Post by elp525 on Oct 26, 2011 7:55:43 GMT -5
October 25, 2011
By Kathryn Gregory
The Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Local reaction to West Virginia's decision to leave the Big East and become a member of the Big 12 Conference was mixed Tuesday after news about the imminent departure made its way around the city.
Charleston resident Sherri Rasmussen said she was "excited" West Virginia University would be playing power teams like Kansas State University and Texas Tech University.
"I'm a Kansas State fan, so I am excited that WVU and Kansas will be playing in the future."
Rasmussen, who is originally from Kansas, said traveling for away games may be tough. The closest would be Iowa State -- almost 900 miles away.
"But you've got the home games. It's a great conference for both the teams and the fan base is going to be incredible," she said. "It's a sad situation what's become of the Big East, but when I heard today about the move, I was fired up."
Chris Phares, of Hurricane, said he was glad the wait about conference shuffling is over for WVU, even though he wasn't totally behind the Big 12 move.
"They've got to go. That is where the money is. It's not in the Big East," he said.
His co-worker, Bryan Hopkins, agreed.
"I think they are a much better fit for the SEC. There are no regional rivalries there and that is what college football is built on. You won't get that there," Hopkins said.
Hopkins thinks the best scenario for WVU in their new conference would be if the University of Louisville and the University of Cincinnati were offered an invitation to join.
"Then at least there'd be someone close to home you could get behind," he said.
He added that the move to the Big 12, while good in football, might be detrimental to other non-revenue sports, including women's soccer and baseball.
"You're going to be spending millions of dollars on a sports franchise for what? Those teams will suffer," Hopkins said.
But Kay Livingston said the move is great for West Virginia.
"I am so excited. The Big East is a sinking ship and it will be good for us fans to breathe a sigh of relief and just focus on the games ahead," she said. "I can't wait. This is going to be nothing but fun."
Warren Brigme said he "doesn't care where the Mountaineers play as long as we win games," something he added may be hard to do at first.
"It will be tough to battle some of those bigger guys but I think we've got the pants for it," the Cross Lanes resident said.
In addition to worrying about a more difficult team schedule, some fans expressed concern about WVU's sometimes-controversial fan base.
"We're going to have to be much more professional, that's for sure," said Tommy Duncan of Beckley.
Nikole Prowse of Charleston, however, said she's not worried about a thing.
"It's going to force them to want to get in the game and play harder. They've got their work cut out for them," she said.
But Prowse said the move itself is "good. It will open more doors up for WVU as far as playing."
And as far as traveling, she doesn't think it will be a problem.
"A WVU fan is a WVU fan. They are going to go no matter where the games are," she said.
The university will be holding a news conference today with Big 12 officials to announce the deal.
By Kathryn Gregory
The Charleston Gazette
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Local reaction to West Virginia's decision to leave the Big East and become a member of the Big 12 Conference was mixed Tuesday after news about the imminent departure made its way around the city.
Charleston resident Sherri Rasmussen said she was "excited" West Virginia University would be playing power teams like Kansas State University and Texas Tech University.
"I'm a Kansas State fan, so I am excited that WVU and Kansas will be playing in the future."
Rasmussen, who is originally from Kansas, said traveling for away games may be tough. The closest would be Iowa State -- almost 900 miles away.
"But you've got the home games. It's a great conference for both the teams and the fan base is going to be incredible," she said. "It's a sad situation what's become of the Big East, but when I heard today about the move, I was fired up."
Chris Phares, of Hurricane, said he was glad the wait about conference shuffling is over for WVU, even though he wasn't totally behind the Big 12 move.
"They've got to go. That is where the money is. It's not in the Big East," he said.
His co-worker, Bryan Hopkins, agreed.
"I think they are a much better fit for the SEC. There are no regional rivalries there and that is what college football is built on. You won't get that there," Hopkins said.
Hopkins thinks the best scenario for WVU in their new conference would be if the University of Louisville and the University of Cincinnati were offered an invitation to join.
"Then at least there'd be someone close to home you could get behind," he said.
He added that the move to the Big 12, while good in football, might be detrimental to other non-revenue sports, including women's soccer and baseball.
"You're going to be spending millions of dollars on a sports franchise for what? Those teams will suffer," Hopkins said.
But Kay Livingston said the move is great for West Virginia.
"I am so excited. The Big East is a sinking ship and it will be good for us fans to breathe a sigh of relief and just focus on the games ahead," she said. "I can't wait. This is going to be nothing but fun."
Warren Brigme said he "doesn't care where the Mountaineers play as long as we win games," something he added may be hard to do at first.
"It will be tough to battle some of those bigger guys but I think we've got the pants for it," the Cross Lanes resident said.
In addition to worrying about a more difficult team schedule, some fans expressed concern about WVU's sometimes-controversial fan base.
"We're going to have to be much more professional, that's for sure," said Tommy Duncan of Beckley.
Nikole Prowse of Charleston, however, said she's not worried about a thing.
"It's going to force them to want to get in the game and play harder. They've got their work cut out for them," she said.
But Prowse said the move itself is "good. It will open more doors up for WVU as far as playing."
And as far as traveling, she doesn't think it will be a problem.
"A WVU fan is a WVU fan. They are going to go no matter where the games are," she said.
The university will be holding a news conference today with Big 12 officials to announce the deal.
