WVU gone from BE...Slive ( SEC commish) authorized to negotiate with WVU

[Dann]

split now!

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The worst possible scenario for UConn is if the SEC takes WVU as a 14th member, the Big 10 decides to match, and the ACC decides that it's fine with 12 teams. That scenario is very much on the table at this point.

That is absolutely the worst case. Which is why the right move for the Big East schools is to make some sort of massive separation agreement. Like $50 million over 5 years for a football school departing from the other football schools. Keep the no fault divorce clause between football and hoops. I would have a clause that reduces the departure clause by 80% if 2/3's of the members are in BCS conferences within a year of the first school leaving. Basically, if most of the conference is saved, then the leftovers still get a healthy payday. If everyone is saved, there is no payday, but if one or two teams leave on their own, they get hammered.

The reason anyone would sign this is to:

1) put a floor on the worst case, with 3 or fewer teams splitting at least $60 million if they have to go to CUSA.
2) send a message to other conferences that if you raid the Big East, you will not be able to get teams on the cheap.
3) encourage the Big East schools to hold together until a super-majority have a safe landing.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

SEC has problems with their own members with those two schools.

I have heard that. I am skeptical that a single TV exec told them that WVU was more valuable than a second team in Florida or Georgia. Georgia Tech in particular would seem a great target. It would lock down a huge, fast growing market.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I have heard that. I am skeptical that a single TV exec told them that WVU was more valuable than a second team in Florida or Georgia. Georgia Tech in particular would seem a great target. It would lock down a huge, fast growing market.

I don't know what Ga Tech would give them that they don't already get from Georgia.

If it were solely about expanding their television markets, NC St and Va Tech (ACC schools in states with no current SEC presence that the SEC could lure and who would fit with the SEC culture) would be getting far more play.

I imagine that the pace that the A&M addition moved over the summer was due to lack of agreement on who #14 would be but now that nearly all of the obstacles have been removed in adding A&M, the SEC may well have decided who #14 is (or at least have a very short list). WVU would be for the most part a cultural fit, a school the SEC believes would jump at the move and a reasonable brand in both football and basketball. Not a perfect addition but there are few that would fall into that category.

 

[junglehusky]

Do you think perhaps UConn, Cuse and one of RU/Pitt might form a triumvirate, saying to either the ACC or B1G if you want one of us, you have to take all three? If it does come down to a worst case scenario, that kind of agreement becomes hard to maintain, if the presidents feel it's every school for itself. I guess we'll have an indication of WVU's psychology if they decide to jump, and after that we'll see what everyone else's mentality is.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Do you think perhaps UConn, Cuse and one of RU/Pitt might form a triumvirate, saying to either the ACC or B1G if you want one of us, you have to take all three? If it does come down to a worst case scenario, that kind of agreement becomes hard to maintain, if the presidents feel it's every school for itself. I guess we'll have an indication of WVU's psychology if they decide to jump, and after that we'll see what everyone else's mentality is.

I'm not sure that any of the BE schools would sign into this but oit is quite possible that (depending on the circumstances) both the B1G and the ACC would view the value of these additions as being greater with all three (the ACC could more easily get away with merely two).

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

The SEC doesn't necessarily care about teams in big markets. If you think about it, no SEC team is really located in a big market, save Vandy. They care more about quality of play, and how much national cache that team brings. The obvious choice here is FSU, but I've read in numerous places that there is a set of schools looking to block FSU at all costs. Why? I have no idea. But I do have a belief that all of tihs could be a charade to eventually get back to FSU as team 14.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I don't know what Ga Tech would give them that they don't already get from Georgia.

If it were solely about expanding their television markets, NC St and Va Tech (ACC schools in states with no current SEC presence that the SEC could lure and who would fit with the SEC culture) would be getting far more play.

I imagine that the pace that the A&M addition moved over the summer was due to lack of agreement on who #14 would be but now that nearly all of the obstacles have been removed in adding A&M, the SEC may well have decided who #14 is (or at least have a very short list). WVU would be for the most part a cultural fit, a school the SEC believes would jump at the move and a reasonable brand in both football and basketball. Not a perfect addition but there are few that would fall into that category.

Generally, deeper is better than broader when it comes to market penetration. The SEC is better off not having a competitor in big attractive markets like Georgia and Florida, than it is in adding WVU, which is a worthless market, or an NC State.

It is likely that even if push comes to shove, the North Carolina and Virginia schools will each stick together. I think the southern ACC schools would leave for the SEC.

 

[uc1974]

Most of you guys are too young to remember that Ga. Tech was a member of the SEC and left b/c it was too hard to keep up. Same with Tulane.

 

[jpm25]

Most of you guys are too young to remember that Ga. Tech was a member of the SEC and left b/c it was too hard to keep up. Same with Tulane.

Same with Sawanee University! But I think we are all too young to remember that

 

[uc1974]

That's Sewanee, or University of the South. It is a small Episcopal school in Tennessee and left many many years before GT or Tulane. I don't think they are in the discussion about (re)joining the SEC.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I believe that the Suwanee comment was made in jest. I don't know exactly when Tulane and Ga Tech left the SEC (I imagine it was the mid 1960's but could have been a bit earlier) but when I began following college football (late 1960's) it was often mentioned (during Ga Tech or SEC games) that they were members.

 

[uc1974]

I don't have a sense of humor. I'm old, cranky and wish that the X Univ. to Y Conference stuff would just go away. No one is talking Vandy-UConn.

 

[upstater]

The "WVU to the SEC" rumor is getting zero traction in SEC country. There is no desire for the SEC to bring in the Wheeling/Morgantown/Charleston TV market and the truth be told, WVU doesn't bring any type of natural rival or eyeballs to the TV screen. The SEC may be backed into the corner by the remaining B-12 teams by having to agree not to take another B-12 team to secure the A&M move. That would eliminate Missouri. There are several ACC teams that would be naturally preferable from a TV market standpoint (Maryland w/ the DC market, NC State to escape the Duke UNC shadow and bring the Raleigh/Durham market, FSU because the Florida market is big enough to split between UF and FSU). I am not even including Clemson as they do not have a huge TV market, but would be a bigger fish than WVU.

As for the Baylor situation.......Baylor is one of the few teams on an island in this whole scenario. OK, OK St., Texas and TTech are negotiating w/ the PAC. Kansas, KSU. Missouri could fall back on the BE. Baylor seems screwed and would fall to the level of SMU and Houston, so I can totally understand their reluctance to sign anything.

This is the first sane post I've read. All we've been hearing is that the SEC doesn't want to duplicate its markets and will be searching out new ones. Well, WV's market is so tiny that it makes the SEC's supposed criteria totally meaningless.

 

[junglehusky]

That's Sewanee, or University of the South. It is a small Episcopal school in Tennessee and left many many years before GT or Tulane. I don't think they are in the discussion about (re)joining the SEC.

 

[KingNittany]

What ever happened to the Villinova invite to go 1-A, is that offically dead yet? If not, is there some kind of deadline for that decision to be made?

 

[FDNY99]

What ever happened to the Villinova invite to go 1-A, is that offically dead yet? If not, is there some kind of deadline for that decision to be made?

Right now I think it is dead in the water, and I think Nova will kick themselves down the road when everything plays out. The one specific reason that was commonly given when their upgrade was discussed was that it would protect tbe basketball program.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

What ever happened to the Villinova invite to go 1-A, is that offically dead yet? If not, is there some kind of deadline for that decision to be made?

I'd guess that's way at the bottom of the priority list for the Big East right now, alongside adding UCF and ECU. None of those options are relevant right now, and none will do anything but waste a spot for a potential BCS expansion candidate, should that opportunity arise for the conference. Nova and the CUSA clowns also will do absolutely nothing to solidify the conference's future.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Most of you guys are too young to remember that Ga. Tech was a member of the SEC and left b/c it was too hard to keep up. Same with Tulane.

They didn't leave gracefully, if I recall. The SEC (especially UGA) would not welcome them back.

 

[gars44]

That is absolutely the worst case. Which is why the right move for the Big East schools is to make some sort of massive separation agreement. Like $50 million over 5 years for a football school departing from the other football schools. Keep the no fault divorce clause between football and hoops. I would have a clause that reduces the departure clause by 80% if 2/3's of the members are in BCS conferences within a year of the first school leaving. Basically, if most of the conference is saved, then the leftovers still get a healthy payday. If everyone is saved, there is no payday, but if one or two teams leave on their own, they get hammered.

The reason anyone would sign this is to:

1) put a floor on the worst case, with 3 or fewer teams splitting at least $60 million if they have to go to CUSA.
2) send a message to other conferences that if you raid the Big East, you will not be able to get teams on the cheap.
3) encourage the Big East schools to hold together until a super-majority have a safe landing.

Great idea. Too complicated. Impossible to implement. Great idea tho.

 

[gars44]

They didn't leave gracefully, if I recall. The SEC (especially UGA) would not welcome them back.

Yeah it's too hard to keep up. If you have standards, you want to play ball against programs with similar standards. You can't play ball against programs that just outright cheat if you don't want to cheat too. That's the reality. Look at the Ivy League. They don't even want to give scholarships. They don't want to do what they would have to do to compete in a place even like the BE or the ACC. God knows they have the money. Duke doesn't want to do it, but they stay for basketball. GT didn't want to degrade their program to SEC levels. And believe it or not, there are a lot of people in this country who would agree with them and couldn't give a hoot about Saturday afternoon in front of the TV.

 

[FluxTZ]

One thing is for certain - we made an incredibly smart move to upgrade to D-IA when we did...

 

[CTMike]

One thing is for certain - we made an incredibly smart move to upgrade to D-IA when we did...

Here, here. Not to diminish any accomplishments by our hoops teams, they have put us on the map. But having the foresight to invest in football when we did is unspeakably huge right now.

 

[gars44]

Here, here. Not to diminish any accomplishments by our hoops teams, they have put us on the map. But having the foresight to invest in football when we did is unspeakably huge right now.

Thank Big Lew for that. He sounded the clarion call often and loud, and Rowland listened. Thank John Rowland too. And I'm a Lib Democrat!

 

[metsfan2323]

Thank Big Lew for that. He sounded the clarion call often and loud, and Rowland listened. Thank John Rowland too. And I'm a Lib Democrat!

Calhoun should get some credit too. He's the one who got Huskymania off the ground. They are honoring the basketball team at the Iowa State game, hopefully JC will be there and speak to the crowd.