Hello Everyone,

Please see the article below that appeared in today's edition of The Idaho
Statesman. The story, by sportswriter Chadd Cripe, reports Rice, SMU and Tulsa
may join Conference USA this year instead of 2005. The article also reports the
Mountain West Conference is expected to issue TCU an invitation later this
month.

Here's the text of the article:

The Western Athletic Conference may trade Tulsa, Rice and SMU for New Mexico
State and Utah State a year earlier than expected.

The Big East and Conference USA have had conversations about completing their
membership overhauls this summer instead of 2005, WAC commissioner Karl Benson
said, a decision that would affect the WAC, Sun Belt and Mid-American
conferences.

The 10-team WAC is losing three teams to Conference USA, including Humanitarian
Bowl participant Tulsa, and gaining two from the Sun Belt.

"Everyone would like to have this done as soon as possible and not go through a
lame-duck year," Benson said. "We have been a supporter of getting it done for
'04 if possible."

Tulsa athletic director Judy MacLeod said the Hurricane would like to move
immediately. They would need the WAC's permission because of the late notice.

"The WAC has been good to us," said MacLeod, whose school joined in 1996. "But
when you're in the position where you've already announced that you're leaving,
that lame-duck year is tough on everybody."

Any changes would have to begin with the Big East, which is adding Cincinnati,
Louisville and South Florida from C-USA for football and some non-football
schools. The conference already has lost Miami and Virginia Tech to the ACC for
2004 and is scheduled to lose Boston College in the next couple years.

If the Big East makes its changes now, then Conference USA will want to pull in
newcomers Rice, Tulsa and SMU of the WAC and Central Florida and Marshall of the
MAC.

"It has to start with the Big East and Conference USA," Benson said. "... If
they agree to do it, then we'll follow."

MacLeod hasn't gotten involved. She expects the conference commissioners and
school presidents to make the final decision.

"It will take a lot of work, and a lot of cooperation from everybody," she said.
"If one league doesn't want to do it, it will have that domino effect."

The biggest challenge could be the football schedules. The WAC already has
released its schedule.
Another problem is the Mountain West, which still hasn't made its expansion
decision. The conference is expected to invite TCU from Conference USA sometime
this month, which could prompt C-USA to take Louisiana Tech from the WAC and
further complicate a quick transition.

WAC members Boise State, Nevada, Fresno State and Hawaii also have been
mentioned as potential Mountain West additions.

"We haven't fully looked at where the games are and where the holes would be (in
the football schedules)," Benson said. "It certainly would not be an impossible
task, but it would be a difficult task."

Hope your new year is off to a great start,
Marc

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]