Puzzled? Here are several answers

The sudden departure of eight schools from the Western Athletic Conference raises dozens of questions. Here's an assortment of likely queries to come from the fallout of the secession, and some possible answers.

Q: What happened to the WAC?

A: Eight schools are seceding to form a new conference: UNLV, Air Force, Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah and Wyoming. The new conference could add a ninth team, but not exceed that number for at least five years.

Q: Will the WAC continue operations?

A: Yes. The new league, which has yet to name a commissioner, officially comes into being on June 30, 1999. The current WAC structure will commence until then.

Q: What will the new conference be called?

A: There isn't a name yet, but here are some suggestions: Out of WAC, the Renegade 8, the Crazy 8, the Disgruntled 8, Eight is Enough, Hack a WAC and the Conference Formerly Known as WAC.

Q: Why did the eight teams leave?

A: Dollars. Money was the root of all reasons behind the withdrawal. Exclusion from the prestigious and lucrative Alliance Bowl football coalition was major. Also, with 16 teams covering 3,900 miles, nine states and four time zones, the WAC was the nation's largest conference. Schools were unhappy about everything from hefty travel expenses to limited TV revenue to poor rivalry development.

Q: How can this new conference boost revenue?

A: The new conference arguably is comprised of the eight most desirable schools in terms of marketing. Some of those schools -- BYU in particular -- outwardly expressed their frustration at making tons of money for the WAC, but getting only 1/16th in return. In essence, the lucrative institutions were paying the way for the San Jose States and Texas-El Pasos. With the pie now getting divided only eight ways, the pieces are much more delicious.

Q: How did all this come about?

A: SDSU president Stephen Weber told the Associated Press that Air Force, BYU, CSU, Utah and Wyoming made their final decision on Friday. They then asked UNLV and SDSU (strategic bowl sites) and New Mexico (a big football and basketball school) to join them.

Q: What happens to all that money UNLV, New Mexico and Utah made for the WAC by making the NCAA men's basketball tournament? Does UNLV still get its share?

A: If the WAC remains a viable league, all money derived from the NCAA Tournament stays with it. The eight schools will receive their share next year, approximately $150,000 each. After that, the money would be divided among the remaining WAC schools over the remaining five years of the six-year pay cycle. If the WAC ceases to exist, the former WAC schools that participated in the NCAA Tournament would receive the money.

Q: Which UNLV programs are helped or hindered?

A: The marquee sports -- football and basketball -- are helped significantly with increased exposure and nonconference flexibility. The swimming and diving, tennis, track and field and volleyball teams now have a better opportunity for postseason survival. Hurt most is the men's soccer team, which will probably be forced to find an independent conference with enough teams to compete against. Baseball and softball could go either way. Their in-conference status increases with the move, but the competition declines considerably.

Q: How will these changes influence Las Vegas as the host of conference championships?

A: It's a safe bet Las Vegas will continue to host the new conference title games. The main reason UNLV was added to the WAC two years ago was its tourism allure. That is a key factor this time, too. The new conference, however, will not require a football championship because of its smaller size. In addition, WAC commissioner Karl Benson did not rule out keeping the WAC football championship and the volleyball and basketball tournaments in Las Vegas.

Q: What about the Las Vegas Bowl?

A: The Las Vegas Bowl extended an automatic invitation to the WAC starting last year, but a stipulation in that agreement stated the conference had to remain as is. The Las Vegas Bowl now can terminate that deal if it chooses.

Q: Who saw this coming?

A: Eight university presidents and eight athletic directors.

Q: How was this kept a secret?

A: No one knows.

Q: Will the new conference be a part of the Bowl Alliance?

A: Because the WAC was unable to talk its way into the Bowl Alliance, it would be unrealistic to think the new conference would get any consideration this soon. But UNLV athletic director Charlie Cavagnaro is optimistic for the future. "The WAC, as it's currently constructed, would never be in the Alliance," he said. "But this gives us a much stronger position to get into the Alliance."

Q: What about an automatic bid to the NCAA basketball tournaments?

A: The new conference will immediately meet the NCAA's criteria for all automatic tournament berths.

Q: What happens now to the WAC?

A: The WAC obviously atrophied with Tuesday's announcement and eventually could deteriorate into nothingness. Not only were most of the marquee schools stripped away, the WAC also lost its central region. The remaining schools couldn't be any further west or east than they are. Now the WAC must scramble for some teams to close the gap.

Q: Are the remaining teams concerned?

A: They're desperate. TCU already is looking for a new conference. Another possibility for some remaining members could be a Texas-based conference. That could include a combination of Houston, North Texas, Rice, SMU, TCU, Tulsa or UTEP, leaving the others to fend for themselves.

Q: Can the WAC procure a big-name school to save it?

A: No, but a conference merger might do it. Nevada-Reno, Boise State, New Mexico State, North Texas and Utah State are possibilities to fill the void. Those schools belong to the Big West Conference, which could officially merge with the WAC.

Q: How are the WAC's current TV contracts impacted?

A: The WAC's football and basketball deals with ESPN run through 2000 and 2001, respectively, but now can be terminated at the network's discretion based on the downsizing. ESPN likely will honor the contracts for the 1998-99 school year before dumping the WAC when the eight teams officially depart.

Q: How soon will the new league get a name and a commissioner?

A: There's no set timetable, but it's likely there will be some discussion at next week's WAC Presidents meeting in Monterey, Calif.

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