The vote, held on May 3, received the approval of 13 out of 16 athletic directors. Under the plan, Air Force, BYU, Fresno State, Hawaii, San Diego State, San Jose State, UNLV, and Utah would have comprised the west. The east would have been made up of Colorado State, New Mexico, Rice, Southern Methodist, Texas Christian, Texas-El Paso, Tulsa and Wyoming. According to WAC officials, the goal of the plan was to eliminate the confusing quadrant system.
But the plan seems to have cause more confusion than it solved.
Suite 101 has just learned that half of the 16 WAC schools have announced their intention to withdraw from the conference.
Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, UNLV, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming said that they will petition the NCAA to leave the WAC by Sept. 1.
Why? According to the Associated Press, the schools are citing the loss of traditional rivalries, rising travel costs and insufficient revenue growth. They also will ask the NCAA to recognize the new unnamed conference immediately.
"You've got a group of eight institutions that are committed to making a new conference work," Colorado State president Al Yates, the chairman of the WAC board of directors, said. "We've spent most of our time in conversation trying to respond to the question, 'Is there a way to make this 16-team conference work?' Our conclusion in all that was that there was not,"
WAC commissioner Karl Benson was stunned by the news.
"I obviously knew that there were problems out there," he said. "Needless to say, I was shocked and surprised, not necessarily surprised, that this is what ended up happening, but I think the timing of it was more surprising."
Presidents from the defecting schools claim that they will remain with the WAC until June 30 of next year, and will honor their 1998-99 athletic schedules.
"As a charter member of the Western Athletic Conference, the University of Wyoming does not take this decision lightly," Wyoming president Philip Dubois told the AP. "We take this step reluctantly, but in the best long-term interests of our university, our athletic program and our fans."
Stephen Weber, president of San Diego State University, has said that Utah, BYU, Colorado State, Wyoming and Air Force officials made their decision during a May 22 meeting in Denver.
Go To Page: 1 2
