By Matt Johnson
Jul 5, 2012

Interim WAC Comissioner Jeff Hurd said they're are considering several options, one being dropping football.

"We definitely have to have our plan for the 2013-14 year in place by the end of the summer." said Hurd.

http://www.klewtv.com/sports/WAC-conside...=video&c=y

I think football abandoned them!!

Well when you have two football teams...it probably seems like a reasonable option.

"Several" options?

1. Drop football.

2. Add a bunch of southeastern FBS start ups. LOL. That would tick the NCAA off. Although I would love to start up our old rivalry with Eastern Kentucky.

3. ?

Given that the WAC was a FBS conference at one point... Could they later restart football and still be considered an FBS conference?

Especially since it seems the NCAA wants the WAC to continue, it seems like an option for them.

(07-06-2012 10:59 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  Given that the WAC was a FBS conference at one point... Could they later restart football and still be considered an FBS conference?

Especially since it seems the NCAA wants the WAC to continue, it seems like an option for them.

What has the NCAA done that makes you think the organization wants the WAC to continue as a FBS conference? You really thing the other FBS conferences are going to alter rule to save the WAC? THe WAC voted against waivers for the Belt getting special treatment. I believe but I'm not certain, the WAC voted against special consideration for the Great West. Why is any conference going to grant the WAC special status?

(07-07-2012 02:16 PM)VideoGreenEagle Wrote:  

(07-06-2012 10:59 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  Given that the WAC was a FBS conference at one point... Could they later restart football and still be considered an FBS conference?

Especially since it seems the NCAA wants the WAC to continue, it seems like an option for them.

What has the NCAA done that makes you think the organization wants the WAC to continue as a FBS conference? You really thing the other FBS conferences are going to alter rule to save the WAC? THe WAC voted against waivers for the Belt getting special treatment. I believe but I'm not certain, the WAC voted against special consideration for the Great West. Why is any conference going to grant the WAC special status?

Didn't the NCAA already grant an exemption to the WAC to play with what was it, the 5 remaining schools for a few years?

Seems to me that shows the NCAA is interested in the WAC continuing.

(07-07-2012 02:24 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  

(07-07-2012 02:16 PM)VideoGreenEagle Wrote:  

(07-06-2012 10:59 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  Given that the WAC was a FBS conference at one point... Could they later restart football and still be considered an FBS conference?

Especially since it seems the NCAA wants the WAC to continue, it seems like an option for them.

What has the NCAA done that makes you think the organization wants the WAC to continue as a FBS conference? You really thing the other FBS conferences are going to alter rule to save the WAC? THe WAC voted against waivers for the Belt getting special treatment. I believe but I'm not certain, the WAC voted against special consideration for the Great West. Why is any conference going to grant the WAC special status?

Didn't the NCAA already grant an exemption to the WAC to play with what was it, the 5 remaining schools for a few years?

Seems to me that shows the NCAA is interested in the WAC continuing.

I do not think the NCAA cares one bit whether the WAC survives or not.

(07-07-2012 02:24 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  

(07-07-2012 02:16 PM)VideoGreenEagle Wrote:  

(07-06-2012 10:59 PM)TheRevSWT Wrote:  Given that the WAC was a FBS conference at one point... Could they later restart football and still be considered an FBS conference?

Especially since it seems the NCAA wants the WAC to continue, it seems like an option for them.

What has the NCAA done that makes you think the organization wants the WAC to continue as a FBS conference? You really thing the other FBS conferences are going to alter rule to save the WAC? THe WAC voted against waivers for the Belt getting special treatment. I believe but I'm not certain, the WAC voted against special consideration for the Great West. Why is any conference going to grant the WAC special status?

Didn't the NCAA already grant an exemption to the WAC to play with what was it, the 5 remaining schools for a few years?

Seems to me that shows the NCAA is interested in the WAC continuing.

The NCAA granted the two year exemption the rules already specified.

(07-06-2012 04:44 PM)ManzanoWolf Wrote:  By Matt Johnson
Jul 5, 2012

Interim WAC Comissioner Jeff Hurd said they're are considering several options, one being dropping football.

"We definitely have to have our plan for the 2013-14 year in place by the end of the summer." said Hurd.

http://www.klewtv.com/sports/WAC-conside...=video&c=y

"WAC considering eliminating football next year."

They are still not as proactive as the MWC. The MWC was considering eliminating WAC football a couple of years ago.

The WAC can survive as a football conference in theory. They still have a little under 12 months. I think there are far too many moving parts to make it work though. I know my school has been mentioned in the list of possible schools to be added but I just cannot see it working out all at once.

If GSU, App, JMU, Lamar, Jax St, and Liberty all make the jump then it can work and it will give Idaho and NMSU a home until they find a better option for themselves. Liberty and Jax State seem to be the two making the push. If they can convince App to make the jump then expect our admin to follow them.

My official stance is that there is too much going on to make work all at once but when there is a will there is a way.

I think a big clue is that there is still an interim commissioner. It doesn't seem like a conference trying to save football. They may float one more bid to western FCS move ups like the Montanas, Dakotas and Eastern Washington. But it is most likely over for WAC football.

(07-08-2012 09:46 AM)GaSouthern Wrote:  The WAC can survive as a football conference in theory. They still have a little under 12 months. I think there are far too many moving parts to make it work though. I know my school has been mentioned in the list of possible schools to be added but I just cannot see it working out all at once.

If GSU, App, JMU, Lamar, Jax St, and Liberty all make the jump then it can work and it will give Idaho and NMSU a home until they find a better option for themselves. Liberty and Jax State seem to be the two making the push. If they can convince App to make the jump then expect our admin to follow them.

My official stance is that there is too much going on to make work all at once but when there is a will there is a way.

How can that be called the Western Athletic Conference??? IMHO the WAC and Big East are well "wacked". There is no way in H E (double) l that the Big East will keep it's new configuration for long. Boise and SDSU will bolt as soon as they can find a closer conference affiliation with a real chance of making the new playoff or major bowl game... A WAC with an eastern domination and near cross country affiliation will last even less time.

Reality is this whole issue will not be resolved until post season make up is settlrd in 2014. Don't be surprised is there becomes the Big 4 (or 5) conference domination (a junior NFL if you will) with the rest trying to figure out how to gain any level of respect, prestige, and money....let the lawsuits for collusion and anti-trust begin...

WAC could be the Western Atlantic Conference.

(07-08-2012 10:37 AM)panama Wrote:  I think a big clue is that there is still an interim commissioner.

That's a big clue as well. If they were really trying to solidify themselves as a conference that wants to stick around they would either name him the commish, or hire someone else.

At this point I think their plan is one of the following (in order):

1. Find a home for NMSU/Idaho Football teams and drop football.

2. Take on a whole bunch of FCS move ups from the south/east and shift to an eastern conference. Have Idaho and NMSU suck up the travel for a few years until they can find a new home, back fill with more FCS movers that can benefit from a few extra years of growth.

3. Convince western FCS schools to make the jump. This will be harder because there isn't nearly as many teams playing ball, and teams that would be ready for a jump.

The biggest problem they have in saving football is that there is a school of thought (I've heard the NCAA has actually released a private interpreptation confirming this but those aren't public info) that holds the rule which permits an FBS playing a second year transition team to count the transition team as if they were an FBS, does not apply to second year transition teams.

For example, in 2012 I believe both USA and UMass are second year transition teams. UMass can play Buffalo and obviously count Buffalo toward meeting the schedule requirements and Buffalo use the rule to count UMass toward the requirements. Likewise Troy and USA can play and of course USA can count Troy toward the schedule requirement, but Troy is allowed to count USA. BUT if UMass and USA were to play neither could take advantage of the rule and count the other toward scheduling except as their one countable home game or one of the up to 4 FCS road games they can play.

If you look, Texas State has five FBS home games this year (plays UTSA on the road), UTSA plays 2 countable home games, three if Texas State counts. Texas State is transition year 2 this season and can compete for a bowl in 2013, UTSA is in transition year 1, will do transition year 2 in C-USA and be able to compete for bowls in 2014. Note that Old Dominion plans to do transition year 1 in 2013, 2 in 2014 and compete for bowls in 2015, and Charlotte will follow a year behind ODU.

Why is that significant? Because I suspect that schedule element is correct. A second year transitional cannot count another second year transitional as an FBS opponent.

If you have all your move-ups coming in different years, it makes scheduling easier, you don't have to make sure that any second year transitional has 4 FBS opponents in addition to games against other transitional teams.

It may well be that ODU agreed to join C-USA initially and the acceptance was delayed to avoid having to deal with ODU and UTSA both doing second year transition in 2013.

Even if they can get 6 FCS schools to join, isn't it already too late for 2013? I don't really see a scenario where the WAC has football in 2013, even if they do in 2014.

(07-09-2012 08:14 PM)Journeyman22 Wrote:  Even if they can get 6 FCS schools to join, isn't it already too late for 2013? I don't really see a scenario where the WAC has football in 2013, even if they do in 2014.

IF the NCAA wants to let the WAC survive, they would have to let them basically play as independents for 2013. For 2014 they would have to waive the scheduling issue that arkstfan is referring to, or just count them all as non conference games and resume conference scheduling in 2016.

Either way, the WAC seems to be at the NCAA's mercy at this point.

It is sad that it has come to this point for the WAC but they seem to have no other option but to become a basketball & Olympic sports conference. The FCS schools that were looking to move up are on the east coast and not sure there are enough of them to help the WAC.

There is one problem with waiving FBS criteria. The bylaws specifically prohibit any waivers.