Back and rambling

Took a little time away from the blog and computer. Obviously, I missed posting about a few things, but you probably know all of that stuff, by now.

I'm going to ramble now so try to stay with me, the best you can...

WVU vs the Big East is over. WVU will be a member of the Big 12 starting in July. This came as no surprise to those at WVU that challenged to get out of the Big East early and claimed they would be out in time for the 2012-13 season. Mission accomplished. WVU has to pay a lot of money but given the amount of money they'll receive from the Big 12 TV contract I'm sure they see it as an investment to get out the way they did.

To be totally fair, the Big East was a pretty good home for WVU, for the time WVU was in it. I had some issues with it, but I'm sure I'll have some issues with the Big 12 as well. The football conference may have been "weak" by national perception but we still ended up getting to 3 BCS Bowls from the conference (and won more, ourselves, than the entire ACC). But sometimes change is a good thing and given that the Big East, for years, has given too much power/influence to schools that don't play football in the conference (despite football being the obvious money-maker) and not enough power/influence to teams that did play football in the conference - it's probably best WVU and the Big East part ways.

A lot of people are complaining about the lack of (Big 12) conference teams in the surrounding areas of West Virginia. I get that, but let's get with this century. Regional teams aren't as important in the current structure of college football. College football is a business now, not a cute sport where you play your neighbors...just because you have for 50+ years or because they're nearby. Travel is so easy now that teams crisscross the country every weekend. Because of it's a business you now compete to make the most money (which includes having the best facilities, paying coaches, etc), not to beat that team down the road. And in reality is that so bad?

College football changed a lot when they instituted scholarship limits. It changed a lot with the BCS. The BCS title game gave us the #1 vs #2 team each year (at least according to some super computer). And the BCS bowl games gave opportunities for others to shine on a national stage (while collecting a BIG pay day). Of course from there everyone would like to see some sort of playoff happen next. The most likely scenario is the "plus one" model and I figure that will come about within the next 5 years. But the point is that college football continues to evolve or grow. And if you consider the ever growing TV ratings, season ticket sales, merchandise sales and so on it's obvious where this is all heading.

As it continues to grow you have people arguing that college (student) athletes should be paid, on top of getting a FREE college education. But if you start paying student-athletes where does the money come from...and maybe more importantly where does it end after that? If you start paying these athletes $500 a month then won't you have to pay them $1000 a month in a few years? And if we start paying athletes how are they called 'amateurs' anymore? Why not just get rid of the education aspect and make college athletics into a minor league for all sports?

I'm rambling off topic, but the point is still the same. The way college sports (football especially) are headed each team needs all the money it can make. If the NCAA allows for a stipend to players then the school has to find a way to provide it to every scholarship player. Do you really think a small stipend means anything to a big program like Alabama? Nope, just a drop in the bucket. They'll find the money. But can the same be said for smaller programs? Of course not. Do you think a team in a conference that pays each member institution 1/4th as much as power conferences in TV revenue monies can afford to pay each player that stipend? That's going to be pushing it. And if that's pushing it then are you not creating a wider gap between the have's (Alabama, etc) and the have not's (any non BCS conference team)? Absolutely you are. Maybe the easiest answer is that the NCAA just allows players to have jobs...you know like the rest of America does to find ways to get through college. But that's asking a lot...apparently.

So what's happening is college football (primarily) is driving all of this and they're driving towards the dollar signs. In WVU's case they could sit still in the Big East and get around seven or eight million a year from television revenue or they could go to the Big 12 that will pay them at least double that, annually. Now, if you're presented with job A and job B and job B pays you more than double of job A aren't you more often than not going to choose job B? You would if your job was as competitive as the college football landscape is. WVU moved to the Big 12 so it could make more money and play a better schedule. The money WVU makes will go to fund athletic improvements that will continue to grow the WVU brand. The schedule will challenge WVU's athletic teams to get better. The teams will need better players and better players are attracted to successful programs that have the best facilities and play tough schedules. See where I'm going? So while the added prestige of the conference is a great addition, it's really all about funding (or money, if you prefer that) and WVU will get a lot more of that just from the TV contract revenues alone in the Big 12 to more than justify the move.

And let's not go all crazy here about losing the Pitt game. Pitt announced they were leaving the Big East prior to WVU so there's a good chance that had WVU stayed in the Big East and Pitt left for the ACC you'd lose the rivalry game just the same only a year or two later than it's happening now. So let's not pin all the "losing rivalries" thing on WVU going to the Big 12 when both schools are moving on to do what's best for them. The ACC repetitively has said it doesn't want WVU so WVU had to go somewhere and it ended up in the Big 12 (easily a better football conference). With the moves to different conferences where each team will have MORE conference games a year, it's asking a whole lot to demand to keep a game like that every year. In the Big East we had only 7 conference games - meaning we had room for a ridiculous 5 non-conference games a year. In the Big 12 we'll have 9 conference games meaning we will only have room for 3 non-conference games a year. Going back to the money angle anyone that's paying attention knows you play a warm-up game at the beginning of the season, typically against a lower division school, because they'll ALWAYS play at your place and it's virtually a guaranteed win. Home games make you more money so playing those games against lower division schools are good money-making opportunities. Of course if the NCAA allowed an exhibition game or two, you could get rid of those pay day games, but that's another topic for another day.

Back to the Pitt game...in reality does that game mean as much when you aren't in the same conference? When you don't have to go through the other school for a championship? If you're honest the answer is no. Are you surviving without Penn State on the schedule? Yep. Without VT (which I actually argue is a "better" rivalry game - at least within the last 15 years - for WVU)? Yep. You'll survive without Pitt every year. Plus, why is that so important to everyone? Because it sells out? Because WVU fans get such a kick out of the "Eat Sh!t Pitt" cheer? Beyond that what does that game add for WVU? Pitt (and their fanbase) haven't taken football seriously since Dan Marino left. So losing Pitt and replacing them with Texas and Oklahoma sounds like a pretty good trade-off to me. You can't tell me with a straight face that those games in Morgantown won't sell out every year. If if our fickle fans don't show up Texas and OU fans will. Then again, the last time or two that Miami came to Morgantown (and at least one of those times they were a top 3 team in the nation) it wasn't a sell-out so maybe I'm giving the fanbase too much credit.

We'll be fine without Pitt, as long as you don't sit at home and cry about not having Pitt on the schedule. I honestly saw 5-6 people post on the WVU Football Facebook page that they thought the 2012 football schedule "sucks." WHAT??? So in their minds playing a Big East schedule that got us ridiculed year-in and year-out is a good schedule but bringing Oklahoma to Morgantown "sucks" -- apparently I missed the new definition of what "sucks" because that makes no sense. And come on, you and I both know they'll put Pitt on the schedule as often as they can - if for no other reason than to fill the spot to keep Marshall off of the schedule. And let's be honest here...a Big 12 schedule gives us a lot more credibility nationally. So much so that we'll be able to have a choice of who to schedule in those 3 open non-conference games a year...instead of having to play the Marshalls of the world just to fill an open spot on the schedule. So one thing being thrown around is that WVU will have an alternating schedule between Pitt and Maryland where they play one year 1, the other year 2 and continue to rotate it like that. That's just one option. But the point is you need to worry less about if Pitt or Rutgers or Syracuse (or whichever team) is on the schedule and worry more about the insane quality of football we're about to experience in the new conference. And to do well in said tougher conference we're going to have to support the team even more. No more non-sellouts just because it's a team you don't care about. I don't see that issue at Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Oklahoma, Texas, etc and those stadiums hold a lot more people than WVU's does.

I'm just tired of everyone whining that we don't get enough respect. I'm tired of being the underdog. I'm tired of not having a national championship (in football or basketball - unless you consider the first NIT in bball). Why can't we grow into a national power? Well it starts with acting like one and that starts with showing up to EVERY game and playing in a better conference. We've got the better conference part. Now let's kick the rest up a notch and expect greatness instead of celebrating mediocrity (like the Big East or less than 10 win seasons in that crap conference). I don't care if we're playing a retirement home, you don't come to WVU games for the other team...or at least you shouldn't. You should be there to cheer on the Mountaineers. You're there to experience Mountaineer athletics. You should be there, every game, because that's how the "big boys" act. And until WVU fans get that we'll continue to be patted on the head and told how cute we are. I want more than that and you should, too. So here's to new beginnings in the Big 12. It's time for a championship and if you're not on board with that premise...go away!

Let's Go Mountaineers!