Post by elp525 on May 12, 2011 4:49:28 GMT -5
Thursday May 12, 2011
by Jack Bogaczyk
Charleston Daily Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As he's just headed out for almost two weeks on the rubber-chicken fundraising circuit, Oliver Luck seems as much a juggler as West Virginia's athletic director.
As luck would have it, I had questions earlier this week, and he had answers. Some of these subjects may come up, some not, in his stops zigzagging the state. But if Luck is usually anything, it's forthcoming.
Be in NCAA allegations against WVU, Big East expansion, football futures, Mountaineer basketball issues, the former quarterback closing in on one year as the AD at his alma mater provided a columnist's and readers' buffet.
* * *
ASKED IF he expects word very soon from the NCAA following the summary disposition process dealing with five major and one secondary violation against WVU football, Luck said he doesn't "know the time frame, to be honest.
"Part of it is the fact that this is the first time through the summary disposition process. That last time the university had a major violation (2006-07, men's soccer), I think we went before the infractions committee.
"I do feel - I'm not sure with a high level of confidence because we haven't been through this before - relatively confident that the penalties we've imposed on ourselves, by and large, are adequate, based on the seriousness of the infractions.
"In some cases, those (self-imposed penalties) have come and gone, and we're back to status quo. The people I talk with (WVU compliance staffers) here, my sense from talking with them, is that what we've imposed was significant and adequate for the level of misconduct."
* * *
LUCK CONFIRMED the Mountaineers will play in the fifth edition of the SEC/Big East Invitational basketball series in early December, an ESPN production that has undergone a format change from two neutral-site doubleheaders to 12 games over three days, six at Big East campus sites and six at SEC home arenas.
While all 12 SEC teams will now play annually, four Big East teams won't (five a year from now when TCU becomes the 17th member).
Luck said an opponent for Coach Bob Huggins' team isn't a done deal, but WVU will play on the road.
He also confirmed that when that series is played, the Mountaineers won't yet be in their $26 million basketball practice facility, as earlier expected.
"What the construction people call 'substantial completion' will be in late October, November of this year," said Luck, adding that then WVU has to then go into the facility for additional work, like laying a playing floor.
"I have a sense it will be available to both basketball programs sometime during this season, maybe January, but they won't move into the facility - the offices there - until after the season. I think there was some hope it could be finished in August or September, in time for Midnight Madness (and the mid-October practice start), but I think that was a bit unrealistic from the start."
* * *
ON BIG EAST expansion, Luck said he would "have to defer to the conference" when asked if Villanova was still in play as a potential 10th football member.
Speaking in general terms, Luck said West Virginia is "assuming, as we look down the road and try to make schedules do what schedules are supposed to do, we're making the assumption we'll have nine conference games.
"That's because I think we'll have nine conference games, and a 10th member, relatively soon. And we need a 10th team. If you look at it from a television standpoint, it adds content."
Luck conceded that if or when the Big East does get to nine conference football games - necessitating an alternating schedule of 5-4 and 4-5 home-road dates, WVU will have difficulty getting to the seven home dates it wants annually at Mountaineer Field.
"We know that," Luck said. "It's going to be almost impossible then to get seven every year, so you have to do what you have to do to make the economics work."
That's where more neutral-site games come in - like the one WVU has with BYU in 2016 at the Washington Redskins' FedEx Field for a guarantee of $2.25 million. Luck said the 'Skins are anything but alone in seeking college dates in an NFL venue.
"What's interesting to me," the West Virginia AD said, "is that the number of proposals that have come our way recently, according to people who have been here like (Deputy AD) Mike Parsons, the number has really ratcheted up. It's more active than it's ever been."
Luck mentioned that WVU has had contact from the Redskins for additional dates at FedEx, and most of the proposed foes have been from the ACC.
"The Ravens also are active in Baltimore, the Cincinnati Bengals (against a Big Ten or SEC opponent, perhaps?)," Luck said. "Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are a bit different dynamic because we have (Big East) brethren schools there. Charlotte (Carolina Panthers) is now more active than it's ever been, too.
"I think part of it - in places like D.C., Baltimore and Charlotte - is a lot of respect for the Mountaineer fan base and what we can bring. Ultimately in that regard, we'll do what's needed to do to replace a home game, if the economics work."
* * *
AT THE upcoming Big East meetings in Florida later this month, Luck - who is on the conference's finance committee - said that although he hasn't seen an agenda yet ("the obvious things will be on there, I'm sure," he said), he has personally asked to "allocate some time to talk among the football ADs about bowl economics.
"It's not just our conference," Luck said. "Across the country, too many schools are losing money on bowl games. A lot of schools can't even break even the way it is now. You turn on the TV and watch bowl games and see a lot of empty seats.
"There's got to be a better way, to allow teams to play in the bowls, but also break even on 'em. That's one specific issue I want to weigh in on. I know some other ADs I've talked with want to focus a bit on that, too. It's another important issue for us."
by Jack Bogaczyk
Charleston Daily Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- As he's just headed out for almost two weeks on the rubber-chicken fundraising circuit, Oliver Luck seems as much a juggler as West Virginia's athletic director.
As luck would have it, I had questions earlier this week, and he had answers. Some of these subjects may come up, some not, in his stops zigzagging the state. But if Luck is usually anything, it's forthcoming.
Be in NCAA allegations against WVU, Big East expansion, football futures, Mountaineer basketball issues, the former quarterback closing in on one year as the AD at his alma mater provided a columnist's and readers' buffet.
* * *
ASKED IF he expects word very soon from the NCAA following the summary disposition process dealing with five major and one secondary violation against WVU football, Luck said he doesn't "know the time frame, to be honest.
"Part of it is the fact that this is the first time through the summary disposition process. That last time the university had a major violation (2006-07, men's soccer), I think we went before the infractions committee.
"I do feel - I'm not sure with a high level of confidence because we haven't been through this before - relatively confident that the penalties we've imposed on ourselves, by and large, are adequate, based on the seriousness of the infractions.
"In some cases, those (self-imposed penalties) have come and gone, and we're back to status quo. The people I talk with (WVU compliance staffers) here, my sense from talking with them, is that what we've imposed was significant and adequate for the level of misconduct."
* * *
LUCK CONFIRMED the Mountaineers will play in the fifth edition of the SEC/Big East Invitational basketball series in early December, an ESPN production that has undergone a format change from two neutral-site doubleheaders to 12 games over three days, six at Big East campus sites and six at SEC home arenas.
While all 12 SEC teams will now play annually, four Big East teams won't (five a year from now when TCU becomes the 17th member).
Luck said an opponent for Coach Bob Huggins' team isn't a done deal, but WVU will play on the road.
He also confirmed that when that series is played, the Mountaineers won't yet be in their $26 million basketball practice facility, as earlier expected.
"What the construction people call 'substantial completion' will be in late October, November of this year," said Luck, adding that then WVU has to then go into the facility for additional work, like laying a playing floor.
"I have a sense it will be available to both basketball programs sometime during this season, maybe January, but they won't move into the facility - the offices there - until after the season. I think there was some hope it could be finished in August or September, in time for Midnight Madness (and the mid-October practice start), but I think that was a bit unrealistic from the start."
* * *
ON BIG EAST expansion, Luck said he would "have to defer to the conference" when asked if Villanova was still in play as a potential 10th football member.
Speaking in general terms, Luck said West Virginia is "assuming, as we look down the road and try to make schedules do what schedules are supposed to do, we're making the assumption we'll have nine conference games.
"That's because I think we'll have nine conference games, and a 10th member, relatively soon. And we need a 10th team. If you look at it from a television standpoint, it adds content."
Luck conceded that if or when the Big East does get to nine conference football games - necessitating an alternating schedule of 5-4 and 4-5 home-road dates, WVU will have difficulty getting to the seven home dates it wants annually at Mountaineer Field.
"We know that," Luck said. "It's going to be almost impossible then to get seven every year, so you have to do what you have to do to make the economics work."
That's where more neutral-site games come in - like the one WVU has with BYU in 2016 at the Washington Redskins' FedEx Field for a guarantee of $2.25 million. Luck said the 'Skins are anything but alone in seeking college dates in an NFL venue.
"What's interesting to me," the West Virginia AD said, "is that the number of proposals that have come our way recently, according to people who have been here like (Deputy AD) Mike Parsons, the number has really ratcheted up. It's more active than it's ever been."
Luck mentioned that WVU has had contact from the Redskins for additional dates at FedEx, and most of the proposed foes have been from the ACC.
"The Ravens also are active in Baltimore, the Cincinnati Bengals (against a Big Ten or SEC opponent, perhaps?)," Luck said. "Cincinnati and Pittsburgh are a bit different dynamic because we have (Big East) brethren schools there. Charlotte (Carolina Panthers) is now more active than it's ever been, too.
"I think part of it - in places like D.C., Baltimore and Charlotte - is a lot of respect for the Mountaineer fan base and what we can bring. Ultimately in that regard, we'll do what's needed to do to replace a home game, if the economics work."
* * *
AT THE upcoming Big East meetings in Florida later this month, Luck - who is on the conference's finance committee - said that although he hasn't seen an agenda yet ("the obvious things will be on there, I'm sure," he said), he has personally asked to "allocate some time to talk among the football ADs about bowl economics.
"It's not just our conference," Luck said. "Across the country, too many schools are losing money on bowl games. A lot of schools can't even break even the way it is now. You turn on the TV and watch bowl games and see a lot of empty seats.
"There's got to be a better way, to allow teams to play in the bowls, but also break even on 'em. That's one specific issue I want to weigh in on. I know some other ADs I've talked with want to focus a bit on that, too. It's another important issue for us."
