I doubt any Sun Belt school would be willing to commit to the WAC until they know for sure what the MWC is going to do. If the MWC only takes one, I see problems for the Sun Belt. However, if the MWC takes 2-4 teams from the WAC, no Sun Belt school would want to go to the WAC.

Rumors are spreading that Sun Belt comish Wright Waters is going to meet with La Tech. Right now La Tech is 800 miles from its nearest conference foe. La Tech might find itself begging its way back into the SBC.

This is starting to hit close to home, I am getting nervous. As a non 1A school in the Sun Belt, if the SBC crumbles, our options are limited.

LT views the SBC as a last resort. They have been avoiding being in the same conference as UL-Monroe for over 15 years, and that has not changed, and probably will not change. Their fingers are crossed for C-USA, no doubt--to be in a conference with almost all its members closer than the nearest WAC rival would be a victory for them.

this just in.....

new mexico st. and utah st. to join wac

http://espn.go.com/ncaa/news/2003/1022/1644545.html

not a big surprise as that is where they belong. if la tech leaves, which will happen imo if usf gets full big east membership and ucf fb only, i would expect north texas to be the next to join and if the current wac west is gobbled up by the mountain west then the real fun begins.

Interesting. The USU president was saying he would likely not join considering the WAC instability. Negotiating ploy. I was beginning to wonder if a merger was under consideration. The WAC would have 7 and Sun Belt 14 full members (after Idaho and Troy St. join) and there were comments that 3 bb members had offers from other conferences. 21-3=18 which might be manageable, especially if 1 or 2 westerners was headed to the MWC. We'll see soon if ESPN is right.

i think that these two teams are definately going to jump ship. makes too much sense esp. if current wac west members stay. i just wish the mwc would make a decision as their stalling puts a lot of schools in a great position of uncertainty.

I wonder what NMSU and USU will do if the MWC absorbs 4 WAC members leaving a conference of
San Jose St., UTEP or Hawaii, NMSU, USU. I do not include La Tech because i see them going to CUSA because they are losing USF and UCF most likely will take a partial membership in Big East BCS conference rather than the non BCS CUSA. I just hope the Sunbelt people are nice and take them back when there could possibly be no WAC left.

ESPNews has reported that NMSU and Utah State are headed to the WAC.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/7081343.htm

This is an excellent political move by Benson!!!
He is scrambling and pulling out all the stops to save his league!

Rice, SMU, and Tulsa are "conditionally" leaving WAC, assuming that Louisville, Cincy, DePaul, and Marquette are "conditionally" leaving C-USA for the BigEast which is "conditionally" sitting on their hands waiting for November 4th to make some decision while their conference crumbles away.

Benson says we TAKE USU, and NMSU RIGHT NOW!!! :o

Nothing really to lose here. If everything imploded (HIGHLY UNLIKELY), all these schools would have to return to where they started, but the WAC would not have to worry because these two give them a "conditional" twelve schools! :D
The magic number.

I look for the same thing that others have alluded to to happen next.

If La Tech stays you add N.Tex.St.
If La Tech leaves you add Idaho, and create a true WAC within the western/mtn. time zones. Expanding back into the central if the MWC raids any of your other schools.
Kudos to Mr. Benson. He is trying to save the WAC, by any means necessary. ;D
8-)

The announcement from Rice was the move was done, period. The WAC-3 are moving, no matter what.

This gives CUSA 13 FB schools right now= 12 + a Big East buffer. Invitations to Marshall & UCF haven't come because THOSE are conditional.

i totally agree with you daddywags. the wac knows its in trouble and is doing everything it can to survive. utah st. and new mexico st. are the best available choices for the wac and it makes no since to wait, especially when you know that you are losing 3 schools for sure and need to go ahead and stabalize as much as possible.

Sorry Earth X, beg to differ here... :(

Official statement from the president of Rice University regarding C-USA membership...

"I have signed today a membership agreement with Conference USA. Contingent upon certain other changes in the national athletic scene, Rice University would be a member of a six member western wing of CUSA....(blah, blah, blah)"

The key word in the press release is CONTINGENT.
Now realistically you and I both know it's a done deal, because BC is going to the ACC, and Louisville and Cincy are going to the Big East.
BUT THE BIG EAST HASN'T SENT THE INVITES YET!!!!
Until they do, you have this semantics game with the press release above.

The Rice president is saying we're going, but he can't say we are actually there, until the Big East says these other schools are actually there.

Hey, I don't like the semantics game either, but it's NOT a done deal in writing, it's a done deal in principle. ;)

I stick by my original post because it is more factually correct.
8-)

AS written, I read it as saying the division makeup is what is still developing, not the change in membership.

Looking over more news reports in Texas papers suggests it is conditional, and that invitations had not come. I was under the impression, from some Texas papers that invitations had come for those 3 schools already.