Alt wants UNR to join MWC

Steve Guiremand

Wednesday, June 4, 2003 | 10:03 a.m.

Nevada-Reno athletic director Chris Ault knew the question was coming. And he didn't flinch.

With the Mountain West Conference voting Tuesday to lift its moratorium on expansion, would the Wolf Pack be interested in joining in-state rival UNLV in the MWC?

"My position has been to improve your product and always keep your options open," Ault said. "I would like to one day see UNLV and Nevada playing in the same conference again. Back when I was coaching, the games had so much more meaning then, not just in football but all sports."

But Ault is happy with the move the Wolf Pack made when they left the Big West Conference to join the Western Athletic Conference four years ago.

"It's a great conference to be in," he said. "Our league is also looking into expansion possibilities. A lot is going to depend on what happens in the next few months. If the Big East splits up, I think Conference USA could be done. The ripple effect from just the ACC expanding is going to be very interesting. You could have a lot of teams jumping from one conference to another."

UNLV President Dr. Carol Harter said last week that she would lobby hard for the Mountain West Conference to add Nevada-Reno if the MWC does expand.

"We truly appreciate Dr. Harter's support," Ault said. "I think it speaks to the rivalry of the state. There are a lot of common denominators we have with the Mountain West Conference in terms of geography and the fact we play many of their teams already in non-conference play."

Nevada-Reno, Hawaii and Fresno State are the three most prominent teams mentioned if the Mountain West Conference expands.

Fresno State president Dr. John Welty turned down an interview request on Tuesday.

"Dr. Welty says we're not in a position to comment at this time," said Shirley Armbruster, director of news services at Fresno State.

Hawaii athletic director Herman Frazier also didn't respond to an interview request.

Here's a list of schools that are sure to get a strong look if/when the MWC expands.

Nevada-Reno

Pros: Already has a key supporter in UNLV President Dr. Carol Harter. Geographically a natural fit. BYU even flew into Reno on the day of its football game last year because it was such a close trip. Has good football and basketball facilities.

Cons: Has only the 114th biggest TV market in the nation. Not a name program on the national scale.

Fresno State

Pros: Excellent facilities and fan support. TV market (No. 57) is only a few notches below Las Vegas (No. 52). Football program is one of the best in the West.

Cons: Pat Hill signs about five academic non-qualifiers a year and makes no bones about it. School is in the middle of another academic fraud scandal. Not an easy place to travel to because of limited flights. Great place for farming but not to visit during the hot and humid spring and summer months.

Hawaii

Pros: The Warriors are the only game in town and draw extremely well. TV market is a solid No. 71. And the school already has a big rivalry with BYU from the Cougars' old WAC days. Hawaii also has an automatic tie-in with the Hawaii Bowl if it can win eight games.

Cons: Very expensive to travel to, especially when you throw in all the Olympic sports.

Boise State

Pros: Fast-growing city that is easy to get to from Salt Lake City, Denver or Las Vegas. Good facilities and an underrated athletic program that ranks 66th overall nationally (UNLV is 160). Football program finished No. 12 in ESPN coaches' poll. Would give the MWC a tie-in with the Humanitarian Bowl.

Cons: TV market is just 124th. Just two years removed from the Big West Conference.

Others to consider

If Conference USA does implode, look for the WAC to make a strong push for both TCU and Houston. Why? Dallas is the seventh-largest TV market in the nation while Houston is 11th. So why shouldn't the Mountain West also look into moving into Texas? It's much cheaper to fly to Dallas from Denver or Las Vegas than it is to fly to Honolulu. And the TV contract would figure to be a lot more valuable. SMU, another Dallas school in the WAC, also would make sense under that scenario.