According to a report by ESPN.com, WAC commissioner Karl Benson believes that Fresno State and Nevada – two schools leaving the conference for the Mountain West – owe the WAC $5 million in buyout penalties.

Karl Benson says the Bulldogs and Wolf Pack are going to have to pay up on a departure fee and possibly stay in the WAC until 2012 because they didn’t meet a deadline to get out of the league earlier.

Benson believes both schools owe $5 million buyout penalties, whether the agreements were signed or orally agreed upon.

And don’t expect any favors.

Benson says Fresno State and Nevada acted selfishly when they accepted invitations to join the Mountain West. That basically dissolved an agreement the WAC had to bring BYU back to the league in every sport but football.

Is it just me or does Benson come off resembling a salty ex trying to get back at his former lover? If the two schools owe the WAC $5 million, then so be it. But don’t make this personal by saying Fresno State and Nevada acted selfishly when all of college football acts selfishly all the time.

The goal for any program is to gain as much exposure and make as much money as they possibly can. Therefore, there shouldn’t be any surprise when it comes to why a program jumps conferences.

Boise State knocks off Nevada, wins share of WAC title With their 44-33 win over Nevada on Friday night, Boise State seized a share of the WAC title.

The two teams repeated recent history after the Broncos jumped out a big lead only to have the Wolf Pack make it a game towards the end of the first half. Last season, Boise was up 21 points twice before Nevada came back and made it a one-possession game in the fourth quarter. In 2007, the Broncos had a 21-7 lead evaporate before finally beating the Wolf Pack in the fourth overtime.

On Friday, Boise cruised to a 27-3 second quarter lead before Nevada crawled back right before half with two touchdowns under four minutes. The Broncos also had a 44-26 lead in the fourth until the Wolf Pack added a garbage touchdown at the end to make the score respectable.

Kellen Moore finished with 262 yards on 17-of-33 passing for five touchdowns. Sophomore tailback Doug Martin also added 128 yards on 16 carries as the Broncos racked up 165 rushing yards.

Of course, that was nothing compared to the 242 rushing yards Nevada compiled. Vai Taua was once again as good as advertised, rushing for 160 yards on 24 carries and one touchdown (which went for 71 yards).

In the end, Nevada just couldn’t string enough drives together in the second half to seize the momentum in the game and turn the tide in their favor. Even after Taua busted off the 71-yard to put them up by eight and they recovered a Boise fumble on the next possession, the Wolf Pack couldn’t flip the script.

A win once again just wasn’t in the cards for Nevada.

With his state’s budget sinking into a financial black hole, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a sports wagering bill into law last week. An old argument was revived once again – should sports gambling be legalized in the United States? Why not? Gambling has been a part of Americana since our inception.

Government has been the biggest promoter of gambling, as 44 states have a lottery system and 29 states are home to casinos. It is time for our lawmakers to examine the idea of licensing and regulating the sports betting industry.

Politicians use to avoid gambling like the plague, but that has all changed since the advent of riverboat gambling and Indian casinos in recent years. According to several different studies, approximately $380 billion is bet legally or illegally on sports in the United States each year, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, a certified public accountant firm, has estimated that the federal government could earn $2 billion over the next decade if they begin taxing rather than policing sports gambling.

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