WAC achieves second-best bowl record

Advertiser Staff

Aided by the University of Hawai'i's victory in the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, the Western Athletic Conference finished second in ESPN's Bowl Challenge Cup standings.

The WAC went 3-1, finishing behind the Atlantic Coast Conference, which was 5-1. It is the second consecutive year the WAC has been a runner-up.

The cup is awarded to the conference with the best bowl winning percentage each season. A minimum of three teams appearing in bowls is required for eligibility.

In addition to UH's 54-48 triple-overtime victory over Houston, Fresno State beat UCLA, 17-9, in the Silicon Valley Football Classic, and Boise State beat Texas Christian, 34-31, in the Fort Worth Bowl. The lone loss was by Tulsa to Georgia Tech, 52-10, in the Humanitarian Bowl.

"The Western Athletic Conference once again showed that WAC football is an exciting, entertaining brand of football," commissioner Karl Benson said. "Add in the success our teams have had the past two years when it matters most, and it proves that WAC football teams are among the nation's best."

In 2002, the WAC was 2-1.

Over the past two seasons combined, the WAC has the best overall winning percentage, 71.4 percent, among nine Division I-A conferences, according to a WAC report.

The WAC has six of the 10 non-Bowl Championship Series bowl wins over BCS-conference opponents since 1999, including a 3-1 mark over the past two seasons.

ESPN's Bowl Challenge Cup standings

1. Atlantic Coast 5-1 .833
2. WAC 3-1 .750
3. Southeastern 5-2 .714
4. Pac-10 4-2 .666
5. Big East 2-3 .400
6. Big Ten 3-5 .375
7. Mountain West 1-2 .333
8. Big 12 2-6 .250
9. C-USA 1-4 .200