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WAC interim commissioner Jeff Hurd says it's too soon to predict conference demise Read more: http://aol.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2012-05-04/wac-commissioner-jeff-hurd-says-its-too-soon-to-predict-conference-demise#ixzz1twJWN3pl Five programs this week have announced they are leaving the Western Athletic Conference. That doesn’t leave interim commissioner Jeff Hurd much to work with. Still, he’s looking for a semblance of sunshine where none seems to exist. "We certainly have a major challenge ahead of us to maintain our status as a BCS viable Division I conference, but I think it's a little too early to speculate that the WAC will not be around," Hurd said on College Football Playbook. "We're going to explore every possible option there is and move forward as quickly as we can." Fresno State, Nevada and Hawaii—all former WAC members—will become participating Mountain West Conference members in July. Boise State, another former WAC member, joined the MWC, but is leaving for the Big East next season. This week alone, San Jose State (MWC), Utah State (MWC), Louisiana Tech (Conference USA), Texas-San Antonio (C-USA) and Texas State (Sun Belt) all announced their plan to change conferences beginning in 2013. MORE on expansion: Conference USA now at 13 members | Mountain West adds SJSU, Utah State The only teams on the current WAC roster that would remain heading into 2013 are Idaho and New Mexico State. It is with that backdrop that New Mexico State president Barbara Couture and athletic director McKinley Boston issued an open letter to fans. It read in part: “This is truly a new day when the sports, primarily football, are ruled by the potential for TV coverage. We all understand that. Now we are beginning to better comprehend just how far-reaching this new reality can be. Of course, New Mexico State University has no major media market to bring to the table. Without that market our "value" as a conference member appears to be less than other schools with less successful programs but that are located in areas with a greater population. The same thing appears to be the case for the University of Idaho.” Hurd acknowledged that it might not be as easy for the league to rebuild as perhaps it would have been in the past. "In previous years of departures and additions, there seemed to be ready options available," he said. "This particular time the apparent options aren't as readily noticeable or readily apparent as they were in the past and we're going to have to be creative as we look ahead." New Mexico State could be a potential target for the Sun Belt, the San Jose Mercury News reported. On Twitter, Idaho quarterback Dominique Blackman expressed his concerns. "What's going on with the WAC is scaring me man," Blackman tweeted from his account, @vandalsQB3. "Just give us a chance to show u this year we deserved to be DI (we'll) shock the world with the schedule we have this year #vandalNATION." His concerns are certainly valid. Idaho, if left behind by every one of its fellow WAC mates, could find itself dropping down to FCS. The Big Sky Conference has already said it would welcome the Vandals. Conference realignment has been a nonstop issue for the past two years and is not, as Hurd pointed out, restricted to the WAC. But it's the WAC that stands to be left in the worst position. For now, New Mexico State and Idaho are holding on for dear life. The president's statement continued: “Make no mistake, we will be playing football next year and we will be competing in a revised WAC conference for the 2012-2013 school year. Our near-term goals are to compete successfully. We look forward to having you there with us as we show the rest of the world what makes NMSU an excellent athletic-and academic-institution.”

Looks like they see the writing on the wall. Maybe Benson will throw them a bone from the Belt? http://www.theshorthorn.com/index.php/sports/uta-athletics/30259-universities-consider-drop-from-western-athletic-conference http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=451&f=2368&t=8954145

The WAC could be in its final year as a football conference. The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting Utah State is headed to the Mountain West as is San Jose State to replace Boise State and San Diego State, who are leaving for the Big East after this season. The report also said Louisiana Tech is going to Conference USA joining Texas-San Antonio, which is voting on the move to C-USA this week. UTSA joins the WAC this season, but was one of the additions back in Nov. 2010. The move leaves Idaho, New Mexico State and Texas State as the remaining football-playing schools in the conference. Boise State, Denver and Seattle are non-football members. Texas State also could be on its way out if the Sun Belt loses a school to Conference USA and the Sun Belt adds the Bobcats to keep a foot in Texas. Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson told Vandal Nation: "I don't expect Texas State will be without a place to play football." If all of the reported teams leave, the WAC will be in an almost impossible position. It's already tried to court several teams from the FCS ranks and has consistently been turned down. Last summer, Big Sky commissioner Doug Fullerton said his conference was a better option than the WAC and the way the conference has fallen apart, he wasn't wrong. Read more: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/wac-life-support-remaining-members-weigh-options-194742091.html