Posted on: Wednesday, June 8, 2005

Instant replay in WAC not likely

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

Upon further review, the Western Athletic Conference has decided to take a longer look at whether it will experiment with instant replay of officials' calls this football season.

The WAC Board of Directors tabled the issue during the final day of its annual meeting yesterday on Maui, making it doubtful whether it can be implemented when the season opens in less than three months.

Commissioner Karl Benson said the conference, "is awaiting further information regarding our capability to produce games. We're probably 30 days from making a decision."

University of Hawai'i-Manoa Chancellor Peter Englert said, "I think there will not be instant replay this year because the proposal we have seen would only (involve) about five nonconference games."

Englert said, "My parochial argument was that we would probably be the guinea pig and we thought that was not something that we necessarily wanted."

Officials said there was concern that with only a handful of games, those being televised, being subject to instant replay, not all teams would not be treated equally.

"We'd like to give the referees an aid but we'd like to give them that aid everywhere," Englert said.

Boise State President Robert Kustra said, "We'd like to see (instant replay) but, of course, we're going to have to crawl before we learn to walk."

The NCAA last year allowed the Big Ten to experiment with instant replay and has opened it up to all Division I-A conferences for 2005 on a voluntary basis.

In other closely watched action, the WAC board voted to go with a compromise solution to the issue of the so-called "six-credit rule," mandating only players in their final season of eligibility be certified. The new rule parallels that of the Big 12.

For the past three years the WAC rule had required schools to certify that all their athletes, regardless of class standing, had passed at least six semester units in the previous grading period to be eligible to participate in postseason events such as bowl games.

At UH that meant a grade of at least D in two of four classes. Had the new rule been in place three years ago, UH quarterback Tim Chang would not have been penalized for playing against Tulane in the 2002 Hawai'i Bowl without having passed six units. Chang, who had carried incompletes in some classes, eventually made them up, but was suspended from the 2003 opener as a result.

The WAC Council, which is composed of athletic directors, senior women's administrators and faculty representatives, last month recommended rescinding the original rule. The board of directors is made up of presidents and chancellors from the nine schools; it has the final say.

Englert said the new rule addresses a primary concern of players in their final year blowing off classes, "which can be rather tempting."

Benson said there was some concern that WAC schools could be put at a competitive disadvantage against schools from other conferences that do not have the rule.

In other action, the board voted to increase the "inconvenience" fee from $50,000 to $100,000 for schools that move football games from Saturdays to weekdays to accommodate television, as UH is doing with its Nov. 25 game against Wisconsin.

In addition, teams participating in the NCAA men's basketball tournament will receive a $100,000 payment, up from the previous $50,000.

The board also passed Benson's marketing plan and is pushing ahead with his strategic plan, which will be announced at a later date. "I'm very much impressed with where we are in that regard," said Kustra, the board's outgoing chairman.

Kustra said Benson, who has served since 1994, "received a new contract but we don't disclose details. We have confidence in Karl and he continues to lead us as commissioner."

"I appreciate the confidence the board has placed in me," Benson said, "and I look forward to moving the WAC to a higher position."

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.