The Wiz of Odds

Villanova and Montana Could Be Moving Up

Villanova has an invitation to join the Big East in football, according to the Philadelphia Daily News, and Montana is likely to get an offer from the Western Athletic Conference to move its athletics program to the Division I-A level

Big East officials were not commenting, but Villanova athletic director Vince Nicastro told the Daily News: "The Big East very recently communicated its interest in adding Villanova as a football member. As a result, we have decided to embark on an in-depth evaluation of this opportunity.

"As you might suspect, this is a complex issue, which entails many dimensions — both quantitative and qualitative. While we will move forward on this as quickly as possible, it is critical that all of those dimensions are vetted thoroughly prior to making any final decision."

San Diego St., UNLV and UTEP Were Targeted by WAC

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser has put together the most complete picture yet of the Western Athletic Conference's far-reaching and elaborate plan to recast the league as the foremost non-Bowl Championship Series conference. The plan — "The Project" as it became known internally — was torpedoed from within when co-conspirators Fresno State and Nevada decided at the 11th hour to bolt for the rival Mountain West on Aug. 18.

WAC commissioner Karl Benson, above, received authorization from the league's Board of Directors on June 16 to proceed with the plan, which centered on luring Brigham Young back to the WAC. This came after Benson had "preliminary discussions with ESPN" that indicated the TV rights fees could rise by as "300 percent" over the nearly $500,000 per school that is received now, according to a memo obtained by the newspaper.

Utah State president Stan Albrecht, a former BYU administrator, would work as Benson's point man. Albrecht approached BYU on June 18, but the school, still stinging from rival Utah being scooped up by the Pacific 10, was was not interested. The Cougars' stance softened over the next month, but only if it could join the league as a non-football member.

Brigham Young and the WAC: How It Nearly Came to Be

Brigham Young had plenty of co-conspirators in its planned move out of the Mountain West Conference. Utah State for one. ESPN for another.

Yes, that's right. The four-letter network was involved from the beginning.

Documents and email correspondence obtained by the Salt Lake Tribune through an open records request detailed how the Cougars planned to declare their independence in football and join the Western Athletic Conference in all other sports.

Utah State president Stan Albrecht, who has been criticized for not accepting an offer to move the Aggies from the WAC to the Mountain West after news of BYU's planned move began to trickle out, had incentive to stay the course. He had masterminded with WAC commissioner Karl Benson, BYU president Cecil Samuelson, Fresno State president John Welty, Nevada president Milt Glick and ESPN to spring the Cougars.

After a Crazy Day, What's Next?

Reaction from a crazy day that saw Brigham Young on the verge of becoming an independent in football and Fresno State and Nevada announcing that they would be leaving the Western Athletic Conference in order to join the Mountain West. The situation remains fluid. Follow The Wiz on Twitter to get the latest developments.

Jeff Call, Deseret News: As of late Wednesday, BYU was still a member of the Mountain West. "We are aware of the many media reports and questions circulating about BYU's conference alignment," associate athletic director Duff Tittle said in a statement. "As director of athletics Tom Holmoe explained recently, BYU has been reviewing, and will continue to explore, every option to advance its athletic program. At this point, BYU has no further comment."

Dan Rasmussen, Deseret News: BYU fans are supportive of the Cougars' move to independence. "I think it's a great idea," said Ron Allen, 65, of Salt Lake City. "It'll allow us to play some top teams in the nation." He was one of many fans to use two words: "Notre" and "Dame."

Greg Wrubell, KSL: Standing alone would be nothing new at BYU.

Brad Rock, Deseret News: BYU's future was crystal clear for about six hours. Then Fresno State and Nevada decided they didn't like the plan.

KITV: Hawaii athletic director Jim Donovan said the school will look into becoming an independent in football if the WAC should crumble. Link to video.

Dan Hinxman, Reno Gazette-Journal: Nevada did not sign the WAC's $5 million buyout clause that would have made it prohibitive to consider a move to the Mountain West, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation have told the newspaper.

Jim Rayburn, Deseret News: Being an independent in football presents many challenges. Just ask Notre Dame, Army and Navy.

Brigham Young's New Mission: Independence

After weeks of speculation, Brigham Young is prepared to leave the Mountain West Conference and declare itself an independent in football beginning in 2011. The Cougars will join the Western Athletic Conference in all other sports, an arrangement much like the one Notre Dame has with the Big East.

The move was first reported on the Colorado State football Twitter page: "BYU to go independent in football in 2011. Cougars will join the WAC for all other sports. Press conference scheduled for Thursday."

Update: Colorado State now says its Twitter feed was compromised. Regardless of what happened in Fort Collins, the deal for BYU to join the WAC is going through, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

BYU has been considering its options for months, but the move is likely being made now because the Mountain West does not have an exit penalty as long as a school gives notice by Sept. 1 of the year before it wants to leave.

BYU no doubt feels secure in making such a move because the school has what Texas and many other schools now covet: A state-of-the-art worldwide TV network that is on the basic packages of Dish Network, DirecTV and some 200 cable companies.

Turns Out, Texas A&M Is Not Flush With Cash

Perhaps now we know why Texas A&M president R. Bowen Loftin has insisted that the Big 12 live up to its promise of $20 million in conference revenue beginning in 2012-13.

Texas A&M is attempting to trim $60 million campuswide, and one of the proposed cuts is the elimination of toilet paper in residence hall bathrooms shared by up to four people. The move, which would begin in 2011, is projected to save $82,000.

"We looked at what areas can we cut and not negatively affect our students' academics, and it was that," said Sherylon Carroll, associate vice president for communications.

Carroll added that "some students prefer to bring their own toilet paper anyway."

Students are not happy.