LAS VEGAS -- It was said in jest, but it's no laughing matter. WAC expansion
By Cindy Luis
is out of whack
Star-Bulletin"If you see a team and you don't know what conference it's in, it's probably in the WAC," Utah men's basketball coach Rick Majerus said.
The Western Athletic Conference expanded to 16 teams last season, a move designed to increase national exposure and postseason viability. The consensus among the Mountain Division men's and women's basketball coaches is it hasn't done either.
The latest translation of WAC? Weak And Confusing.
"You can't beat the computer (rating) game," said first-year Wyoming men's coach Larry Shyatt, who was Clemson's associate head coach the past three seasons. "We've got to go out and beat the prestigious teams in the prestigious leagues. I've read in the preseason publications that the WAC is rated the fourth or fifth toughest league in the country. That says something.
"Those of us sitting here know the WAC has changed. We need to find ways to spread the gospel."
While the power rating may be up on the men's side, it's different for the women. According to first-year Colorado State coach Tom Collen, the WAC isn't in the top eight conferences on the women's side.
"It's such an underrated conference," said Collen, a former assistant at Purdue and Arkansas. "There's a number of things that need to be done in terms of playing politics, getting television contracts and putting some money into getting exposure.
"I look at the WAC and Conference USA, both new conferences basically last season. But the WAC didn't go after a TV package (for women) until this year while Conference USA had one last year. So we're a year behind there."
The conference image wasn't helped last year when BYU was shunned by the Football Bowl Alliance and wasn't invited to a major bowl game.
"I think the perception that a WAC football team wasn't good enough for a big bowl game affected the other sports," Wyoming women's coach Chad Lavin said. "We should have had at least four teams in the NCAA. We got two. (San Diego State and Utah). I felt so bad for teams like Hawaii (21-8 record) and Colorado State (21-7). They deserved to go."
It seems the NCAA Selection Committee has the WAC on call-waiting. Only three WAC men's teams were invited to the NCAA Tournament (Utah, New Mexico and Tulsa) and four were relegated to the NIT (Hawaii, UNLV, TCU, Fresno State) .
"I think we expanded too fast and by too many teams," said New Mexico's Dave Bliss, whose Lobos are favored to win the Mountain Division and the WAC Tournament. "There's a reason no one else has gone to 16 teams. It's too unwieldy. It's like being on an overcrowded elevator. Somebody's got to get off. The question is, who?"
JUMPING SHIP: There is talk the WAC might break up by the year 2000. First to go could be BYU, whose football program reportedly lost money despite having the best record in the country (14-1) last season.
The reason? Having to split postseason revenue 16 ways instead of 12. Cougar officials are asking for a more equitable revenue-sharing plan that rewards the teams that make it to postseason play.
BYU is trying to align itself with the Pac-10. On the Cougars' basketball schedule this year: Washington, Washington State, Oregon and California.
CHANGING PARTNERS: Two quadrants shifted divisions this season, with Air Force, Colorado State, UNLV and Wyoming moving to the Mountain Division and Rice, TCU, Tulsa and SMU switching to the Pacific.
The crossover games, which caused so much controversy last season, will be played if the schools desire, but won't count in the conference standings.
It's especially confusing for former Fresno City College coach Steve Cleveland, who takes over at BYU this year. The Cougars have San Diego State and Hawaii on their preseason schedule.
"Our format doesn't seem real logical," Cleveland said. "You build up rivalries and tradition over the years and then, suddenly, you don't see a team for three years. I know the fans miss those rivalries."
POLL SITTERS: New Mexico was picked to win the Mountain Division and the WAC Tournament in the men's preseason media poll. Fresno State is favored in the Pacific, followed by TCU, Tulsa and Hawaii.
"I don't put too much into polls," Bliss said. "The Yanks were favored to win the World Series, too. We Yankee fans are still in denial."
In the women's poll, voted on by the coaches, Utah was the overwhelming choice to win the Mountain Division and the WAC Tournament. Hawaii is the Pacific Division favorite.
NEW FACES: There are three new men's and women's coaches in the WAC. Besides Cleveland at BYU and Shyatt at Wyoming, Bill Self takes over at Tulsa.
In addition to Collen at CSU, Trent Shippen is at BYU and Barb Smith at San Diego State.