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I went to Penn State - Miami games in the era of major independents. It is hard to consider that era from today's perspective, as the TV money had not exploded and while the NCAA was still distributing the TV cash.
To really think back at the landscape of the time, Gavitt was fortunate to realize his Big East basketball dream before football dominated conference alignments.
The CFA was formed in the 1970s but TV rights were not really wrestled away from the NCAA until about 1984.
The Big East was able to form before football dictated the alignments. The Pitt vs. Penn State choice for the Big East was also pre 1984.
What if JoePa had acted on a football conference before the Big East, instead of after it?
In the late 1970s the affiliation for hoops was the Eastern 8.
It's easy to think of JoePa acting pre 1979 and forming Eastern Football from Penn State's Eastern 8 hoops partners - Penn State, Pitt, WVU, Rutgers, Nova, & UMass (no GW or Duquesne). The obvious adds would have been indy rivals Cuse and BC.
Miami at the time would have been outside of JoePa's eastern strategy. By 1990 it was more clear for Miami to benefit from a conference, but not in the 70s. Temple might have been considered at the time. UConn probably not. Maybe Holy Cross.
If JoePa had acted successfully before Gavitt, The Big East Conference in 1980 may have been Providence, UConn, St Johns, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Duquesne, GW, Bonnies, St Joes, and Rhody for 10 members.
The Eastern 10 Conference may have been Penn State, Pitt, WVU, Rutgers, Nova, UMass, Cuse, BC, Holy Cross, and Temple for 10 members.
Those would have been 2 good conferences, but neither would have achieved the greatness of the oBE in basketball in my opinion. Pitt, Nova, and Cuse were key components, as were Georgetown, St Johns, and later UConn.
Anyway, the Pitt vs Penn State decision of 1981 must be looked at in the context of those times, and can be accompanied by many other "what ifs". JoePa was a little late to the game in his eastern football efforts.
To really think back at the landscape of the time, Gavitt was fortunate to realize his Big East basketball dream before football dominated conference alignments.
The CFA was formed in the 1970s but TV rights were not really wrestled away from the NCAA until about 1984.
The Big East was able to form before football dictated the alignments. The Pitt vs. Penn State choice for the Big East was also pre 1984.
What if JoePa had acted on a football conference before the Big East, instead of after it?
In the late 1970s the affiliation for hoops was the Eastern 8.
It's easy to think of JoePa acting pre 1979 and forming Eastern Football from Penn State's Eastern 8 hoops partners - Penn State, Pitt, WVU, Rutgers, Nova, & UMass (no GW or Duquesne). The obvious adds would have been indy rivals Cuse and BC.
Miami at the time would have been outside of JoePa's eastern strategy. By 1990 it was more clear for Miami to benefit from a conference, but not in the 70s. Temple might have been considered at the time. UConn probably not. Maybe Holy Cross.
If JoePa had acted successfully before Gavitt, The Big East Conference in 1980 may have been Providence, UConn, St Johns, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Duquesne, GW, Bonnies, St Joes, and Rhody for 10 members.
The Eastern 10 Conference may have been Penn State, Pitt, WVU, Rutgers, Nova, UMass, Cuse, BC, Holy Cross, and Temple for 10 members.
Those would have been 2 good conferences, but neither would have achieved the greatness of the oBE in basketball in my opinion. Pitt, Nova, and Cuse were key components, as were Georgetown, St Johns, and later UConn.
Anyway, the Pitt vs Penn State decision of 1981 must be looked at in the context of those times, and can be accompanied by many other "what ifs". JoePa was a little late to the game in his eastern football efforts.
