Rice University will become the latest Western Athletic Conference school to accept an invitation to join Conference USA, sources close to the situation told The Houston Chronicle.

Rice, a WAC member since 1996, will be invited to join C-USA along with Tulsa and SMU in the near future, and sources say Rice will accept. Marshall and Central Florida of the Mid-American Conference will also get invitations.

Rice athletic director Bobby May and school president Malcolm Gillis met with C-USA commissioner Britton Banowsky for more than an hour Thursday. Neither would confirm or deny that Rice will switch conferences.

"Things look promising for us and Conference USA," May told the paper. "That's what we're looking into, and the more we look, the better it looks to me. I'm optimistic that discussions will continue and we'll continue to make progress.

"They have an interest in us and us an interest in them. We're certainly making progress. We had a good exchange of information and talked about the prospects of what it would mean to join that league. It was a productive discussion, and there's a future."

While no formal offer was made, Gillis called the meeting "very fruitful and informative" and told the paper, "It is clear that there is a good basis for moving forward."

Officials from both sides are to conduct further discussions over the phone in the next few days, Gillis said.

According to the paper, Banowsky, who could not be reached by the paper for comment, met with officials from SMU on Wednsday and was to meet with Tulsa officials on Friday.

"We will continue to engage in discussions, not only with Conference USA but also with other Texas sister institutions in the WAC," Gillis told the paper.

C-USA members have authorized the invitiations in preparation for the moves of Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette and DePaul to the Big East. The Big East is expected to finalize its intentions when its members' presidents meet Nov. 4.

"Things are going to move pretty fast," May told the paper. "The trigger is likely going to be the Big East announcement when they finally decide what they're going to do officially. Until then, not a whole lot can happen, except for discussions. I would think something would develop over the next few weeks. I don't know if that timetable is going to change dramatically, but it should sort itself out soon."

Rice would be required to stay in the WAC through the 2004-05 school year because WAC rules state that schools must give a year's notice prior to Sept. 1. Rice University's Board of Trustees would have to approve any conference move by the university.

According to the paper, the four Texas schools would join Tulsa and current C-USA member Tulane in a six-team Western Division that would ease travel burdens and perhaps promote regional rivalries.

The Eastern Division would include Memphis, Southern Mississippi, East Carolina, Alabama-Birmingham, Central Florida and Marshall. Saint Louis and Charlotte, current C-USA non-football members, reportedly will join the Atlantic 10.