Post by elp525 on Oct 28, 2011 5:22:57 GMT -5
Friday October 28, 2011
by Jack Bogaczyk
Charleston Daily Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- While politicians who should be solving bigger issues are in full-bluster bloviation about the Big 12 Conference's ham-handed expansion work, something of real concern to potential newcomers from the Big East is afoot in Longhorn Land.
For West Virginia and Louisville, time is of the essence.
The Big 12 Board of Directors (read presidents, chancellors) meets Monday. The Big East presidents meet Tuesday. Big East officials currently are making the rounds of expansion candidate schools - Air Force on Wednesday, Boise State on Thursday, etc.
If the Big 12 doesn't make a firm deal with WVU or Louisville (or both) on Monday and the Big East presidents vote to add six schools Tuesday and execute an agreement with at least one, the Big East exit fee hike is activated and a buyout for the Mountaineers and/or Cardinals doubles to $10 million.
There's also this to consider:
Louisville visits Mountaineer Field a week from Saturday. If the Big 12 opts for the Cardinals over WVU in the days prior to kickoff, how do you think that's going to blow over with the beer-buying, gold-and-bluebloods?
In that vein, if Louisville gets a spot over West Virginia in Big 12 revisionist thinking, and the Big East loses its BCS berth in the next round of automatic qualification, the Mountaineers' program will never be the same again unless it can somehow arm-twist the SEC or ACC into a spot down the road.
WVU fans probably don't want to think about that, but they should, because it's possible after what transpired earlier this week.
While Southeastern Conference-bound Missouri continues to milk its way to remaining relevant - and while half of the Tigers in-state constituency has been more World Seriously concerned about the St. Louis Cardinals - the Big 12 twists more than two schools in the wind.
Because of the Big 12's indecision and ineptitude, WVU is made to look desperate and Louisville appears cutthroat. West Virginia did nothing wrong, and now is being played as the stooge as the Big 12 does what one of its people calls "due diligence."
Or, would that be overdue diligence?
The Big 12, somehow, has managed to make itself look more football-fumbling than the Big East. Know how tough that is to do?
And if the Big 12 now slams the door on West Virginia, one person who is going to lose a lot of credibility is someone who has built plenty of it in college athletics over the years. That's interim Commissioner Chuck Neinas. I somehow don't see Neinas allowing that to happen.
Four weeks ago, I was at the Marshall-Louisville football game and more than one person in the Cardinals' camp talked of how WVU and Louisville hoped to stick together in the best possible scenario, Big East or otherwise.
What a difference a month makes. Now, it's like an earlier Kentucky-West Virginia feud. You might recall the Hatfields versus the McCoys.
The whole situation is an embarrassment. It's not only WVU versus Louisville; it's Texas (and Kansas State, TCU, etc., wanting WVU) against Oklahoma (and Texas Tech, Iowa State, etc., for Louisville).
It's the Red River Rivalry and it's the Mountaineers who are bobbing with a life preserver.
It's even been reported that ESPN - which plays a big hand and big money in college athletics - has told the Big 12 it prefers WVU over Louisville. That concept has been denied, of course, by the Disney networks.
The only possible way for the Big 12 to spin it now and escape with only a one-egg omelette on its face is to invite both WVU and Louisville for an 11-team football configuration. Hey, that worked in the Big Ten for about two decades.
There's been some talk on the plains about Notre Dame as a possible 12th team for basketball, with the Fighting Irish agreeing to play a few Big 12 football teams annually while remaining independent in that sport.
Makes sense. Adds value. A 12-team basketball format makes coaches happy with 16 rather than 18 regular-season games. It makes for a cleaner conference tournament bracket. Whether the Irish might be willing probably depends on who ends up in the Big East.
I can tell you that Notre Dame basketball interests would prefer the ACC, but that's not going to happen unless the Irish give up football independence.
And on Thursday, there was this. Now, it seems Rutgers is being mentioned as a possible 12th all-sports team in the Big 12, rather than maybe Cincinnati.
If any or all of that happens, it's only more bad news for the Big East ... where whatever is left among the pigskin players could end up in the football amalgamation of Conference USA and the Mountain West.
The Big 12 needs a HAZMAT crew to try and straighten this out.
I still think West Virginia will land in the Big 12, but there could be a few more moments when it's like jumping off the New River Gorge bridge and wondering when or if the chute will open.
* * *
IF YOU need another reason why WVU and Louisville are in a turf war over their future conference home, what follows might explain how small Big East football is now, much less could be in the future.
ESPN has a three-game regional schedule for ABC at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Baylor-Oklahoma State goes to 53 percent of the nation's viewers, Illinois-Penn State to 32 percent, and WVU-Rutgers to 15 percent.
ESPN also uses what it calls a "reverse mirror" to get regional games into an additional portion of the country. The games in Stillwater and State College will be reverse-mirrored on ESPN2 throughout the nation, but not WVU-Rutgers, which gets reverse-mirror treatment only in the Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia areas.
by Jack Bogaczyk
Charleston Daily Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- While politicians who should be solving bigger issues are in full-bluster bloviation about the Big 12 Conference's ham-handed expansion work, something of real concern to potential newcomers from the Big East is afoot in Longhorn Land.
For West Virginia and Louisville, time is of the essence.
The Big 12 Board of Directors (read presidents, chancellors) meets Monday. The Big East presidents meet Tuesday. Big East officials currently are making the rounds of expansion candidate schools - Air Force on Wednesday, Boise State on Thursday, etc.
If the Big 12 doesn't make a firm deal with WVU or Louisville (or both) on Monday and the Big East presidents vote to add six schools Tuesday and execute an agreement with at least one, the Big East exit fee hike is activated and a buyout for the Mountaineers and/or Cardinals doubles to $10 million.
There's also this to consider:
Louisville visits Mountaineer Field a week from Saturday. If the Big 12 opts for the Cardinals over WVU in the days prior to kickoff, how do you think that's going to blow over with the beer-buying, gold-and-bluebloods?
In that vein, if Louisville gets a spot over West Virginia in Big 12 revisionist thinking, and the Big East loses its BCS berth in the next round of automatic qualification, the Mountaineers' program will never be the same again unless it can somehow arm-twist the SEC or ACC into a spot down the road.
WVU fans probably don't want to think about that, but they should, because it's possible after what transpired earlier this week.
While Southeastern Conference-bound Missouri continues to milk its way to remaining relevant - and while half of the Tigers in-state constituency has been more World Seriously concerned about the St. Louis Cardinals - the Big 12 twists more than two schools in the wind.
Because of the Big 12's indecision and ineptitude, WVU is made to look desperate and Louisville appears cutthroat. West Virginia did nothing wrong, and now is being played as the stooge as the Big 12 does what one of its people calls "due diligence."
Or, would that be overdue diligence?
The Big 12, somehow, has managed to make itself look more football-fumbling than the Big East. Know how tough that is to do?
And if the Big 12 now slams the door on West Virginia, one person who is going to lose a lot of credibility is someone who has built plenty of it in college athletics over the years. That's interim Commissioner Chuck Neinas. I somehow don't see Neinas allowing that to happen.
Four weeks ago, I was at the Marshall-Louisville football game and more than one person in the Cardinals' camp talked of how WVU and Louisville hoped to stick together in the best possible scenario, Big East or otherwise.
What a difference a month makes. Now, it's like an earlier Kentucky-West Virginia feud. You might recall the Hatfields versus the McCoys.
The whole situation is an embarrassment. It's not only WVU versus Louisville; it's Texas (and Kansas State, TCU, etc., wanting WVU) against Oklahoma (and Texas Tech, Iowa State, etc., for Louisville).
It's the Red River Rivalry and it's the Mountaineers who are bobbing with a life preserver.
It's even been reported that ESPN - which plays a big hand and big money in college athletics - has told the Big 12 it prefers WVU over Louisville. That concept has been denied, of course, by the Disney networks.
The only possible way for the Big 12 to spin it now and escape with only a one-egg omelette on its face is to invite both WVU and Louisville for an 11-team football configuration. Hey, that worked in the Big Ten for about two decades.
There's been some talk on the plains about Notre Dame as a possible 12th team for basketball, with the Fighting Irish agreeing to play a few Big 12 football teams annually while remaining independent in that sport.
Makes sense. Adds value. A 12-team basketball format makes coaches happy with 16 rather than 18 regular-season games. It makes for a cleaner conference tournament bracket. Whether the Irish might be willing probably depends on who ends up in the Big East.
I can tell you that Notre Dame basketball interests would prefer the ACC, but that's not going to happen unless the Irish give up football independence.
And on Thursday, there was this. Now, it seems Rutgers is being mentioned as a possible 12th all-sports team in the Big 12, rather than maybe Cincinnati.
If any or all of that happens, it's only more bad news for the Big East ... where whatever is left among the pigskin players could end up in the football amalgamation of Conference USA and the Mountain West.
The Big 12 needs a HAZMAT crew to try and straighten this out.
I still think West Virginia will land in the Big 12, but there could be a few more moments when it's like jumping off the New River Gorge bridge and wondering when or if the chute will open.
* * *
IF YOU need another reason why WVU and Louisville are in a turf war over their future conference home, what follows might explain how small Big East football is now, much less could be in the future.
ESPN has a three-game regional schedule for ABC at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Baylor-Oklahoma State goes to 53 percent of the nation's viewers, Illinois-Penn State to 32 percent, and WVU-Rutgers to 15 percent.
ESPN also uses what it calls a "reverse mirror" to get regional games into an additional portion of the country. The games in Stillwater and State College will be reverse-mirrored on ESPN2 throughout the nation, but not WVU-Rutgers, which gets reverse-mirror treatment only in the Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia areas.
