the state’s flagship land-grant institution

I think that part of Luck's statement gives away what's going to happen. WVU is clearly headed to the B1G to comepete for the land grant trophy.

But seriously, Luck is a shrewd businessman and I'm sure he has had his ducks in a row for quite some time.

With the defections of Colorado, Nebraska and now Texas A&M from the Big (formerly) 12, and now the Pitt/Syracuse announcement, it's becoming more clear that the Big (formerly) 12 and the Big East are going to be the two BCS conferences that are going to be left out in the cold in the forthcoming "super conference" configuration of college football.

The Pittsburgh market is probably better represented by Penn St. than WVU, so I can't imagine there's much interest in the Big (formerly) 10 in grabbing WVU. Similarly, with the addition of Pitt to the ACC, I don't think the ACC would have much interest in WVU. Unless they want to make a complete joke of geography and create all kinds of logistical problems, I don't think the Pac-12 would be interested.

It seems to me that the SEC is the only natural fit for a football program that's just too good to be left out in the cold. I would not be surprised if WVU is the 14th team in the SEC once all the legal actions surrounding A&M's defection are settled.

Before reading this, I had thought that the SEC's alleged interest in adding WVU as the 14th team was the last straw for Pitt.

More power to WVU if they do indeed get accepted in the SEC, and should provide Pgh residents with a great variety of college football.

I suggest changing the Backyard Brawl from a Thanksgiving weekend event to a Labor Day event.

kiss those easy big east bowl bids goodbye.

Wake me when everyone is where they want to be, and they plan to stay there for a while. Until that happens all of this jockeying for position means nothing.

Could this all lead to an actual playoff once it all shakes out? Have the Big (formerly) 10 champ play the Pac-12 champ. Call it the "Rose Bowl" to satisfy the traditionalists. Have the SEC champ play the ACC champ. Call it the "Orange Bowl" or "Sugar Bowl" if you want to satisfy the traditionalists. The winners of these two games meet for the national title.

If UConn, Rutgers and WVU follow Pitt and Syracuse out the door of the Big East who is left to really hold them to a 27 month waiting period. The conference will have to scramble to find new members and those new members will likely have less of a waiting period which will either cause a stock pile of teams in the Big East or allow the teams leaving to leave quicker.

TCU was to join next year... has to make you wonder what they are thinking now?

As much as I am happy to join the ACC I was always holding out hope for the Big Ten.

Eventually, the BE will revert back to where it started .. a (mostly) Catholic basketball playing conference. St John's, Providence, Seton Hall, Nova, ND, DePaul, Marquette, and Georgetown .. maybe add Xavier & Duquesne

I do not believe WVU's admittance to the SEC is that big of a long shot. Granted West Virginia's population and televisin market is not huge, but W VA it would also increase the SEC's exposure in the east, W Pa anyway, and Ohio. WVU will get to showccase itself Saturday night when it hosts LSU.

I said this several weeks ago...
There will be 4 super conferences that survive with 16 teams...
Pacific
Big10
ACC
SEC

The Big 12 will fold and teams will scramble to find a league.
The Big East may not have a football league but if it does it will be subdivision.
ConferenceUSA will have reallignment... may be where Louisville and Cincy endup..
Atlantic 10 will have a shakup as some may move to Big East... ie. Xavier, Temple, etc.

While I guess this proves that the ugly girl can get the hot guy to ask her to the prom.

All insults aside, it is good to hear WVU has a major conference to reside in. Pittsburgh television market will now have exposure to three dominant athletic conferences.

Robert Morris to the PAC 12?


You are getting ahead of the news. WVU does NOT have a major conference in which to reside at this date. -- Bob Smizik

The Big 10 is hugely successful because they have been able to create their own tv network and charge exorbitant rates to cable carriers in Big 10 tv markets. Pitt fans in Pittsburgh are unwillingly (and perhaps unknowingly) helping out Penn State financially just by being cable customers, regardless of whether they actually watch the Big 10 channel. I live in DC and I get the Big 10 tv network, despite the fact that there are no nearby Big 10 schools in the region.

The obvious plan for the other athletic conferences is to copy the Big 10 business plan and create their own tv channel. If the ACC does this, will the Pittsburgh cable carriers be willing to pay exorbitant rates to two different sports channels that only carry college sports? And if the carrier decide to only carry one network, wouldn't they not prefer to carry Pitt (ACC) over Penn State (B10). I may be wrong there, I don't know the popularity numbers. Maybe it wasn't so wise for the Big 10 to take the Pittsburgh market for granted.

csf,

I'm trying to locate it but I saw an article yesterday that Notre Dame is beginning to look at creating that 'all-Catholic' basketball league. And it would add the likes of Xavier and Dayton.

i still hold out hope that the ACC will pick up WVU.

I think this move could potentially be devastating to Pitt's local football recruiting. It provides local recruits the opportunity to play in the best BCF conference, while basically being able to stay close to home.

You are getting ahead of the news. WVU does NOT have a major conference in which to reside at this date. -- Bob Smizik

From the article, “WVU sent paperwork to [the] SEC today.” Isn't it usually the case in these kind of deals that you don't send the paper work unless you have already agreed on the response?

I think Penn State in all of this should be very afraid. Having WVU and Pitt In legitimate conferences doesn't mean every blue chip recruit in PA doesn't have to go to PSU.

Let's face it, WVU got the scraps. that may not be the case any longer. This will give top WPIAL talent the chance to showcase against the likes of Florida, Alabama etc.

Looks like the SEC is out to seek revenge against the Union and a war lost over 100 years ago, only this time the reb's are brandishing M-16's while the yanks are still using muskets.

What's amazing in all of this is that WVU and Pitt could easily disregard their agreement with the BE.

What isn't so suprising is that Nordenburg and Luck are both lawyers.

The thing I wonder about is that Colin Dunlap reported all of this WVU stuff. If I recall he can't seem to hold a job. I have to wonder about his information.



Colin Dunlap resigned at the P-G of his own choice. I don't believe he has trouble holding a job. That is an unfair and incorrect accustation. -- Bob Smizik

I think it's likely that WVU has been in talks with the SEC for quite some time, probably longer than Pitt with the ACC. At this point, they'd better hope that the SEC accepts them because realistically, there's nowhere else for them to go. Big Ten and ACC are apparently not interested in taking on such an academically dubious school. Not that it will probably matter in the final decision making process, but many SEC message boards I've looked at are overflowing with anti-WVU sentiment, primarily because of the animalistic behavior of their fans.

On the other hand, Pitt was at least a serious consideration for the Big 10 at one time. It turns out they were a prime target of the Big 12 to replace A&M and their move to the ACC has the Big 12 once again scrambling. And ultimately, the ACC was obviously interested as well. Turns out that it's not such a bad thing to study and act like civil human beings. You're rewarded with respect and options. Hail to Pitt!

Dunlap is a radio host on 93.7 The Fan.

The S.S. Big East

I don't know if WVU will be given the option but if they are i hope they choose the ACC over the SEC

From my selfish Pitt point of view it would ensure the continuation of the brawl. Even if we continue to play, a game in September is just not the same as one Thanksgiving weekend.

Also,from the WVU perspective, I have a pretty hard time imagining them being able to compete in the SEC. I suspect there is a good chance they would become Kentucky light in football.

Rocco:

The WVU "being an academically dubious school" remarks are getting stale. It is a great University. Unfortunately - the "animialistic behaviour" of fans are usually the town residents (and occasionaly the student!). Need I remind you of a report about 6 months ago on a Pitt football program and the number of convicted felons? Quit throwing stones at glass houses....

@richie

your computer graphics always make me laugh.

Question I have is does WVU have enough of a TV market to impact the SEC's contract with CBS?

WVU to the SEC makes sense. Although it would seem that TCU is back in play and I'm sure the SEC would like to have two teams from Texas to counter-balance the PAC-XX.

I like Colin Dunlap. His move to radio was a good one. He makes intelligent comments, has strong opinions without being demeaning, and is a good listen. He would be a great fit for the Fan's morning show as a replacement for Paul Alexander.

Question I have is does WVU have enough of a TV market to impact the SEC's contract with CBS?

What about the markets in the SEC that are in the middle of Redneckville?

WOW Just learned that Stephanie Watson is leaving KDKA TV!

What a shame, a very high class lady that always gave excellent reports and was impeccable in her dress and make up. Good Luck Stephanie, I'll miss you. I KNOW THIS DOESN'T BELONG HERE BUT IT WAS BAD NEWS TO ME

Eric, stale or not, it's apparently a factor that prospective conferences take into account. I've been to WVU many times, and it's a very nice campus. Unfortunately, US News and World Report ranks WVU at #168 academically. I'm not trying to rub it in...it is what it is.

As to your report on a number of "convicted felons" playing for Pitt, that's simply not true. The PA crimes code is divided into three general levels of criminal offenses: summary offenses, misdemeanors, and felonies, with felonies being the most serious. There are NO convicted felons playing for Pitt. There ARE athletes who were CHARGED with misdemeanors, but any of those were resolved as summary offenses...a very common occurence with the types of offenses that occurred. Beyond that, I'm not even talking about the kids who are playing on the teams, I'm talking about the fans. While I truly do admire the fact that WVU has a huge and vocal fanbase, and admittedly wish that Pitt's fanbase was larger and more vocal, there's a big difference between being a vocal fan and engaging in crude, loathsome behavior. There are far too many WVU fans who can't be happy simply cheering for their team. They swear at opposing teams and fans, harass opposing teams and fans, throw things at opposing teams and fans, vandalize opposing fans' vehicles, and attempt to physically intimidate opposing fans. That is animalistic behavior and that type of behavior is what WVU fans have become known for.



Could we please bring to an end the ``my-school-is-better-than-your-school'' portion of the program. -- Bob Smizik

The SEC wanted A&M for the Texas TV markets, the older schools in the SEC were there before there was television. Bob Smizik covers TV sports to an extent wonder what he thinks? Bob?



The SEC wants entree into Texas, a large state with many television sets and a lot of great athletes. That's a fact. That many of its schools play in small states with few TVs is a fact the conference cannot change and probably why it wants into Texas. --- Bob Smizik

After watching the Gators and Oklahoma games on saturday it doesn't really matter where Pitt or WVU play. Both are fairly meaningless programs that have passed the point of no return.


That's ridiculous. As recently as a few years ago, WVU was in contention to play for the national championship. -- Bob Smizik

I'm sorry but I'm not sure what the SEC would want with WVU. There are some higher standards out there than the Big East and I can't see the SEC associating itself with a school that has had the area in which it is located make couch burning a felony.

For some reason I just don't see that sort of thing appealing to the SEC. Granted they are a very good school and this is a small sampling of students but none the less its proven to be a problem.


Right! All they do in the SEC is poison trees. -- Bob Smizik

I think that WVU wants the SEC, and the SEC wants a 14th...but WVU isn't their top choice. I think the SEC will float around a little and take WVU as a fall back plan. But right now, the existing BCS conferences can pick & choose who they want while the remaining Big East/Big 12 members are the ones that have to go begging to not get left out. Pitt & Syracuse were very smart to jump before all the remaining chairs are taken.

I have been guilty of poking fun at WVU. However, I feel I was good natured about it.

I do not think WVU should be put down for its academics. WVU must serve its state, which is not populous, as its legislators and its administrators deem fit with the resources available to it. WVU has some fine graduate and professional schools too.

I hope the Mountaineers land in a good conference and that the Backyard Brawl continues.



No school should be put down for its academics in regards to athletics. --- Bob Smizik

That's ridiculous. As recently as a few years ago, WVU was in contention to play for the national championship. -- Bob Smizik
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Are you referring to the WVU team that was beaten by the PITT team with a losing record BOB? I can assure you this would have never happened in to the Gators. I do appreciate your diehard allegiance to those teams in and around the Applachian Trail, but we both know the SEC rules the world of college football. Sunseri would be holding tackling dummies at UF or SC. Could you really see Sunseri QBing a Steve Spurrier team? (audible laugh.) If WVU heads to the SEC they will be mired in the muck with Vandy.



I do not have a diehard allegiance to teams. However, West Virginia was within a game of playing for the national championship. That's a fact. -- Bob Smizik

If WVU beats LSU it might have a great chance to play for a championship this year.

For those who think WVU has no chance against SEC teams, that might be true in the short run. However, moving to a more competitive conference often has the effect of elevating the level of a program. See "Pitt Basketball, mid 1980's. Surely a team from the Eastern 8 like Pitt had absolutely no shot of competing with the Big East powerhouses, right? That was certainly true in the short term, but moving to the BE was VERY beneficial long term for the Pitt BB program.

Since 1987 11 of the 12 SEC schools have had major NCAA rules violations. Vandabilt has been the only clean program and should surprise nobody that they continue to rank at the bottom of the SEC standings.

Bayou - agree with your sentiment. I may root against Pitt in athletics, but I don't disparage the people or the university. And I've seen plenty enough bad behavior on both sides.

I think WVU winds up in the SEC, but needs to take a step up to play that schedule week in and week out.

I would hope WVU & Pitt have been in touch on this and wouldn't have left the other in the dark. Rivalry wise, each has been beneficial to the other.

WVU has played a SEC team for the past 5 years. The Have LSU next week and start a home/away series with Alabama next year. I think this is their record:
* Mi State: 2-0
* Auburn: 1-1
* LSU: 0-1

All games have been pretty good and shown by ESPN to a wide market (and they did not have to play Wednesday night!)

I am a WVU grad and I believe the Mountaineers will have a very difficult time competing each week with teams in the SEC. Once a year, like Friday night, sure, they can do that. But every week...the ACC never looked better.

First a few comments to refute some of the anti-WVU bias here.

U.S. News and World Report's methodolgy for its rankings of schools, hospitals, etc. have been called into question even by favorably ranked institutions. I wouldn't put a lot of stock into that.

As I've noted before, WVU has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars and Pitt has produced exactly one. I'd say WVU must have pretty good academics to do that.

The largest geographical representation at WVU outside the state itself is from Southwestern, Pa. What does that say about you Yinzers?

Take a close look around you and check where your doctor or lawyer was educated, or your teachers and engineers. Almost 10% of the Pittsburgh metro area population is WVU grads.

Couch burning has not been turned into a felony. However, under some conditions where lives or other property are threatened state criminal law will be applied instead of a local ordinance. No matter, it is a stupid and ignorant practice.

WVU has basically been running rings around Pitt in football recruiting because it has a stellar presence in Florida and has made some inroads into Texas. It has not relied mainly on WPIAL or other Pa. players for some time.

Oliver Luck is such a sleazeball that he probably has been exploring moving to another conference. Like Pitt and Syracuse came up with this idea just last week. Get real.

My ace in the hole defense of WVU is that I just don't care any more. Major college sports are indefensible as an entity and while most blame the NCAA, that organization does not exist without the college presidents who hypocritically try to maintain the fiction that these sports are somehow simply part of their academic mission.

All this blather that these conferences are accepting new members based on academics is utter crap. First and foremost in consideration are football basketball and what they bring to the table, i.e. money.

The second through tenth considerations are identical.

Academics are important only as a public relations gesture lest the real reason, greed for making more dollars, be too obvious.

So Pitt and Syracuse can enjoy the illusion they've been invited to join the academically prestigious ACC. Believe me, their football and basketball players' GPAs are of little concern here. Their PPG, tackles for losses, and passing yards are. Oh, and their TV markets.

Here's an extremely absorbing article revealing just how base, venal and corrupt the NCAA and its member institutions are.

http://www.theatlantic.com/mag..._page=true

It's quite long but reading it may have you rethinking your fandom for college sports. I myself have been becoming more distant and now---I just do not give a crap. This after being an avid WVU follower for 45 years and a Penn State football fan even longer.

I don't suggest everyone share my feelings. And I don't judge others for not doing so.I'm sure I'll have some relapses here and there. Fandom is an addiction after all, is it not?

Oh, a word of caution. If you read the article have soap and disinfectant ready for when you finish. You'll need it.

I am on record in this forum as opposing paying college athletes beyond their scholarships. I have changed my mind. That is how powerful this article is.

Haven't read your article yet. Did find several points of disagreement with your post.

As I've noted before, WVU has produced 25 Rhodes Scholars and Pitt has produced exactly one. I'd say WVU must have pretty good academics to do that.

25 Rhodes Scholars over how many years? How many students went to the school during that time? It sounds way to narrow of a statistic to have any meaning.

The largest geographical representation at WVU outside the state itself is from Southwestern, Pa. What does that say about you Yinzers?

Take a close look around you and check where your doctor or lawyer was educated, or your teachers and engineers. Almost 10% of the Pittsburgh metro area population is WVU grads.

Every area has academically rigorous and academically less rigorous schools to serve its need, as every area has above average intelligence and below average intelligence citizenry. The fact that 10% of particular population goes to a less rigorous school does not necessarily reflect the overall intelligence of that population. It may well be the case that a different 10% of that same population go to an ivy league school.

Thoughts:

- I'm a Pitt fan and will hate to see the end of the Backyard Brawl. If ACC goes to 16 then there will be no room to hold the game any further. The schedule each year would be too tough.

- While I think WVU will end up in the SEC I'm somewhat surprised. Kansas, to me, would be a better fit and provides a bigger TV market for them. They can also pick up SEC BB which isn't the best.

- WVU would be able to complete in the SEC and I think it's funny how people put SEC schools on such a pedestal. Yet this conference of the gods only went 5-5 in bowl games last year. I'd figure if they were so great they win each game by 75 points with broken bodies laying in their wake.

Schmoe

What does it matter over how many year the Rhodes Scholars were spread? The number is within the top 30 of all colleges. And Pitt has only one. Period.

The main point about academics is that your education is what you make it. I've known some incredibly dumb graduates schools with great reputations and I went to school at WVU with some briliant people.

But again, academics is a public relations ploy to fool the public into thinking they matter in athletics. They don't.

Please read the article and don't see if you agree with me more on that.

This isn't about academics. This is all athletics. Don't buy into any argument that the ACC is a great academic move for Pitt. Maybe it is, but it doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is how Pitt fares on the football field and the basketball court. That's it. The academics and even the other sports offered play no role at all. The move to the ACC is good for Pitt but by no means does it mean Pitt will be a football power. How many outright Big East titles has Pitt won? With Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech around I would say the Panthers will have some great competition.

WVU is a solid program, but let's face it; this program will have a very difficult time competing each week in the SEC. The league is too demanding and unless your name is Alabama, Auburn, Florida, or LSU it is battle to compete week in and week out in that league. Personally I wonder what WVU brings to the table making it appealing. Missouri makes better sense since it can offer the Kansas City and St. Louis markets.

By the way, when I went WVU one-fourth of our students were from Western Pennsylvania. So for a lot of graduates of Pittsburgh and surrounding area high schools, WVU was just fine.

Rock, I'm not going to belabor the point because I don't want to get Bob all upset, but it's been pointed out to you at least twice that your statistics are wrong and another poster even provided you with a link to the Rhodes Scholar website. For whatever reason, you don't want to take the time to click a link to see that you're wrong.

I'll save you some time...does WVU have more Rhodes Scolars than Pitt? Yes it does, but please quit posting inaccurate information as if you repeating it over and over again will make it true.

By the way, they just opened a new McDonald's near me, and the hand dryers that they have in the bathroom are are way nicer than the ones that they have at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. Hmmmm....I guess that makes McDonald's better.

In case anybody cares, the "Rhodes Scholars at WVU" thing is essentially BS, and I don't mean Bob Smizik.

Understand the below from the Rhodes website, it's meaning and context, and the years in which those scholarships were awarded, and you will understand that the assertion of myriad geniuses gushing from the bowels of the Mountain State is absurd.

WVU has all those Rhodes Scholars because it is an underpopulated state with only one real university.

The Scholarships are technically allocated to "states," and not to the "United States," and for some years early in the last century each state was entitled to the same number of winners (be it either, e.g., New York or Wyoming). And for most of the subsequent years, under various regional schemes where the states have been grouped in districts -- indeed until just a few years ago -- the odds of being elected a Rhodes Scholar varied state to state, making state-by-state comparisons over time of little meaning or significance. This is also true of institution-by-institution comparisons as well, as those colleges and universities in states with relatively fewer other universities and colleges (that is, for example, Nevada or Delaware or New Hampshire and others) inherently offered its graduates far better chances for selection than those with many (for example, the neighboring states of California or Pennsylvania or Massachusetts and others). The numbers are thus especially prone to misinterpretation when they include many Scholars elected in the early decades of the Scholarship when certain state advantages were very pronounced.

Never ignored any links cause I never saw them. I'll check 'em out and if my numbers are wrong I'll own up to it.

Peace

Checked the Rhodes Scholar site, looked at their figures and they list 6 Pitt recipients. I didn't lie. I used another source. Mea culpa.

But using the US News and World Report rankings is even worse. Here, in their own words, is part of their methodology


Next, we gather data from each college on up to 16 indicators of academic excellence. Each factor is assigned a weight that reflects our judgment about how much a measure matters. Finally, the colleges and universities in each category are ranked against their peers, based on their composite weighted score.




So whatever the source of their measures, and some are verifiable statistics such as freshman retention rate, and others are subjective opinions by such as high scool guidance counselors, the folks at US News determine how much each metric counts.


This article discusses various criticisms and notes that a number of scools' official refuse to offer their opinions about rivals, but that measure is and important one for US News.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/...02537.html

Those rankings are as subjective and as prone to pre-judgment as are college football rankings.Until there's a playoff they mean nothing.

So all you Pitt fans who denigrate WVU for its academics can blow iy out your butts.

The integrity of university presidents and ADs now matches that of boosters who pay players and the players who take da money.

I hate when WVU people bring up the number of Rhodes Scholars. And I went to WVU.

Cecil Rhodes was basically one of the worst people in history. Would you accept the Hitler Scholarship?