is both "regional" and still covers a large area (i.e. the West Coast). I guess I see the size of the membership and maybe even the profile of the school (i.e. public vs. private) to be the bigger issue here. Personally, I think athletic conferences should be based on strictly athletics. If a group of schools want to form an academic conference(s) for educational and research purposes, then they should do so irregardless of what is happening on the athletic side of the house.