Has anyone checked to see if WVU AD Oliver Luck is really just some guy who hangs out on message boards and blogs? I mean, for a guy who has a law degree and claims to have positive business experience, he just really likes to spout off. The Big East seems to be his primary target.
In case you missed it there are all sorts of possible reconfigurations to the BCS being tossed about. Getting rid of automatic qualifiers. Letting the big BCS bowls go back to their old system of tying in with conferences directly. Having the BCS only handle the #1 vs. #2 game. All of which is not good for the Big East.
It puts the Big East in the precarious position of not having a big selling point of having a direct path to the big money bowls. It hurts the overall appeal of the Big East’s bowl line-up. And it further weakens the Big East in dealings with Notre Dame. ND is the only thing that keeps the bowl line-up as high as it is, without impeding a Big East BCS Bowl bid.
Oliver Luck, though, can’t just be diplomatic about it. He has a need to make it absolutely clear how happy he is to get out of the Big East.
“In my mind, if we do go back to the old system, where conferences realign themselves with bowls, I can’t see any of the big bowls wanting Big East teams,” Luck said in a telephone interview.
…
“It will make the delineation even more pronounced between the haves and have-nots,” Luck predicted.
He predicts the remaining power conferences – SEC, Pac 12, Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 – would dominate the slots in the more prestigious bowls, which is why WVU is fortuitous to be jumping to the Big 12.
“We were fortunate to get out,” said the WVU AD. “We got out [of the Big East] when the ship was seriously going down. I mean, only the tip of the sail was showing.”
He focused on the AQ.
“If the AQ goes away,” Luck said, “a Big East team will be forced to go unbeaten. That’s doable. [Conference USA member] Houston, for instance, has a claim. But even then, would that team go into the top 10?
“If the goal is to go to a BCS game, it’s better to play in one of the power conferences.”
[Emphasis added.]
Way to put on the charm offensive with dueling lawsuits pending.
He’s not wrong, mind you, but he’s the guy in charge of the WVU Athletic Department, not “WVCuzLover97.” If you have your school embroiled in lawsuits with the Big East — in no small part to force negotiations — and all you can do is trash them continually in the media… Well, let’s just say that the Big East is not going to be more willing to negotiate. Boston College has barely shown up on Big Eats schedules after the acrimony over the way they left for the ACC
Now consider the scheduling in the future for WVU. Not just football and basketball. These actions are shutting them out of the East. Want to recruit NYC? Going to do a home-and-home with Fordham or Hofstra? That’s your choice because there is no way St. John’s, Rutgers or Seton Hall’s going to put you on the schedule. How about Florida? USF won’t touch you and when UCF comes to the Big East, I’m guessing they are off the board.
Luck better be real sure about being able to make deals with Temple and ACC programs for games. Otherwise, the Hoopies are looking at planning all their major non-con games to the west and south.
Meanwhile the conference the Hoopies are heading towards, have their own issues in credibility and hypocrisy over the coming of WVU and goings of Missouri.
How does the interim head, top Texas marionette, Chuck Neinas feel about WVU doing what they are doing to get to the Big 12?
West Virginia has given assurances to the Big 12 it will play in the conference in 2012 despite an ongoing lawsuit filed by the Big East that seeks to hold the school to a 27-month waiting period.
Big 12 Conference commissioner Chuck Neinas was not specific but told CBSSports.com that West Virginia had told the league before and after the Big East filed suit on Nov. 4 that it would be in the Big 12 next year.
“There’s ways to do it, and West Virginia is prepared to do it,” Neinas said.
So, no hard feelings towards Mizzou? Right?
Neinas said dropping below 10 teams would cause league members each to find an extra non-conference game on short notice. He also said dropping below 10 would affect the payout from television partners.
That would reduce the inventory promised to Fox which signed a new 13-year, $1.13 billion deal with the league in April. Also, having to play an eight-game conference schedule would require Big 12 members to schedule another non-conference game less than 10 months from kickoff of the 2012 season.
The Big 12 began playing a full round-robin schedule (nine games) beginning this season. The loss of Missouri would reduce the league to only nine members for 2012.
Neinas is still upset at the way Missouri departed, potentially leaving the league in a lurch. At some point in a 45-day period, Missouri switched from self-described loyal member of the Big 12 to the newest member of the Southeastern Conference, Neinas said. In addition, the school would not allow him to view a key 45-page document that spelled out a reported financial windfall for Missouri in the SEC.
“If an institution wishes to depart the conference, that’s their prerogative,” Neinas said. “But I’m not very happy about the way Missouri handled it…. I don’t think Missouri is going to get any sportsmanship awards from the Big 12 Conference this year.”
To be clear. Bolting the Big 12 on short notice and potentially hurting the scheduling and revenue of Big 12 teams is bad. But it’s okay if WVU does it to come to the Big 12 to eliminate the problem? That’s cool.
I’ve said it before. I would love to see Pitt in the ACC by next year, but I never thought it realistic given when Pitt and Cuse made the move. I much prefer Pitt to leave the ACC and the other programs with some measure of class and respect. The Big East itself can rot, but the other schools don’t deserve the back of the hand. WVU’s actions will make it easier for Pitt and Cuse to negotiate their way out after 2012 rather than the 27 month wait.
Plus, Pitt will likely be able to schedule with the left behind schools in the future. A lot less animosity and court costs.
This weeks Pitt game can make it more interesting for WV, if they win. But I’m putting my $$ on the Panthers. Go Pitt!
On the other hand, if Marinatta is able to maitain just one bit of respect, WVU is staying .. and hopefully for a couple of years.
BTW, I blame the B12 as much as WVU … they had to be fully aware of the exit provisions in the BE. Further, it takes a large amount of gall to complain about Missouri when they fully condone WVU breaking its contractual obligations .. not to mention the fact that they took in TCU right from under the BE’s nose.
On Luck bad mouthing BE, good for him and shame on the commish. The commish had no plan for football, loses TCU, and is now scrambling to get teams like Boise and BYU? How does the commish still have a job?
Mike Stoops’ first contract was barely $600,000 and had just hit the $1mil mark last year and the Board of Regents had a conniption. I’m not sure where the money for RichRod is coming from, but there is definitely not going to be a lot of money for assistants. UofA is facing a 50% cut in state funding and has an interim President. I think everyone will all be surprised by how low Rodriguez’s salary is going to be.
Maybe I will take back my comment from yesterday about we should only schedule one cupcake per year.
If we get put into the Atlantic Division as some early speculation indicates, and we won’t break our contracts with ND and Iowa, 2 of the 3 cupcakes will be broken, you could have a schedule that very well could look like this:
One Cupcake
Iowa
Notre Dame
Clemson (div)
Fla. St (div)
W.Forest (div)
NC St. (div)
BC (div)
Maryland (div)
Ga Tech (rotate two from other div every yr)
Miami (rotate two from other div every yr)
(other div: GT, Mia, VT, Va, Duke, UNC)
Syracuse (rival from other div, played every yr)
Some years it may be Duke and Virginia, but, either way, some nasty schedules coming our way.
I posted yesterday, (again very early), but seems like ACC people don’t want to do a North/South divisions, they like the competitiveness the divisions have had. Makes me happy, we don’t need a Big East II.
Also, a couple of the presidents have been quoted saying, “we don’t want to do anything until Pitt and Syracuse are represented at the meetings to have their input”!! Talk about a breath of fresh air.
No matter how you slice it, it’s gonna look something like that.
Ramp it up Coach Graham!!!! I’m fired up!!!!
A good start would be whooping those inbreds Friday!! Even though they somewhat landed on their feet (for the time being) in the Big12, they are still extremely pissed about Pitt and Cuse getting into the ACC!!!
Piss em’ off some more boys!!!!! Hail to Pitt!!!
I never heard of Warminster but they have a boat load of D-1 players. Especially Buttgers and BC has one plus a bunch more eleswhere.
What possible out do they have??? I saw you guys talking about injunctions several weeks ago keeping them in???
By the way, voted for you. Can me vote more than once?? The girl from ‘Cuse is kinda cute though!!
That story has just sort of disappeared since the other week when supposedly BYU was ‘in’ the picture.
Probably more like ‘on the wish list’.
Perhaps all this talk of BCS shakeup or BCS disintegration means the BigEast for all likely purposes will be a non-player much like C-USA, the WAC and the Sunbelt as far as Major Bowl bids. And if that is the case and they have no Major Bowl tie-ins, there would be no reason for anybody to join it. So that would tie-in with the fact nobody’s been invited, joined, said no thanks, nothing. Unless they’re all relishing a bid to the Compass, Pinstripe or Beef O’Brady’s Bowl. Since the infamous International Bowl is no more ! haha
Read in the PG today, Woodall at 5-10 is averaging more rebound than Taylor who is almost a foot taller. Zanna is averaging around 5 rpg in limited playing time. So while he sometimes looks lost (who doesn’t at this point), he might be a better option than Sleepy at Center. That is if we have to play a center at all.
Truth & Virtue
Let’s Go Pitt !
“There are 3 or 4 guys that coached with me at West Virginia and at Michigan that I’d like to bring with me. I don’t know if they will come as they are in great situations…”
In terms of Big East expansions, it seems like they are waiting on some other western school to commit (BYU/SDSU?) before they officially issue invitations. Boise St. won’t commit until a western division is assured. The conference, as tone deaf as they come, doesn’t want to be officially turned down, so they wait. They don’t seem to get that public opinion really can’t get much lower.
A blowout would be nice, but a win tonight…and better defensive play…that’s all that matters.
plus they looked lost may be a sign of things to come i sure hope not.
but i am worried bad football is one thing but bad basketball would be to mutch to take.
Emel, Sleepy is comin’ to play tonight!!! Ha Ha
Because someone is going to have to take the blame for the continued no octane offense during and after next year. Guess who…..the OC.
We’ll see if McGee can read tea leaves.
Comment by FRANKCAN 11.22.11 @ 3:36 pm
I’m thinking that Oliver Luck knows something is up with the BCS changes (as you say) and this could be a way to end AQ for the BE and Luck knows that this will happen BEFORE too long.
And that is also why, nobody has committed from the laundry list of schools that Marinara has composed. They would be crazy to commmit to a conf, that it’s best bowl game is on a Weds night to fill up some ESPN progam slot, in Mid-December sponsored by some Bank, Restaurant or Farm implement nobody has ever heard of, eaten at or used. (any college grads using farm implements these days except those from Texas A&M and State Penn) haha
I would hate to see what is shaping up as a nice recruting class picked apart by any key defections to sunny Arizona along with their recruiter.
Make sure you tell your sister/neice goodnight, you know, the way you always do!!!!
LMAO!!!
Gregg’s post above is on the money WVU, Pitt, and Syracuse needed to look our for their own best interests, because if they didn’t grab those opportunities another team would have. Louisville certainly would jumped to the Big 12 and UConn would have loved to have taken Pitt’s place in the ACC if given the chance.
Well, not for long, when that Mickey Mouse conference breaks up in a couple years, you’ll be looking for Louisville and South Florida again!!!
Must be nice to have some good away tail gates to go to??? Let’s see, Iowa State’s an easy drive, what’s that, about 1000 miles to your closet “rival”!!!!!
Hey, leave for Lubbock on Wednesday night, you should get there by next Tuesday!!!!!
Just because the ACC denied you because of your poor academics, and the SEC denied you because of your football level, don’t take it out on us.
Hey, Uncle Charlie took you for a couple years, you should be happy.
I heard Waco’s only a couple thousand miles away!!!!!!! LOL
I assume that the hoopies has had this advantage every time we play them after Thanksgiving. Thanksfully, this will end after this year or next.
Remember, while we have a lot of expectations on these major college players, unlike the pros, they are only part time players when school is in session and can only practice a limited amount of hours and days.