WVU at top of Big XII list

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.

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. 

It was a horribly disappointing game for Mountaineer fans, and much like the team, we'd like to put this behind us as quickly as possible. Let's move on to the pre-game questions...

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.  

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.

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.

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.  

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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TCU accepts Big 12 offer

TCU officially accepted an invitation to join the Big 12 conference during a press conference at 7pm Monday night. The Horned Frogs will become members of the Big 12 in all sports effective July 1, 2012.

This announcement was a poorly kept secret, with media outlets across the country speculating that the school would accept the invitation. Most were surprised TCU waited until Monday night after receiving the invitation last week. The move makes sense for the Horned Frogs in all aspects for their athletic program. Old rivalries will be renewed, and travel will be easier than it would have been in the Big East. The Big 12 deal will also be a financial gain for Texas Christian in an era where the dollar rules the college football landscape.

The addition of TCU increases the Big 12 membership to ten, but there is speculation as to how long that will last with the possible defection of Missouri to the Southeastern Conference. The added stability of snaring the defending Rose Bowl champion TCU may entice Mizzou to stay, but money is driving expansion decisions, and a recent financial study suggests that Missouri has much to gain by jumping to the SEC.

The expansion drama continues, but now with one less actor. Next up in the spotlight are SEC and Missouri, with the Big East hoping it doesn't have to exit stage left. That may happen if the Big 12 decides to fulfill its name by getting back to twelve members, or if Mizzou decides to leave. In either case, Big East schools Louisville and West Virginia are prime for picking, and could push the Big East further towards destruction.

Big East commissioner John Marinatto responded by stating that the Big East is "disappointed with the news that TCU is joining the Big 12." He also confirmed that the Big East will begin taking action towards conference expansion "in the near future."

If Marinatto and company don't start moving soon, the "near future" may be one that doesn't include the Big East.

Reports: TCU to Big 12, Air Force thinking Big East

TCU officials are scheduled to meet later today and make an announcement this evening on whether or not to accept an invitation to become a member of the Big 12 conference. TCU was scheduled to join the Big East in 2012, but with recent defections to the ACC by members Syracuse and Pittsburgh, the conference is quickly losing stability as a football conference. Many believe that the TCU meeting is no more than a formality, and that the move to the Big 12 is a foregone conclusion.

If the TCU move becomes official later today, it could set off another round of expansion chaos as the Big East struggles to survive. Although the Big East commissioner has been granted permission to "aggressively pursue discussions" with other schools, no invitations have been extended. East Carolina publicly submitted an application to join the Big East, but the school is not believed to be high on the conference's list of choices. Several schools including Navy, Air Force, Central Florida, Temple, Houston, and Southern Methodist have been listed as possible targets by the Big East. It's likely that the TCU departure would force the Big East to push the panic button and start handing out invitations.

Hans Mueh, the athletic director at Air Force, recently told the Denver Post that his school is very interested in the Big East with hopes that the other service academies, Army and Navy, will also join. Several sources including NBC Sports and Boston Globe reported that the Big East is also considering the addition of Boise State for football only. Both schools are an odd fit geographically, with Air Force located in Colorado Springs and Boise State in Idaho. More than 2,000 miles separate Boise State from Big East schools Rutgers, Connecticut, and South Florida.

Regardless of the TCU decision, the Big 12 conference may be looking to add even more members. No one is certain if the Big 12, currently at nine members, is aiming for ten or twelve schools. Add in the fact that Big 12 member Missouri is currently discussing their conference alignment options, and heads begin to swirl at the interconnected nature of this realignment business. Missouri has publicly stated in the past that they prefer the Big Ten conference, but the school was spurned last year when the Big Ten added Nebraska and Colorado. If they wish to leave the Big 12, it appears Mizzou will need to pursue the 14th spot in the SEC that opened up when the conference added Texas A&M in late September. Big East schools Louisville and West Virginia were also reportedly hoping for that opening, but many speculate that Missouri is higher on the list. Regardless, SEC commissioner Mike Slive has stated that he sees no problem remaining at thirteen members for the 2012 season.

What does all of this mean for West Virginia? It means that WVU could end up in any number of conferences by the time the dust settles, and guessing where they land is like playing roulette. The most likely destinations appear to be the Big 12 or a reconfigured Big East, with glimmers of hope for a spot in the SEC. It all depends on timing and how many teams the power conferences decide to add. It's a waiting game of sorts, and right now all eyes are on TCU and Missouri.