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Looks like the WAC is become proactive. Don't know that it will matter but I guess they figure it's better than sitting on their hands and doing nothing.

WAC expansion proposed; 12-team conference the idea
TCU among schools commissioner urges presidents to recruit


11:38 PM CDT on Friday, September 12, 2003

Associated Press

HOUSTON – Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson is urging presidents of the league's 10 schools to take advantage of the uncertainty that exists within Conference USA by recruiting two of its universities for a new 12-team league with two six-team divisions, a Houston television station reported Friday night.

KRIV in Houston said it obtained a copy of a letter Benson sent the presidents in which Benson said he wants to make a run at two schools from a group of three now in Conference USA – Houston, TCU and Tulane. Two other C-USA schools, Louisville and Cincinnati, could end up in the Big East Conference, Benson noted.

Benson said he has been led to believe Conference USA is looking at WAC teams Rice, SMU and Tulsa with the idea of inviting two of them if Louisville and Cincinnati go to the Big East. He urged WAC presidents to turn the C-USA's uncertainty to the WAC's advantage.

"The WAC has a golden opportunity to secure its future and the athletic future of each of its members by creating its own 12-team league with two divisions," Benson wrote to the university presidents.

But Benson warned in the letter: "Unless there is stability in the WAC West and there is not a threat that the Mountain West will add one or more WAC teams, it will be very difficult, if not impossible to convince Houston, TCU or Tulane to join the WAC."

The letter continued:

"Without stability in the West, it may also make it very difficult for Rice, SMU or Tulsa to decline a C-USA invitation if extended."

Does it really matter? Although personally I've never understood why we're in a conference with schools so #$%#$% far away. BTHOOb

Nah, not really. This is basically what you would call trying to throw out the life preservers because the WAC is about to hit the proverbial iceberg and there is nothing anyone can do about it. I think it's only a matter of time before the MWC gets a hold of Hawaii and Fresno anyway. Those two schools were begging to leave with their fellow original WAC brethen when the split took place a few years back but they got left behind. The MWC Commissioner has all but said that if they do expand that their next targets will come from the WAC and those two would be the logical ones for them to take on as it would strengthen them in both football and basketball.
To be honest, I just can't see the WAC making it much longer in its current form. Not with the shockwaves of the Miami and Va Tech defections to the ACC not having been fully realized. Once the Big East begins the process of trying to fill those two spots, will the fun really begin because then it will just have a chain reaction the likes of which no one will have seen on the college football map.
I say just let the schools in the "western" part of the WAC go and just get our old SWC brethen along with Tulsa and possibly LA Tech and go from there. The reality is that a regional conference or at least a conference where there are some semblance of regional rivalries is the way to go. Otherwise, SMU will be where it is now...in a conference just to be in a D-I conference. When it all started, it was great because the concept of the 16 team, 20 time zone WAC was considered a radical concept. Unfortunately, once half those teams decided to go their own way, there really wasn't much left and there still isn't, at this stage. To be honest, there will be no tears shed the day we no longer play Boise State or San Jose St.

I'm just glad to see Benson might have FINALLY pulled his head out of the sand. With his last statement in that story, it sounds like he's at least aware that schools might leave the WAC as it currently stands. Maybe that revelation will prompt him to actually lead the conference, rather than just pull a paycheck until the WAC goes under.

this plan is DOA not because of Benson but because the schools in the WAC are not as strong as the schools in CUSA-therefore CUSA holds the cards. I love how many of you love to blame everything on the Commissioner and the Head Coach when the real problems have nothing to do with the leadership. It has to do with schools like SMU, Rice and Tulsa which either don't have the facilities or model to do what is necessary to compete in a strong division 1A conference. That ain't Benson's fault.

You are right about the WAC east being the problem. If the WAC east was as strong as the WAC west, TCU may not have been tempted to leave to begin with it would certainly be more realistic to think they might come back. It's not Hawaii, Fresno & Boise that are hurting this conference.

Picking up two from a list of TCU, Houston and Tulane begs two questions.

Why would any of them, especially TCU, make a lateral or worse move to WAC even if Conference USA was weakened.

Second, adding just two misses the target. Whether WAC East, Conference USA-West or another scenario, I want to concentrate our rivalries into a larger regional model. SMU, Rice and Tulsa don't make this model work by themselves. Including TCU, Tulane, So. Miss, Memphis, etc. with the above three and then picking up a La Tech, UAB, So./Central Fla, etc. creates something that is better than working the edge of our current dilemna, a conference spread much too wide. I respect Fresno State, Boise State and Hawaii; but they won't accelerate our progress like the above model.

In any case, we need to exceed expectations right NOW. Beat Baylor, beat TCU, come on WAC.

If CUSA loses Louisville and Cincy, the coference is no better than the WAC and the inclusion of SMU, Rice and Tulsa dosen't do anything to help any football conference. Benson is trying but I doubt success. The regional conference concept would be the weakest conference in all of college football. This problem is an SMU problem. We can't compete and whether it is model, coaching or facilities doesn't matter. We will either do what it takes to compete or die a slow death.