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According to the El Paso paper, Benson wants current WAC schools to commit to five year membership. Why would a school either West or East want to sign it? Also, can he really find two or more schools to add in the Central Time Zone? I don't see it? Who would?

<A HREF="http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/sports/todaysstories/20030803-4665.shtml" TARGET=_blank>http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/sports/todaysstories/20030803-4665.shtml</A>

The idea is that the 'new' schools would join if they knew in advance that the league would be together for a period of time.

Even if UL and Cincy go to the Big East, it's possible that the Beast doesn't keep its BCS membership, or that CUSA becomes a better conference worth staying in. Recent comments by the UL AD suggest that going to the Beast isn't such a slam dunk afterall...

Perhaps CUSA steals 2 from the Beast (Pitt and W Virginia) and adds a few more (Marshall, SMU, Tulsa) and lets go of the BBALL only schools, becoming a 2 division 12- or 14-team conference. UL may want to rethink about going to the Big East then.

But...the Big East schools wouldn't leave unless they were assured that CUSA would be worthwhile for a period of time.

Same thing applied for the WAC. TCU 'might' be interested if CUSA looks too shaky, but they want to make sure they aren't leaving a 'slightly' better conference for a 12-team WAC that breaks apart if the MWC steals FSU, BSU, etc...

Basically Benson is trying to assure the West teams not to leave the WAC if it becomes more regional, and also the East schools not to go if it too becomes more regional.

The West seem much more unstable, however, with the MWC only having them to choose from. The EAST WAC schools could add CUSA members and perhaps UNT and still be viable as an 8-9, or 12-team conference w/o the West.

SMU/TCU
Rice/UH
LaTech/Tulsa
Tulane/USMiss

and add 4 more from:

Memphis/Cincy/ULouisville
UNT/Texas State Univ
NMex//UTEP/NMexState