WAC adds CSUB, Utah Valley

The Western Athletic Conference will survive through 2013-14 at least, after announcing the additions of California State University, Bakersfield and Utah Valley Tuesday morning. 

The two schools will officially become members July 1, 2013, joining Seattle, Denver, New Mexico State and Idaho. The conference will no longer sponsor football.

“Both are quality institutions and bring high level competitive and academic qualities to the 2013-14 membership,” interim WAC commissioner Jeff Hurd said.  “We are excited to begin the process of rebuilding the WAC and will continue to work to reestablish the league as one of the top Division I conferences in the West.”

The additions will work to replace the six departing institutions: Texas State, Texas-San Antonio, Texas-Arlington, La. Tech, Utah State and San Jose State.

The conference will be granted a two-year grace period in which it’s allowed to be under the NCAA mandated minimum of seven teams, meaning all six schools will be eligible for NCAA tournaments.

“We might think we’re more ready than we actually are, but we’ve worked hard to get to that point. We’ve really competed with all of the WAC schools with all of our sports,” Mike Jacobsen, Utah Valley athletic director, said. “I don’t know we’re going to be the best at everything, but we’re going to be in the mix.”

Utah Valley had attempted to join the WAC during last summer’s expansion, though it lost out to Seattle and Denver.

The next step for the conference, Hurd said, is getting to a stable membership number, preferably 10 to 12. The emphasis is on preserving the WAC as a non-football playing conference, though football in the future is not being taken off the table.

The focus now shifts to Idaho, which has been in negotiations with the Big Sky conference for its non-football sports while the football program attempts FBS independence. Idaho has not withdrawn from the WAC, and it has not stated intentions to leave.

According to WAC bylaws, Idaho would have had to announce by July 1, if it wished to join another conference by the fall of 2013.

Idaho’s incentive for remaining in the WAC would be the money the school will receive from departing institutions. Schools that declare intentions to leave have to forfeit end of year conference revenues. The revenue from the 10 schools will be distributed among the four remaining members, with New Mexico State and Idaho receiving most of it as football sponsoring schools.

The Idaho athletic department was not able to provide a specific amount of money the school is in line to receive.

Idaho would not receive that money if it joined the Big Sky in 2013-14, Hurd said.

Sean Kramer can be reached at [email protected]

New additions, at a glance:

Utah Valley University

Current conference: Great West

Location: Orem, Utah