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The University of Louisville was informed at 7 a.m. Friday that West Virginia is the current selection for the Big XII Conference, according to a tweet by Pete Thammel of the New York Times. Thammel added later, “This is the best news for the Big East since UConn cut down the nets. League still has a heartbeat. Losing both could have been fatal.”
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Life goes on.
This just in…Missouri has decided to join both the Big East AND the Missouri Valley Conference. They will play in both leagues even if games are on the same days in both leagues.
In other quick decision making news, they are going to change their name to both University of Missouri AND Missouri University to hence forward be known as UM/MU. So as not to be confused with the LSU, Auburn and Clemson Tigers, they are also changing their team nickname to The Walnuts.
UMMU Walnuts…has a nice ring to it, dontcha think?.
I once posted that we would never be able to calculate the cost of the opportunity for next level success that was squandered during the Kragthorpe years. I think we are now seeing what those years cost Louisville. Blame for the ego centered hire of Kragthorpe is appropriate, but we must also give credit for the numerous things that were achieved that got Louisville in the discussion. In the end, the damage done to the football program in the last 4+ years was to much to overcome. The direction should now be an all out effort to get Boise St. to join the BE. Losing the AQ status would make Strong’s arguably underserved contract a weight that could be carried by the athletic department for years to come. The biggest selling point Strong has is playing in an AQ conference. Remove that and there is no guarantee that Strong can come even close to recruit as well as he as been apparently rewarded for. Can we can attract the talent necessary to keep the program at a level equal to what we are paying the coach? Attendance at home games has increased over the years due to the anticipation and reality that the program is or going to be at the highest level. Can’t see that same type of attitude existing in a CUSA type of league. Louisville will survive, but at what level is completely unknown.
I bought football tickets to all games since 1971.
I have been a doner and season-ticket holder since 1976. AQ status is what i am worried about.
I’m concerned about AQ, too, but, in reality, we haven’t had it for five years so there’s really nothing new to where we are positioned.
Questions of the day:
1) Who hired Steve Kragthorpe?
2) Who stood buy and watch himed single-handed destroy Louisville football?
3) Who turned down the Big 12 earlier this year to rebuilt the Big East?
4) Who got suckered by Pitt, Syracuse and West Virginia?
5) Whose football program will loose its AQ status?
6) Whose football attendance will soon be in the 20,000s?
I fail to see a good job performance by this person!
Points one through four may have some merit Wilkie. AQ status is here for at least two seasons, maybe indefinitely with Boise State and the academies (if we are lucky enough to get them). U of L fans are a hardy lot, have been through a great deal, and are not about to abandon the program when they’re needed most. It’s a blow to our esteem but we’ve battled worst obstacles to get where we are today. Hang in there.