LaTech lost
money with win

THEY can't admit it, but as far as nine of the 10 Western Athletic Conference athletic directors are concerned, the wrong bunch of Bulldogs won Saturday in Ruston, La.

Nothing against LaTech, and everybody but the victim loves the underdog. But Jack Bicknell's crew might have cost the league a major payday with its W. If Fresno State had managed to go unbeaten and continue its climb up the rankings, the conference members would have shared not only in the prestige of its champion possibly playing in a BCS bowl game, but also the financial riches a game in January brings the entire league.

The party-line goal is "postseason participation for the student-athletes." But it can be more fun to buy the new hurdles and bats with booty from someone else's treasure chest.

While skeptics abound, if Fresno State had managed to run the table the midmajors-BCS issue would have at least been brought to the forefront of national debate with a passionate spokesman in 'Dogs coach Pat Hill. That could still happen, but with Utah being first to crash the party.

Yes, Boise State still has a chance, too. But the Broncos were hurt by Fresno State's 28-21 loss, and next week's showdown on the Smurfturf suddenly doesn't have the same allure, even though it might determine the league championship.

The WAC does have an opportunity to regain a measure of the status it enjoyed for Andy Warhol's proverbial 15 minutes when it had two teams in the Top 25 -- and it comes this Saturday.

But the odds are quite long. LaTech has to at least put up a good fight against No. 6 Auburn ... let's say, lose by less than a touchdown. If LaTech looks good against a ranked team from a BCS conference, it validates not only itself, but saves some face for those other Bulldogs.

The problem is, Ryan Moats and Co. didn't show much potential to do that in the whippings it got at Miami and Tennessee. Also, Fresno's wins over Washington and Kansas State don't look as impressive now that the Huskies are 0-4 and the Wildcats, at 2-2, aren't even contenders for best Wildcats anymore -- that would be 5-0 Arizona State or Ohio State-toppler Northwestern.

"LaTech at Auburn is a critical game now for LaTech and the WAC to validate what's occurred over the course of the first month of the season," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said.

To Benson's credit, he avoided whining about bias against midmajors regarding Fresno State's sudden departure from the Top 25 after reaching No. 17.

"I was disappointed when I saw Fresno State dropped out," he said. "But I looked closer, and Ohio State dropped around 10 spots, West Virginia dropped around 10 and Tennessee dropped around 10. It appears the polls did treat them similarly. But in general, yes, it is much more difficult for a WAC team to get in the polls than drop out of the polls."

Boise State has a bye after easing by SMU, but Broncs boss Dan Hawkins didn't have time to worry about being the WAC's lone flagship again after the torpedoing of Fresno State.

"I really don't pay attention to that," he said. "We have enough things to attend to. ... I don't spend a lot of emotional energy on that, don't spend a whole lot of time projecting or investing in those other things."

Hmmm ... just when that Idaho isolationist stereotype had finally faded away.