The WCC has small, religious schools with very strong academics, pound for pound. Great players have come out of this league, from Stockton to Nash and older superstars during SF's hay day. But right now, there is a huge fish in the pond, so it's more difficult to have hope of making your way to the top. But there are still very dedicated fan bases. I had a layover in the Oakland airport, and it was completely decked out with St. Mary's stuff. Obviously BYU fans are very interested, at least compared to many other schools. Santa Clara has recently stolen the AZ St. curtain of distraction, apparently. There's some life in the WCC fan world, though maybe not as much as in conferences with larger schools.

I also think there's a touch less alcohol in the WCC, mostly because of small sized schools, the very biggest school being dry, and the values of the schools. Pepperdine, for example, is a dry campus. Alcohol riles people up about sports, and larger schools full of alcohol get really riled up. People in the WCC likely don't imbibe to the same degree as other conferences, all things being equal.