a natural reference to it. >> with more exposure, comes more scrutiny. if you do all the things the other schools are doing -- the networks will be brutal -- they will say we don't want them on a national show case if they are not that good. >> that is the key -- you have to sustain the success. that is what the team will be working on. they got a lot of exposure before the end of the year -- that put their name out there. this will be a key season next year because you will look back

in 2006 great year -- 9 and 4 won a game and then it fell off after this and it wasn't until this past season until it got back up there. if you are going to sustain success and keep this going and help bring in revenue it has to happen year after year. so i think 2013 is a big year to show this program will be at this level for a while. >> help us with more of your research what else did you find is interesting when you look food this story. >> i think something else that stood out was having facilities put in -- recruiting it is important -- that is something recruits look for. fresno is a big rival -- i see they have this -- and you have this. so to step up our game with better facilities it will help.

>> it gets the athletes in a better position to stay competitive. the quality and talent of a person is something have you to develop. but it will be on your shoulders and any member of any team involved in the conference to look at the competition. how do you do that. how do you prepare for those things. >> well i think one game that really stands out this year was san diego state game and we competed with them at san diego it was a tough game we came out on top. they go out and win -- it is tough. i think you compare that on a level and say we are going to be able to compete next year. that will be huge for us. >> many people watching will say -- we want to get back to beating fresno state -- you are

looking at that team and you know they are a very good team. >> they have a good team but we are a really good team too. we have a lot of guys that can play. last season we had a great season. we figured out how to win after last season. it is going to be -- it is no longer going into the games -- well let's hopefully we can play tough -- it is -- we are going to win this game. we are preparing to win not preparing to just go out there. >> a lot of people out there are hoping we return to the glory years of san jose state football and all of the other sports where our name is out there nationally on a regular basis. >> that's one thing the mountain west will allow -- we are coming in with a football team that plays the ball game. we are the top 25th rank

program in women's swimming the golf teams are excellent. there is a nice broad base of athletic success but one other thing to point out too, bob, is that san jose state academically among its student athlete population has made tremendous strides in the last five years. the university is investing considerably in that support system for our student athletes. one example, the measurement now for student athletes is academic progress rate -- there's a score out of 1,000. last year coach's score for football was 981 out of 1,000. that was the second highest score in the whack -- second only to idaho -- 95 -- they moved to the mountain west too.

you can see just by that one measurement alone that san jose state not only will be able to compete athleticcally but should more than hold its own academically. >> that excites me the most where you have the best of everything. you will have an academic mission that continues to be strong and good. do students athletes have a problem trying to balance their academics and their schedule with adjectivics -- athletics. >> it all depends on time management. we love to see a coach walk by and making sure we are in class. you have to have time management -- this is time i have football this is the time i have to study. just always being able to focus

on one thing and move to the other. it is tough. we do spend a lot of hours. but going to class is a big one and after doing your homework -- professors really love that. all the student athletes are making a conscious effort to be good in the classroom. >> one of the reasons i came to san jose state from illinois was because of the compliment to athletics but also to the academic commitment. we had a guy who later played for the raiders, he kept focuses >> i'm in the master's program -- i think it shows professors

that we are not just here to play football. we are here for higher education and better our lives. i'm in educational counseling. >> what kind of job are you looking for. >> i don't know yet. >> we're going to try to get )@u one here. lawrence this has got to be warming to your heart. >> well it is. we in the last two years have had more san jose state football players earn academic all whack honors. in 2012 travis johnson who was san jose state's number one defensive player, he was up for academic all america recognition and that is certainly an honor you can keep for the rest of your life. i think you will find that on any given year more than a quarter of the san jose state student athlete population has

3.0 or better grade point averages. that's something we are very proud of. >> know we hear so much in the news who have athletes with trouble -- do you think more emphasis needs to be in the professional media on these type of topics like the accomplishments and goals of these people. >> definitely. when you look at some of the different coaching changes -- a big reason with jeff being fired wasn't just the decline of success on the field but that their academics declined so much they were on the average of a post season ban. i think that was a big thing. not only were they not succeeding on the field but not succeeding in the classroom. a lot of times people will deal with poor academics when

there's not good performance on the field. that's big trouble. right now in san jose state they have success in both the classroom and on the field. >> i think the students you and i see -- they look at the am and like the success and they are showing up and being involveed pep rallies and other events on campus -- do you think this will trigger more campus wide interest among students. >> you mean going to games or studying more. >> to volunteer their time to help the players study. >> i think when i have a football player -- teachers point them out -- oh, did you catch that game this weekend and say how they are doing or things like that and it shows students in the classroom how well they are doing and how much more they are putting in. like not just in the classroom

but they are also putting in more effort outside for the school. >> that's what we want to hear more about. >> one of the five products to the move to the mountain west -- because of the greater geographic fit of the mountain west members compared to the whack is that our student athletes will have less missed school time because the western athletic conference is diverse geographically from hawaii to louisiana, now we are baye basically -- basically dealing with states like california, nevada, colorado, wyoming, everything is in a 2 hour flight -- with the exception of

hawaia, there will be more time for student athlete. >> these young men are the future graduates of our school. what would you say to our alumni versus today. >> we are getting back and changing the face -- we are trying to make it more of a household name. last season we were on tv multiple times on national television and people are hearing about san jose state -- it will become more of a household name. when we went to idaho last season, people in the store asked us what part of mexico was san jose state was in. it is making it more of a household name -- all of the alumni, everyone will be part

of it. >> ladies and gentlemen thank you very much we are very happy -- we hope you will come back for another edition of equal for another edition of equal talk bailiff

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