Conference Realignment 2011: Missouri inching closer to the SEC

It looks like WVU's only way out of the Big East now is the Big 12, following Pete Thamel's report in thes New York Times that Missouri's application to the SEC is "inevitable and imminent." This comes after the news earlier today that WVU is expected to vote "yes" to double the Big East exit fee.

Thamel goes on to write that once Missouri sends the application, it should be a done deal.

He writes...

After Missouri applies, the person said that it expects “no problems” with gathering enough votes among SEC presidents to become a member.

The Missouri board of Curators is expected to meet later this week, writes Thamel.

So, things are starting to move quickly, and expect the Big East to send out invitations this week. WVU will now have to either wait to become the 15th or 16th member of the SEC when the conferences go SUPER. They can hope for an invitation to the Big 12, which certainly looks better now. Or, they could stay in the Big East, with an uncertain future. The plot thickens...

Conference Realignment 2011: WVU to vote yes for increasing Big East Buyout

Dave Hickman is reporting that WVU will indeed vote in favor of increasing the Big East buyout to $ 10 million. It was originally $ 5 million.

So, what does this mean for WVU? It could mean that WVU isn't going anywhere. They will be the football anchor in a conference with incredible instability, and one that may not have a future. Of course, the Big East looks much better with the Mountaineers, so this is huge news for the much beleaguered conference. A much easier case to keep its AQ status.

However, this could also mean that WVU doesn't want to burn any bridges. You would think that the school could spend the 10 million if they actually were invited to the SEC or the Big 12. Maybe they stay in the Big East, maybe they make the move. At least this way may keep it clean.

The only true info to take from this is the fact that the Big East could be sending out invites this week. Stay tuned...

It's Gameweek! Week 8 Primer

Matchup: West Virginia at Syracuse

When: Friday, 8p, ESPN

Line: WVU -14.5

West Virginia Players to Watch:

Geno Smith, QB: 2159 yards, 16 TD, 3 INT

Tavon Austin, WR: 42 rec, 562 yards, 2 TD, 1 return TD

Stedman Bailey, WR: 34 rec, 634 yards, 5 TD

Terrence Garvin, S: 38 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 INT

Syracuse Players to Watch:

Ryan Nassib, QB: 1294 yards, 11 TD, 4 INT

Antwon Bailey, RB: 663 total yards, 4.5 YPR, 5 TD

Nick Provo, TE: 22 rec, 265 yards, 2 TD

Phillip Thomas, S: 46 total tackles, 2.5 TFL, 3 INT

Storylines:

How do both teams respond to a bye week? WVU has been on a roll. Will the bye week slow the Mountaineers down, or will hitting the film room bring a more efficient offense? Meanwhile, Syracuse has struggled to put a full game together. A week off may have been a welcome sight for the coaching staff, and the banged up defense.

Will the Mountaineers go right back to the air? They probably should. Syracuse is allowing nearly 300 pass yards a contest. However, the Orange are also giving up around 100 rushing yards per game too, so WVU will have options. Look for Dana Holgorsen to mix and match early on. If the running game gets going it's hard to think that Geno can be stopped.

Have Special Teams turned the corner? The unit was fantastic against Connecticut. Punting improved, coverage improved, placekicking was outstanding, and the return is fine. After five-plus years of futility has a light finally turned on? Or, was it just one of those "good" days? Only time will tell. Even an average performance against Syracuse would be a good sign of things to come.

Playing in the dome is always a treat. If Syracuse can get a good crowd, WVU will have to deal with some solid noise. The Mountaineers will have a lot of people lining up who haven't played in the dome, including Geno. And, let's not forget that the Orange won in Morgantown last year. The rivalry may be dying soon too, with Syracuse going to the ACC, so look for both teams to get after it early.

The Art of the Port-a-John Dive

Many moons ago in Morgantown, one could walk with 60,000 of their friends up a hill towards an enormous gold and blue church and witness an endangered species.

It hasn’t been seen for many years.

It is…the port-a-john diver.

A crowd would gather at the base of the alter. All would burst into song. “It’s West Virginia…It’s West Virginia…” Thousands would clap. The diver’s hat would wave through the crisp mountain air, begging to heard.

“Hail to West Virginia, Hail!” the crowd would bellow.

The hat would fly into the throng.

And the diver would leap from his royal blue perch. Into the locked arms of his brothers below.

Week by week. Season after season. A tradition that REALLY was like any other.

Big East Preview, Week 7

A mix of league and non-conference games make up the week for the Big East. A few more chances for teams to make statements, especially Rutgers. The Knights were left for dead by the media, but could be one step closer to the post season after Saturday. USF and Pitt also get the chance to get back on track, following terrible losses.

Last Week: 3-1

Overall: 29-11

Bye Week: Syracuse, West Virginia

Louisville at Cincinnati: The Bearcats are quietly putting together a good season. And this team is much more balanced than many people think. We know how good the offense is, but the story has been the defense. Cincy is 15th in the country in points against, and have only allowed over 14 points once. This is a fantastic matchup for the Bearcats, considering Louisville has one of the worst offenses in the nation. The Cardinals will have Will Stein back from injury, but Teddy Bridgewater is far from the problem. The offensive line continues to be shambolic, the play calling is a disaster, and the ground game just can't get going. This means the Louisville defense is going to have to keep them in the game...again. The Bearcats are just going to have too much in this matchup. Even with an outstanding performance by the Cards' D, the offense just isn't potent enough.

Prediction: 31-10 Cincinnati

South Florida at Connecticut: The Bulls have had two weeks to think about their terrible performance against Pitt. This should be a better team than what was seen that Thursday night. They now get a chance to turn the season around against the weakest team in the Big East. The Huskies are reeling, just giving up way too much in the pass game. UConn can run the ball, but just too much inexperience in the passing game makes them too one-dimensional. Look for the Bulls to stack the box, and force Johnny McEntee into 3rd and long situations. It's eventually what buried UConn last week. On the other side, look for B.J. Daniels to stay in the pocket a bit more than usual. The depleted Husky secondary will get rocked once again.

Prediction: 34-20 South Florida

Utah at Pittsburgh: The Panthers continue to be the bipolar team of the conference. They hammer South Florida, only to back it up with a dismal performance at Rutgers. Todd Graham just can't find an offense to stay consistent. His biggest problem has to be his quarterback. Tino Sunseri just can't figure out the new system, and it may be time to look behind him. Or, just give the ball to Ray Graham 50 times, especially against a struggling Utah team. Look for Pitt to run as much as possible to try to gain the momentum back. The Panthers' defense should also have success, considering the Utes lost their starting quarterback for the season. It's already been a struggle for Utah to score, and now losing Jordan Wynn is a big hit. Pitt will go after the quarterback all day long. Look for the Panthers to pull away in the second half.

Prediction: 29-14 Pittsburgh

Game of the Week: Navy at Rutgers: It's always a good time trying to stop the triple-option. The Knights get the task this weekend against Navy. Rutgers is proving a lot of people wrong this year with the fast start. Already 4-1, the Knights get a chance to show some people what they have against the Midshipmen. After a solid game against Pitt, Gary Nova will get the start at quarterback. His completion percentage needs to improve, and probably will against Navy. Look for the Knights' dynamic receivers to have a field day on Saturday. There's no doubt Rutgers will be able to move the ball, but will the defense be able to stop Navy? The Knights are only allowing 15 points per game, but haven't faced an offense like this. Navy will move the ball, but look for Rutgers to clamp down when the field shortens. The Middies have played opponents tough this year, so expect this game to be close. However, the Knights' receivers will be too much of a mismatch. Look for Nova to hit a couple big plays in the second half to pull away.

Prediction: 30-20 Rutgers

Big East Power Rankings, Week 6

1. West Virginia (5-1, 1-0 in conference): The defense and special teams rose to the occasion to bail out a slow starting offense against UConn. Next Step...Boring Bye Week

2. Cincinnati (4-1, 0-0): Looking to keep the momentum going from before the bye week. Next Step...Hosting a reeling Louisville.

3. South Florida (4-1, 0-1): Looking to rebound from a disappointing loss two weeks ago to Pittsburgh. Next Step...Roadie to UConn.

4. Rutgers (4-1, 2-0): The surpass team of the conference is coming off a dismantling of Pitt. Next Step...Getting ready to stop Navy's option.

5. Pittsburgh (3-3, 1-1): The Bipolar Panthers backed up a solid win over South Florida by not showing up against Rutgers. Next Step...Back to the drawing board against Utah.

6. Syracuse (4-2, 0-0): A solid first half against Tulane helped the Orange hold on for the win. Next Step...Still looking for a complete four quarters as they hit the bye week.

7. Louisville (2-3, 0-0): It's painful to watch this team on offense. This team needs to find some creativity. Next Step...Tough road game at Cincinnati.

8. Connecticut (2-4, 0-1): Mistakes and injuries are a bad combination. The Huskies are in full skid mode. Next Step...Tough home game against USF.

Rolling of the Conference Dice

Quick trivia question…how do you get umpteen thousands of WVU fans to sign up for that social media phenomenon called Twitter? Let them know that rumors of WVU to other conferences not called Big East run rampant on there.

You get all manners of stuff. People saying it’s a done deal…that have tweeted 4 times and have 3 followers. You get people posturing to have those new Tweeters follow them by writing incendiary articles pretending to be in the know…

I’m GUILTY. I’ve been doing that damned “WVU SEC” Twitter search for about 2 weeks straight now. I’ve been convinced that the dominoes were going to fall. And that by now, we’d be talking about our future opponents.

And we should start talking about our future opponents. Mainly Central Florida. And East Carolina. And Memphis. You have read all the articles. We don’t bring any TV sets to anything. We can try and rationalize it, but the facts are, we don’t. And it’s for that reason that we are here in the Big East for a while.

WVU will eventually get picked up by someone else. It’ll be during the race to get to 16 members per conference. Someone will jump first…then all the pieces will fall together. And WVU will end up somewhere.

Hell, that could even begin the process of setting up a playoff for college football. 4 super conferences. 3 more games a year. That would be exciting.

Enough with all the talk of academics and culture, as well. This has nothing to do with either. Any of that talk is just posturing. It’s all about the jingle.

The simple rub of it is that we need a new conference. And we will embrace you for taking us. But realize that soon after you add us, we will immediately start disliking you, and you will HATE to come and play in Morgantown, much like any other rival we’ve had over the years.

Patience friends. Patience. We’ll end up somewhere. But in the meantime…

“Under the terms of the agreements with the bowls and television rightsholder, the ACC, Big East, Big 10, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC will have annual automatic qualification for their champions for the 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.”

Should be 4 BCS berths for WVU in a row. That’ll be a lot fun. Let’s prove our worth.

-dookiestyle