Fresno State and Nevada should not expect any parting gifts from the other members of the Western Athletic Conference when the Bulldogs and Wolf Pack leave for the Mountain West. WAC commissioner Karl Benson said Thursday that each departing school will have to pay a $5 million fee to his league and wait until 2012 to move after accepting the MWC's invitation and dismantling an agreement the WAC was on the verge of completing with BYU. The Cougars were in line to rejoin the WAC in all sports other than football, in which BYU would have become an independent. Benson called Fresno State and Nevada's decision "selfish." Read more: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=5477045
WAC sues Fresno State, Nevada September, 14, 2010 We knew it was going to come down to this: The WAC has sued Fresno State and Nevada in order to keep the two schools in the conference through the 2011-12 season. The Mountain West is also included in the suit, in order to stop the league from scheduling those schools into conference play for next season. Commissioner Karl Benson felt he had no other choice in the matter. When he was informed by both school presidents that they wanted to leave the WAC to join the Mountain West in August, both had missed the July 1 cutoff date specifically spelled out in league bylaws. They reiterated their intentions to leave after this season. Benson responded with a letter in writing Aug. 26 saying the league's bylaws stipulated they must remain members through June 30, 2012 and the WAC wouldn't agree to change that. When he got no response, the WAC decided it had to take legal action as a protective measure for its six remaining teams. The suit was filed last Thursday. http://espn.go.com/blog/ncfnation/post/_/id/27029/wac-sues-fresno-state-nevada
