In the last 24 hours, multiple media outlets have reported that the 7 non-football playing members of the Big East (Marquette, DePaul, Providence, Seton Hall, Villanova, St. John’s, and Georgetown) are set to exit the conference that 5 of them originally founded in 1979. As of this evening, the “Catholic 7″ have agreed to depart the Big East, rendering the conference dead to rites.

What was once West Virginia’s home is now set to go the way of the dodo bird and the WAC. In 33 years of existence, the Big East built arguably the greatest basketball conference in America. The Big East held onto the ideal that a basketball-first league could thrive in the modern conference landscape. Now it is imminent that the Big East will pay the ultimate price for their ideals.

After rising to prominence in the 1980s as the best hoops league in the country, the Big East decided to form a prominent football conference that brought in Miami, Rutgers, Virginia Tech, Temple, and West Virginia for the 1991 season. WVU would finally join the Big East in all sports for the 1995 season.

For the first 12 years of their existence, the Big East football league was one of the best conferences in the country. Then, in 2003, the latest trend of conference realignment begun the long and slow death of the conference. The ACC poached Boston College, Virginia Tech, and Miami.

The defections of those three football powers led the Big East to remodel their conference. The conference’s moves to restock the ranks with basketball relevant schools ultimately spelled doom for the conference. The Big East held to their ideal of putting together the best basketball conference in the nation (which they accomplished the past decade). As great as their basketball conference was, they failed to see the bigger picture. When it comes to thriving as an all sports conference, you must make moves that are in the best interest of football which in turn is in the best interest of television revenue.

College football and the ever growing demand for televised football has led conferences to seek bigger paychecks and better television deals. Nothing is bigger money than mega conferences with championship games and multiple major television markets.

The Big East had all the major northeastern markets covered in terms of basketball, but failed to secure those markets with successful football programs. Had they the for site in 2004 to add enough quality football programs to bring their membership to 12 football schools, bringing a conference championship game, would have brought more stability to the league. Not that the league might not have still been poached going forward, but it would have certainly been more difficult to dissolve the league.

The problem with the reconfigured league was a lack of competitiveness on the national stage, especially when it came to national powers. The league tried to cover this fact by labeling it “competitive balance,” but that is synonymous with mediocrity. The Mountaineers were the flag bearers for the league, but without another nationally relevant program, the Big East was perceived as weak. That weakness and vulnerability led to diminishing league revenue projections, causing schools to jump ship.

Since the initial round of conference realignment in 2003, the Big East has lost:

1. Virginia Tech (ACC, 2003)
2. Miami (ACC, 2003)
3. Boston College (ACC, 2004)
4. Temple (kicked out, 2004-2011)
5. Texas Christian (Big XII, 2012)
6. West Virginia (Big XII, 2012)
7. Pittsburgh (ACC, 2013)
8. Syracuse (ACC, 2013)
9. Notre Dame (ACC, 2013/14)
10. Louisville (ACC, 2013/14)
11. Rutgers (Big 10, 2013/14)
12. DePaul (?, 2013/14)
13. Georgetown (?, 2013/14)
14. Marquette (?, 2013/14)
15. Providence (?, 2013/14)
16. Seton Hall (?, 2013/14)
17. St. John’s (?, 2013/14)
18. Villanova (?, 2013/14)

Since Temple did come back to the league this year, that limits the Big East’s total losses to 17 teams in the past 9 years that have announced they are leaving the league.

Now that the basketball schools have split from the Big East, expect there to be remifications with the incoming schools. Boise State and San Diego State have been mentioned in rumors in the past month suggesting that they are in discussion with the Mountain West conference to take them back.

Should Boise State, the marquee program left in the Big East, decide to back out of joining the league, expect the Big East to officially dissolve. Connecticut and Cincinnati have both publicly pleaded with the ACC for membership, showing that there is no stability left in this conference.

It is sad to see the end of what was such a prominent basketball conference and a great home for Mountaineers athletics for two decades. While the national media will remember it for its failed conference realignment strategy, Mountaineers fans will remember it for the great rivalries on the gridiron and especially on the hardwood. Had the Big East done a better job of fielding a better football product and protecting their schools from poaching, the Mountaineers might still be calling the Big East home to this day.

Farewell Big East, may the television gods have mercy on your soul.

Dec 30, 2011; Bronx, NY, USA; First place trophy for the 2011 Pinstripe Bowl between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Iowa State Cyclones at Yankee Stadium. Rutgers won 27 – 13. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The bowl game will be the 60th time that the two teams have met. The Orange hold the series lead with a 32-27 record. WVU has won 8 of the last 10 meeting with Syracuse but the Orange have won the last two meetings. The game will provide Geno Smith his last chance to take down the Orange after two disappointing performances against them as a starting quarterback.

You also have to realize that the bowl game in New York is much more convenient for Mountaineer fans to travel to as opposed to San Diego and the Holiday Bowl. Yes, the Holiday Bowl is more prestigious and would have matched the Mountaineers against a ranked Pac-12 team. But the Mountaineers are now given the opportunity to beat a “conference champion” in front of a major media market and to do so convincingly. It also helps that the opponent is a historical rival of the Mountaineers, making the game more appealing to the Mountaineers fanbase.

Again, playing UCLA in the Holiday Bowl would have probably been the fans first choice, but this match-up makes so much sense financially and aesthetically. It will be good to see the Mountaineers able to rekindle a rivalry with an old Big East foe, especially in the ever changing climate of conference realignment.

If you are going to play in a minor bowl, you might as well play an opponent with historical significance in one of the most interesting bowl locations.

November 24, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Tulane Green Wave wide receiver Wilson van Hooser (9) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the third quarter against the Houston Cougars at Robertson Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-US PRESSWIRE

The move to add Tulane for television market makes sense. New Orleans is a major television market, but the biggest question is, who really watches Tulane football?

The Green Wave has not been a nationally relevant program since their undefeated 1998 season. The team has struggled to draw fans into the Super Dome, causing Tulane to begin planning for an on-campus stadium with a much smaller seating capacity.

Then there is East Carolina. The Pirates are a scrappy team that usually hovers in the 7-8 wins per season range. It is culturally a perfect fit for the Big East, but really has no major television market draw. You could argue that they bring some portion of the Raleigh and Charlotte market. If the Big East wanted the Charlotte market, it would have been better to take UNC Charlotte (set to play in C-USA).

This set of expansion is obviously in preparation of the Big East losing either Connecticut or Louisville to the ACC. Early rumors say that UCONN is the leader for vacant ACC spot because of higher academic standards than the Ville. Jim Calhoun’s APR issue must not be factoring into that decision.

With both the ACC and Big East fighting it out for fillers, the Big XII is sitting idle. Some might say that the Big XII is content with 10 teams because of the ability to play a round robin football schedule and the elimination of a top team losing in the championship game, or whatever other party line they want to feed the public. In the end, the Big XII needs to expand to fend off a second raiding attempt by the Pac 12.

Remember, that had the Pac 12 bent to Texas’ will and allowed them to keep the Longhorn Network, the Big XII might have ceased to exist. In the ever shifting conference landscape, where it appears that conferences are all consolidating to 16 team conferences with presumably 4 major conferences, the Big XII has to be nervous.

The Big 10 and SEC appear secure in their major conference status. That leaves the Pac 12, Big XII, and ACC to assume the final two slots. Currently, the Pac 12 and Big XII have agreements to match up with the SEC and Big 10 in the Rose and Champions (Sugar) Bowls, giving them the inside track to remaining major conferences.

If the major conferences are to be 16 team conferences, that leaves few options East of the Mississippi River for the Pac 12. Larry Scott pursued the four-pack of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, and Texas Tech when he was forced to settle for just Utah and Colorado. If those 4 teams leave, the Big XII would be destroyed and picked off by the other big conferences.

For the Big XII to remain viable for the future, they need to strike soon, and take down the ACC.

Maryland is about to enter a contentious legal battle with the ACC, one that Florida State will be following closely. If Maryland is able to negotiate a reduced exit fee and exit time table, expect Florida State to start serious talks with the Big XII.

If Bowlsby wants to ensure the long-term success of the Big XII, he needs to bring the conference up to 16 schools. In my opinion, that should start with Florida State and Clemson. The other 4 schools should come predominantly from the ACC to effectively eliminate any competition for the 4 major league slots and to ward off any Pac 12 poaching.

Possible schools for Big XII expansion, in order of merit: Florida State, Clemson, Miami, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Pittsburgh, BYU, Cincinnati, Boise State. Keep in mind, their are no active rumors linking any of those schools to the Big XII outside of FSU and Louisville.

November 19, 2012;College Par, MD, USA; Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney speaks during the Big Ten Press Conference at Adele Stamp Union. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-US PRESSWIRE

Multiple outlets across the internet are propogating rumors that indicate the Big East is soon to go the way of the dodo bird and the WAC. West Virginia was fortunate to escape this sinking ship when they did.

Following the departure of WVU, Pitt, Syracuse, Notre Dame, and TCU, the Big East turned to Conference USA and the Mountain West to poach together a patchwork conference of misfits. The Big East membership has grown to or will soon grow to include:

• Football Only: San Diego State, Boise State, Temple, and Navy
• All Sports: Louisville, Cincinnati, Memphis, Houston, SMU, UCF, USF, Connecticut, and Rutgers
• Non-Football: St. John’s, Georgetown, Marquette, DePaul, Providence, Villanova, and Seton Hall

The recent revelation in conference realignment is the jump by Maryland to the Big Ten to be followed by the highly anticipated announcement that Rutgers will follow suit tomorrow and also join the Big Ten. That is just the tip of the iceberg with the rumored Big East defections.

Major news outlets like ESPN have speculated that the ACC would be likely to replace Maryland with a school like Connecticut, which would take the current Big East slate of football schools down from 12 to 10 for the 2013 season, costing the Big East the opportunity to host a championship game.

With the anticipated plundering of the Big East set to begin, many news outlets have been quick to jump on the rumors surrounding the doom of the Big East. Defection rumors include the following:

• The New York Daily News reports that Georgetown and St. John’s are considering jumping from the Big East to the ACC.
• ESPN is reporting that Boise State, San Diego State, and BYU are all in discussions to rejoin the Mountain West.

There are also the typical unconfirmed rumors that Louisville could be the target for the ACC instead of Connecticut and the possibility that the Big 12 might preempt the ACC and invite the Cardinals. If you stack up all those rumors, the Big East could be facing the possibility of their soon to be 13 team football league shrinking to 9 (Rutgers to Big Ten, UCONN/Louisville to ACC, Boise State and San Diego State to MWC), keeping in mind that Navy plans to join in 2015.

If all those rumors pan out, that would also reduce two of the top three targets for further Big East football expansion (BYU and Air Force). The loss of Georgetown and St. John’s would effectively open the door for the remainder of the non-football members to look at their options for new conference homes in the ACC, Atlantic 10, etc.

Of course, half the conference realignment rumors will never materialize, but with so many rumors floating about and no media rights deal in place, all signs point to the Big East collapsing. The next few months will likely determine the future of the Big East, if there is any future at all.

Sept 1, 2012; Austin, TX, USA; The Texas Longhorns marching band carries flags representing the member schools of the Big 12, including newest members West Virginia and TCU, prior to kick off against the Wyoming Cowboys at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-US PRESSWIRE

This time last year, West Virginia fans were defending the merits of the Big East while anxiously awaiting news that WVU would be able to escape to a better conference. Many thought it might be the ACC or the SEC, but it was the Big XII that threw WVU a life preserver.

Critics of the conference move by WVU will constantly point out travel expense increases and losses of rivalries. While those are valid concerns, the bottom line is WVU will generate a lot more television revenue, which is what college football is all about.

Besides the financial ramifications, the move to the Big XII gets the Mountaineers out of the dumpster fire that is the Big East. The first weekend of college football was more than enough evidence of that.

The Big East was underwhelming in the opening weekend of play, posting a total 5-2 conference record (2-1 against FCS opponents). Rutgers, Connecticut, and Louisville beat lesser FBS opponents with only Louisville looking strong after week 1. Beating FCS opponents, like South Florida and Temple did, is nothing to be excited about; it is expected.

What was unexpected was the twin disappointing losses by Syracuse and Pittsburgh. The Orange choked away a late lead against a middle of the pack (to put it gently) Northwestern squad. Syracuse is just fortunate that Pitt played even worse. The Panthers lost to Youngstown State (6-5 in FCS play last season) at HOME, BY 14 POINTS. Coach Chryst is just fortunate to be employed by a school that let Dave Wandstedt (and his mustache) roam the sidelines for 6 seasons. Any other school might have run him out of town already.

The Big East would probably like to deflect the attention of those losses by reminding folks that these teams are going to be fortifying the ranks of the ACC next year. With both Pitt and Syracuse looking to start the season 0-2, both the Big East and ACC would like to disassociate themselves from these programs.

The teams set to join the Big East next year didn’t fair much better than Pitt and Syracuse. Of the group joining Big East for football in 2013 (Central Florida, Houston, Southern Methodist, Memphis, Boise State, and San Diego State) only Central Florida won. The UCF win over Akron is not noteworthy as the Zips have been down-right pathetic for years now. Yes, Boise State lost to a good Michigan State squad, but their offense was just offensive to watch. And yes, Memphis did lose to an FCS team.

Meanwhile, WVU and the Big XII looked terrific in week 1, going a combined 9-0. Of course we are only one week into the season, but it is plain to see that West Virginia made the right choice in jumping to the Big XII. Mountaineer fans don’t have to brush up on their futile defenses of the Big East as a league of “parody.” WVU fans can now brush up on their Big East satire.

Big East Commissioner John Marinatto

So, the Big East even put in their two cents about the settlement between them and WVU. But, we’re not going to “just post it.”

No way, Jose! We’re going to tear this baby apart, FireChuckLandon.com-style! Time to expose the Big WTF Conference and their spin on the settlement.

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So, while I’m at work, it seems these type of things happen.

According to the sock-sniffer Brett McMurphy of CBS Sports, WVU and the Big LEast Conference are nearing a settlement for $20million to escape the sinking ship, while teams such as Boise State, Memphis, Central Florida and Houston climb on.

Also, as part of the supposed agreement, WVU will help find a replacement for 2012 to fill out 7 other Big East teams’ void in their in-conference schedule.

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When we last left Huntington’s favorite meth-headed mullet, he was probably dribbling on about how Marshall was better or something. We forgot, it’s been a while.

Well, 2012 is barely 8 days old and that cheap suit-wearing blowhard is at it, showing jealousy that WVU is actually proactive in getting out of the Big East, while Marshall continues to suffer in Conference USA. [Huntington Herald Dispatch.]

How does he get information that nobody else supposedly has? Could he be making it up? MAYBE! Let’s find out.

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