WVU close to leaving for Big 12

[DMoney1080]

So I have a theory...its probably wrong...actually 80% wrong, but regardless...figured I would throw it out there...

What if the WVU leak was to force ND's hand? I know, I know......but what if the B12 is saying to ND - look your conference is about to fold in every other sport but football, and we want you to make a decision - NOW! It could explain why Missouri is waffling and why the contingency plan is to go to 11 (with both WVU and UofL).

The B12 does not want to go back to 12 because Texas and OU don't want to lose in a championship game and not go to a NC game.

Honestly, here's how I see it playing out.... Missouri will exit to the SEC, WVU and UofL will be invited to the B12. ND will have a window to join. While this happens, the BE will "attempt" to add members by invite. In the uncertainty of leadership, schools realize the BE's AQ status will be taken away and they will rescind in coming. Instead, the MWC and CUSA merge - creating a much more powerful conference and get this....invite the football only schools for the BE. This creates a much more diverse conference geographically, and creates an AQ conference in itself.

If the BE was serious.....and I mean serious about survival - you go after the B12 little sisters.....the Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Mizz, Baylor and invite them into the BE. You give them more revenue then what Texas will give them and you keep your AQ status. That is the only way in which to do this...don't go after the Air Force's and CUSA members - go after the forgotten ones. Then what can UT, OU, OSU, TT, do without the rest of the league....who wants to go to a conference that stacked, but yet all controlled at the top.

Just saying...i know our commish has the no balls, but if someone did....that's what you do.

[Rock]

It's a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood

If the Big East is so wonderful and the best for UC, why is everybody jumping ship? Syracuse, Pitt, TCU, WVU, U of L trying like **** to get out, UCONN and Rutgers would leave in a heart beat---UC president keeps spewing the rhetoric about the Big East. It is becoming laughable!
If we find out later (too late) that UC was holding the bag while everybody was getting out, the Prez is going to look like a fool.
Football is driving this, as we all know, but I got a feeling that Mick is steering UC's ship with his recruiting base being in the East.

[binturong07]

However, we already knew the Big 12 was interested in both schools...we still aren't sure if it's one and only one...or two or three or more. Here is another thought though...if the Big East is blocking WVU...are they also blocking UC as a possible 12th member?

The BCS evaluation period is going to be from 2010-2013. I would say that there is a damn good chance UC and WVU will have higher end of season BCS rankings that UofL. After the '07 evaluation (which kept the BE as an AQ conference), below are the final BCS rankings for the conference.


2008
UC - 12
Pitt - 20

2009
UC - 3
WVU - 16
Pitt - 17

2010
WV - 22

So, losing UofL really doesnt hurt the conference too bad as far as the BCS standings.

[bearcatgary]

If the BE was serious.....and I mean serious about survival - you go after the B12 little sisters.....the Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, Mizz, Baylor and invite them into the BE. You give them more revenue then what Texas will give them and you keep your AQ status. That is the only way in which to do this...don't go after the Air Force's and CUSA members - go after the forgotten ones. Then what can UT, OU, OSU, TT, do without the rest of the league....who wants to go to a conference that stacked, but yet all controlled at the top.

Well, that approach might have worked a month or two ago when the B12 was on the brink of collapsing and the BE was totally intact. However, now that it's the other way around, the BE will be lucky to get anyone to join. Why would you join a conference when you don't even know what teams, if any, will be in it. The AQ is in serious jeopardy and the potential TV deal is shrinking by the minute.

[Josh Rexhausen]

I've heard that too. My point was only that 11 is an odd number - they would have unbalanced schedules and it just seems logical to expand to 12 if they're going to 11. HOWEVER, there's not a whole lot of logic going into the whole conference expansion discussion anyway.

11 creates a balanced schedule, 5 home and 5 away or 4 home and 4 away without playing 2 teams. Remember we have 8 teams, and we play 3 home and 4 away or vice versa.

The Big 12 doesn't like the conference championship game from what I've heard. They don't want a flagship not going to the title game for losing a conference championship game.

So if a conference has 12 teams they have to have a championship or they have the option? I always thought you had to have 12 to have the option of a championship.

[bobestes]

If the Big East is so wonderful and the best for UC, why is everybody jumping ship? Syracuse, Pitt, TCU, WVU, U of L trying like **** to get out, UCONN and Rutgers would leave in a heart beat---UC president keeps spewing the rhetoric about the Big East. It is becoming laughable!
If we find out later (too late) that UC was holding the bag while everybody was getting out, the Prez is going to look like a fool.
Football is driving this, as we all know, but I got a feeling that Mick is steering UC's ship with his recruiting base being in the East.

Because UC has no other options.

[Helicopter]

Championship game makes much more money. I doubt (despite recent history) the teams in the B12 are worried about not making the NCG.

Conversely Big10 expanded for that very reason, they were tired of being forgotten for a month before bowl season. Every conference if given the option wants a conference championship game.

[Cpaw]

Well, WVU has an invite from the BIG 12.

http://brett-mcmurphy.blogs.cbssport...32522/32980106

[BearCatMarcher]

My gut hurts...

[Walston09]

WVU to Big 12 is official http://espn.go.com/college-sports/st...ed-join-big-12

[#41]

The Big 12 will eventually fill in additional eastern schools to bridge the gap between the conference footprint and WVU. UC needs to hold tight and continue making it's case to the B12 for inclusion.

The only dumb thing UC can do now is sign off on expanding and adding money to the buyout. None of the mid-major also-ran programs being listed (save Boise State, but I think they're a pipe dream at this point) as possible expansion candidates for the Big East are worth UC locking itself in to a doomed conference.

[Cpaw]

Very interesting dynamic concerning their exit timing.....


"The other key piece of info in the Big 12 release was that West Virginia would be joining the conference for the 2012-13 school year. This is somewhat surprising because Big East schools have to give a 27-month notice before leaving the conference, which means West Virginia, like Pitt and Syracuse before it, would have to remain in the Big East until 2014."

http://eye-on-collegefootball.blogs....56338/32981848

[righthook]

The only dumb thing UC can do now is sign off on expanding and adding money to the buyout.

They already did that a couple of weeks ago. Once one team accepts a BE invite it doubles the exit fee to 10 mil

[Brian H.]

Per Twitter.
TommyG_Sideline Tom Gelehrter
Woah....Marinatto/Big East might have something to say about that... RT @schadjoe: WVU says it will begin play in Big 12 next season

[#41]

They already did that a couple of weeks ago. Once one team accepts a BE invite it doubles the exit fee to 10 mil

I imagine they'll have to re-vote considering the circumstances have changed significantly since they made that plan. Adding to a conference that had WVU and LOU is one thing. Adding to a conference without WVU and w/ LOU actively looking to bolt is just silly.