2 SLC Teams Join WAC

[NickKBTV]

Denver University, Texas-San Antonio and Texas State will join the WAC in 2012-13 to offset the departures of Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada to the Mountain West, multiple sources told ESPN.com.

UTSA, which still needs official approval from the board of regents, and Texas State will join in all sports. Denver will join for all sports except for football, since the Pioneers don't play at the FBS level.

The WAC will have eight football members, nine for men's and women's basketball. The WAC would have had six members in 2012-13 if nothing had been done with Hawaii, Louisiana Tech, Idaho, New Mexico State, Utah State and San Jose State.

An announcement is expected from the WAC on Thursday.

Montana could also join the WAC in all sports, especially if the Grizzlies decide to bump up from FCS to FBS in football. Montana, a FCS power, is expected to make a decision in the next few weeks. If the Grizzlies decide against the move then Seattle would likely step in with all sports except football.

The WAC's perfect scenario, according to multiple sources, is to get to nine football schools, including Montana and 10 basketball schools.

UTSA will start its football program as an FCS Independent in 2011. UTSA won't be in the Southland Conference in football that season. UTSA is then expected to make the jump to FBS football in 2012. UTSA will play in the Alamo Dome, home to the Alamo Bowl.

Texas State and UTSA will leave the Southland Conference and pay an estimated $250,000 per school exit fee. Denver, which has been in the Sun Belt since 1999-2000, won't have a penalty for leaving, according to sources.

The WAC's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament wasn't in jeopardy since the league had until 2014 to get to seven members.

The WAC was prepared to add BYU to its membership for all sports but football in late August before the MWC invited Fresno State and Nevada to block the move. BYU went independent in football but then chose to put the rest of its sports in the WCC.

Fresno State and Nevada wanted to leave the WAC for next season but struck a deal to stay until June 30, 2012, in exchange for paying a lower exit fee of $900,000 per school.

[bigred360]

Wish TSU and UTSA the best in their future with the WAC and in FBS level football.

[Green Menace]

Hawaii, Louisiana Tech, Idaho, New Mexico State, Utah State and San Jose State, plus UTSA and Tx State-San Marcus will be the WAC makeup for football.  Nothing more than a rekindled Big West Conference.  Look for Hawaii to go Indy, and possible La Tech.

Sad.  WAC was once a formidble conference.

[bullets13]

weak, weak, weak.  and whoever goes undefeated in that conference will be screaming for a BCS bowl bid.

[NorthoftheBorder]

At this point it doesn't really matter what the WAC does from LU's point of view.  They are not in the WAC.  What matters is the immediate future of the SLC.  And it just got weaker.

[bigred360]

Nicholls State is in financial trouble and may drop all their sports to DII or DIII.

[coachacola]

Montana just turned down the WAC:

http://www.kpax.com/news/um-staying-in-big-sky-conference/

[bigred360]

So, they want to be a big fish in a small pond? Guess that is the best decision for their athletic program.

Besides football and occasionally men's basketball you don't hear too much from Montana's athletic department.

[UNLV]

The Southland down to 10 members, will they stay 10 or add members?
Lamar could rejoin Texas schools in the west if remain 10 members.

The Sunbelt down to 11 members...
CUSA might lose 1,2,3, maybe 4 members..

[coachacola]

Conference shuffling is far from over.

[becktobigs]

[quote name="UNLV" post="904465" timestamp="1289511436"]
The Southland down to 10 members, will they stay 10 or add members?
Lamar could rejoin Texas schools in the west if remain 10 members.

The Sunbelt down to 11 members...
CUSA might lose 1,2,3, maybe 4 members..


[/quote] If it has 10 members they'll probably abandon divisional play