From a post on the North Texas board.

Dr Pohl is quoted in the Idaho Statesman very clearly that NT is NOT interested in going WACy. And the folks at Idaho couldn't be happier!


Article in today (5/27) Idaho Stateman

Idaho's WAC hopes get big boost

North Texas not interested in leaving Sun Belt

Nick Jezierny


The Idaho Statesman | Edition Date: 05-27-2004


The Idaho Vandals have received a serious dose of good news in their quest to join the Western Athletic Conference.

North Texas, the WAC's top target for potential expansion, is not interested in joining the conference, university president Norval Pohl said Wednesday.

That means North Texas is staying in the Sun Belt. Idaho wants to leave the Sun Belt for the WAC.

"With the WAC, it just doesn't seem to make sense for us," Pohl said. "Really, what we want to do is play regionally. It really didn't seem to make sense with how the conference is currently configured. It's just something that wasn't attractive to us.

"We just didn't think it fit. We took a long time to analyze this. It wasn't the right fit for us, and I don't think it was the right fit for them."

That is good news for Idaho.

"You bet it is," Idaho athletic director Rob Spear said.

The Vandals are now the only candidate left for WAC expansion, if the conference continues to explore that option. The conference dropped to eight schools in April when UTEP bolted for Conference USA.

The WAC's league presidents meet June 3-4 in Half Moon Bay, Calif. They could vote on expansion then, but a decision would have to be made no later than June 30. That's the deadline for Idaho to notify the Sun Belt that it would be leaving the conference.

Membership changes would go into effect for the 2005-06 school season.

North Texas was the WAC's top choice for potential expansion because of its metropolitan location near Dallas and its successful football program. The location in the Central time zone also would have made the school an ideal travel partner for WAC member Louisiana Tech.

Pohl said Idaho is a better fit for the WAC.

"I think it's probably in their best interests," he said. "Idaho playing in Florida doesn't make any sense. It's like us going to play in San Jose or Hawaii. The time zone thing was big for us."

Sun Belt commissioner Wright Waters said two other schools in his conference, Middle Tennessee and Louisiana-Lafayette, have been mentioned as possible WAC candidates, but have no interest in joining.

WAC commissioner Karl Benson said expansion will be a key agenda item at next week's meetings.

“I think it’s certainly one of the more critical agenda items because of the importance to the WAC’s future,