Courting “The Next Boise State”
By dreardon
WAC commissioner Karl Benson spoke on a teleconference Wednesday morning about five potential new member schools that he and the WAC athletic directors met with Tuesday in Dallas.
They are Montana, Texas-San Antonio, Texas State, Denver and Seattle. Denver and Seattle do not have football teams.
“Getting to a minimum of eight football schools, that is our priority,” Benson said. Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada are leaving the WAC, which would drop the league to six football playing schools.
Montana, which has won Division I-AA national football championships and is a perennial power at that level, seems to be the prize recruit of this bunch … but also perhaps the most unlikely to make a move. The school is undergoing a feasibility study of going into Division I-A, as well as a change at president. It is the only one of the five schools that did not make a formal presentation during Tuesday’s meetings, Benson said.
“We established mutual interest,” Benson said.
Some have gone as far to say Montana has the potential to be another Boise State, a school that comes up from I-AA able to make a big impact in I-A. That seems pretty assumptive, considering Boise State is ranked No. 3 in the latest football polls.
Benson said the WAC wants to extend invitations “within a 30-to-60 day window,” after WAC officials make campus visits to the prospective new members’ schools.
“There is not a sense uf urgency,” Benson said. “We do not need to make a decision today. There is no rank order.”
He said the timeline is in place to “send a message the WAC is stabilized” and negate negative recruiting of student-athletes.
Most new member schools would likely join the conference for the 2012-13 school year, but Benson said the WAC would be open to 2011-12 entry. But he added that would not lead to early release of Fresno State and Nevada; they are contracted to leave after spring 2012, but both schools want to join the Mountain West Conference in 2011.
Quick Reads
September 29th, 2010 at 9:47 am
WOW!!!!!!!
TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO. . .AND DENVER!!!. . . AND TEXAS STATE!!!!
Although this is all mana from heaven, the WAC is still missing the boat on some diamond’s in the rough well within it’s geographical footprint.
1. HPU! UH needs a travel partner. Granted, like Denver and Seattle, HPU doesn’t have a football team. But, it’s a UNIVERSITY!!!
2. Same with UNIVERSITY of Hawaii at Hilo.
Someone should point out to Benson that footprint heels don’t end in a point. They have width.
3. Charleston Southern. They’ve entered the footprint, and thus, have carried it outward. They’re in now. We can kapu them for the WAC.
4. CIA California http://www.ciachef.edu/restaurants/wsgr/default.asp?source=GSH&segment=WSGR
This addition would be a HUGE hit with coaches, media guys, and well heeled Alumni.
5. DRBU. http://www.drbu.org/ In Cali, and, what better way to further UH’s effort to become the gateway to Asia?
6. HU. Sure, it’s in Illinois, but, if you draw a straight line up from Ruston to the Canadian border, it’s still kinda sorta in a luau foot footprint. Plus, the food at Aloha stadium might improve if HU sponsors concessions league wide. http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/careers/hamburger_university.html
Hope Benson wakes up and digs a little deeper.
September 29th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Who, in their right mind, would buy season tickets and pay premium prices to watch any of the current and possible new members in the WAC?
UH President and A.D. had better seek football independence and join the Big West Conference for the other sports or their athletic budget will take an even greater hit than what it is currently.
WAC President Benson is just trying to save his half million dollar job by bringing in these absurb entities into the conference.
September 29th, 2010 at 9:58 am
Very weak. From this, all I can say is UH better start looking elsewhere soon. Football should go independent, sign long term deals to play schools with hawaii ties every year like BYU,UNLV, Air Force, Army and Navy. Add 3to 4 BCS teams on the schedule with the addition of 2-4 lightweight teams. This would be way better than proposed “new WAC”.
Big West Conference will be perfect for everything else.
September 29th, 2010 at 10:10 am
Maybe we can get Charleston Southern to join too.
On another sad, sad point, my parents tried to give away their two tickets to Charleston game as they were going out of town. My friend at work tried to give away two tickets as well.
Both had no luck. You couldn’t pay me to watch these suckers play.
Spoke with another longtime UH fan and he said he just wasn’t interested in UH football anymore. Said the games aren’t on tv, so no one talks or cares about the team anymore. Out of sight, out of mind.
He’s a Rainbow Wahine volleyball fan now.
Really think UH needs to rethink it’s policy of charging pay per view to watch away games. And if these new schools get into the WAC, who the heck is going to watch that?
September 29th, 2010 at 10:35 am
The WAC is a complete joke now. Karl Benson is only looking out for his own job longevity. The longer UH affiliates with the WAC the further our programs fall in stature and credibility.
GET OUT NOW!!!
September 29th, 2010 at 10:51 am
Benson better stop joking around and look for real I-A schools! As it stands the WAC will continue to be the laughing stock of the country and eventually may have to become a I-AA conference. Do you think that teams such a USC will want to play Hawaii then? I don’t think so. Hawaii will also have to travel farther for games in Texas and Montana. Louisiana isn’t much farther. It really looks like Hawaii should go independent in football (if it can find I-A schools to play against) and join some other conference for the other sports. I hope that Donovan and Hinshaw are looking into better options. I don’t think that Benson has Hawaii’s best interest in mind.
As for television coverage, I remember several years ago when Hawaii football games were on Fox Sports West for free on the mainland. Can’ find any games now, unless it is on national TV or a few that you have to pay for. As for the Wahine volleyball, they take the biggest hit, because only one or two mainland games are shown on ESPN with terrible one sided commentators. (The one sided is for UH opponents) It makes you not want to watch any UH games.
September 29th, 2010 at 11:28 am
By “mac fan”: “Karl Benson is only looking out for his own job longevity.”
PRECISELY! Benson needs a conference to head of in order to continue to draw his 1/2 million dollar salary.
It’s in the best interest of UH that the WAC disband after the 2010 season, and AFTER Boise’s BCS money comes in.
Nevada and FSU leave the WAC in limbo for the 2011 season. They ain’t gonna be required to pay any $5 mill walk fee. Even if they are compelled to stay, they could conceivably just walk from their WAC road games (the only ones they could possibly be required to “pay” damages for canceling – because they pay nothing to other WAC schools for playing them at home), and refuse to play other WAC teams at home – I think the NCAA only REQUIRES a DI team to play 9 games.
The remaining WAC’s best option is to simply disband. They can still play eachother in football and other sports under the same terms and conditions as they did under the WAC. They just won’t have to pay WAC overhead – like Benson’s salary, Benson’s assistant’s salary, Benson’s office rent, Benson’s extensive travel expenses, Benson’s folly, etc.
September 29th, 2010 at 11:44 am
Can’t put down those proposed teams. UH was in their position 35 years ago. They’ll all get better with the additional 20+ scholarships. Hope at least two get in to play fottball. That’ll keep the WAC viable for the time being. They represent the bird in hand. Going independent is the two in the bush at this point.
For the time being UH should stay put while still exploring ways to make going indy a better option. They should keep knocking on the doors of the different conferences, who knows, one might open their door.
September 29th, 2010 at 11:47 am
With this lineup, the WAC ought to consider dropping down to Division II. At least they’ll have a chance to compete for a postseason playoff spot. The WAC will never receive another BCS bowl berth if these schools are brought in to replace Boise State, FSU and Nevada.
September 29th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
DII/DIAA. That’s the specter that hangs over UH.
Gotta question whether or not UH and the community can/will continune to support a DIA program.
September 29th, 2010 at 1:57 pm
Its over – you’re right on. If our conference remains DIA but looks like its DIAA, what’s the point of staying at DIA? Say goodbye to pay-per view revenue. That aint happening with that line up. I can’t believe people are even a little bit excited about this. Why would people be willing to take these huge steps backwards after all of the recent success this football team has had. We have a solid offense right now that can compete with anyone (see the USC game) and a defense, with the right coaching, that is almost there. JJ must be thinking “WTF are they doing at Hawaii after all the attention I got them?” And you know what, he would be right. Although we got spanked, the Sugar Bowl was not that long ago, and this team still has potential. To throw it all away and remain in the WAC with this line up of teams is just plain stupid. If that is the path this school chooses, then it will be hard for me to support them. If you want to play DIAA teams so bad, then change divisions.
September 29th, 2010 at 1:59 pm
I also remember that when this whole thing started, Benson said that he has DIA and DIAA teams lined up. WHERE THE HECK ARE THE DIA TEAMS??????? That’s right, there are none that want to join the WAC. Fricken liar.
September 29th, 2010 at 3:13 pm
Dave, Did JD or Hinshaw respond to this latest event?
I would like to hear what they have to say about this line-up of potential WAC members.
September 29th, 2010 at 6:27 pm
Ha ha ha ha ha!!! Losers!! What a bunch of scrubs. If these teams do join the WAC, you couldn`t pay me to go to the games let alone watch them… It`s definitely called the WAC for a reason. OUT OF WAC FOR SURE!!!
October 1st, 2010 at 11:42 pm
you people need to relax the shakeup is far from over what if tcu leaves the mountain west what if the big 12 falls apart do u want to be on road for a whole month playing people like ohio st for big money? and getting killed what team in its right mind would want to come to hawaii in oct and nov
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