A man identified as Al Lewis infiltrated the crack security of the teleconference in which Karl Benson announced his Texas two-step yesterday.

But this was not the Utah State radio voice of that name. Nor was it the more famous but deceased Al Lewis, the basketball scout who was Grandpa on "The Munsters."

This was an operative pretending to be the Aggies’ Al Lewis. He wanted to know if Benson would admit he was now commissioner of the worst college sports conference in the free world.

"This is not Al Lewis. Disconnect please," said Benson, quickly returning to celebration mode.

Spin cycle included talk of huge untapped TV markets, bowl-ready football teams and Denver basketball as a Gonzaga waiting to happen.

Not so fast, Mr. Commissioner …

Like any dietitian will tell you, continually gaining and losing isn’t healthy — contraction and expansion over the decades has weakened the WAC overall; Boise’s an aberration, not a workable blueprint.

And, while it may appear Benson saved the conference yet again, the question remains: Is he pumping fresh blood into a corpse?

"Al Lewis" was a bit blunt, but when combined with everything else, yesterday signified survival — but not a great day for the future of the WAC, and it shouldn’t improve the chances of Hawaii remaining in it. It’s simple: Getting Texas-San Antonio, Texas State and Denver does not make up for losing Boise State, Fresno State and Nevada.

UH’s SEMI-FAITHFUL have proven that except in extreme cases they need the Warriors to be up against a brand-name program or established rival to turn out in big numbers. And who’s going to purchase a pay-per-view lineup that features Roadrunners and Bobcats?

Toss in non-football-playing Denver, and the WAC will be up to eight football-playing schools and nine in basketball and other sports in 2012 — that is, if UTSA is ready to roll with its brand-new program.

Eight is enough … barely enough. Unless Denver comes up with a Division I football program out of thin air, the WAC will operate without a safety net; that’s why Montana’s thanks-but-no-thanks is troubling for the league.

LaTech’s a winner here, as it saves travel costs with the addition of the Texas schools. Until "the next Boise State" emerges, geography and quality dictate a name change: Call it the West East Athletic Conference — WEAC … and yes, pronounce the acronym with a hard "C."

» IF EXPERIENCE and maturity at point guard equal wins, Hawaii should pull out a few more than most expect in the season that starts tonight against Montana State.

One of the few holdovers from last year is 23-year-old senior Hiram Thompson. Gib Arnold is his third head coach; Thompson played as a freshman in 2005-2006 under Riley Wallace, went on a mission and then played for Bob Nash the past two seasons.

"I think I played against him when I was at Punahou, in the ‘Iolani Classic," the 42-year-old Arnold quipped.

» SHOULD AUBURN quarterback Cam Newton still be the leading candidate for the Heisman despite a rising tide of controversy?

Voting guidelines say choose college football’s "most outstanding" player. Not sure if they mean to include most outstanding traffic violations.

Technically, Newton is still "most outstanding," because the alleged NCAA violations have recently given him an even higher profile than his considerable talent and on-field achievements.

But if we’re looking for the most valuable player — the one most brutally efficient, indispensable to his team and with the most impact on the national scene — my pick at this point would be Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore.

» IT’S GOOD someone with the power to make it happen realized a change was in order for UH soccer. And after 17 years as the only head coach in the history of the Rainbow Wahine program, it’s fine that Pinsoom Tenzing is allowed to say he retired.

Though soccer isn’t a revenue-producing sport, it’s still a big ticket item in the athletic department budget. UH should field better teams considering how much soccer talent is produced here and get a better return on its investment in the form of wins and championships.