Las Vegas Bowl wants to cut WAC connection

Steve Carp

Friday, July 31, 1998 | 10:12 a.m.

With eight of its 16 members intending to form a conference of their own next season, the Western Athletic Conference apparently has lost one of its three bowl game tie-ins.

The Las Vegas Bowl has indicated to the WAC that it wants out of its three-year deal, which concludes in 1999. The WAC is in the second year of the contract with the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.

The WAC has tie-ins with the Cotton and Holiday Bowls and with the new Oahu Football Classic in Hawaii. This year's Las Vegas Bowl will be played Dec. 19, and the WAC is guaranteed a spot in the game at Sam Boyd Stadium.

"We've already sent a letter asking to renegotiate," Rossi Ralenkotter, the LVCVA'S vice president of marketing, said. "We hope to finalize it over the next 60 days."

The WAC's contract with the Las Vegas Bowl does permit the LVCVA to renegotiate the deal.

The contract states in part, "If, during the term of this agreement, there is a change in the institutional membership in the WAC, either by addition or deletion of a member institution(s), there shall be a good faith renegotiation upon written request of the LVCVA."

WAC commissioner Karl Benson said he expected the LVCVA to exercise that option.

"I expect there will be a good faith renegotiation (with the LVCVA)," he said.

Ralenkotter said part of the negotiated settlement could mean the WAC being given consideration as an at-large team in the annual pairing of opponents.

"That's very possible," he said. "But our goal has always been to produce the best matchup of the bowl-eligible teams. If the WAC had a team that fit the criteria, we would certainly look at them."

The LVCVA's decision opens the door for the departing WAC schools to align with the Las Vegas Bowl. The yet-to-be-named league, which has UNLV as one of its eight members, hopes to begin negotiations with the LVCVA in the next 60 days.

However, the eight departing schools have yet to officially notify the WAC they are leaving. The WAC's bylaws state any member wishing to leave the conference must do so in writing by September 1.

"We've had some informal discussions and we know they are going through the process of getting organized," Rallenkotter said. "We're in no rush at this point and we told them we would wait until they were ready."

The remaining WAC presidents met via conference call Wednesday to re-affirm their commitment to each other as a league.

Meanwhile, the WAC was settling up with Las Vegas Events regarding the future of the conference's football championship game and its men's and women's basketball tournaments.

The WAC and Las Vegas Events had a deal through 2000. However, with the impending breakup of the league, there will be no need for a football championship and the basketball tournaments would obviously move, with UNLV no longer a member of the conference.

Benson said a restructured agreement was expected to be done by today.