I'll never forget looking at the WAC banner in jas stadium at the start of the 2000 season.....nor will I forget the news star's cartoon of a drowning bulldog and a WAC boat leaving and a sunbelt boat pulling up to the dawg and throwing a life preserver..... That was in 99 I believe.
The anger with the news star and then the joy to see that WAC banner hanging.....it was great but this trumps it. I think our battles with Fresno, Boise, Nevada, Hawaii have us more prepared for CUSA than most outsiders will realize.....and the news star....
......funny how tech wins out nearly 13 years later.
Paul Myerberg: See you again, WAC, but only in reruns
I feel kinda bad for Idaho and NMSU....
http://voices.idahostatesman.com/2012/05/01/bmurphy/idaho_reacts_demise_wac_conference_realignment
Now Boazy is worried where their other sports will end up. Well, you made your bed, sleep in it. And GFY.
Yeah, that's a tough break. I have a friend at church who is a NMSU fan.
I'd be ok with us playing them one-for-one at some point. Wouldn't be any worse than UNLV (well, NMSU wouldn't - Idaho might be just because it's so dang hard to get there).
And they play in a GYM! Seriously, Idaho has not done much of anything to upgrade facilities or invest in athletics. I feel for them, but they are stuck in a time warp. I think NMSU has tried, but the support just wasn't there. I guess they will head to the belt, unless the WAC tries to pull off something like Paralex is suggesting - which is a pretty good plan.
Idaho is dealing with the loss in their own unique way...
''Don't be a bad dagh..."
The WAC was a good thing for Tech, and I agree that being in the WAC helped get our name out there beyond the Ark-La-Tex-Miss region, and that is a good thing. But, when you say it's the best thing since Maxie Lambright (and his brilliant Offensive Coordinator), I can't help but think of what could have been. Our former AD, Paul Miller was working with Memphis, Southern Miss, Houston, etc.. on the formation of C-USA back in the 80s and early 90s. Tech was to be a charter member of C-USA, but instead we fired Miller in favor of Jerry Stovall who promptly pulled us from C-USA and put us in the Big West. That was an enormous blow to our entire athletic department, and set our sports programs back many years. Stovall was the worst thing that has ever happened to Louisiana Tech Athletics. EVER.
When you look at the founding members of C-USA, those who continued to invest in their programs and facilities have mostly gone on to BC$ conferences. But, at least I'm not bitter about that dipshit Stovall.
Regardless, getting out of the WAC and into C-USA is a very good thing for Tech fans. The biggest hit we took when moving to the Big West was that most of our fans could not travel to any of our away games. Except for the few years that SMU, Rice and Tulsa were in the E-WAC, Tech fans have not been able to drive to an away conference game in 20 years. Things are going well for us, and better days are ahead. But, I can't help hoping that karma slaps Jerry Stovall harder than it slapped Bobby Petrino. It couldn't happen to a more deserving person.
If the Vandals & NMSU can score an FBO arrangement with Benson, the WAC may yet continue as a non-FB conference.
Idaho, NMSU, Denver, Seattle, Boise .... it's almost a conference. And apparently Bakersfield State is joining in 2013.
They just may pull it off. I say best of luck to em.