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Post by elp525 on Nov 3, 2011 5:01:34 GMT -5
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Post by elp525 on Nov 3, 2011 4:58:23 GMT -5
11/02/2011 Frank Giardina WVU Sports
On Tuesday, the Big 12 finally came to Morgantown. Amidst a mini-pep rally type of atmosphere, Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas came to the WVU campus to school officials their official membership invitation to the re-grouping conference.
Allow me to read the minds of WVU fans out there. Here are some things that you should be looking forward to about the new conference home for the Mountaineers.
1. IMPROVED HOME FOOTBALL SCHEDULES--This is the most obvious benefit. It is much more exciting to be playing a possible home schedule of Texas, Oklahoma State and TCU than Rutgers, U Conn and South Florida.
2. NAME COACHES ON THE OPPOSING SIDELINES--College coaches are major celebrities. The Big East was a stepping stone league for coaches like Kelly, Dantonio, RichRod, and Edsal. That won't be the case in the Big 12. It makes for a much better event to have future Hall of Fame caliber coaches such as Bob Stoops, Tommy Tuberville, Mack Brown, Mike Gundy and Bill Snyder coming into your stadium.
3. PHOG ALLEN FIELDHOUSE--I know this move is not about basketball. But, if you can, plan a basketball trip to a Mountaineer road game at Kansas. Phog Allen Fieldhouse is one of the two best basketball arenas in the country. Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke is the other.
4. NO MORE WORRIES ABOUT BCS---Fans no longer have to worry if their conference will lose their BCS AQ bid. It was a constant source of discussion in the Big East. It is no longer a worry in the Big 12.
5. NO MORE WORRIES ABOUT STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE--WVU administrators no longer have to build credibility for the football schedule by scheduling "tougher" non-conference series. I am not sure what will happen with intersectional games such as Florida State, Michigan State and others, but it no longer really matters.
6. YOU CAN JUMP ON MY BANDWAGON--I have argued with fans in this state for many years now that the Big East was a league doomed to failure with the football and the non-football schools. You have heard me say many times, "what do Providence and WVU have in common as an athletic program?" Now that the Mountaineers are leaving, you are finally admitting I was right. What took you so long?
7. AUSTIN, TEXAS---A road trip to Austin, Texas is a must. Not so much for the football game. The stadium experience at Texas actually can be a little disappointing. But, you should go for the city itself. It is one of the great up and coming cities in America.
8. KIM MULKEY---You don't know the name of the Baylor women's basketball coach? You should. She is actually Kim Mulkey Robertson. Mulkey, a former La. Tech and Olympic star, is the next Pat Summitt, the next coaching legend in the women's game. She is a very "big" and dynamic personality. She will bring powerhouse women's teams to the Coliseum when her Baylor Bears come rolling in. County music star Trace Adkins recently admitted a secret crush on Mulkey and has a hit country song about her.
9. TEXAS BASEBALL---Can't wait for Texas baseball coaching legend Augie Garrido to bring his Longhorns baseball team to Morgantown to play. I can hear the snickers from Longhorn players now when they walk into Hawley Field for the first time. Someone, no doubt, will say "okay this is a good place for batting practice but where do we actually play the game?'
10. ON CAMPUS ARENAS---College basketball is a much better game when played on campus. No more basketball games in city and pro arenas at places like Georgetown, Seton Hall, Providence, DePaul, and Marquette.
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Post by elp525 on Nov 3, 2011 4:56:05 GMT -5
11/02/2011
Chip Fontanazza Morgantown
The Mountaineers will face a true freshman quarterback for the third time this season and it may be one of the toughest signal callers they will face all season.
Miami, Florida native Teddy Bridgewater was regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation coming out of high school. So far he’s been able to live up to the hype.
Bridgewater is coming off of one of his best performances of the season throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-10 win against the Syracuse Orange. The duel threat quarterback earned the full time starter job during week three against Kentucky and since then he has continued to get better.
“Obviously he’s athletic and he throws a nice ball and he’s got a great demeanor about him,” said WVU defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel. “He has the ability to escape the rush with his eyes down the field. If he wants to run it he can run it…He’s really a good player dynamically and he gets better every week.”
“He’s one of the better true freshmen quarterbacks we’ve seen all year,” said senior defensive end Bruce Irvin. “I don’t know too many true freshmen out there that can play like him. He’s a real good athlete and it’s going to be a real good challenge for us to stop him this week.”
The 6-foot-3 signal caller has thrown for 1,029 yards and has seven touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. Not the most impressive stat line. In fact, he is ranked last out of all of the Big East starting quarterbacks in passing yards per game and total offensive yards per game.
Casteel and the rest of the Mountaineer defense know those numbers don’t fully represent what Bridgewater can do on the field. Sophomore linebacker Doug Rigg says it is going to be a challenge to keep him contained at all times.
“Definitely be aware on third and long because he can make plays with his feet,” said Rigg. “You also have to shy him a lot of times because he will make a play and the biggest thing is his feet, not only does he scramble for yards, but he scrambles to get someone open.”
Irvin says everyone on the team will have to be aware of where he is on the field at all times.
“He makes plays with his feet, rarely gets sacked, he can make you miss so everybody has to play their assignments,” said Irvin. “We have to keep him contained so he doesn’t get outside of us because if he does he’s going to make plays with his legs.”
Bridgewater is one of the top young stars in the Big East Conference and he will make the Cardinals another tough roadblock for the Mountaineers to overcome in their journey to a Big East Championship.
“He’s really a good football player and he keeps getting better,” said Casteel. “It would have been easier to play him earlier in the year.”
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Post by elp525 on Nov 3, 2011 4:53:01 GMT -5
Thursday November 3, 2011
by Mike Casazza Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN -- Never mind the current state at the University of Miami or even where the University of Louisville may be perceived to be in the eyes of recruits across the country.
It's still not an easy thing for a premier prospect to leave his Miami high school and head somewhere else far from home.
Yet Teddy Bridgewater, arguably the top-rated dual threat quarterback in the recruiting class of 2011, declined the recruiting overtures from the hometown Hurricanes and picked the Cardinals.
He and his mother, Rose, did their homework and gave it pretty thorough thought, considering everything from playing time to the coaching staff to the history of the program.
"We looked at the quarterback tradition here," said the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Bridgewater, who starred at Northwestern High. "The biggest thing we knew about the quarterback tradition was Johnny Unitas. Coming out to the field and tapping his statue, knowing guys like Brian Brohm and Jeff Brohm played here, things like that mean a lot."
Bridgewater is on his way. He's made five starts and has led Louisville to back-to-back Big East wins for the first time since 2006. Louisville (4-4, 2-1 Big East) plays No. 25 WVU (6-2, 2-1) at noon Saturday. The Big East Network will televise the game from Mountaineer Field.
The Mountaineers believe Bridgewater plays and behaves far better than a normal freshman quarterback.
"You'll see," WVU defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel said. "He's a talented guy. You can tell he handles himself really well. He doesn't panic with people around him. He doesn't panic in the pocket. He has the ability to escape the rush. He looks downfield when he wants to run it. He can make plays when he runs it and he looks to throw the football when he's running."
Bridgewater is 95-for-150 for 1,029 yards, seven touchdowns and six interceptions. He's been sacked 14 times and he's also just 2-3 as a starter, but in these past two wins, he's completed 27 of 42 pass attempts for three touchdowns and just one interception.
"He's gotten better," Casteel said. "You watch him and he gets better every week. He's more confident with the things they're asking him to do and he's getting used to his teammates. It's a big jump at that position.
"Really, any position in college football is a big jump for a true freshman, but for a true freshman, playing quarterback seems like the hardest job and he's handling it well."
The coaches are making things easier on Bridgewater. He's not being asked to win games and in the past two the Cardinals have run the ball with more success than at any other point this season. They've averaged 166 yards, which is more than they totaled in five of their first six games. The offensive line is healthy and has started the same five in back-to-back games.
Bridgewater passed 18 times against Rutgers and 24 times against Syracuse, the two fewest times he's thrown as a starter, and totaled just 320 yards.
"He's just managing the game and getting the right play when people blitz us," Louisville Coach Charlie Strong said. "He's doing a lot of the right things and that will continue to improve. It's going to come with more playing time.
"Each week is a totally different challenge for him. People don't run the same defense. People don't do the same things scheme-wise. They pose different problems for him. Right now it's more about studying the game and making sure on game day he's ready for the opposing team and whatever they do defensively."
Bridgewater takes his cues from Louisville's quarterbacks coach, Shawn Watson, who wanted Bridgewater to study film closely to learn as much as he could about the other team's defense.
"Then it becomes easy on the field, just knowing what guys are going to be doing before the ball is even snapped," Bridgewater said. "It plays a key role and that all comes from film."
Things were still unusual for a long time and even the different opponents would try some of the same things. Bridgewater said a lot of defenses tried to confuse him by walking defenders all over the field before having them settle into their assigned spots. Early on, things were hard and the offense struggled with Bridgewater spelling starter Will Stein.
After four games and a home loss to Marshall, Strong got rid of offensive coordinator Mike Sanford and replaced him with Watson. Strong and Bridgewater said the offense didn't change, but the applications did and the Cardinals have been better the past two games than they have been throughout the season.
"If you want any kind of continuity, you don't want to switch year-to-year, let alone game-to-game," WVU Coach Dana Holgorsen said. "They're doing a lot of the same stuff, but they're probably just getting the guys on the same page with it all now."
The only change Watson wanted Bridgewater to make was to play faster and the Cardinals have started to bother opponents with their tempo on offense. Now, Bridgewater said he sees the defense wandering around before the snap, but for a different reason.
"They have guys scattering all over the field trying to cover guys," he said.
Bridgewater has discovered a pretty reliable way to speed up the offense. He makes the slowest parts work the fastest.
"It starts up front with the offensive line hustling to the line and getting their hands down it the dirt," Bridgewater said. "The team moves as fast as the quarterback, but Coach Strong always tells me I go as fast as the offensive line goes."
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Post by elp525 on Nov 3, 2011 4:48:37 GMT -5
Thursday November 3, 2011
by Mike Casazza Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN - When Dana Holgorsen was told for a second time last week West Virginia was headed to the Big 12 Conference, the Mountaineers' football coach gathered his team and told them that what they thought was true last Tuesday was finally true Friday.
"We brought the guys together for about 30 seconds and told them it was official, but then we told them it doesn't mean anything," Holgorsen said. "It doesn't mean anything with this week and it doesn't mean anything next week."
The 24th-ranked Mountaineers are instead focused only on the goal they had at the start of the season. They want to win the Big East title. If that means taking the 2011 conference championship with them to the Big 12 next year, so be it, but the future does nothing to the present.
WVU (6-2, 2-1 Big East) plays host to Louisville (4-4, 2-1) at noon Saturday. The noon kickoff at Mountaineer Field will be televised on the Big East Network.
"With that said, as a program, I'm excited, I can assure you that," said Holgorsen, who spent seven seasons as an assistant at Texas Tech and one season at Oklahoma State inside the Big 12. "I understand the Big 12 and what they're about from a national perspective, from a facilities perspective and from an academic perspective.
"The amount of changes and challenges that are going to take place here at West Virginia is something that will take a long time to get done. It's a huge task - it's not an overnight fix. It's great to be able to solidify our future and what we need to do to put ourselves in a position to be successful."
As a football member of the Big East since 1991, WVU eventually developed the best football facilities in the conference and venues for most of its other sports to at least rival the best the league had to offer.
The Mountaineers won't compare quite as favorably right away in the Big 12.
Milan Puskar Stadium will have only the seventh-largest capacity in the Big 12, although some of the schools ahead of WVU don't have much of an edge.
WVU has an indoor practice facility with a 70-yard field and a low ceiling that prevents kicking and punting and special teams drills. Holgorsen also said in the preseason he prefers to practice on the grass practice field because it's easier on the body, but was worried about practicing there too much and wearing out the surface.
He said the Mountaineers not only will identify and address challenges across the board, but that they'll have to if they want to compete.
"It's a step up now," he said. "The Big East is the most competitive conference I've been in. Period. From top to bottom, it's the most competitive conference I've been in - within the conference. The Big 12, as far as setting the standard from a facilities standpoint, from a recruiting standpoint, from a TV exposure standpoint, to an academic standpoint, is something that they set the bar very, very high.
"I know that West Virginia is capable of adding to that. From a fan-base perspective, from how many people go to the games, it's something we're going to have to evaluate and try to make it as good as we can to be able to compete."
WVU also goes from being one of the most financially successful teams in the Big East to residing in the middle of the Big 12. In 2009-10, WVU led the Big East in football revenue ($29.46 million). Pitt was second at $22.51 million. The Mountaineers had the third-lowest football expenses ($14.33).
Their football revenue would rank fourth behind Texas ($95.74 million), Oklahoma ($58.81 million) and Oklahoma State ($33.21 million). WVU's football expenses would rank fifth in the Big 12 behind Texas ($24.5 million), Oklahoma ($23.19), TCU ($22.6) and Texas Tech ($15.78).
WVU's athletic department revenue was $62.03 million in 2009-10 and trailed only Louisville ($87.73 million) and Connecticut ($63.04 million) among Big East football schools. The Mountaineers were also third in the league in athletic department expenses ($56.6 million) and trailed Louisville ($87.78 million) and Connecticut ($62.94 million).
In the Big 12, WVU's athletic department revenue would be fifth behind Texas ($150.29 million), Oklahoma ($104.33 million), Kansas ($70.02 million) and Oklahoma State ($70.13 million). WVU's overall athletic expenses would rank fourth in the Big 12 behind Texas ($125.97 million), Oklahoma ($96.27 million) and Kansas ($70.02 million).
"I would tell you Texas is No. 1 and nobody can compete with Texas in terms of money spent, though if you look at the Big 12 and the money other people are spending, they're doing a very good job competing with Texas on the field, on the basketball court and on the baseball diamond," WVU Athletic Director Oliver Luck said.
"Texas does get a lot of money, no doubt about that, and I'm sure Texas is very proud of that, but I think a the end of the day, we can be very, very competitive. The Big 12 is a great conference with great athletic programs and great academic programs and some real juggernauts when you look at the different sports. I have all the faith in the world our coaches and our student-athletes will rise to the challenge."
It's a new task for fans, too.
WVU and Big 12 officials have praised the way fans of the Mountaineers travel to road games and postseason competition, but regular-season trips in the Big 12 are more difficult because of the added distance between WVU and a Big 12 opponent. Iowa State is the nearest Big 12 campus and it's more than 850 miles from WVU. The longest road trip in the Big East is about 950 miles to South Florida.
Holgorsen said the travel variable for the teams was "overrated," but is a valid concern for fans.
"From a fan's perspective, it's probably a little more challenging," he said. "If you're a fan that will drive five hours, but not 10 hours, then it may be a problem. They may need to start looking into booking flights a year in advance to get cheap flights.
"All the places that we'll be playing will be places that we can get to. It's air travel, but it's all gone to air travel anyway. There are some fun venues, you know. I can assure you that. There are a lot of good places and there will be a lot of fun times ahead."
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Post by elp525 on Nov 3, 2011 4:43:48 GMT -5
November 2, 2011
By Dave Hickman The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN - Yogi Berra was famous for saying that baseball is 90 percent mental and the other half physical.
Dana Holgorsen isn't quite as mathematically challenged, perhaps, but over the course of the last few weeks he has proven that his philosophy is pretty much the same.
All else being equal, wanting to succeed more than the other guy is just as significant as having the physical tools to succeed. In games against Syracuse and Rutgers, the West Virginia coach has seen both sides.
West Virginia got pushed around at the Carrier Dome and didn't take it seriously. The result was an embarrassing 49-23 loss.
Then a week later in wretched weather at Rutgers, the Mountaineers were again bullied for a half, yet turned things completely around and won 41-31.
The difference, Holgorsen said, was all mental.
"When your back is to the wall, you tend to respond with a bit more energy,'' Holgorsen said. "I thought we were excited to play going into Syracuse and our preparation was fine, but the biggest thing was when we got smacked, we didn't respond. Then last week [at Rutgers], there were a lot of opportunities to shut it down: It was too cold, they're winning by 10, this is not working out how we wanted it to, etc.
"We responded better within the game. I anticipate our preparation this week will be fine. It's about continuing to mature as a team and play well together and pick each other up and having more energy and excitement than the other team. When things get bad, you have to have the ability to step up and do something about it.''
This week presents another challenge when No. 24 West Virginia (6-2, 2-1 Big East) faces Louisville (4-4, 2-1) at noon Saturday at Mountaineer Field. It is yet another game in which the Mountaineers are solid favorites (14 points) against an unranked team.
There seems little question that the general consensus is that West Virginia is the better team. Louisville's offense is among the worst in the country (No. 103 out of 120 FBS schools) and while the Cardinals do play exceptional defense, WVU has at times proven that doesn't matter. The Mountaineers rang up 533 yards against No. 1 LSU, 643 in a win over Bowling Green and even 428 in a blizzard at Rutgers.
Yet there are always questions about how motivated West Virginia is and how hard the Mountaineers will play.
Holgorsen wishes he could predict that.
"There is no magic formula, there just isn't. If you had a magic formula, then there would be even more parity in college football due to the fact that everyone would be following the same formula,'' he said. "Look across the country. We went up to Syracuse and didn't play very well and they played great. You turn it around and Syracuse goes to Louisville and they didn't play very well and got beat [27-10 a week after pounding WVU].
"Look at the Big 12 with Texas Tech going to [Oklahoma] and beating them soundly, then turn it around and OU beats Kansas State soundly. And Iowa State goes to Texas Tech and beats the pants off of them. It happens all across the country every week, throughout the whole season. I don't know a magic formula to prevent that from happening.''
Obviously momentum doesn't play a big role. Look at the games Holgorsen cited. Syracuse had all the momentum in the world going to Louisville, as did Texas Tech in playing Iowa State. Oklahoma had none going into its game against Kansas State.
So while West Virginia might seem to have some momentum after a near-perfect second-half turnaround at Rutgers, that's not necessarily a factor.
"To be honest, I think every week is independent,'' Holgorsen said. "If anyone should have some momentum right now, we should based on coming back home, based on overcoming the adversity that we overcame last week. We have everything out there in front of us. We're 6-2 and have a chance to finish strong. Does that give us an advantage? I doubt it. You have to line up and play every week.
"One of the things that we've learned over the last two weeks is that you'd better play with effort all four quarters. Regardless of what the score is, you better be playing for four quarters. That can't ever change, especially when there's as much parity as there is. In this league, it doesn't matter who it is, they can get you. You better be ready to go out there every week.''
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Post by elp525 on Nov 3, 2011 4:41:56 GMT -5
November 2, 2011
The Associated Press
MORGANTOWN - A spokesman for the Big 12 says West Virginia's membership in the conference isn't conditional on the university getting an early release from the Big East after all.
Interim Big 12 Commissioner Chuck Neinas had said at a welcome reception Tuesday in Morgantown that a 10th member was needed for next season to fulfill the conference's television commitments.
On Wednesday, Big 12 spokesman Bob Burda released a statement saying the Mountaineers' membership "is not contingent upon [them] joining the Conference for the 2012-13 season.'' He did not elaborate.
The Big East has said it plans to keep West Virginia from leaving for 27 months under the league's bylaws. West Virginia filed a lawsuit against the Big East on Monday, seeking to declare the bylaws invalid.
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Post by elp525 on Nov 3, 2011 4:40:21 GMT -5
November 2, 2011
By Dave Hickman The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN - This is not the first time West Virginia has fired a preemptive strike in what is sure to become a protracted and messy legal battle.
The school is actually getting pretty good at this, or at least gaining experience.
Remember, it was stunning, too, in December of 2007 when everyone knew Rich Rodriguez was going to eventually sue WVU to escape paying his $4 million buyout, and the university beat him to the punch by suing him first.
So why wait now for the Big East to file suit over that sticky 27-month clause in the by-laws? Have attorneys, will sue.
Does anyone else, though, think this is a bit over the top? Yeah, I thought so.
On the one hand, WVU is backed into a corner here and time is of the essence. Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas flat-out admits that West Virginia was invited to that league in part because WVU officials were confident they could begin play next year. The Big 12 needs a 10th team to satisfy the requirements of its television partners. So the sooner the process starts, the sooner it will be settled.
But doesn't the way WVU is going about it seem a bit like cutting butter with a chainsaw?
I wrote a few days ago that the school should probably root for the Big East to reconstitute quickly for two reasons. First, the sooner the Big East adds members, the sooner it has no room for West Virginia on league schedules. And second, it's just the civil way of doing things in the wholly uncivil landscape of conference realignment. In other words, take the high road, man.
Well, so much for the high road.
Granted, there are good reasons for acting quickly, not the least of which is to put it initially in a West Virginia court and not one in Providence, R.I., where the Big East is headquartered. And, too, if you are filing suit, you'd better make your case as strong as possible. So if that means painting John Marinatto as Bozo the Clown, well, I guess there's not much choice.
But there are two things I can't help but think could come back to bite West Virginia. One, the school's main argument in the suit - aside from Marinatto failing in his responsibilities to maintain a vital Big East - seems to be that Pitt and Syracuse leaving for the ACC was the last straw. WVU wants to paint itself as an innocent victim. Watch those phone records, though, because if there are traces of West Virginia contacting the ACC, the SEC, the Big 12 or anyone else prior to the announcements by Pitt and Syracuse, suddenly much of that innocence is lost.
Second, there are the mere attitudes involved here.
I'm not naïve enough to believe that the Big East was ever going to treat West Virginia with kindness, but there was at least a chance for an amicable parting of the ways. Look at Pitt and Syracuse. They aren't raising a fuss with the Big East holding tight to its 27-month clause. Granted, there isn't any urgency in their departures (the ACC is apparently fine with waiting two more years), but eventually the Big East is going to be ready to move on and won't want those schools muddying their scheduling waters. The Big East says that's not the case and that those schools will be held to the 27 months, but at the point new members are added, that just becomes a negotiating ploy. Pitt and Syracuse may have to buy their way out, but the offer to do that short of 27 months will still come.
As for West Virginia? Not on your life. Not now. Not after trashing the living room on the way out of the party.
If I'm the Big East this only strengthens my resolve. New schools? Need to free up scheduling space? Fine, let Pitt and Syracuse go. But not West Virginia. Hold WVU's feet to the fire and don't let it go, no matter how inconvenient its presence might be. It's become a grudge match now.
All of which is not to say that West Virginia won't be playing in the Big 12 next season. It will. All of the legal posturing is just that - posturing. If West Virginia wants to play in the Big 12 it will just walk away from the Big East.
There will be damages involved, though. If WVU isn't successful in this initial court move - or any that immediately follow - checks will be written. Big ones. If I'm the Big East, I don't just sue West Virginia for TV money and revenue sharing, I send my member schools after WVU for breach of contract, too. I bury WVU in court cases from Tampa to Piscataway and from Storrs to Milwaukee.
The bottom line is that West Virginia has taken a huge gamble in trying to machine gun its way out of the Big East. In taking the offensive, it has likely put itself squarely on the defensive, not only against the Big East leadership, but the league's members, as well. Sure, a lot of them want out, too (UConn, Rutgers, Louisville), but they suddenly went from perhaps being happy for one of their lucky brothers who escaped to "Hey! What?''
There is also the perception that Pitt and Syracuse are rooting for WVU in its legal efforts. If you really think about it, though, that might not be the case. Again, it goes back to those two major points West Virginia is trying to make in its suit. If it is somehow successful in proving Marinatto's incompetence, fine. But Pitt and Syracuse can't argue West Virginia's other main point, which is that Pitt and Syracuse's departure was the last straw.
And what of public perception? West Virginia had it hard enough trying to convince people that it wasn't being petty for holding Rodriguez to the fire - remember all the jilted girlfriend comparisons? Now the school is Rodriguez, bad-mouthing its ex in order to get out from under the prenuptial agreement. That's not likely to play well.
Again, though, in the end it will be resolved. Money will exchange hands. Ultimately all of this, even if WVU outright wins its suit, will come down to who pays what.
Which is exactly how it would have worked out had West Virginia not taken this hardline stance.
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Post by elp525 on Nov 2, 2011 5:10:45 GMT -5
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Post by elp525 on Nov 2, 2011 5:09:14 GMT -5
Wednesday, November 02 2011 Garrett Cullen MetroNews Sports
Both WVU athletic director Oliver Luck and president Jim Clements credited past Mountaineer coaches and players for helping position West Virginia where it’s at now entering the Big 12 Conference.
“We are at this point because of the work of dozens, if not hundreds of coaches, who’ve coached here and hundreds, if not tens of thousands, of student athletes who’ve competed here and hundreds of administrators,” Luck said. “For all former Mountaineers in all of our sports and our academic side as well, we appreciate the work that you have done because you’ve helped build the foundation which allowed us to be here today as the newest member of the Big 12.”
One of those guys who played a pivotal role in West Virginia’s past athletic success, of course, is Hall of Famer Don Nehlen who has a history with Big 12 interim commissioner Chuck Neinas.
“Chuck and I go back a long way,” Nehlen said. “We’ve had some good times together and I don’t know if a lot of people know this or not, but Chuck Neinas is responsible for putting sanity into the recruiting rules of football.
Nehlen, meanwhile, said he had discussions with Neinas amidst all of the conference realignment about WVU.
“I don’t know if I told him anything he didn’t know, but I said ‘If you’re going to expand your league, there can’t be a better candidate than West Virginia,’” Nehlen said. “’Our fan base is just sensation and they’re loyal and they’ll follow us.’”
Nehlen said the loss of Pitt, Syracuse and expected member TCU left West Virginia with no other choice than to find a new conference home.
“In my opinion, we were on a ship that was sinking and we had to do something,” he said. “And I think that Oliver Luck and Jim Clements did a great job.”
Still, the former Mountaineer head coach admits there will be challenges for WVU moving to the Big 12.
“In my opinion, the league we’re leaving is a weak football league,” he said. “The one we’re joining is a very difficult league. It’s going to be week in and week out – it’s not going to be like having a chance to catch your breath.”
Nehlen compares the Big 12 somewhat to the type of schedules some of his Mountaineer teams faced before the Big East first lost Virginia Tech, Miami and Boston College.
“Most of years when I coached here, if I was not a top 20 team, we would have a losing season,” he said. “You would throw Penn State in there, along with Virginia Tech, Boston College and Miami and we played four or five football teams that were in the top 10 or top 15. That’s the kind of league we’re going into.”
And the key for West Virginia competing in the Big 12?
“You either get better or you get worse and everybody thinks we have great facilities – and we do – but, we better keep going because I guarantee you all of them have every bit as good as we have,” he said.
But overall, Nehlen’s just pleased to see West Virginia find that conference stability that it needs to move forward.
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Post by elp525 on Nov 2, 2011 5:06:24 GMT -5
Wednesday, November 02, 2011 By Jenn Menendez Pittsburgh Post-Gazette MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Big 12 conference interim commissioner Chuck Neinas said he is confident West Virginia will play in the Big 12 next year, dismissing the notion that the school could be bound to the Big East by its 27-month exit rule. Neinas met with reporters Tuesday at Milan Puskar Stadium, minutes after West Virginia celebrated its move with Big 12 officials in a short news conference in the stadium's Touchdown Terrace. Neinas was flanked by university president James Clements and athletic director Oliver Luck. On Monday, West Virginia filed a lawsuit against the Big East claiming breach of contract should void the waiting period. The Big East said it will consider its own legal options. "I'm not concerned because I trust the two gentlemen on either side of me," Neinas said. "As I say, Oklahoma State told me they don't want to play Oklahoma twice. It will be very difficult to obtain games at this late stage. We fully expect that West Virginia will be there." Neither Clements nor Luck would comment directly on the pending lawsuit, though Clements intimated he had confidence in the outcome of the lawsuit. "We were a very proud member of the Big East for a long time, and a good member," he said. "Now it's all about the Big 12. We are thrilled to be a member of the Big 12. ... From an academic standpoint, from an athletic standpoint, from a leadership standpoint, we couldn't feel better. The stuff with the Big East will work itself out." Drew Payne, who chairs the university's Board of Governors, said an expedited divorce from the Big East seems in the best interest for all parties. "It's better for us. It's better for the Big East. It's better for Pittsburgh. It's better for Syracuse," Payne said. "You're getting divorced, do you still live together for a year? It doesn't usually work." West Virginia announced its new affiliation with the Big 12 last month. Pitt and Syracuse announced their departure for the Atlantic Coast Conference in September. The celebration kicked off with the pep band's version of John Denver's "Country Roads." Neinas presented Clements with official paperwork, and extolled the virtues of the new partnership. "We certainly welcome West Virginia to the Big 12 family," Neinas said. "We think we have a great conference and West Virginia makes it greater. You've got an outstanding program." Clements presented Neinas with a Mountaineer statue, fitted a black baseball cap with a Big 12 logo on his head, then spoke about the strength of the Big 12. "It's official," he said to a round of applause. "The Big 12 is a good fit for us. It's a strong, very vibrant conference. The Big 12 has great momentum heading into the future." In Philadelphia, Big East commissioner John Marinatto stood by his earlier comments that the conference will consider its own legal options. "In light of the lawsuit filed by West Virginia yesterday, the residents ... discussed and confirmed our continuing commitment to enforce the [c]onference's 27-month notification period for schools choosing to leave," Marinatto said in a statement.
Multiple issues must be worked out before West Virginia plays a single game in the Big 12.
Travel costs will increase, facilities improvements will have to be considered, and a home is needed for men's soccer and rifle teams, two sports not sponsored by the Big 12.
"We've started the process of looking at all the variables in terms of travel, TV revenue, all the bits and pieces we need to know," Luck said. "I can't give you specific numbers because there are a lot of things we don't know yet. Clearly, the television thing is much bigger than in the Big East."
West Virginia will get a cut of Big 12 television revenue matching what another new member, Texas Christian, was given, Luck said -- a 50 percent share in year one, a 67 percent share in year two, an 85 percent share in year three and 100 percent in year four.
That number is expected to dwarf the $7 million the school receives annually from Big East television contracts.
Neinas said there is no backup schedule in place if Missouri does not leave the conference, but that the league could work with 11 teams. He also did not rule out Louisville becoming a member down the road.
"Who knows, someday they may be a Big 12 member," he said. "West Virginia is here and ready."
Football coach Dana Holgorsen, who spent eight years in the Big 12 as an assistant with Texas Tech and Oklahoma State, said the move is a monumental one for the football program.
"As a program, I'm excited. I can assure you that. I understand the Big 12 and what they're about from a national perspective, from a facilities perspective and academic perspective," he said.
"The amount of changes and challenges that are going to take place here at West Virginia is something that will take a long time to get done. It's a huge task, it's not an overnight fix.
"It's great to be able to solidify our future and put ourselves in a position to be successful."
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Post by elp525 on Nov 2, 2011 5:03:18 GMT -5
Wednesday November 2, 2011
by Jack Bogaczyk Charleston Daily Mail
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- If you want to grasp how much in flux West Virginia's future football schedules are, consider the following:
The only team that was on future schedules at the beginning of this season that WVU is certain to play in 2012 is TCU ... and that's only after both have jumped from one league home to another, back-to-back.
The Mountaineers' pending move from the Big East to the Big 12 in eight months - at least that's the design - changes WVU's conference schedule from seven games to nine. TCU would have presented an eighth Big East game starting in 2012, but that all has changed.
In moving to the Big 12, WVU went from needing a game in 2012 (to replace TCU, which left a Big East future earlier for the Big 12) to now having one too many games.
"We know we have to do something; there have to be alterations," said WVU Deputy Athletic Director Mike Parsons, whose many duties include scheduling. "But we literally haven't talked about it in any detail, so it's too early to speculate."
Wrong, Mikey. It's never too early to speculate ... but Parsons does make some very good points.
"We know we have to move quickly, not only on our part, but we need to do some things out of courtesy to other teams (scheduled opponents). We could negotiate games to other years, or pay liquidated damages (for breaking contracts), but until we know just what's going to happen ..."
Asked if WVU is going to be in the Big 12 next season, Parsons responded, "That's the plan." It's also the root of the lawsuit WVU filed against the Big East on Monday for - basically, in my words - caring more about basketball than football.
Parsons said West Virginia won't begin selling season tickets to its major contributors until the end of March, but the Mountaineers need some schedule answers long before that.
"The whole Missouri thing (leaving the Big 12 after this season or a year later) is still up in the air," Parsons said. "So, do they figure into the schedule? I think we'd play nine conference games, but do we have five (Big 12) home games (next season)?
"We've got to get into a room and get all of the facts onto the table, once we know them. Are we in for '12 or '13? Do we start 5-4 (home-road) or 4-5? Is Missouri still in?
"And then after that, what you need to do is sit down and map out a long-range scheduling plan and go from there."
There has been speculation - sorry, Mike - that if Mizzou figures out financially how to extricate itself from the Big 12 for SEC membership, that WVU would simply be plugged into the Tigers' 2012 league schedule.
Even that's not easy. WVU would have Oklahoma, Kansas State, TCU and Baylor in Morgantown, and face Iowa State, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas Tech on the road? But what about the annual (since 2007) Mizzou-Kansas game in Kansas City, at the NFL Chiefs' Arrowhead Stadium home.
On the current rotation, it would be Missouri's home date in 2012, so if the deal works that way, WVU would start with a 5-4 schedule plan.
"No, no," Parsons said, laughing, when asked if WVU would play the Jayhawks "neutral site" at Arrowhead.
West Virginia's four non-league games are home against Marshall and Maryland, at Florida State (the start of a home-and-home and the final games of the ACC-Big East lawsuit settlement from 2005), and a FedEx Field date with FCS member James Madison.
Only the JMU game wouldn't seem to be in play for cancellation.
The buyout payment to the host Washington Redskins is "more than $1 million," Parsons said.
Parsons said getting out of the attractive series with Seminoles would cost in the $800,000 range in liquidated damages, but that nothing in the previous lawsuit settlement would prevent that.
The buyout for the final Friends of Coal Bowl under contract is only $150,000, because the breach would be by the home team (WVU). It would be $300,000 if the visiting team walked. Marshall would then have to find another FBS opponent for the Sept. 1 weekend (the Herd already has an FCS foe next season in Western Carolina).
WVU might ask Maryland to push the scheduled 2012 game in Morgantown back to the end of the current contract, to the 2018 season.
"But then what happens the year after (2012)?" Parsons said. "It isn't just one game to move one year. It's a whole philosophy you're going to have to consider."
Or, WVU might get more creative. It could buy out Marshall, move Maryland into a Sept. 1 game (the Terps don't have a game scheduled that date yet) for a home opener, then play in Tallahassee and JMU at FedEx before starting league play.
Or, West Virginia could play Marshall and then FSU and move the Maryland game on Sept. 15 to FedEx Field, buying out James Madison in the process. (Maryland has scheduled Connecticut that date.)
Down the road, WVU could buy its way out of a six-game, home-and-home (2013-18) with East Carolina.
It's no secret that somehow, West Virginia and Pitt would like to continue their "Backyard Brawl," but 2012 looks mighty iffy for a 104-game series that has been interrupted in the last 95 years only for two world wars.
"You'd like to play (Pitt), but there's also the question of where will Pitt be playing next year, the Big East or the ACC, and how the game might fit whatever their schedule is," Parsons said. "You have to work with what works, not always what you really would like to do."
Parsons also said the Mountaineers really would "hate to give up the intersectional" series like LSU (2010-11, Florida State (2012-13) and Michigan State (2014-15), but that ultimately playing in a conference that has had eight of its 10 future members in the polls at one time or another this season might be daunting enough.
Parsons agreed that WVU will be able to get the seven home games it desires in those seasons when it has five Big 12 home dates, but the four-game seasons will be tougher to achieve that.
At some point down the road, the WVU schedule might look like this: nine Big 12 games, Pitt, Maryland and an FCS team. Parsons said that might be nice, but it also might not work.
"Right now," Parsons said, "everything's on the table."
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Post by elp525 on Nov 2, 2011 5:00:41 GMT -5
Wednesday November 2, 2011
WVU's football coach talks about his team before playing host to Louisville.
by Mike Casazza Charleston Daily Mail
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- West Virginia won't play a younger team during the regular season than the one it welcomes to Mountaineer Field on Saturday.
Louisville started the season ranked second on the most-inexperienced team list in major college football, ahead only of defending national champion Auburn.
The Cardinals have started 11 freshmen and given 26 players their first game experience this season.
There are 15 true or redshirt freshmen in the two-deep on offense and defense. Four are listed as starters on offense and three are listed as starters on defense.
That's not necessarily an inviting set of circumstances for Dana Holgorsen, coach of the No. 24 Mountaineers, who play host to the Cardinals at noon (Big East Network telecast).
"The thing that's frightening about freshmen is they get better," Holgorsen said.
The Cardinals (4-4, 2-1) have the Big East's best defense and have only recently started to improve their offense.
Seven starters returned to the Louisville defense this season while just four starters came back on offense.
The offense starts freshmen at quarterback and receiver and on the offensive line, but they've been good for the Cardinals.
"All their key guys, from their quarterback to the guys he's throwing it to, are developing more and more timing than they had earlier in the year," Holgorsen said. "They're a deeper football team than we are. They play more people than we do, which, due to the fact they're young and they're playing a lot, means they're probably going to get better."
It's a sudden change for the Cardinals, who still make young mistakes.
Louisville is No. 119 out of 120 FBS teams in penalties per game (8.5) and No. 109 in red zone offense (12-for-17, eight touchdowns). They're still also No. 113 in scoring offense (17.63 points per game) and No. 103 in total offense (329.38 yards per game).
Louisville hasn't scored more than 24 points on the road this season. WVU averages 41.6 points at home.
"We need to continue to improve," U of L Coach Charlie Strong said. "We're nowhere near where we should be."
After starting 2-2 and firing the offensive coordinator, Louisville has won back-to-back games against Rutgers and Syracuse. It's the team's first conference winning streak since 2006. The Cardinals averaged 6.0 yards per snap in Saturday's win against Syracuse, which soundly beat the Mountaineers (6-2, 2-1) a week earlier.
They also had 343 yards of offense, the highest total since opening the season with 385 yards against FCS member Murray State and following that with 446 yards in a loss to Florida International. Louisville scored 21 and 17 points in those two games.
"We weren't playing very well in the beginning, but now guys over the last few weeks are getting healthy and getting better," saidSstrong, who agreed to a seven-year contract extension last month. "Our offensive line wasn't healthy, but now we've got guys back who were banged up back. The running backs are running better. The wide receivers are making plays. And when you have a young quarterback, you need all of that from the people around him."
Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is one of the six freshmen to start on offense for the Cardinals. He made his first start in last month's loss to Marshall, but has completed 27 of 42 passes for 320 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in his past two starts.
Bridgewater has three freshmen making plays at receiver. Michaelee Harris, who had a medical redshirt last season, leads the team with 26 receptions and 356 yards. Bridgewater's high school teammate, Eli Rogers, is tied for second on the team with 21 catches for 230 yards. DeVante Parker has 11 receptions, but leads the team with four touchdowns.
The offensive line has found a rotation, too. Strong has used eight different starters up front, including two true freshmen and one who was recruited as a defensive lineman. The Cardinals have started four different groups and only right guard and right tackle have stayed the same from the beginning of the season.
In the past two games, the starting five has been the same and the previous experiments gave Louisville depth to better run the ball and protect the passer.
"Now we get us a rotation," Strong said. "The last two weeks, we've been able to run the football because our offensive line has been able to block better. We've been able to protect the quarterback.
"You look at two weeks ago in the Rutgers game, we gave up no sacks. We gave up a few sacks the last game with the pressure they were coming with.
"We've been able to run the ball where we've been able to get a 100-yard rusher. We need to run the football. Now it doesn't make us one-dimensional. The offense is getting better. The wide receivers are getting open, the running backs are running better, the offensive line is blocking and the quarterback is doing a better job of managing it."
Louisville has started senior Victor Anderson and sophomore Dominique Brown - a quarterback last season - at running back this season. They're featured with sophomore Jeremy Wright, who actually leads the team in rushing.
Wright had the team's first 100-yard rushing game against Rutgers and Anderson just missed another last week against the Orange. The Cardinals are No. 92 in rushing yards per game (123.12), but have averaged 166 the past two games.
"They're getting better," Holgorsen said. They've made some changes and, again, it goes back to young guys. They were playing a bunch of different people early and they didn't have as much success early as they wanted.
"They made some changes and since they've done that they've been a little more efficient. They may not be putting up big numbers and big points, but it looks to me like they're more efficient playing that many young kids."
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ESPN HAS decided to exercise a six-day option on selecting the Nov. 12 WVU-Cincinnati game at Paul Brown Stadium for television.
The game will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. A Big East official said the game is likely to be played at noon or 3:30 p.m. and not in primetime. A network decision on the gametime and network will be made by noon Sunday.
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Post by elp525 on Nov 2, 2011 4:58:05 GMT -5
November 1, 2011
Questions remain, but WVU gets paperwork for Big 12 entrance
By Dave Hickman The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN - There were certainly other factors that played into the three-day delay in arranging the marriage between West Virginia and the Big 12, but political posturing and lobbying aside, there was also a very real concern on the part of the Big 12.
What would happen if West Virginia was admitted and Missouri did not withdraw?
The answer to Missouri's part of the equation remains up in the air, but West Virginia's part in it all was stamped and approved Wednesday when Big 12 officials arrived in Morgantown for the official marriage of the two.
Interim Big 12 commissioner Chuck Neinas and other league officials took part in a reception Wednesday in the Touchdown Terrace reception area of Mountaineer Field, where Neinas officially handed the paperwork to WVU president James Clements.
"Jim, you asked me when you'd be admitted to the Big 12 Conference,'' Neinas said to Clements to start the proceedings. "Well, here are the admission papers.''
But while that closed the books on West Virginia joining the Big 12, there are still a lot of details to be worked out regarding the school's exit from the Big East. WVU on Monday filed suit against the Big East to escape that league's 27-month waiting period, and the Big East immediately vowed to fight back.
The bottom line is that West Virginia was admitted to the Big 12 effective July 1, 2012, but there is no guarantee the school will be able to escape the Big East by then.
As messy and awkward as that could be in the coming months, and as crucial as it will be to the school's immediate future, Clements and WVU athletic director Oliver Luck steadfastly refused to comment on the suit during Tuesday's ceremony.
But there is also the issue of membership numbers in the Big 12 to consider. Neinas insists that was the major hang-up when WVU was first informally approved as a Big 12 member on Monday and Tuesday of last week, then the process was halted for three days before an official invitation was extended last Friday.
West Virginia is scheduled to replace Missouri in the Big 12. Missouri is widely thought to be headed to the Southeastern Conference, but has yet to officially withdraw from the Big 12.
"What happened was we talked about adding West Virginia as a 10th member, and the executive committee said, 'Well, Missouri hasn't withdrawn yet,' '' Neinas said Tuesday. " 'What happens if Missouri stays or delays its withdrawal or we can't work things out?' So what we had to do was develop an 11-team [football] schedule for next year. And then when the board reconvened we explained it to them and we went forward.''
The Big 12 is apparently ready for either scenario. If Missouri leaves, the league can go ahead with a 10-team round-robin schedule that is expected to be the norm in future years. But if Missouri's exit is delayed or the school goes against all of the general consensus and decides to remain in the Big 12, that can be handled, too.
"The bottom line is we can take care of 11 teams if necessary,'' Neinas said. "We can do it. We don't have it on paper, but our computers will work it out to provide a schedule which will accommodate 11 teams.''
As to when a decision has to be made, Neinas said that was pretty simple.
"The situation is that it rests with Missouri,'' Neinas said.
Among other notes from Wednesday's ceremony, which included WVU's pep band and cheerleaders:
As expected, West Virginia's revenue sharing in the Big 12 will be a gradual process. The school will receive a 50-percent share in the first year, rising to 67 percent in the second year, 85 percent in the third year and 100 percent in the fourth year.
Even at 50 percent, though, Luck simply said, "Yes,'' when asked if that amount would still exceed normal 100 percent shares in the Big East.
WVU officials aren't sure if they will have to add sports or not. The Big 12 sanctions nearly two dozen sports, but West Virginia sponsors just 16.
"We're just becoming familiar with the bylaws of the Big 12,'' Luck said. "There are lots of details we have to look at. ... At this point I don't want to say yes or no [regarding the need to add sports] because I'm just becoming familiar with the bylaws of the Big 12.''
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Post by elp525 on Nov 2, 2011 4:55:02 GMT -5
November 1, 2011
League going ahead with expansion plans
By Mitch Vingle The Charleston Gazette
MORGANTOWN - The Big East issued a statement Tuesday making it clear it will fight the lawsuit West Virginia University filed Monday and will attempt to keep the Mountaineers in the conference for the next 27 months.
Big East commissioner John Marinatto said the Big East intends to enforce the league's 27-month notification period and will hold WVU in the conference until July 2014.
"I quite frankly was stunned when I heard the news that they were filing a lawsuit,'' Marinatto said. "I couldn't understand under what grounds.''
While WVU hosted a press conference to announce it will join the Big 12 next season, the Big East office issued the following statement attributed to Marinatto after its annual presidents meeting in Philadelphia:
"In light of the lawsuit filed by West Virginia [Monday], the Presidents also discussed and confirmed our continuing commitment to enforce the conference's 27-month notification period for schools choosing to leave. The conference believes these claims to be wholly without merit and will explore all its legal options to protect its interests and to ensure that West Virginia lives up to its obligations."
Marinatto said the 27-month notification period also applies to Pitt and Syracuse, which left the league to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC has said it will not challenge the Big East's rules.
The Big 12, however, needs 10 teams to fulfill its television contracts in 2012 and has said it expects West Virginia to join the league next year. West Virginia's lawsuit challenges the Big East's waiting period and asks the court to speed up the school's divorce from the league.
Marinatto's statement also addressed Big East expansion.
"Our presidents voted unanimously to extend invitations to specific institutions, including both football-only and all-sport members to join the Big East Conference," it said. "I will be speaking to representatives of those schools shortly and look forward to announcing with them their acceptance into the Big East. The addition of these members will extend our reach, bring us to exciting new markets, strengthen our status within the BCS and lay the foundation for possible further expansion, all while maintaining the high quality and standards our conference is known for."
According to the Associated Press, a person familiar with the decision says the Big East will invite Boise State, Navy and Air Force for football only and SMU, Houston and Central Florida for all sports. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the conference was not ready to announce which schools were extended invitations to join the Big East.
Marinatto said he expected the targeted schools to accept, but added that there are still details to work out with each institution.
"As we've learned over the last two months, don't believe anything anybody tells you," he said. "Nothing's done until it is over. So I'm obviously being very cautious and that's why I'm reluctant to say names of schools."
Boise State and Air Force, current members of the Mountain West Conference, and SMU and Houston, members of Conference USA, would be in the Big East's western division. Navy and UCF would be part of the league's eastern division and the Big East would likely play a conference championship game.
"We have not received an invitation from the Big East. However, we understand the things are moving in that direction,'' UCF spokesman Grant Heston told the AP.
The Big East is looking to add those six schools and reconfigure as a 12-team football conference since not long after Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced on Sept. 18 that they would be leaving for the ACC.
TCU, which had made a commitment to join the Big East next year, backed out of that commitment after Pitt and Syracuse announced their intentions to join the ACC. TCU instead accepted an invite to the Big 12.
Temple and Memphis are also being considered for inclusion in the Big East, the person with knowledge of the league's decision told the AP.
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