According to threads on the Louisiana Tech and North Texas boards, WAC Commissioner Karl Benson said during a halftime interview on Saturday that the Mean Green still have a standing invitation to the league.

Why he would say this now, and not sensibly focus behind the scenes on helping develop possible future WAC members located in states that are actually in the West, might be an ominous sign of things to come.

I'm convinced that Karl Benson is on crack! How the hell did this guy remain the WAC commissioner for so long?

Now there's some confusion on "who" actually said "what". According to TigerDak, he's saying that a Boise reporter talked with somebody from UNT...and that "somebody" said they get an invite from the WAC every year.

This is hard to believe since Benson himself said the WAC "wasn't" in "expansion" mode. ...and 9 "really" is the perfect number for a football conference. I think the dude from UNT is blowing smoke.

UNT brings "nothing" to the conference except greater travel expenses for 8 of the 9 WAC schools.

The WAC has to "focus" on UC Davis and Sac State.

jediwarrior Wrote:I'm convinced that Karl Benson is on crack! How the hell did this guy remain the WAC commissioner for so long?

Speaking of not having a job for long...

http://www.latechbbb.com/forum/showthread.php?t=46036

Juice - If you guys are looking for a new AD, you may want to check out Herman Failure...whoops...I mean herman Frazier at Hawaii.

Oh...and by the way, Herman has a Gold Medal. Don't know if that impresses you, but it sure impressed the UH BOR.

jediwarrior Wrote:Juice - If you guys are looking for a new AD, you may want to check out Herman Failure...whoops...I mean herman Frazier at Hawaii.

Oh...and by the way, Herman has a Gold Medal. Don't know if that impresses you, but it sure impressed the UH BOR.

i will trade you. at least you get home games.

Jay - no need for a trade. The people of Hawaii will show much aloha...and give you Herman...as a gift. The spirit of Aloha is alive and well...it's much better to "give" than "receive".

...plus, there's a couple of guys in Hawaii whom would be "excellent" choices to replace Herman.

There's also one guy whom would be an excellent choice to replace Karl Benson.

Facilities? Check (http://www.meangreensports.com/ViewArtic...LID=113986)

Market? Check (DFW)

Performance? Not so fast my friend. They had a great run that ended 3 years ago. But, they do seem to have made a commitment to improving on the field. Riley Dodge is the real deal and he'll get the football program headed in the right direction in no time. The deal with UNT is, you'd have to take them based on potential...much like CUSA did with the E-WAC. If they could find a bowl that would come with them, I'd be all about it. In fact, I think it's a good idea right now if the WAC is serious about adding stability to the conference. With a real travel partner, the WAC is a viable, long-term option for Louisiana Tech. Without it, Tech will be gone at the first offer from a non-Sunbelt conference. Benson can't even solidify his alma mater though, so I'm not holding my breath for him to get a clue anytime soon.

johnnylightnin Wrote:Without it, Tech will be gone at the first offer from a non-Sunbelt conference.

This is basically what most of the WAC wants. No one but Tech desires Eastward expansion.

How can we get rid of La Tech they refuse to take a step down to the Sun Belt. C-USA would take UTSA w/football over them or Troy or FAU.

Are we stuck with them for good?

Fresno St. Alum Wrote:How can we get rid of La Tech they refuse to take a step down to the Sun Belt. C-USA would take UTSA w/football over them or Troy or FAU.

Are we stuck with them for good?

No offense to Tech, but they have been passed over by CUSA three times already. It should be painfully obvious that CUSA has no interest in Tech. Tech and Troy do not fit the CUSA expansion model, but UTSA (San Antonio), FAU (Boca Raton/Ft Lauderdale/Hollywood area), NT (Dallas area) and MT (Nashville) do fit that expansion model. UTEP (El Paso) fit the model and that is why they were picked up by CUSA.

The SBC now has 9 football playing members with WKU moving up. South Alabama just announced their move up so that makes 10 for the SBC and will most likely shift the GMAC Bowl (home of South Alabama football) to the SBC. Georgia Southern and Appy State appear ready to begin the move to FBS and are in the SBC footprint. Tech does not want the SBC and the SBC no longer needs Tech so it is a wash.

ManzanoWolf Wrote:Tech and Troy do not fit the CUSA expansion model

I didn't know that C-USA had an expansion model. Coulda fooled me!

Quote:I didn't know that C-USA had an expansion model. Coulda fooled me! 01-wingedeagle

CUSA's basic strategy has always been to expand into teams with large markets and hope that those teams improve over time.

If LaTech wants a travel partner, they are basically going to have to do their best to become an irreplaceable member, rather than just a good one. A BCS bid or some NCAA Basketball credits would help immensely.

The CUSA membership, rather than expansion, model seems to be schools located in big cities, for the most part, which can boost their television numbers. They have Marshall, East Carolina, and Southern Mississippi grandfathered in, so to speak, but those three schools generally have strong football programs that more than make up for their locations.

I started a thread on the MAC Board about a year ago asking if it would make sense for Louisiana Tech to join as a football-only 14th member to balance out their divisions. The Bulldogs could put their other sports in the Summit League or the New Western Conference that will need to form eventually. Sometimes you have to step back to move ahead.

At the end of the day, though, the WAC will not expel Louisiana Tech. They must decide what is best for their program. Sitting around waiting for a CUSA opening, only to possibly be rejected again, may not be the wisest strategy. If putting football in a willing MAC and playing other sports more locally is an option then they may end up having to try it.

As long as CUSA has SMU, they are not looking for N. texas. Tech is not eXACtly what they are looking for but I think they would be in there for the next round. tech is making all the improvements on facilities that cusa is looking for. right now they need teams with potential to win rather than population bases and with all the coaching hires Tech is proving that they have the stuff to start winning soon.

Depending on the timing of any future CUSA vacancy, UTSA might be in the right position to make a move, and they do fit the model. They will be starting football in 2010, only plan to spend the minimum four years playing at the FCS level, and their administration has even had the audacity to publicly mention that they want to be in CUSA someday. UTSA has access to the Alamodome as a home field and would get CUSA into a completely different part of Texas where they currently have no presence so you have to think they will at least get a look if they can get their program initiated without a hitch.

Krocker Krapp Wrote:Depending on the timing of any future CUSA vacancy, UTSA might be in the right position to make a move, and they do fit the model. They will be starting football in 2010, only plan to spend the minimum four years playing at the FCS level, and their administration has even had the audacity to publicly mention that they want to be in CUSA someday. UTSA has access to the Alamodome as a home field and would get CUSA into a completely different part of Texas where they currently have no presence so you have to think they will at least get a look if they can get their program initiated without a hitch.

CUSA will not expand beyond 12 teams. I have a gut feeling, nothing concrete on which to base this, that if Big East ever expands it will not involve or impact us thus the league is stable for years to come. However, it is comforting to know that there are new teams on the horizon like utsa and even charlotte who can jump in and be players in years to come. Should they join with wac, southland, sunbelt, etc they will always be there to cherry pick if the time ever came when they were needed. Cusa would sit tight at ll, 10, or even nine if the current crop was all that was available.

ejmpalle Wrote:

ManzanoWolf Wrote:Tech and Troy do not fit the CUSA expansion model

I didn't know that C-USA had an expansion model. Coulda fooled me!

Dont feel bad. There are lots of information that the "average fan on the street" does not know.

Well Tech is just fine in the WAC right now. CUSA is horrible because of their need for heavy population centers yet Tech still has better attendance than alot of them. I find it funny that Houston and RIce and SMU are in the two of the top five population bases yet draw horribly. Yet smaller college towns like Hattiesburg and Ruston bring bigger fan bases.

Krocker Krapp Wrote:I started a thread on the MAC Board about a year ago asking if it would make sense for Louisiana Tech to join as a football-only 14th member to balance out their divisions. The Bulldogs could put their other sports in the Summit League or the New Western Conference that will need to form eventually. Sometimes you have to step back to move ahead.

At the end of the day, though, the WAC will not expel Louisiana Tech. They must decide what is best for their program. Sitting around waiting for a CUSA opening, only to possibly be rejected again, may not be the wisest strategy. If putting football in a willing MAC and playing other sports more locally is an option then they may end up having to try it.

What I try to look at when projecting conference changes is predict what a conference would be willing to do.

The MAC added Temple, was willing to accept a football only membership by Temple based on their potential and also an overall decent academic profile.

The MAC rejected WKU as a full sport member in 2005 because of their weak academic profile AND lack of tradition at the FBS level. MAC presidents made a mistake letting EMU into the league back in the 70's and didn't want to take a chance of adding would could be another weak football program.

They knew that within time as the only non-BCS program on the East Coast (Army/Navy aside) that Temple would be a pretty strong MAC team in short order cleaning up on recruits that would go to the CAA and occassionally beating out Rutgers/Pitt in recruiting battles. WKU was more of a wild card.

If the MAC passed up on WKU as a 14th with its great basketball tradition and fanbase that would make for an automatic rivalry with Ball State and Miami-O, Louisiana Tech would be an absolute no. It is just not going to happen.

The MAC is more interested in trying to lure UMass as its 14th member. The idea is after the Big East split, UMass and Temple do not get invited to the Big East and the Atlantic 10 is raided by the created catholic conference, that UMass and Temple will consider all sport memberships in the MAC. Temple has already hinted that they'll probably join the MAC all sports by 2010.

The MAC is holding out that 14th spot for UMass. With the moratorium the earliest possible move up date is 2013 and by that point it should only be more evident the advantages of joining FBS for UMass and the MAC at least football only. There is a slight (25%) chance that Temple will leave the MAC by 2013 and if so the MAC will no longer need that 14th member.

LT has passed up on SBC a few times and now it looks like the SBC no longer needs LT with South Alabama joining in 2015. At 9 members in 2009 the SBC has some ability to withstand a raid by CUSA or the WAC. On the horizon you have Jacksonville, GSU, Texas State all potential SBC schools. LT no longer has an upperhand over the SBC.