Um, is it too late to join WVU in their lawsuit to leave the Big East early? I’m starting to come around to the idea of saying, “Screw doing it the right way to leave the conference. Time to burn some bridges and be an asshole about it.”
Why you ask? This:
Memphis and the Big East Conference are in the final stages of negotiations to make the Tigers an all-sports member of the Big East beginning in 2013, college football industry sources told CBSSports.com.
The Tigers would join the Big East with three other Conference USA members – Houston, SMU and UCF – for the 2013-14 school year. The Big East also will add Boise State and San Diego State as football-only members in 2013 and Navy in 2015.
SI.com’s Stewart Mandel noted that Memphis’ BCS rankings for the past 4 years have been: 115, 114, 112 and 96.
If you are keeping track at home, by 2013 Big East football will have more teams from C-USA (Louisville, Cinci, USF, UCF, SMU, Houston, Memphis) than actual Big East teams (UConn, Rutgers [and just to pretend] all 3 will still be there Pitt, Cuse, WVU).
Best comment so far, courtesy of the boys of Voodoo Five (USF):
At least USF didn’t spend $60M they didn’t have on facilities only to end up in basically the same league they just… wait, never mind.
So, yeah. It appears to be official. The Big East has essentially absorbed the big market C-USA teams for football and surgically attached them to the Big East basketball schools.
Make no mistake, there are two factors that dictated Memphis to the Big East. FedEx money and basketball schools. They see their basketball brand severely impacted with 3 of the best basketball teams in the Big East for the last 5 years or longer are leaving. What is coming are less than impressive basketball programs. They wanted at least one quality basketball program to buoy the conference. And since Villanova would do anything to stop Temple from being in the conference, that leaves Memphis.
Hell, with Memphis in the conference it almost makes letting Villanova move up to 1-A status palatable for the other members. At least from a competitive status.
The real stupidity of this apparent move to add Memphis is that it still does nothing to resolve the looming hole in the schedule for 2012. WVU seems absolutely determined to go to the Big 12 in 2012 no matter what. That leaves the other 7 schools (including Pitt) with a scheduling hole.
The Big East keeps talking like WVU will be there — and to some degree they have to with the lawsuits — but it puts the other 7 football schools for 2012 in a lousy position of being able to actually go out and get that 12th game on the schedule. Further building frustration and and anger towards the conference.
A move like this adding Memphis a year too late makes it that much more tolerable for Louisville and/or Cinci to pay whatever exit fee they have to when the Big 12 raids again. Supporters and boosters are more likely to line-up to help pay if it means getting free of this mess.
It is possible that Pitt will consider becoming a private college again and intially this will put pressure on finances.
But, it is a DISGRACE that I can’t afford my taxes now! (and a major problem).
Tutition (not including room and board) at Duke is over $42,000 per year.
Duke is as difficult to get into as an Ivy League School. Sorry, Pitt is not and never will be Duke.
The on-going problem facing Pitt is that the pool of students who qualify for Pitt will be severely reduced if Pitt is forced to raise tuition (remember no more in vs out of state differential).
The Governor has placed Pitt in a very serious bind and quite frankly I know many Republicans who are absolutely ashamed of him.
So, what does this have to do with Pitt athletics//EVERYTHING!! The money to fund coaching hires, facilities, travel expenses, scholarships, etc. has to come from somewhere.
Pitt’s football attendance does not pay for diddly. The new revenue steam from the ACC will help, however, with the severe cutbacks from Harrisburg the University is going to have to take a long, hard look at the future direction of the relationship that it has with Pennsylvania.
Pitt needs to start drilling for gas on campus land to support itself if the state is determined to make Pitt a 100% private institution.
Nordy also agrees that what the state is doing to education is a DISGRACE. Educational talent is going to leave the state or stay and be in debt until death.
I mean, if WVU goes, why on earth should Pitt and Syracuse stay? Just to be good guys?? Hell, they hate us anyhow (BE people), if we stay, they’ll just hate us a little less!!
I hate when politics become intertwined with sports, but in this case, while indirect, the political decisions of the state do have a significant impact on sports.
We dont know how the Gov’s new plan to cut higher education contributions will impact the University’s budget. But it indeed may be relevant to the board and Nordenburg’s decision making.
…..aaand. i can’t resist. This is somewhat relevant: The shale in PA is constitutionally the property of the citizens of the Commonwealth of PA. Ideologues oppose any, or at least “excessive”, taxing on the shale because at first glance it conflicts with a “free-market” ideology. The problem is that not significantly taxing the shale drillers would ironically pervert the “free-market” since the owners (PA citizens) are not selling the good (shale drilling rights) for a fair market price (the value of the drilling quantified by a tax/fee that would go to the Commonwealth and subsidize PA citizen’s taxes and/or provide funding for publically offered things that would otherwise go unfunded like certain higher education costs).
I’m sorry if that rant seems out of place. But rest assured I’m a member of no political party and I hold no ideology so close to my heart that it outweighs logic and pragmatism in my mind. It indirectly will affect the high-level decisions Pitt has to make, though it may or may not ever have a direct effect on the Pitt hoops or football programs. That said, I’d like to see the shale taxed and the proceeds earmarked to fund Pitt’s early departure from the BE.
Big East…look at what the cuts in funding have done to Rutgers. RU once ranked above Pitt in academics…no longer. RU funded the construction of an on campus stadium (not a very good one, but at least it is on campus). The basketball team plays in the RAC (have you seen the place?). And…most important of all claases are overcrowded and in some cases being cancelled because of budgetary considerations.
ACC…forget Duke it is in a class by itself. Look at Virginia, North Carolina and yes, Maryland, schools with strong academics…much lower in-state tuition than Pitt and not facing MAJOR budget cuts from their States. Add in Wake Forest and Syracuse, two well funded private schools and you begin to see my concern.
THE LAST THING I WANT TO SEE IS PITT DROPPING BY THE WAYSIDE BECAUSE HARRISBURG IS ANTI-EDUCATION!!
I have no interest in being drawn into a debate about the wisdom of taxing gas companies. I’m sure people here have all sorts of different opinions on that front. I just wanted to provide a little more color to the situation, particularly for those who don’t live around here anymore. Right or wrong, the state has a potential revenue source that they have chosen not to tap into, and instead have chosen to pursue cuts that make it clear that higher education is not the top priority in Pennsylvania.
As for the logistics of joining the ACC for 2012, it is looking like scheduling in the Big East for 2012 might be just as difficult, if not more so.
** Chris Peak wrote Monday that Brandon Sacco – remember him? – is back on campus and has rejoined the team. Sacco was a promising lineman from Don Bosco and had academic issues and then left the team last summer. But he told Chris he was coming back and excited about the opportunity. This is a good development for Pitt for one reason – he is an offensive lineman and this team has a real need for them given the lack of them on the roster. Sacco showed some good things in practices during his one camp with the Panthers so maybe he will be one of the answers at offensive line.
It may settle down for awhile, but, with Texas and Oklahoma, they may still look to run west down the road.
Also, everyone in the Big12 is quiet right now, because they worked out a deal for the other teams to get 20 million or so. Years down the road, they will start the question, why does Texas get 60 million??? (numbers for example) and the infighting will start again.
Say what you want about Missouri and Texas A&M and Pitt and Syracuse, but they came out smellin’ like a rose.
When do we think is the real, practical deadline, for exiting and/or joining? The schedules eventually will have to be set. Money alotted. There will be arbitrary deadlines but just wondering when the rubber meets the road and the coming year conference alignment will be set.
You have stated correctly that time is here for Pitt. My understanding is that Steve Pederson has been told to push the envelope on getting out of the BE and into the ACC. While we may all talk about funding, politics, taxes and tuition….the real money comes from football revenue. It pays for all sports….and when it increases, as it will in the ACC the trickle down is noticeable.
“A rising tide lifts all ships” so to speak.
Speaking of needed help. When does “Lumpy” Chris Jacobson find out if the NCAA is giving him a 6th year of eligibility??
Political or not, taking another 30% out of higher education will just make PA less competitive, why not cut the governor’s and legislative budget by the same amount. Nobody would notice the difference.
As for the conference allowing Villanova to pull that, how can you be amazed? The conference has always given those crap hoop-only schools a disproportionate amount of power.
That’s how the first ACC raid happened.
Can you say bankrupt.
And they are all holding their hands out to the bankrupt Federal gov’t for aid. Can you say pending disaster.
Education is always one of the first things they talk about cutting. You see they would like an even more dumbed down population. Go figure.
Pitt was private back in the 1960’s, is it possible or conceivable we could go private again.
Memphis is a joke, both football wise and academically. Only good thing would be the trip to Beal Street and The Peabody Hotel.
We can not get out of the BigEast fast enough.
Plus now it looks like we’re going to need the extra revenue from the ACC, just to replace the lost funding from the crooked state gov’t.
Glad I live in North Carolina.
🙂
Pitt needs to go. Screw politeness. WVU is doing it right. Hate to say it. Honor left the room a long time ago.
Pitt will not sue to do so but will counter claim if the BE tries to stop them and will assert the “impossibility to perform” as the basis of its claim against the BE.
in essence, Pitt will claim that its contractual obligations to the BE can not possibly be performed, which is a universally recognized legal theory that allows parties to escape contracts. “Impossible” in the sense that the league, as configured in the Fall, will deprive Pitt of the ability to complete a full season in the absence of the game against WVU.
Remedies for contractual breaches are different. Courts are highly reluctant to issue restraining orders on such matters because of the supreme difficulty in enforcing them. The best tool in the court’s arsenal is the payment of (drum roll please) $$$$$$$$, not sending out Federal Marshalls to stand in front of Heinz Field locked and loaded. For an example of a state sanctioned disaster, students are encouraged to read up on the Kent State killings in Ohio by the Guard as ordered by Governor James Rhoads. Just awful.
So the worst that can happen is Pitt will be ordered to pay money damages.
In reality, law suits almost always force a compromise. Pitt is not being an “asshole”, but it is admitting that time has run out on letting the BE solve the problem.
It is time to quit wringing hands and solve the problem.
HTP
This is ridiculous. It’s not the Big East or even the Big Least anymore. It’s Conference USA Part II.
In regards to state funding, we all know Pitt and other universities can be more efficient but these cuts are draconian and aren’t phased in over several years to avoid the shock and awe. Jobs will be lost, students will be hurt and the state will pay more in the long run since talent will leave the state or will stay and won’t get the quality education and job skills needed to succeed.
I’m all for balancing the budget and making smarter decisions and living within ones means, but why target education so severely? I manage enough dimwits today. To be honest, one of the best investments I ever made was obtaining a degree at Pitt. I would hate for academics and athletics to suffer as a result. Read Nordys letter…it says it all.
Hail to Pitt
Chris Dokish is like the rest of us .. a passionate fan with his own opinions. What separates him is that he has more insider info and does his homework.
It brings very little to the table except for it’s FED Ex ties.
They have now basically joined C-USA, with some eastern basketball schools still running things.
BE automatic bid, that will be interesting to see if thats even renewed in the next year or so.
Sounds like u work for PennDot or have relatives that do.(haha) NC has some very mountainous areas similar to PA and yes they do have the freeze thaw cycle excuse Penndot loves to use. See anywhere along the Blue Ridge Parkway which is in excellent shape, along with ALL of Western North Carolina, like Asheville, again a very hilly uneven terrain similar to Western Pa.
No it’s called overt corruption with the road contractors.
Now, Pitt has two holes on it’s schedule..no TCU and No WV.
The settlement has set the bar @ apprx 11 million.
WVU did not have any holes in it’s 2012 schedule, Pitt does.
The settlement between the Hoopies and the Hapless will mutually deny culpability, responsibility etc…
That leaves the door open for Pitt to simply walk away and make the BE give chase.
There are two ways to manage a crisis…one way is to end the crisis and likely endure some short term pain. The other is to try to pretend there is no crisis at all.
The BE and Pitt have chosen the latter; with WV out of the way, it is harder to pretend there isn’t a crisis.
