Wac Stampede May Not Develop Slower Pace Of Expansion Should Benefit Idaho

For a change, the latest round of conference shuffling was met with relief instead of angst in the University of Idaho athletic department.

The news that Conference USA only plucked TCU - and not SMU - from the Western Athletic Conference probably means the WAC will proceed slowly toward expansion, if it chooses to expand.

“We should know more about what’s going to happen in the next week,” Idaho president Bob Hoover said. Then he laughs and adds, “And you know how many times I’ve said that before.”

A lot. WAC athletic directors met this week and WAC presidents are gathering Sunday. Expansion will be the main topic and no invitations are expected to be issued - expected being the key word.

“With only one departure, it might prevent a quick reaction and an expansion that could have alienated the Vandals,” Idaho A.D. Mike Bohn said. “It’s long from over.”

Because that’s the case, Idaho is taking steps to be prepared when the next wave of expansion hits. Idaho, close to beginning work on a new speed and strength center, had representatives visit WAC schools Rice, UTEP, San Jose State and Fresno State recently to tout UI’s wares.

“One thing I’ll say is that Idaho is very impressive in their presentation,” San Jose State A.D. Chuck Bell said. “Those guys are really trying to get their act together.”

It’s similar to what other Big West schools are doing. Boise State has made numerous pitches to the WAC. North Texas invited WAC commissioner Karl Benson for a visit. That’s how the game of conference hopscotch is played these days.

Scenarios remain numerous but some logical assumptions can be made in the aftermath of TCU’s exit from the WAC. North Texas’ WAC stock plunged when SMU was bypassed by Conference USA. SMU keeps the Dallas-Fort Worth market in the WAC and SMU has no desire to have North Texas as a conference brother.

TCU won’t depart the WAC until the conclusion of the 2000-2001 sports year. The WAC will have nine schools when Nevada joins next fall and eight in the fall of 2001. The 2001 WAC will have four western schools and four eastern, a balance Benson wants to retain.

Benson is in favor of a 12-team, two-division WAC. If that were to occur, the likely additions would be Boise State and Utah State in the west, and New Mexico State and Louisiana Tech in the east. Also under consideration are nine- and 10-team models.

Big West football schools, meanwhile, aren’t sitting idly. While the WAC has time to shape its future, the Big West would like to add one school, believed to be Louisiana Tech, as an all-sports member. That would give the conference six full-time members and seven football schools (counting Arkansas State), keeping it viable for a bowl.

Though very early in the process, the concept of an affiliation between the Big West and WAC has been broached. An arrangement could entail joint scheduling, shared referees/officials pools, and possibly joint negotiation of TV and radio contracts.

“We have certainly floated the ideas to them, but none of them have sat down collectively and had conversations in depth,” Utah State president George Emert said. “I have found, at least, an open mind in all those that I’ve had conversations with.”

The advantages for both conferences, Idaho’s Hoover said, would be reducing travel, cost containment, promoting geographical rivalries and ease of scheduling in football and non-revenue sports.

Added Emert, “with a two-league scenario, there’s (a possibility of) two automatic (NCAA Tournament) bids and multiple governance within the NCAA. But that’s getting the cart ahead of the horse. Their presidents have to decide what’s best for them first.”

One of the few certainties in Hoover’s mind is Idaho’s intention of being a I-A program.

“None of this is very stable and things can change,” he said of the unending conference movement. “We’re affected by things that take place around us.”