More evidence Karl Benson is in over his head

[Roach]

CNNSI.com's Stewart Mandel has a column today that talks about ACC expansion, the future of conference alignment, etc.

link:
<A HREF="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/stewart_mandel/news/2003/05/29/mandel_insider/" TARGET=_blank>http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/stewart_mandel/news/2003/05/29/mandel_insider/</A>

Anyway, Mandel offered this little tidbit:
"Similarly, WAC commissioner Karl Benson says his league is interested in going from 10 to 12 teams, perhaps nabbing Houston and ex-WAC member TCU from Conference USA if the Big East raids that league.

"At this stage, the WAC does not look at any of this as a threat," said Benson. "Our membership is as stable as it's ever been. I don't anticipate the WAC losing any of its members, and it's possible we could end up adding members."

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Doesn't look at any of this as a threat? After all the stories talking about the Pac-10 eyeing Fresno State and perhaps Hawaii or Boise State, the MWC wooing a few teams, and SMU, Rice, Tulsa and LaTech hoping for an invite to C-USA?

Membership is stable? San Jose State and Nevada are the only schools I haven't heard of contemplating a move to a new conference, and San Jose State allegedly is struggling to meet attendance criteria.

Doesn't anticipate losing members? Does he not read the papers? When all the rats are trying to leave the ship, there's a serious problem, Karl. Not many schools are going to be eager to join that league if these schools are invited elsewhere. I'm not sure many would want to join even if all the current WAC schools stayed.

Just how deep in the sand has this guy buried his head? From here on, Benson will be referred to as Commissioner Ostrich.

[Eddie P]

C'mon people. Not that I like Karl Benson very much...but I've seen way too many posts judging this man's competence on the basis of some quotes in the paper. Really...what is he supposed to say? "Yeah, we're knee deep in **** and everybody who is in our league hates it and would jump at the chance to get out." As the commissioner of the WAC, what exactly is he supposed to do other than emphasis a positive scenario? Just curious what it is that everybody expects to hear/read from this guy.

[Roach]

I agree with you, Eddie P -- he can't predict impending doom. But he could at least show his league and the fans of the league's schools that he's concerned about the tenuous state of affairs in the WAC and in college athletics, in general. He could say he's considering numerous possible scenarios -- even if he doesn't specify what they are -- to at least give the impression he has a grasp on the volatile state of conference alignments. To suggest that there's nothing wrong, and that he's not concerned about losing teams, suggests to me that he's oblivious to the changes that appear imminent on the landscape of college athletics.

[Charleston Pony]

I wouldn't be too quick to judge Benson. He's in a tough position and while the WAC east schools may want to bad mouth him about our lack of eastern bowl opportunities, what have we done to provide him with a marketable product?

The Memphis A.D. apparently confirmed recently that the Big East and CUSA kingpins are talking (Memphis being included) and there's a good possibility the Big East schools will NOT want to include TCU or Houston in their plans. I think there is a possibility we might be reunited with TCU and Houston in a WAC east and Benson's just telling it like it is.