Tuesday, September 20, 2011

So, What now for WVU?

The reports continue to swirl that WVU has been rejected by both the ACC and the SEC. This means the best football school in the Big East is, well, stuck in the Big East...for now, at least. With Syracuse and Pittsburgh leaving, and Rutgers and UConn likely following, it's time to figure out what the Big East may look like in the future.

If the conference does look to stay afloat, look for them to try to include teams from the Big 12, and quite possibly Conference USA. John Marinatto has to finally get his head out of his ass and start being aggressive, or WVU and other football schools will continue to fall into despair.

Let's take a look at the possibilities for the future of the Big East/Big 12

The Leftovers

Baylor
Cincinnati
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville
South Florida
TCU
West Virginia

Assuming that Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Rutgers, and Connecticut all leave this is what is leftover. Nothing to write home about, but some pretty solid programs. Football would be similar to what the Big East is now, and basketball would be very good.

Best-Case Conference

Baylor
Boise State
Cincinnati
Iowa State
Houston
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville
Notre Dame
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
South Florida
TCU
Texas
Texas Tech
West Virginia

Why the hell not? Convince Notre Dame to join, and allow them to keep the NBC deal. Convince the rest of the Big 12 to stay together, and allow Texas to keep the ESPN deal. If you get Texas to stay, it means Texas Tech is in. Then, convince Oklahoma and OSU that more money can be made with Texas and Notre Dame leading the charge in this new hybrid conference. Bring in Boise State in to make it 16, and you have yourself a super conference. Hell, be arrogant about it, and call yourselves the "All-American Conference"

The Worst-Case:

Baylor
Central Florida
Cincinnati
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville
Marshall
South Florida
TCU
Villanova
West Virginia

Let's take a few brutal teams from Conference USA, mix it with a new team to FBS, and there you have it! Sadly, I could see this or something similar happening.

The Realistic Conference:
Baylor
Cincinnati
East Carolina
Houston
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Louisville
Memphis
South Florida
TCU
West Virginia

This is probably the most likely scenario. The leftovers from the Big East/12 and a few members of Conference USA. It may not be these USA teams per se, but something similar. The athletics will be strong, but there will certainly be a question of AQ-status moving forward.


No matter what the future holds for the Big East, it's terrible to know that John Marinatto holds most of the cards. The man has already done enough to ruin it. Let's now see how deep he can dig.

In Defense of WVU's fans

I keep hearing a lot about how West Virginia's fan behavior is a big reason that conferences will be saying "no thanks" to the school from Morgantown. Does WVU have a bit of a bad reputation? Sure. Do they deserve it? Probably. But to say it's that much different than most large schools, well, that's just simply idiotic. Disagree? Let's go to the tape!

(warning...some vids are NSFW)

Oh, very nice. And from an ACC school. How dare they?

Oh man, that's a riot. Or maybe it's "The" riot

Nothing says class like Miami football.

Now, that is some nice southern hospitality

Is that East Lansing or Beirut?

Molding young minds at Penn State

I always knew those midwestern girls had class.

So much for the laid back attitude on the left coast.

So, maybe WVU isn't that much different from anywhere else. Oh, and this is just a small sample size. A lot more where this came from.

Former Mountaineers in the NFL, Week 2

Here's a look at how former Mountaineers did in Week 2 of the NFL season.

Anthony Becht, TE, Chiefs: After being released, was resigned just before last week's game. Didn't register any stats in loss to Detroit.

Pat McAfee, P, Colts: Another good week for the punter, averaging 52 yards per punt. Will get plenty of kicks this year until Manning comes back.

Corey McIntyre, FB, Bills: Didn't register any stats in Buffalo's big win over the Raiders.

Ryan Mundy, S, Steelers: Didn't register any stats in Pittsburgh's win over the Seattle.

Chris Neild, DL, Redskins: After a stellar debut in week 1, Neild didn't register any stats in Washington's win over the Cardinals.

Robert Sands, S, Bengals: The safety was inactive for the second straight week.

Owen Schmitt, FB, Eagles: Started at fullback, and finished with one tackle in Philly's win over the Falcons.

Steve Slaton, RB, Texans: FInished with one carry for no gain in the Texans' win over the Dolphins. Still buried on the depth chart.

Injuries:

PacMan Jones, CB, Bengals: PUP List

Brandon Hogan, CB, Panthers: PUP List

J.T. Thomas, LB, Bears: Injured Reserve