Key WAC proposals to be
heard this week on Maui

The Western Athletic Conference board of directors gathered in Lahaina today. They'll be doing a lot more than whale watching and golfing, especially when their real work begins tomorrow.

The only major vote tomorrow concerns the contract of WAC commissioner Karl Benson. Benson, whose salary was reported in 2002 at $276,594, works on a 3-year contract that is usually renewed, or "rolled over" each year.

The board is also scheduled to discuss a strategic and marketing plan formulated by Benson. Revenue distribution and scheduling will likely be hot topics with three new members -- Idaho, New Mexico State and Utah State -- joining the league.

The WAC is also losing four schools: Rice, SMU, Tulsa and UTEP.

"The WAC has nearly a half-century of history," said board president Robert Kustra, of Boise State. "But this is a new beginning. The membership is energized, and it is vital that we chart our course as a premier Division I-A conference."

The highest-profile proposals will be voted on tomorrow. They involve dropping the 6-credit rule for bowl-game eligibility and adding a form of instant replay. The current proposal for the use of instant replay is for nonconference games only.

Hawaii is represented on the board by UH-Manoa chancellor Peter Englert. Englert said last month he is against dropping the 6-credit rule and adding instant replay, but is flexible on both issues.

Another topic to be discussed is bowl affiliation; with the demise of the Silicon Valley Classic, the WAC is left with just two guaranteed bowl tie-ins. That includes the Hawaii Bowl, which is reserved for UH if the Warriors are bowl-eligible. That means a second-place WAC team with a better record than Hawaii could go without a bowl game if a new partnership isn't added.