ESPN is reporting that a source with knowledge of the Big XII's expansion plans has stated that West Virginia is at the top of the conference's list of candidates to replace Mizzou should they leave for the SEC. In addition, the source said that BYU is a close second, followed by Louisville and Cincinnati.
Let's hope the Big XII committee doesn't have a bad taste in their mouths after watching WVU's implosion against Syracuse on Friday night. But realistically, one bad game shouldn't make a difference in conference expansion decisions. (Update: And, it would be a tad bit hypocritical to chastise WVU for their loss to Syracuse after the conference's highest ranked team, then #3 Oklahoma, lost to unranked Texas Tech.)
There have been rumblings of the Mountaineers jumping to every conference imaginable outside of the PAC 12, and all of those rumors were found to be heavy on wishful thinking and light on factual evidence. However, this is the first time a source with inside knowledge of the conference in question has spoken out. There is a very good possibility that WVU could get an invite within the next two or three weeks depending on Missouri's decision. As it stands now, Missouri has granted rights to their chancellor to make a move, and signs indicate that will happen soon.
A move by WVU to the Big XII could sound the death knell for the Big East as a football conference, as the league needs West Virginia's record of success to help retain its BCS AQ status. Additionally, if West Virginia makes a move before a team joins the Big East, they will only be responsible for a $5 million exit fee instead of $10 million.
Add to this news the fact that AD Oliver Luck nor President James Clements were present at the Syracuse game, and things get interesting. Who knows, maybe they were meeting to discuss the possibility should Missouri jump soon. One thing is for sure--if West Virginia gets an invite from the Big XII, Mountaineer fans will quickly forget that atrocious loss to the Orange.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
WVU at Syracuse Recap
Final Score: WVU 23, Syracuse 49
West Virginia was absolutely embarrassed tonight. It was the most points Syracuse has ever scored against the Mountaineers . Everything that could go wrong did, but more than that, Syracuse outplayed WVU in every aspect. The blitzing defense and grind-it-out offense with big, physical tight-ends was West Virginia's kryptonite. Look for more teams to emulate this game plan throughout the rest of the season.
Pre-game Questions:
Can WVU put together a solid game in all phases?
No. West Virginia failed in absolutely every phase of the game against Syracuse. It was the worst performance of the season, and one of the worst in recent memory for the Mountaineers.
Can WVU play two halves of football?
No. West Virginia played poorly again in the first half, but this time failed to compete in the second as well.
Can WVU play two halves of football?
No. West Virginia played poorly again in the first half, but this time failed to compete in the second as well.
Will the Syracuse blitzing scheme get to Geno again?
Yes. It worked to perfection. Geno looked unsettled throughout the entire game, and made very uncharacteristic throws.
Prediction:
Our Guess: WVU 39, Syracuse 21.Final Score: WVU 23, Syracuse 49.
This result is a nightmare for the Big East conference. After tonight there should be no ranked team, and Syracuse--a team headed for the ACC--could be the best team in the conference. West Virginia needed a strong performance to impress the Big 12. Instead, the laid an egg. Let's hope they don't get left behind.
3rd Quarter Update
Syracuse 35, West Virginia 16
The defense is being exposed tonight.
The Mountaineers opened the second half on a promising note by putting together a nice drive that ate up some clock and put 7 points on the board. But special teams was shaky once again, nearly giving up another kickoff return, and the defense continued to struggle. The Orange got all the breaks they needed to keep drives alive, whether it was amazing one-handed catches, or great spots by the referees.
The defense failed to step up, allowing Syracuse to drive down the field on their first possession and score to go up by 12. On the next Orange possession there was much of the same, as WVU didn't execute on third downs and the tight ends were open down the field. Syracuse scored again on a wide open pass to go up by 19.
Then, needing a good drive, Geno Smith made a very bad play and threw an interception to a Syracuse defender with no gold and blue in sight.
West Virginia is in full meltdown mode.
Halftime Update
Syracuse 21, West Virginia 9
Syracuse continued to engineer long drives and dominate West Virginia in time of possession. The WVU defense had no answer for the Orange in the first half, as Syracuse picked up three or more yards on nearly every play. But if Syracuse's offense is a poisonous molasses, then West Virginia's is a quick striking dagger. With a blitz coming in quickly, Geno connected with Stedman Bailey on a 64 catch and run that led to the first Mountaineer touchdown of the night.
However, WVU's special teams problems resurfaced in horrific fashion. Bitancurt missed his first extra point of the season, banking it off the left upright. Then, deja vu: WVU gave up another huge kickoff return for a touchdown, putting the Mountaineers in an 12-point hole. Special teams has had problems on kickoffs and punt returns all year, and it looks like that trend will continue after a promising performance against Connecticut.
The Mountaineer defense finally came up with a three-and-out with about three minutes left in the half. The offense was able to come up with another big pass play to get within striking distance. However, Geno Smith was picked off along the goal line on third down.
One word to describe West Virginia tonight is "frustrated". Every aspect of the team has played off-kilter. It looks like the Mountaineers will have to rely on another big second half, but the pressure is really on the defense to get the Orange off the field. That starts with slowing down the run game, which is chewing up big chunks on every play. On offense, look for some counter-plays and screen passes against the blitz happy defense to take some pressure off of Smith. But with the poor play all around for West Virginia, the difference on the scoreboard is the breakdown on special teams.
Syracuse continued to engineer long drives and dominate West Virginia in time of possession. The WVU defense had no answer for the Orange in the first half, as Syracuse picked up three or more yards on nearly every play. But if Syracuse's offense is a poisonous molasses, then West Virginia's is a quick striking dagger. With a blitz coming in quickly, Geno connected with Stedman Bailey on a 64 catch and run that led to the first Mountaineer touchdown of the night.
However, WVU's special teams problems resurfaced in horrific fashion. Bitancurt missed his first extra point of the season, banking it off the left upright. Then, deja vu: WVU gave up another huge kickoff return for a touchdown, putting the Mountaineers in an 12-point hole. Special teams has had problems on kickoffs and punt returns all year, and it looks like that trend will continue after a promising performance against Connecticut.
The Mountaineer defense finally came up with a three-and-out with about three minutes left in the half. The offense was able to come up with another big pass play to get within striking distance. However, Geno Smith was picked off along the goal line on third down.
One word to describe West Virginia tonight is "frustrated". Every aspect of the team has played off-kilter. It looks like the Mountaineers will have to rely on another big second half, but the pressure is really on the defense to get the Orange off the field. That starts with slowing down the run game, which is chewing up big chunks on every play. On offense, look for some counter-plays and screen passes against the blitz happy defense to take some pressure off of Smith. But with the poor play all around for West Virginia, the difference on the scoreboard is the breakdown on special teams.
1st Quarter Update
Syracuse 7, West Virginia 3
Not much happened in the first quarter thanks to Syracuse milking the clock on every play, executing their game plan perfectly to keep Geno Smith off the field. The Orange put together a 14-play drive that seemed to never end, taking 6:21 off the clock and putting 7 on the board. West Virginia got the ball back for only the second time with 4:15 left in the first. They drove down the field with relative ease, but ended up settling for a field goal as the blitz got to Geno on third down. The Orange returned on offense with 1:06 to go and continued grinding it out.
Not much happened in the first quarter thanks to Syracuse milking the clock on every play, executing their game plan perfectly to keep Geno Smith off the field. The Orange put together a 14-play drive that seemed to never end, taking 6:21 off the clock and putting 7 on the board. West Virginia got the ball back for only the second time with 4:15 left in the first. They drove down the field with relative ease, but ended up settling for a field goal as the blitz got to Geno on third down. The Orange returned on offense with 1:06 to go and continued grinding it out.
The tempo and style of the game is playing out exactly as Syracuse would like. West Virginia needs to come up with plays on defense to get the Orange off the field or the Mountaineers could be in jeopardy of dropping two in a row to Syracuse for the first time in a decade.
WVU (5-1) at Syracuse (4-2) Preview
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| Source: Syracuse University |
Questions heading into the game...
Can WVU put together a solid game in all phases?
This question is a repeat from the UCONN game, where the Mountaineers did a much better job of playing as a team than they had earlier in the season. The special teams were vastly improved with Molinari as the punter. The defense kept the game close in the first half while the offense was struggling. Then Geno and company exploded in the second half to bury the Huskies. But was it a fluke? A great offense is nice to have, but the defense and special teams must be able to step up when the offense has an off day.
Can WVU play two halves of football?
West Virginia has been a one-half team all season. The Mountaineers were nearly transparent in the first half against Norfolk State and Connecticut, but went on to demolish the competition after halftime. Against Maryland WVU dominated the scoreboard in the first half, only to idly watch Maryland mount a huge comeback that didn't end until the Terps were picked off at the West Virginia 13 yard line with a minute left in the fourth. The Mountaineers are putting up big offensive numbers, but imagine the outcome if they could play two halves of football.
This question is a repeat from the UCONN game, where the Mountaineers did a much better job of playing as a team than they had earlier in the season. The special teams were vastly improved with Molinari as the punter. The defense kept the game close in the first half while the offense was struggling. Then Geno and company exploded in the second half to bury the Huskies. But was it a fluke? A great offense is nice to have, but the defense and special teams must be able to step up when the offense has an off day.
Can WVU play two halves of football?
West Virginia has been a one-half team all season. The Mountaineers were nearly transparent in the first half against Norfolk State and Connecticut, but went on to demolish the competition after halftime. Against Maryland WVU dominated the scoreboard in the first half, only to idly watch Maryland mount a huge comeback that didn't end until the Terps were picked off at the West Virginia 13 yard line with a minute left in the fourth. The Mountaineers are putting up big offensive numbers, but imagine the outcome if they could play two halves of football.
Will the Syracuse blitzing scheme get to Geno again?
Last year the Orange blitzed Geno and kept him off balance to force three interceptions and steal the game 19-14 in Morgantown. This year Syracuse has been horrible against the pass, so expect more of the same to keep the pressure off of the secondary. Is there something about the 'Cuse defense that agitates Geno, or was last year's game just an off day? Remember that Smith has put another year of experience under his belt and is playing in a much more productive offensive scheme.
If Syracuse brings the blitz-heavy defense against Geno, look for the Mountaineers to run some counter plays with Garrison and throw bubble screens to the outside. With a gambling defense and shaky secondary, the Orange could potentially give up big plays through the air and on the ground. However, they are also likely to get a few big sacks or even some takeaways.
WVU wins 39 - 21.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
West Virginia playing it safe
Conference expansion comes in waves, and things have been fairly quiet since A&M made their move to the SEC at the end of September. We've all heard West Virginia to the ACC, then the SEC, then the Big XII. There has been a lot of talk, rumors, and wishful thinking, but not much has actually happened.
The most likely answer is that, yes, the two schools had insight into the Missouri situation. The entire football expansion landscape has hinged on the "Show-Me" State, well...showing us. There had been signs that Missouri was going to wait out their decision, possibly making their mind up after the season. But the latest is that an application could go out within a week. So, if Louisville and West Virginia knew this, why vote to increase the fee?
That's all about to change.
Conference USA and the Mountain West recently announced plans to marry. If the ceremony took place tomorrow, it would result in a family of 22 football schools. Talk about a lot of mouths to feed. That won't happen though, as reports broke Tuesday night that the Big East has voted unanimously to double the exit fee to $10 million in hopes of luring additional schools on board. Houston, UCF, and SMU are some of the schools under consideration who are currently members of either Conference USA or the Mountain West. So the alliance may be just a way to batten down for the upcoming onslaught.
But wait, it gets better.
Right before the reports surfaced regarding the Big East's exit fee increase, the story broke that Mizzou will submit an application to the SEC. Of course, this news has huge implications for the Big East, because Louisville and WVU are near the top of the Big XII's list of schools to grab should Missouri bolt.
But the Big East unanimously voted to increase the exit fee, meaning the league's top two candidates to jump ship both checked off on the decision. Did WVU and UL have knowledge of the Mizzou news before voting? If so, why would they agree?
The most likely answer is that, yes, the two schools had insight into the Missouri situation. The entire football expansion landscape has hinged on the "Show-Me" State, well...showing us. There had been signs that Missouri was going to wait out their decision, possibly making their mind up after the season. But the latest is that an application could go out within a week. So, if Louisville and West Virginia knew this, why vote to increase the fee?
It's simple. They bought into an insurance plan. While both are candidates for Big XII expansion, who knows if the conference will go to twelve or stay at ten? Maybe it's BYU that gets the ten-pin and that's it. Game over.
Consider the case where Missouri changes it's mind or isn't able to secure the necessary SEC votes for membership. All cases where West Virginia is still standing in the Big East.
The point is, this whole situation is extremely fluid. Putting all of your eggs in one basket is a very unwise decision, and if UL and WVU are forced to stay in the Big East, it's in their best interest that the conference picks up enough talent to retain its AQ status.
Grab your boogie boards. The next wave is rolling in, and it'll be interesting to see where it takes us.
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