If Wac Stays Put Or Adds Western Team: How Long

[Harry]

If the WAC stays put or adds a western team for how long would La. Tech hang? The word in the past is they would not join the Sun Belt with ULM... to their credit the Boise WAC has worked for them. Is it sustainable without Boise?

[keith]

If the WAC stays put or adds a western team for how long would La. Tech hang? The word in the past is they would not join the Sun Belt with ULM... to their credit the Boise WAC has worked for them. Is it sustainable without Boise?

They probably can't hang on for too long. Eventually the economics just make it very difficult or impossible. The departure of Boise St just accelerates the inevitable. A major change in the make up of the WAC (BTW, adding UNT does not count as a major change) or some white knight/T. Boone Pickens type coming to their rescue would be about the only two things that would change that for La Tech, but even that has its limits.

From a strictly SBC perspective, the Sun Belt should (if they have not already) offer an invite to La Tech...an offer too good to refuse type of invite. The hunted, if the SBC is ever really the hunted, becomes the hunter and the Sun Belt becomes a stronger conference. I'm not really into the whole who is the better conference thing, but this change would arguably vault the SBC ahead of the WAC (at least in the short run). In the long run, it would probably help the WAC refocus itself as a western conference. The La Tech/ULM thing will work itself out one way or another.

Keith

[VideoEagle]

They probably can't hang on for too long. Eventually the economics just make it very difficult or impossible. The departure of Boise St just accelerates the inevitable. A major change in the make up of the WAC (BTW, adding UNT does not count as a major change) or some white knight/T. Boone Pickens type coming to their rescue would be about the only two things that would change that for La Tech, but even that has its limits.

From a strictly SBC perspective, the Sun Belt should (if they have not already) offer an invite to La Tech...an offer too good to refuse type of invite. The hunted, if the SBC is ever really the hunted, becomes the hunter and the Sun Belt becomes a stronger conference. I'm not really into the whole who is the better conference thing, but this change would arguably vault the SBC ahead of the WAC (at least in the short run). In the long run, it would probably help the WAC refocus itself as a western conference. The La Tech/ULM thing will work itself out one way or another.

Keith

The biggest think is if La Tech is out of the Wac, regardless of where they go, the rest of the Wac is NOT going to look east. They have repeated said the ONLY reason to look east is to support La Tech. The Wac officials also keep talking about wanting only to add teams that WILL NOT leave for decades. They do no want to be a stepping stone, they want to be stable even if that is smaller.

[Cerebus]

If the WAC stays put or adds a western team for how long would La. Tech hang? The word in the past is they would not join the Sun Belt with ULM... to their credit the Boise WAC has worked for them. Is it sustainable without Boise?

I think that resolve is faltering.

How long can they continue to bleed money just for this one sticking point? I know their dream is CUSA, but if they don't get that call soon, they have to realize they are burning money on travel that they could be using to upgrade programs.

[GrandGreen]

I think that resolve is faltering.

How long can they continue to bleed money just for this one sticking point? I know their dream is CUSA, but if they don't get that call soon, they have to realize they are burning money on travel that they could be using to upgrade programs.

I am certainly not that familiar with La Tech finances. I have heard they have a few major supporters, but the state financing crisis in Louisiana has got to be scary. Although it didn't mention La Tech specifically, I recently saw an article that most schools in the Louisiana state system get about fifty percent of their athletic funding from the state. With big state funding cuts looming, I think La Tech may have a lot of cost cutting to do and staying in the WAC looks increasingly foolish. Problem is that a lot of their administrators have apparently make a lot of big promises relating to never going back to the Belt. I frankly don't know why CUSA would be anymore interested in them now, than in the past. I really don't think upgrading programs is their immediate concern, they may be more in a survival mode as they lose millions in state funds.

[buff64]

They probably can't hang on for too long. Eventually the economics just make it very difficult or impossible. The departure of Boise St just accelerates the inevitable. A major change in the make up of the WAC (BTW, adding UNT does not count as a major change) or some white knight/T. Boone Pickens type coming to their rescue would be about the only two things that would change that for La Tech, but even that has its limits.

From a strictly SBC perspective, the Sun Belt should (if they have not already) offer an invite to La Tech...an offer too good to refuse type of invite. The hunted, if the SBC is ever really the hunted, becomes the hunter and the Sun Belt becomes a stronger conference. I'm not really into the whole who is the better conference thing, but this change would arguably vault the SBC ahead of the WAC (at least in the short run). In the long run, it would probably help the WAC refocus itself as a western conference. The La Tech/ULM thing will work itself out one way or another.

Keith

As pointed out La.Tech has stated they would not even consider the Sun Belt because ULM and ULaLa.

[ColoradoEagle]

They're delusional at this point. If and when CUSA looks to add more, they'd be looking at us in the west, and probably MTSU in the east. La. Tech has already been passed over before, and to my knowledge they haven't really done anything since that point that would make schools do a double take.

They can stay in the WAC all the way to FCS unless they come to their senses.

[Cerebus]

As pointed out La.Tech has stated they would not even consider the Sun Belt because ULM and ULaLa.

We'll see if they can keep that stance as the state slashes the amount of money they can spend on athletics.

[GrayEagle]

Eventually, Louisiana Tech will get to the point that they can't afford being the only eastern member of the WAC. ULM is now operating with the smallest budget in the FBS and any cuts would be fatal in time because they do not have the attendance nor the donors to make up the shortfall. That would seem to leave La Tech with three choices:

1) Join another conference. CUSA is likely the only one available to them since they are adamant about joining the Belt. I know that ULM is the main problem but WW could also be a factor.

2) Get enough additions to form an eastern division. That probably require three or four members to realistically work. The only ones that might be available are North Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas State. If CUSA should add only eastern teams then UTEP might also be a possibility.

3) Try to tough it out until ULM has to drop back to FCS due to expenses.

The WAC can't add another western team until next year. No one will drop from the Pac 10 or MWC and those are the only others in their footprint.