Western Athletic Conference commissioner Karl Benson has predicted that despite the league's lackluster nonconference showing through the first three weeks of the season, the WAC will have two nationally ranked teams in the its football championship game Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
That's likely, with Colorado State still among this week's Top 25 and Brigham Young, Wyoming and Air Force among those threatening to break into the ranks.
What's also likely is that neither team in the WAC title contest will be ranked very high. And if the WAC is going to register a victory against an opponent in the Top 25 polls, it may very well have to be at the expense of one of its own in conference play.
So far, the WAC has failed to topple a top team, and the prospects of upsetting a ranked nonconference opponent through the remainder of the season are not very good.
The WAC has lost all seven contests against teams ranked in this week's Top 25 polls - and the closest contest was No. 15 Colorado downing No. 23 Colorado State, 31-21. The other six have been decided by at least two touchdowns: No. 2 Washington clobbered BYU, 42-20, and San Diego State, 36-3; No. 9 Ohio State whipped Wyoming, 24-10; No. 10 Louisiana State trounced Texas-El Paso, 55-3; Iowa thumped Tulsa, 54-16; and No. 21 Stanford stopped San Jose State, 28-12.
In those seven games, the WAC has been outscored by a cumulative 270-85 margin - or an average of 39-12.
And what are the chances the WAC will claim any victory against a ranked nonconference team? BYU travels to No. 14 Arizona State this week, and next week's schedule includes No. 7 North Carolina visiting Texas Christian and Wyoming traveling to No. 15 Colorado. And in October, UTEP will serve as the Saturday sacrifice for No. 16 Clemson.
So the WAC is 0-7 right now, and only BYU and Wyoming can carry any of the WAC's hopes on the road with them this month. National respect will have to come against lesser nonconference competition.
And the WAC hasn't started off 1997 in the strongest of fashions.
Consider that the league's nonconference record is a sub-.500 13-16. Also, consider that 10 of the victories have come against the weaker-sister Big West (4-2 in cross-conference games) the basketball-dominant Conference USA (2-1) and the Division I-AA Big Sky (4-0).
Against the major conferences, the WAC so far is 1-2 against the SEC, 1-3 against the Big 10, 1-4 against the Big 12, and 0-3 against the Pac-10.
The WAC is also 1-0 against independents.
Following is a capsulated look at the 16 WAC teams, their fortunes so far vs. nonconference foes and their future nonleague opponents:
Pacific Division.
- Air Force (3-0 overall; 2-0 WAC): The Falcons defeated Big Sky's Idaho, 14-10, in their season opener. Still on the Academy's nonconference schedule are The Citadel and military foes Navy and Army.
- Colorado State (3-0, 0-0): Sandwiched around the Rams' 31-21 loss at Colorado were victories over a pair of Big West front-runners: a 45-13 thrashing of Nevada and last week's nipping of Utah State, 35-24. CSU is set with WAC opponents through the end of the regular season.
- Fresno State (1-2, 0-0): After bullying the Big Sky's Portland State, 35-7, the Bulldogs have lost to Baylor, 37-35, and to Oklahoma State, 35-0.
Fresno concludes its nonleague schedule this week at Oregon.
- Hawaii (2-1, 0-1): The Rainbow Warriors provide island getaways for four nonconference foes each year. Hawaii started with wins over Minnesota (17-3) and Division I-AA Cal State Northridge (34-21) and awaits Northeast Louisiana and Notre Dame at the end of the year.
- Nevada-Las Vegas (0-2, 0-1): The Rebels opened by falling, 31-14, to instate rival Nevada of the Big West. UNLV hosts Illinois State Saturday and later travels to Southern Cal.
- San Diego State (1-1, 0-0): The Aztecs opened their season with a Friday afternoon clubbing of Navy, 45-31 - then they suffered a worse fate at the hands of Washington, 36-3. SDSU still must travel to Wisconsin this weekend and later to Arizona.
- San Jose State (0-2, 0-0): The Spartans have been stung by Stanford (28-12) and whipped by Wisconsin (56-10), with an away game at Oregon State down the road.
- Wyoming (2-1, 1-0): By playing in a select preseason matchup and traveling to Hawaii, the Cowboys have an extended schedule similar to BYU's last year and will play five nonconference games. They fell to Ohio State, 24-10, in late August and trounced Big 12 also-ran Iowa State, 56-10. Wyoming still must travel to Colorado (Saturday) and Nevada and host Montana.
Mountain Division.
- Brigham Young (0-1, 0-0): The Cougars follow a previous 42-20 plastering at the hands of Washington with another Pac-10 opponent this week - Arizona State. In early October, BYU hosts instate rival Utah State.
- New Mexico (3-0, 1-0): The Lobos benefit from one of the weaker nonconference schedules. New Mexico downed the Big Sky's Northern Arizona, 33-10, and Big West doormat New Mexico State, 61-24, with the Big West's Utah State on tap this weekend.
- Rice (1-1, 0-1): The Owls' first nonconference foe came easy, as Tulane tumbled, 30-24. Rice still must play at Northwestern (Saturday) and host former Southwest Conference peer Texas.
- Southern Methodist (1-1, 0-1): The Mustangs lost at Mississippi, 23-15, and then walloped Arkansas, 31-9. Awaiting SMU this weekend is Navy.
- Texas Christian (0-2, 0-1): Kansas clipped the Horned Frogs, 17-10, in the opener. TCU is due for some Southern cookin', traveling to Vanderbilt (Saturday) and hosting North Carolina.
- Texas El Paso (0-2, 0-1): The Miners got shafted by LSU, 55-3, in their opener, while New Mexico State (Saturday) and Clemson are scheduled to meet UTEP.
- Tulsa (0-2, 0-0): The Golden Hurricane gets its nonconference games out of the way at the start, having lost at Cincinnati, 34-24, and being humiliated by a vengeful Iowa team, 54-16. Tulsa hosts Missouri this week.
- Utah (2-1, 1-0): The Utes lost their opener to instate rival Utah State, 21-14, before bouncing back to beat Louisville, 27-21. About a month away the Utes play at Oregon.