SALT LAKE CITY — For the Western Athletic Conference, the bottom line is the bottom line.

The 2009 WAC Football Preview was supposed to be a meet-the-press event designed to promoting the league's nine football teams. Instead, the underlying theme has been the troubled economy and its impact on football programs and athletic departments.

Even the WAC's most successful team — Boise State, predicted to finish No. 1 in the coaches' and media's preseason polls — is not immune.

The seven-figure check the Broncos earned from the 2007 Fiesta Bowl has long been cashed — and spent — and they are now mindful of all of their purchases.

"We've had to make some hard decisions," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said.

Petersen recalled a recent discussion, in which the equipment manager wanted to make a $75 purchase.

"We're not going to get it," Petersen said. "We don't have $75. Those are the conversations we've had."

The California state schools also have been hit hard. There has been talk of ordering furloughs for employees.

"We're going to have to see what the state mandates," San Jose State coach Dick Tomey said.

Meanwhile, Tomey said, "we're trying to go line by line (over the budget) and see where we can help the effort."

Tomey said he envisions the end of the practice of football teams staying in hotels preceding home games.

"The idea of staying in a hotel the night before a game might become passe," Tomey said. "I don't think it's an essential item."

Fresno State coach Pat Hill suggested the possibility of playing its game in Hawai'i at an earlier time. He said that would allow the Bulldogs to catch a red-eye flight after the game and avoid paying for an extra night's hotel stay.

"I just don't want to spend an extra night when you're trying to save money," Hill said. "That's a way to save. After a game, what are you going to do? Go to sleep so you can catch a 7 o'clock flight? You're not going to get much sleep."

He estimated that it cost between $12,000 and $15,000 each day for food, hotel rooms and transportation.

This year, only four WAC schools, including Hawai'i, printed media guides. Nevada cited "continuing efforts of financial responsibility" in its decision to not print "traditional media guides."

"At least we're not laying off anybody yet," Hill said. "There might be layoffs. It's a difficult time."

But Derek Dooley, Louisiana Tech's athletic director and football coach, said his athletic department "didn't get caught up in the hysteria. The first thing people tend to do is panic."

Instead, Louisiana Tech made "strategic cuts" while still funding "areas we needed to invest in. We made more investments than cuts."

He said the athletic department purchased a new video scoreboard, formed a partnership with TicketMaster, added new sky suites to the football stadium and formed an events-management staff. Dooley said the "investments" will help recruiting and increase the fan base by making the game-day experience more enjoyable.

Dooley said the school needed to "make tough investments" that will pay off in the "back end." He cautioned against "putting money in a mattress."

In his annual state-of-the-league address, WAC commissioner Karl Benson reiterated that the conference will receive an additional $5 million from the larger BCS and ESPN agreements. While ESPN's seven-year contract extension begins this football season, the extra payments won't be made until 2010. The money then will be funneled to the member schools.

SPARE TIME

Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who was named the WAC's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, spent part of his summer workouts focusing on bowl scenarios.

"This summer, we got into bowling," Kaepernick said. "We bowled here and there."

Kaepernick said his usual score was between 170 and 180.

EYE ON HAWAI'I

New Mexico State's first-year coach DeWayne Walker said he would like to continue to use Hawai'i as a recruiting base.

"I do have a lot of friends in Hawai'i," Walker said. "I want to keep recruiting Polynesian players."

He also is open to continuing the Aggies' practice of performing a pre-game haka.

"That's something we need to talk about as a staff," he said. "I'm not opposed to it at all."

MAKING THE GRADE

It appears San Jose State is one report card away from being reinstated to good academic terms with the NCAA.

A low Academic Progress Rate has cost the Spartans football scholarships and spring-practice dates. But school officials said the Spartans have improved academically, and after the next report, should have a full complement of 85 football scholarships to offer.

Defensive end Carl Ihenacho represents the Spartans' renewed emphasis on academics. Ihenacho will earn a bachelor's degree in December, the end of his seventh semester. He has a 3.5 cumulative grade-point average.