Posted on Mon, Sep. 15, 2003

WAC targets TCU, Houston, Tulane in internal letter
BY KEITH WHITMIRE
The Dallas Morning News

DALLAS - (KRT) - After it was revealed that Texas Christian University is an expansion target of the Western Athletic Conference, athletic director Eric Hyman said he is not aware of any discussions his school has had with the WAC.

In a letter obtained by Houston television station KRIV, WAC commissioner Karl Benson urged his league's presidents to take advantage of uncertainty in Conference USA.

The letter specifically lists TCU, Houston and Tulane as targets for expansion to a 12-team WAC with two divisions. TCU left the WAC for C-USA in 2001.

"Obviously, Conference USA is going to go through a period of transition." Hyman said. "We've been very happy in Conference USA. But I still think at TCU where we want to be is competing at the highest level, and we want to be in the vehicle that can get us there the fastest."

C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky said he had no reaction to the report. C-USA presidents and athletic directors are scheduled to meet Saturday.

"The conference is in the process of developing various contingency plans," Banowsky said. "I'm not going to speculate or comment on reports from the Western Athletic Conference."

Benson said the letter detailing his league's expansion plans was not intended for the public.

"I'm alarmed that an internal document got leaked to the media. It was certainly not intended for the public," Benson said.

Speculation has existed for months that the 10-team WAC would attempt to add two teams to form a Central Standard Time division that would include current members SMU, Rice, Tulsa and Louisiana Tech.

"It's not necessarily new news," Benson said. "We've been pretty consistent in recognizing the outcome that we would like to see on this. And that's a Central time zone division. It's still too early to know what's going to happen."

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Potential WAC targets:

http://www.sportsline.com/general/story/6736707

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posted by ACCSeahawk on the primary board. I thought it would be useful to include here. USU and NMSU to WAC:

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

So here's how it goes:

* New Mexico State and Utah State will join the WAC in 2005-2006.

* If Louisiana Tech joins CUSA (which looks like it could happen since USF is leaving CUSA and TCU remains a MWC option) or if any WAC schools leave fo rthe MWC, then the WAC will add North Texas.

* If LA Tech stays, North Texas will be added as a travel partner and a bridge to New Mexico State and UTEP.

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Poor Idaho.

They never should have left. They were not ready but did not want Boise State to outdo them. They got the legislature to not allow Boise to leave 1-AA without them.

Idaho's Kibble Dome sits 16,000 max. They play criteria games at nearby Washington State, seven or eight miles away. The 1-AA Big Sky is good enough for Montana and should be the Vandals home again for the time being. The MWC and the WAC are not "come a calling" any time soon.

Opps, in either case N. Texas joins the WAC.

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Branch is an IDIOT! :o

Benson has got it right.
The WAC had to act on NMSU and USU and they did.
How do guys like this get sportswriter jobs much less a forum for national publication? ???
8-)

Specifically, the rule that they must have 6 mens sports in the conference (with 6 members playing each sport).

Who would have thunk it?

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Jan/04/sp/sp06a.html

Its crap like this that will keep the WAC from being a viable, stable conference in the future. Unfortunately, you can put Hawai'i, Fresno, and Nevada in the same boat. These guys need to shut thier mouths.

http://www.idahostatesman.com/Sports/BSU_Sports/story.asp?ID=59845