ESPN...WAC to raid the SUNBELT?!?

[BadDawgy]

I just read this on ESPN...

http://espn.go.com/ncaa/news/2003/1020/1642537.html

The link said "NCAA Darwinism: WAC ready to raid Sun Belt"

Anything but this! :evil:

[RougeDawg]

Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! . . . for the love of God . . . Noooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sportdawg]

WAC looking at eight different schools

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press


TULSA, Okla. -- The Western Athletic Conference has identified eight schools as possible replacements after losing three teams to Conference USA.


New Mexico State, North Texas, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, Arkansas State, Utah State, Idaho and Middle Tennessee State -- all members of the 15-team Sun Belt Conference -- are under consideration, commissioner Karl Benson said Monday.


The WAC will look for schools within that list that are competitive in football and basketball, with primary emphasis on football as the league looks to replace Rice, Southern Methodist and Tulsa.


The three schools announced Friday that they would accept invitations to join Conference USA. That league is expanding in anticipation that Cincinnati, Louisville, Marquette and DePaul will join the Big East.


Tulsa, Rice and Southern Methodist cited geographical distance between them and the WAC's Western schools as reasons for leaving. Also, they were the league's only private schools and will join a conference that has several private institutions.


Those three schools would join current members Texas Christian, Houston and Tulane to form a western division of Conference USA.

To counter, the WAC was attempting to attract teams from Conference USA to form an eastern division.


Benson said the WAC hopes to choose its new members by the end of the year, adding at least two more teams for nine members. He said the WAC might consider expanding to 12 schools to address geographical concerns.


Benson said he has been contacted by several interested schools, but he declined to name them.


Many conferences started bracing for realignment when the Atlantic Coast Conference picked Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College from the Big East earlier this year.

[Gooddawg]

I say we go for 12 right off hte bat and skip the 9 scenario. None of the teams we will be adding will bring anything to the conference so we might as well get 3 more no one else is available in the near future and this might help keep FSU, BSU or Hawaii with a conference championship game? I don't know.

[Bossdawg]

looks like we will be reinstating that ulm rivalry now huh? Booooooooo? Thanks Wac for not taking care of the conference first.

Thanks AD and pres. for not giving a rats ass about our football program. You will get your wish to be state champs of ull's very soon.

[JL94]

From ESPN.com article listed above.

"The board today made a commitment to Louisiana Tech that they will take into consideration Louisiana Tech's location" when choosing replacements, Benson said.

This is not what I want to hear.

[aubunique]

Just stay tuned.
We all want to be in a 12-team conference and be the best in that group, with everyone winning all their OOC games. Might not happen this time. But we will be playing ball. Enjoy it, whoever we play. We have to try to be the best regardless.