MWC expansion vote not expected
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer
The presidents of the Mountain West Conference open their annual meetings today in Colorado, but the University of Hawai'i won't be waiting by the phone for a call.
Despite persistent speculation that the MWC might vote to expand its membership beyond the current eight, UH officials say they don't expect an invitation any time soon.
"I don't see it in the cards ... but you never know what presidents will do," said Hugh Yoshida, UH athletic director. "Just like when the (MWC) presidents split from the WAC."
Yoshida, who is scheduled to retire at the expiration of his contract in December, said UH's conference future will be a matter for his successor to pursue.
Neither MWC commissioner Craig Thompson nor his Western Athletic Conference counterpart, Karl Benson, say they expect invitations for any WAC teams in the near future.
There has been speculation that the MWC, which is composed of schools who broke away from the 16-team WAC after the 1998 school year, would lift its moratorium on expansion and invite UH and Fresno State in time for the 2003 football season.
But Thompson said the moratorium, which may be lifted anytime, remains in place and expansion is not on the MWC presidents' official agenda.
Going into the MWC meetings, the chances of expansion "before 2004 are very slim," Thompson said. He said he hasn't heard any of the MWC presidents push for immediate expansion, "let alone a majority of them."
Benson, who meets with the WAC Board of Directors in California today and tomorrow, said, "I don't think there will be any expansion this year — for either league."
Fresno State has made a strong push to gain MWC membership in the past two years. MWC officials and people familiar with FSU's situation said the school hired former San Diego State and Arizona State athletic director Fred Miller to lobby the MWC on the Bulldogs' behalf more than a year ago.
Thompson said Miller made "unofficial" presentations to MWC leaders and visited the campuses of several conference members to present FSU's case but the bid never came to a vote.
Meanwhile, Thompson said he has had no contact from Yoshida, other UH officials or their representatives about possible expansion.
MWC officials have said their membership is reluctant to share in the current ABC/ESPN television contract which pays $48 million over seven years. Thompson said neither the Bowl Championship Series, which the MWC seeks to join, nor ABC/ESPN have said expansion would immediately enhance the MWC's contracts or standing.
Thompson said although there is interest among MWC football coaches in going to balanced scheduling (four home games and four away) and a necessity for members to play five home games against Division IA competition by 2004 to satisfy new NCAA standards, they are not issues driving expansion at this point.
To leave the WAC, a member would have to notify the rest of the conference by Sept. 1 a year before departure.
