WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
WAC will discuss
addition of IdahoThe league must decide whether
to stay at eight members
Idaho is the lone item on the shortest of short lists. But the first question is if the Western Athletic Conference is even shopping at all.
The league begins its annual board of directors meetings today at Half Moon Bay, Calif., with one major goal, according to commissioner Karl Benson. The WAC's presidents and chancellors need to decide whether to stay at eight members or invite the anxious-to-join Vandals.
"Right now the focus is on trying to finish the membership piece," Benson said in a telephone interview yesterday. "The first order of business is not necessarily Idaho, but whether eight or nine schools is in the best interest of the WAC. There will more than likely be some Idaho influence in that discussion. Eight or nine, however, is independent of Idaho as a possible member. But there's no timetable to any of this. It's very possible we'll come away Friday without a decision one way or another."
The main consideration is scheduling, Benson said. An even number is good for basketball, since all teams have travel partners. An odd number is better for football, since each team has an equal number of home and away games without deleting a conference team from the schedule, as the WAC does now.
"An eight-team league is unbalanced for football, and a nine-team league is unbalanced for basketball. It comes down to what's more important," Benson said.
The WAC is now a 10-team league, but Rice, Southern Methodist, Texas-El Paso and Tulsa leave in 2005 and only two schools, New Mexico State and Utah State, have been added.
North Texas and Louisiana-Lafayette pledged their allegiance to the Sun Belt last week, leaving Idaho as the only logical WAC prospect.
The Vandals, who play football in the Sun Belt and everything else in the Big West, have been lobbying for WAC membership for several years.
Idaho athletic director Rob Spear hosted Benson at the Moscow campus last week, and is scheduled to make a presentation to the WAC board Friday (he's subbing for president-elect Mike White, who underwent emergency open-heart surgery last week).
The Vandals went 3-9 in football and 13-15 in men's basketball last year. Idaho averaged 12,064 fans at five home football games -- a number unacceptable according to the NCAA's new attendance guidelines requiring 15,000 per game for Division I-A teams.
The NCAA, however, is reconsidering the attendance requirement, and even if it doesn't change, Spear is confident Idaho attendance will improve.
"We have several options," he said in a phone interview yesterday. "We can take advantage of neutral sites. We can schedule more home games in Pullman at (35,000-seat) Martin Stadium."
Pullman, Wash., home of Washington State University, is less than 10 miles from Moscow. The Vandals play most home games at the 16,000-seat Kibbie Dome.
"And with our new football coaching staff we feel we're headed in a positive direction and will meet the required home attendance," said Spear, who hired former USC assistant Nick Holt as Idaho's 31st head football coach last December.
Idaho's athletic budget is around $9.5 million, Spear said.
"We know we need to get to a minimum of $10.5 million in the next two years," he added.
By comparison, Hawaii's budget is around $18.5 million, with a goal of reaching $20 million.
Though seemingly at a disadvantage financially, Idaho has geography on its side.
"Obviously it's in the West. It's 300 miles from Boise. The WAC would be stretching its boundary to the north, but that's probably not a very big factor," Benson said. "Set aside football and basketball, and you have 14 other sports they sponsor that the WAC has competition in all. Idaho has tradition, history and appears to be ready to commit to Division I-A for a long time. They have a passion for the WAC and realize what the conference can do for them."
Idaho does not have a baseball team, partly because of gender equity considerations, Spear said. The WAC is at the minimum requirement of six teams to have a league in the sport. (Of the schools coming and going, only Rice and New Mexico State field baseball teams.)
"But we are very good in what some consider minor sports. We made the NCAA tournament in volleyball. We're very strong in women's basketball, and we were runners-up in track and field in the Big West," Spear said.
The WAC is attractive to Idaho for several reasons, he said.
"It aligns us with institutions similar in academic mission and provides us with geographic integrity," Spear said. "It makes sense for us. The Sun Belt meant a lot of travel expense, which the WAC would reduce. Our attendance will improve with a regional focus and intense rivalries will grow, as will alumni and booster support. Playing in areas that make geographic sense will also improve our recruiting."
Even if Idaho is not invited to join the WAC, Hawaii fans can get a close look at the Vandals football team. Idaho plays at Hawaii this season on Nov. 20.
Western Athletic Conference:
www.wacsports.com/