Expansion, BCS Signs of Major Flaw

When Syracuse and Pittsburgh jumped ship to the ACC last month, the popular opinion was that West Virginia would follow suit.  Maybe they wouldn't join the ACC, but WVU certainly wouldn't remain in the wounded Big East.  After all they were the "Beast of the East," and the only school in the conference with significant BCS victories. On a list of Big East teams with the best fan base, on-the-field success, game-day atmosphere, and Big East championships, West Virginia is at the top. Simply put, if any sort of conference realignment trouble were to surface, West Virginia, king and almighty ruler of the Big East, could have it's picking. There was no room for concern, just overconfidence.

And like clockwork that line of logic was validated. Twitter, Facebook, and blogs everywhere exploded with the news: WVU to the SEC. Even D'Sean Butler jumped in with the #WVUtoSEC hash tag. Mountaineer nation rejoiced. All was right in Morgantown.

But the jubilation died quickly when respectable media outlets failed to deliver the story. Days passed without further news and soon the word "rumor" crept into the picture. Fans grew impatient. Sources that once claimed the move was a "done deal" were now backpedaling and stalling. The announcement would happen "by the end of the week" or "by next weekend at the latest."  There was a collective sigh from Mountaineer fans. Would somebody go ahead and break the story already? It was obvious that WVU was headed south to greener pastures--what was the hold up?

Then the storm clouds rolled in.

Reports surfaced that WVU had been rejected by both the ACC and SEC conferences.  Speculation arose that it was academics or TV markets. Those reports were later denied by WVU officials, but the damage was done. The silence that followed was deafening. Mountaineer fans scratched their collective heads. Was it really possible that teams like PITT and Syracuse were getting invites and WVU couldn't buy one? Was there really more to this expansion business that athletic success and fan support? After all, when was the last time Pittsburgh or Syracuse filled their stadiums or took a trip to a BCS bowl?

Source: Orlando Post

West Virginians, used to being counted out and overlooked, didn't give up. They have continued to express support for their University, and reiterate why it would be a good fit in the Big 12 or SEC. But some fans have questioned WVU's leadership, specifically that of athletic director Oliver Luck. Always the business man, fans believed Luck would have WVU on the quickest train out of the Big East at first sign of trouble. And believe us when we say he would have, if he could have. And he's still trying, but the ballgame is really out of his hands.

Don't blame the administration, blame the system--one that favors numbers and markets and money over passion, support, and success. If the ACC or SEC had been looking for the best program available, West Virginia would have been the first to go. But it's not about that. It's about money. This blunder is not the fault of West Virginia University's administration. It's not even the fault of the SEC or the ACC. It's the fault of a college football system that lacks regulation.

There is no leadership, and there is no control. There are only conferences and money-hungry executives. They don't care about football teams or scores. They care about bank accounts and TV deals. But this conference realignment mess, with its disregard for regional rivalries, history, and on-the-field success, isn't the only product of a flawed system. And it isn't the worst either.

The same problems we're seeing with realignment exist in the BCS system. The BCS wasn't created with the game of football in mind, it was created with money in mind. Period. You can make whatever argument you want for the BCS, like that it preserves traditional bowl games or that it's easier on the student athlete. But after seeing this conference expansion madness, it's perfectly clear that the dollar is driving these decisions. Tradition be damned.

What we're witnessing with the BCS and conference expansion are the symptoms of a sickness in college football caused by a lack of regulatory control. No one, not even the NCAA, can regulate the post season or conference realignment. This isn't the NFL.

This is the Wild West of sports. It's the United States with no federal government. Every man for himself. And there's no one to stand up for the good of the whole.

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