So the New York Times is reporting West Virginia University to the Big 12.
How nice.
While we’ill give the Big 12 credit for finally making a decision, it is somewhat insulting to get picked over for WVU. But we’ll get over it. Somehow, some day, hopefully.
Life is full of kicks in the teeth.
Our brief and shining moment among the college football elite during the Bobby Petrino era is a distant memory. Louisville’s closer proximity than West Virginia to the Big 12 is meaningless. A larger TV market not a significant factor. The civility of one fan base over another without merit.
No rewards for the meek or for five years of rebuilding. An invitation may come, it may not.
UofL fans are hereby sentenced to eternal speculation, rumors, misinformation, indecision and more waiting.
Conference realignment hell on earth.
The University of Louisville participates in 21 college athletic sports. Football is just one of them. And, not a particularly successful one over the past few years. Yet, it has control of the steering wheel.
I’m fed up. Let’s go independent in pigskin, keep the BIG EAST affiliation in all other sports, and become Notre Dame South. Can Tom build a “touchdown Jesus” on campus…but put it in the form of Howard Schnellenberger? After all, it was “the pipe” who got us originally on the football map.
I don’t know where all this will shake out, but if we can improve the Big East basketball teams, why not? Seems to work for the ACC.
If West Virginia bolts – and with Pitt gone – what’s left for football? WV was the only ranked Big East team last year and I doubt we’d have much national credibility even if Air Force, Navy and Army were added. Without TCU/Boise State, where are we going with all this?
Even now, with the current Big East teams, only WV is ranked in the BCS Standings – barely, at #25. Conference USA (Houston) and the Moutain West (Boise)have higher ranked teams – and TCU and South. Miss are just outside the rankings.
So how will the Navy/Army/Air Force help when the Big East isn’t competitive on the national front even now?
Not trying to be doom and gloom — rather, I’m looking for something to be optimistic about. Help!
The soap opera of conference re-alignment is far from over. Good things will happen eventually for the Cards. As Howard Schnellenberger once said:
“The only variable is time.”
The BIG 12 has no idea what is in store for them with WVU. Having survived several tailgating ventures to Milan Puskar Stadium…can’t wait to see how the Cowboys and Longhorns are going to mesh with the couch burners.
Zagnut- I agree with your comments, but not sure what Big East competition would be missed when Pitt/Syracuse/WVU and maybe CT are gone. Hopefully some good news will come our way soon!
Charlie- how about the Big East raid the A-10 and, for basketball, get Dayton, Xavier, Temple, and/or UMass etc. And what about trying to get Butler while we’re at it?
Nice try, Steve, trying to get Dayton into the Big East. LOL. Some would say all the Big East basketball is what us into this mess in the first place. As Pitino noted during his press conference the other day, more people watched the lowly Liberty Bowl on television than watched any North Carolina basketball game last season. Football rules the roost.
I hear ya Charlie on football ruling the roost. Which is why we shouldn’t be surprised or have our feelings hurt that the Big 12 is after WV rather than Louisville. Because football is king, Louisville’s top-20 programs in men’s soccer, field hockey and lacrosse are meaningless to the Big 12 and others. I’m a bit lost on what the Big East’s identity will be – SEC=football, ACC=basketball (for the most part), Big East=? football? basketball? or other sports? I, for one, hope Louisville somehow gets into another conference…I just don’t see much there in a realigned Big East moving forward given the schools that have left or may leave. To me, the loss of Pitt/Syracuse (and UConn?)cripple basketball…and if WV (and Cincy?) leave, cripples football.
Yeah, why not have a 68 team basketball conference. That would mean we could have our own version of the NCAA tournament.
As a Cards fan, I’d rather the conference be a strong force on the national front in basketball or football, rather than very medicore in both.
That rubber tunnel did us in. Big 12 notices those kinds of things.
Here we go….and blame the tunnel being there on some Rubbertown alum again! We just can’t get a break!!! 🙂 Heh, heh!! Nice one, Glen!
That explains the lack of talk about Cincinnati. They have one too.
Big 12 seems to be stuck at 10 permanently. Forget about it.
Some of those nuts on the message boards want U of L to make some kind of statement about not getting into the Big 12. What kind of statement are we going to make if we weren’t officially trying to change conferences? This really brings the screwballs out of the woodwork.
At least there are no more state schools to contend with for the Big 12. They will have the advantage every time.
I think Tom Jurich knew we were a long shot from the beginning. But he did have us in the discussion until the end. That’s a great credit to his abilities.
I think he did more than get us in the discussion. The out of the blue contract extension for Strong just does not make any sense. It was the result of something. The Big 12 will eventually go to 12 teams. Maybe Jurich was told to get the football program up to Big 12 standards and Louisville would be next in line. Keeping Strong was the first step. It my take a couple of years, but I think Louisville’s direction will eventually be to the Big 12.
I like the way you think, Keith, but that’s a long-term gamble. I, for one, would miss the Big East competition and I think we need to strengthen it from within. This notion of wishing and hoping we get picked up by another conference is getting old quickly. We’ve been successful and we need to take advantage of the changing landscape.
We need to pay the 5 mil buyout and go independent immediatly. we have 27 months left in the Big East, that should buy us enough time to realign with a good conference by then but DON’T EXTEND IT by waiting till next year or paying 10 mil to get out ! The Big East as we know it IS DEAD. no returning to CUSA North. rumours have Ga Tech and Maryland jumping ship to Big 10 which may open spots again in ACC
That assumes that Boise State and Air Force will make the jump. They were non-committal before and now with the Big East losing its “signature” program why would they make the move? The Mountain West Conference will have a better shot at achieving AQ status than a re-configured Big East will have at keeping the one they have.
I was under the impression that if you consider everything, all the sports, Louisville is the signature program. I know, I know, this is all about football. Overall, U of L remains the signature program.
I agree (note the “” around signature). Looks like we are paying the price for the Kragthorpe era.
Given that the Big12 doesn’t even support men’s soccer, field hockey, or lacrosse – sports in which Louisville has built top-20 programs in recent years – and is inferior to the Big East in both kinds of basketball – I say the hell with ’em. The Big East needs to hang together in all sports EXCEPT football, and should work to create a separate football-only conference of at least 10 and maybe as many as 12 teams. As for WVU – good riddance to them and their fans.
Good points, Andrew. Getting turned down by the pretty girl stings a bit but there always seems to be another. There’s something to be said for sticking with the one you’re with and striving to make it better. Boise State, Navy and Air Force have quality football. Basketball? The schedule could use a little lightning up. The Big East in its current makeup is a killer schedule.