it implemented a rotating pod system (WAC labelled it quadrants). The fans didn't really embrace it because it didn't feel like a division. Instead of potentially building a rivalry with 7 other schools, a rivalry could only be built with the 3 other teams in the quadrant since those were the only teams you got to play every year. Plus, some of the teams had rivals in the other quadrants. This was 1 of several reasons why the 8 schools left the WAC to form the MWC.

My point is don't be surprised if the power conferences (or some of the schools) are gun shy about trying to implement a rotating pod/quadrant system in their conference. If a conference expands to 16 members and experiments with it (and it is unpopular with majority of the fans), then it can always switch back to permanent divisions (assuming schools don't leave the conference). However, it can't make the switch with 20 members because each division would only get to play 9 division games and no cross-division games (minus CCG). That isn't really a conference; just 2 conferences (aka the divisions) loosely connected to each other. The conferences don't want that because it makes it easier for 1 of the divisions to leave the conference to form their own conference (no connection to the other division since you never play teams from the other division).