Editor's note: Every Sunday, the Deseret News takes a look back into our archives.
Administrators at BYU, Utah, Colorado State, Wyoming, Air Force, New Mexico, San Diego State and UNLV cited financial concerns and the erosion of rivalries in deciding to break from the 16-team Western Athletic Conference and form a new league in 1999.
Trying to schedule in the mammoth league proved to be a problem, with the initial creation of quadrants and then trying to decide on permanent divisions that would have hampered traditional rivalries.