Benson lays the cards on the table

[Choudawg86]

From the Fort Worth Star Telegram

WAC plan seeks high exit price
Staff and Wire Reports

Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson clarified Wednesday that he plans to ask the conference's 10 schools to agree to a "binding agreement" that would come with a $5 million exit fee for schools that decide to leave the WAC.

Benson hopes to get the WAC schools to agree to the proposal over the next 30 days. That would be before the Mountain West Conference holds meetings to discuss expansion. If the eight-team MWC decides to expand, it could target WAC schools such as Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada and Boise State.

"In essence, it's an effort to close our borders," Benson said. "I'd like for us to be able to say we've got all our schools wrapped up and that they're committed."

Benson would like the WAC to add two schools in the central time zone -- TCU, Houston and Tulane have been mentioned -- to allow the WAC to have two six-team divisions.

Asked what would happen if not all 10 of the WAC schools agree to the binding agreement and exit fee, Benson answered, "Then it would be open season."

-- Wendell Barnhouse

[Gooddawg]

Talk about a tough decision. I'm glad I don't have to make it. At this point I don't think I could agree to that.

[DONW]

I don't think any school will sign it.

[Dwayne From Minden]

It sounds "desperate" and I hope we have the fore thought NOT to sign it...

[Thor44]

I have a feeling with all the uncertainty right now very few schools if any will sign this unless they all do it at once. I hope we don't take the word of officials at other schools who say yes we will sign and then backout after we sign.

[Dirtydawg]

Does it have to be a unanimous decision in order for this to be binding to all schools? In other words, can the conference Presidents/ADs, whoever votes on this stuff, put this to a vote and decide that they all must sign or risk being ejected at some point? And if they can, does it take a unanimous vote to make it binding to all?