The wheel group is a traditional method of slightly increasing security, by making it so only members of the group can su to root. This is best accomplished via PAM. There's been some suggestion of configuring it by default, but a better way (less confusing to those who aren't expecting it) IMHO would be to make it an option in authconfig.
Reclassifying as an RFE, on the longer-term to-do list.
This dovetails nicely with bug #86188. Could maybe be something in the add-a-user thing in firstboot, too.
Updating version to fedora core, to keep it on the radar. But not tryin' to bug you; honest. :)
I don't see it as being priority to fix it in near future. There are more important issues and enhancements in authconfig to be made.
Sounds reasonable. It's more of a whole-system policy decision than merely an authconfig enhancement anyway.