Senators Fighting Between WVU, Louisville

[zls44]

http://twitter.com/PeteThamelNYT/

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

I wonder if the loser in this 'Kentucky vs West Virginia' Senator battle will lead the charge in Congress in finally going after teh BCS and NCAA. They may be waking the sleeping giant here.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

When will CT senators make some noise? Our flagship university is getting screwed regardless what happens next.

 

[UConnJim]

I think it means they will take both Louisville and WVU. Between potentially offering Notre Dame a hybrid membership, Missouri flirting with leaving, Texas looking at independence and the Pac 12, Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. trying to get into the Pac 12, deciding if they want 10 or 12 teams and drama around who gets invited, the Big 12 will be the most unstable conference going forward.

 

[businesslawyer]

As I see it there are two theories. One is that every CT politician is totally asleep at the switch and has no interest in trying to pressure ESPn or anyone else. The other is they have non-public information that makes them think they know how this is playing out and are trying to not upset the applecart.

Take your pick, but I know which one I'm hoping for.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

As I see it there are two theories. One is that every CT politician is totally asleep at the switch and has no interest in trying to pressure ESPn or anyone else. The other is they have non-public information that makes them think they know how this is playing out and are trying to not upset the applecart.

Take your pick, but I know which one I'm hoping for.

I hope you are right. Maybe they know something we don't know, but this daily dosage of bad news for UCONN fans is getting really tiring. If nothing else, why don't the senators from remaining 6 FB schools at least begin a discussion about a possible merger with the B12? Taking UL, WVU and Cincy out of the BE would basically destroyed the BE completely and leaving UCONN, RU and USF out hang to dry.

Didn't Baylor chancellor Ken Starrs wrote an article calling realignment destroying schools a few weeks ago? He sure is quiet when it comes to B12 destroying the BE right before our eyes. I guess when his school is not being hurt, he does not care. The sad things these are mostly public "non-profit" universities that are being supported by tax dollars.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

As I see it there are two theories. One is that every CT politician is totally asleep at the switch and has no interest in trying to pressure ESPn or anyone else. The other is they have non-public information that makes them think they know how this is playing out and are trying to not upset the applecart.

Take your pick, but I know which one I'm hoping for.

Ugh, if this is the same government that is responsible for a $500M freaking busway from New Britian to Hartford, then count me under option A.

 

[TRest]

Blumenthal is a newbie with no juice and a history of failure when sticking his nose into the realignment issue in the past. The other is Joe Lieberman, and this issue doesn't involve the Middle East.

 

[businesslawyer]

You can have your opinion of Malloy, and Lieberman might have turned off by now, but both our Attorney General and our former Attorney General turned U. Se. Senator are very bright individuals. It's hard for me to believe that everyone is really out of the loop, so you have to believe the pressure and conversations are being done privately.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

When will CT senators make some noise? Our flagship university is getting screwed regardless what happens next.

So when our governor makes public comments, he's stepping out of bonds and obstructing things, but when our senators don't make comments (for which there is really no reason for them to right now, what are they going to say?), they're asleep at the switch. Which is it?

 

[UConnJim]

I think it is in our best interest to keep the politicians OUT of the conference realignment process with the exception of Malloy speaking with BC.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

So when our governor makes public comments, he's stepping out of bonds and obstructing things, but when our senators don't make comments (for which there is really no reason for them to right now, what are they going to say?), they're asleep at the switch. Which is it?

Both should be working in the background to put some pressure on ESPN to get us a landing spot. I am sure they still got some influence there since CT is giving out tax incentives to ESPN as we speak.

 

[RS9999X]

There's the implied threat that Dick and Joe get involved and there are hearings.

If you think about the posturing with the BE and the playoff scenario and factor in Joe and Dick and the other Senators with BCS gripes there has to be some concern.

The playoff scenario has some merit in a different way. It could generate more money than a single BCS bid if set up as an NIT type of tourney.

 

[ctchamps]

A lot of this stuff is being played out in the media. And this latest thing with WV tells me the media is not accurate about the situation.

In less than one week we read that WV was considered the most likely candidate to replace Missouri, to WV was voted to replace Missouri if Missouri announced it was going to the SEC, to WV was considered an addition to the B12 whether Missouri was leaving immediately or not, to Missouri was being lobbied to stay for the 2012 season, to WV received an offer and accepted, and to finally we now learn none of this was accurate and WV may not even be the school of choice.

I have no doubts the Kentucky senator has made a statement trying to get the B12 to invite Louisville. I doubt he has much influence on the B12 decision and he could be opening a can of worms for himself if he did try to supersede his position in this matter.

What is more likely is that the B12 is not cohesive and not united on what to do next. There is a small possibility that most of the leaks and posturing has been the machinations of OU, Texas and Missouri to get the other two teams to agree to each schools terms. There is still a possibility that after playing the various threats and conciliations, none of them feels they are getting enough of what they want and the conference will break up.

On the other hand it can simply be that OU and Texas are waiting on Missouri and that Texas has won the position of only 10 teams in the conference. And there can be no invites to any other team until the B12 is absolutly sure Missouri is leaving. And because Missouri is keeping things close to the vest, the B12 will have to chose having to wait until 2013 or 2014 before it has 1o teams if they invite a BE team after Missouri makes an announcement. The other choice, which is against the position of Texas, is the conference can prematurely offer an invite to another team and end up with 11 teams if Missouri changes its mind and/or the SEC doesn't invite Missouri.

The politics by the Kentucky Senator is not the driving factor. The B12 does not want to show its hand and let potential invites observe the internal battles that exist because potential invites might hesitate if they observe disharmony amongst the B12 members. So the B12 will always make it look like things aren't getting done because they are dealing with outside influences.

 

[jostar1]

Ludicrous. I don't recall the B12 officially inviting WV.

There was an article a few days ago that said that WVU had given their notice to the Big East. Their President did not attend the meeting on Sunday with the other BE Presidents.

 

[upstater]

Ludicrous. I don't recall the B12 officially inviting WV.

They may have indeed invited West Virginia.

 

[upstater]

Did Thamel really call him Rockerfeller?

Yeah, That John Rocker fella, wait a minute, what's he doing in this story?

 

[Heston]

It seems to me Mitch McConnell is doing exactly what he should. Advocating for a university in his state with a guy he has a history with (Boren). The other Senators are just piling on so they do not look like they dropped the ball to their voters. As long as he was not paid to do it, it is what it is.

 

[uconndogs]

I've said all along this thing will end up in congress. It will also end up with some type of litigation as well. I guarantee that all of the BE football schools are reviewing ALL of their options and will start excercising them as more desirable options fall off the board. This process will end bloody. Just too much money at stake.