WAC Commissioner Karl Benson is "expected to take the same position with the Sun Belt Conference," according to Dennis Dodd of CBSSPORTS.com. Benson has been "in his current position since" '94. The recent "instability of the league may have led to his decision to pursue the Sun Belt job." Current Sun Belt Commissioner Wright Waters is "retiring later this year." A formal announcement on Benson is expected tomorrow. He is "expected to take office at the New Orleans-based Sun Belt on April 1, the week the city is hosting the Final Four" (CBSSPORTS.com, 2/14). Benson said, "I can't comment on rumors. I won't comment on rumors." In California, Jeff Davis notes the report "came a day after the Mountain West and Conference USA announced plans to form a new 18- to 24-team league in 2013, leaving the possibility of swallowing up the WAC's remaining football-playing schools" (FRESNO BEE, 2/15). Benson is in his 17th year with the conference, making him the "longest-serving commissioner in WAC history." In Honolulu, Ferd Lewis notes changes in WAC membership that "could force it to become a basketball-only conference as soon as 2013 are believed to be behind Benson's move." His contract with the WAC runs through '14 (Honolulu STAR-ADVERTISER, 2/15).
