In late August, Jake Bullinger, prepared the special for SI.com, “How Conference Realignment Wiped WAC Football off the Map.” For the 2013 season the WAC will most likely not exist as a football conference. In fact it may not even exist as an athletic conference.
The Western Athletic Conference, (WAC) was formed in 1962 with BYU, Utah, University of New Mexico, Wyoming, Arizona, and Arizona State as its members. Over the years it membership changed drastically as new member joined on other members left for the Mountain West Conference, Conference USA, and the PAC 8 Conference. 
Current membership includes:
• Louisiana Tech
• New Mexico State University
• San Jose State
• Seattle University
• Texas State
• University of Denver
• University of Idaho
• University of Texas at Arlington
• University of Texas at San Antonio
• Utah State
For all practical purposes the NCAA and the larger body of college football have no apparent reason to care about the loss of the WAC. None of its current members are serious threats to the teams in the top conferences nor are they responsible for significant revenue generation.
The demise of the WAC may mean that some students will lose scholarships or an opportunity to play. Coaches and staff members at some of these schools may be adversely affected if programs are scaled down or disbanded.
There is no doubt that college football is a great American tradition – even in the current version of the WAC. That is not the issue. Research shows that college football expenditures at many schools are trending on an unsustainable track. The whacking of the WAC raises a number of questions:
• Should all colleges and universities have football programs? Certainly schools such as the University of Denver, Colorado College, DePaul, Marquette, Providence, Seton Hall and St. John’s would argue that it isn’t necessary.
• Football programs are big business. Is it financially possible to support athletic conferences for schools without football programs?
• Can the WAC football schools find other conferences to join or can they afford to be independents like Notre Dame?
• Have television rights, sponsorships, and advertising partnerships become more important than the players and coaches in the program?
• For schools with programs that are less successful, football programs are often money pits. Will they eventually spend themselves into bankruptcy as they try to keep up with the schools funded by Phil Knight and T.B. Pickens?
• Is the demise of the WAC yet another step in the formation of football super conferences for only the elite programs?
• Should college football formally become the farm system for the National Football League – funded by the NFL?
• What are the unintended consequences of the shutdown of the WAC or football programs at other smaller athletic conferences?
• As the chase for $$ accelerates, will college football go the way of the World Series – a great American tradition that has lost its luster?
• Will the loss of the WAC adversely impact scholarship and playing opportunities for kids in other sports?
Stay tuned!