On the same day that Nevada and Fresno State announced they had accepted invitations to join the Mountain West Conference, WAC commissioner Karl Benson said he would attempt to force the two schools to remain in the conference through the 2012 school year.
Suffice to say, Nevada does not see eye to eye with the commish on the departure issue.
According to the Reno Gazette Journal, Nevada president Milton Glick has sent a letter to Benson informing him that his school fully intends to join the MWC following the 2010-2011 school year. Both schools missed the July 1 deadline — one that Boise State slid under in joining the MWC — for leaving the WAC and then verbally agreed to a $5 million penalty for any conference member leaving early, although Nevada never actually signed any documents.
Glick said the date they leave “is not a unilateral decision” and that “the ball is in [the WAC’s] court” as far as leaving and at what price, but laid out the case that it would be much better for all involved to leave sooner rather than later.
“Once you make that decision, everyone is best served by moving on,” he said. “By WAC by-laws we’re no longer a member of the board. For two years we wouldn’t have a seat at the table (if Nevada left in 2012-13). … And once you’ve withdrawn from a conference, to hang out for two years leaves everybody in an unsettled state. I wouldn’t accept the job of president and wait around for two years.
“We’re very enthusiastic about the move. We’d like to get going.”
As we all know, the departures of both Nevada and Fresno State will be determined once one overriding principle has been agreed upon by all sides: money. Once that happens, each will be free to move about Mountain West country.
