Gotta ask a question......

[Slaton10]

I like the threads everyone has created lately about SOS..to Big12 stuff..opinions on Wv etc...

But its now year 3 in the Big 12 and using this small sample size and the multiple upsets we have seen not only what Wv has done, but other teams in the league leaves me beleiving that it may be a small miracle for a team to go undefeated in this conference...

In the Big East no question Wv owned it...and we all went to a season having a pretty good idea that if they swept their OCC games and maybe beat 2 or 3 teams at most they could run the table pretty much every year in that conference....

Honestly, as a fan with all things being equal would you rather still be in that world...or be okay that this program is likely to lose 2 or up to 4 games a year with sprinkling a chance for to win the Big12 and possibly have an undefeated season every now and then and position for a NC?...me personally I like the latter...how much fun has it been not only this season...but going into Texas and winning the first year..one of the most memorable wins in Wv history....the crazy games with Baylor...mega road wins at Texas Tech and Okie State...Giving OU everything they want and more...even in defeat watching Tavon Austin give one if not the greatest individual performances in Wv football history....just like everyone else change is hard..past rivalry's gone....eastern bragging rights gone....not sure who the new rivalry's could be...but we have now found that out ...BAYLOR!! ...the biggest surprise to me has been how great the fans are in the Big12 I think we all used to read just how petty and back biting it was causing schools to depart and almost leading to the demise of the conference...I know it still sucks that we appear to be a million miles away from another campus, but for some reason they seemed closer this year....hopefully as the conference grows they feel good about taking another school or two east of the mississippi and create a conference that will easily matchup with the SEC....

 

[wvu_man]

I agree Slaton...And think about it this way. What if the Big East hadn't got an automatic BCS bid? What would a one or two loss conference champion season get you? A lot of people thought that the BE didn't deserve an automatic bid after the conference was raided. Looking back now, I kinda see their point. After being in the Big XII for 3 seasons, it's like we're playing "bowl games" every week. As much as I enjoyed the easy path to a big bowl game, there's no comparison in excitement between the days of old and the present.

 

[DCWV4life]

even in defeat watching Tavon Austin give one if not the greatest individual performances in Wv football history....

ARGUABLY IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL HISTORY.

As to your point

WVU has the history, the fans, the alumni, and the national prestige to do what we did in the BE in the Big 12....as we grow with this conference I think you will be seeing our name at the top of the conference board more than at the bottom. Only thing separating us now(I think we have taken care of some other things) and the elite is the NC. Which even though the BE may have been a easier road to the NC, the intangibles of what the Big 12 offers in recruiting, TV money, national exposure, and quality opponents I believe will get us there and keep us in the national spotlight. Very happy where we are and where we are going. LETS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bat 20]

+1
I would never want to go back to the Big East. Constantly hoping that the other teams in conference would do well enough, that we as a conference would be taken seriously, and not have to defend our wins. I'm very happy where we are now.

 

[Slaton10]

I agree Slaton...And think about it this way. What if the Big East hadn't got an automatic BCS bid? What would a one or two loss conference champion season get you? A lot of people thought that the BE didn't deserve an automatic bid after the conference was raided. Looking back now, I kinda see their point. After being in the Big XII for 3 seasons, it's like we're playing "bowl games" every week. As much as I enjoyed the easy path to a big bowl game, there's no comparison in excitement between the days of old and the present.

AWESOME point made!...It is like we are playing a bowl game every week...even though DAD may disagree even the Iowa State's can't be counted out..maybe the winning has helped this year and I am keeping more of an eye out on Big12 teams still to play on the schedule, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the other games in the league this year...can't say I was tuned into often to Pitt vs Rutgers if they made the tube!

 

[WVUDAD]

In the Big East no question Wv owned it...and we all went to a season having a pretty good idea that if they swept their OCC games and maybe beat 2 or 3 teams at most they could run the table pretty much every year in that conference....

REALLY???? Did we? not so much, WVU won the BE outright TWICE 1993 and 2005, both times 7-0 in league play, finished 6-1 in 2nd place in 2002 &2003, 5-2 in 1998 and 2006-2011, the years we went to the Fiesta and Orange bowls we were TIED for first, but got the nod for the BSC bowl because of tiebreakers. We "ran the table" in the BE exactly TWICE in 20 years........

 

[wvu_man]

even though DAD may disagree even the Iowa State's can't be counted out

To better exercise your thought process today, put Iowa State in the BE/AAC. Would they be/have been competitive?

 

[DCWV4life]

To better exercise your thought process today, put Iowa State in the BE/AAC. Would they be/have been competitive?

Pretty good question, I think they would, I think they are competitive in the Big 12....would not surprise me one bit if we won every game until the Iowa St game and then got upset. They may not win a lot but the team plays hard, just needed a couple more breaks to go their way.

 

[DrPhil58]

As the old saying goes, "the grass is greener on the other side." I'm glad we are on the "other side" mixing it up with much more quality teams.

As far as rivalries, yes I'd like to see WVU play Pitt and Va Tech, but I do see a rivalry in the making between WVU vs Baylor and WVU vs TCU.

 

[wvu_man]

REALLY???? Did we? not so much, WVU won the BE outright TWICE 1993 and 2005, both times 7-0 in league play, finished 6-1 in 2nd place in 2002 &2003, 5-2 in 1998 and 2006-2011, the years we went to the Fiesta and Orange bowls we were TIED for first, but got the nod for the BSC bowl because of tiebreakers. We "ran the table" in the BE exactly TWICE in 20 years........

IMHO and to be fair in this argument, you have compare the BE with the Big XII in two different eras. Yes, there were exciting and competitive times in the BE when we played Miami, BC, VT, and yes, even sPITT had an occasional good season. After the conference was raided, you can't even begin to compare the BE and the Big XII. I know WVUDAD isn't going to like this...I'm not pickin...it's my unbiased opinion...we could have done a lot better with better coaching towards the end of our stay in the BE. It was a very weak conference that we should've dominated.

 

[bbwvfan]

DAD is definitely not going to like that...

 

[DBAR4WVU]

The Big East was a great place to land in the beginning. But once the "big 3" ran off to the ACC, it was a slow, downward spiral to irrelevency. Everyone agreed at the end that the BE suxed. While I was not an ardent fan of the Big12 move, I understood why and prayed that it worked out.

Now well into the 3rd year, I am seeming the benefits and WVU is reaping the rewards (financially as well as recognition). I have found myself watching B12 games WVU is NOT playing in. Didn't do much of that the 1st 2 seasons.

So yes, the rise in the level of competition is FAN-tastic to watch and experience. Funny looking at the fact that Nebraska is now the cream of the B10. Mizzu and T A&M were powers last season in the SEC, though not as much this year. Colorado.... hmmm? OK, they sucked in the B12 and they still do. Can't win 'em all I guess.

The ACC is the weakest of the Power 5 despite my thoughts around the regional fit for WVU. Our strength of schedule this year would be double (or even lower) what it is now if we played ACC teams week after week. Just look at the link on SOS that I posted earlier. The B12 is behind the SEC, but gaining. Expect WVU to rise after we play TCU and K St (and them after playing us).

Most of the SEC power teams still have a cupcake left on their OOC. Will it affect their rank?

 

[Slaton10]

In the Big East no question Wv owned it...and we all went to a season having a pretty good idea that if they swept their OCC games and maybe beat 2 or 3 teams at most they could run the table pretty much every year in that conference....

REALLY???? Did we? not so much, WVU won the BE outright TWICE 1993 and 2005, both times 7-0 in league play, finished 6-1 in 2nd place in 2002 &2003, 5-2 in 1998 and 2006-2011, the years we went to the Fiesta and Orange bowls we were TIED for first, but got the nod for the BSC bowl because of tiebreakers. We "ran the table" in the BE exactly TWICE in 20 years........

How many years in a row was Wv not favored to win the BE after the raid..whether they ended up crapping the the bed has nothing to do with it....but being with only 7 conference games you had to go thru 3 teams max to have a shot of running the table......that can't be said about the Big12

 

[Anotherwvufan]

The BE was the easy path to the NC. The B12 may be the hardest. We play our third straight home game against a top 10 team. The quality of play and opponents has increased significantly. we have made a step up from a regional to national team. We were Lucky to land in a good spot .

 

[mad2mc]

DAD is definitely not going to like that...

-1 for everybody on this thread.

 

[GoldRusher]

Back on CBS I had a regular fight with an Okie State fan about the bigger choke job, WVU vs Pitt or OSU vs ISU. He argued me up and down about how their team would have throttled the BE, us included and be in the BCS game and possibly the NC every year. Of course I trolled him hard on how they could not and that we would own them but (don't tell him if you see him) in my heart of hearts I thought OSU would have been a bishizzle to deal with every year since the Gundy hire and prob would have won it several times post raid 1.

I do wish that cat was around right now to ask him what he thinks about this ol BigEast team vs his Pokes since joining the B12 .

I've said before and still mean it, the only thing that I have any issue at all with in this conference is the geography. The programs are really close as far as competition on the field with each other as well OOC opponents, Im not sure we could always say that in the BE.

Would have been interesting to see how things would have worked out with an invite to the ACC. How would we be looking right now for them as far as SOS? Its pretty shabby as is, I cant say that most of those match ups would be very exciting compared to what we have now.

Would have been even MORE interesting imo with a BIG invite replacing Rutgers. Old regional games vs PSU and Maryland, a new one with tOSU and the hate game vs Michigan plus a boost in their SOS as well.

 

[WVUDAD]

Back on CBS I had a regular fight with an Okie State fan about the bigger choke job, WVU vs Pitt or OSU vs ISU. He argued me up and down about how their team would have throttled the BE, us included and be in the BCS game and possibly the NC every year. Of course I trolled him hard on how they could not and that we would own them but (don't tell him if you see him) in my heart of hearts I thought OSU would have been a bishizzle to deal with every year since the Gundy hire and prob would have won it several times post raid 1.

I do wish that cat was around right now to ask him what he thinks about this ol BigEast team vs his Pokes since joining the B12 .

I've said before and still mean it, the only thing that I have any issue at all with in this conference is the geography. The programs are really close as far as competition on the field with each other as well OOC opponents, Im not sure we could always say that in the BE.

Would have been interesting to see how things would have worked out with an invite to the ACC. How would we be looking right now for them as far as SOS? Its pretty shabby as is, I cant say that most of those match ups would be very exciting compared to what we have now.

Would have been even MORE interesting imo with a BIG invite replacing Rutgers. Old regional games vs PSU and Maryland, a new one with tOSU and the hate game vs Michigan plus a boost in their SOS as well.

It indeed would have been interesting, Like stated, the BIGGEST of several gripes with the B12 is the closest conference team is 1000 miles away........... I think had we got into the ACC, the same folks on here pouring piss on the ACC today would have been pouring piss on the B12 instead, and singing high praises of the ACC. I am excited to see VPI and PSU back on the future schedule

 

[DCWV4life]

I agree with Dad that we did not dominate the Big 1East(or at least in my interpretation of the word) but we were at the top more than not finishing 15 times 3rd or better since 1980. Majority of those (10) coming after 2001. So for most of the 20 years we were very competitive in the Big East and even more so after the raid.

 

[bbwvfan]

I honestly don't understand why it matters how far away our conference opponents are. Do fans of Pac 12 schools like Zona, ASU, UW, WSU look at this as a negative? I live in Syracuse, it wasn't like a ton of WVU fans came in for every game in the Dome. It wasn't like a ton of BE fans traveled to Motown. Shit… there have been more Big 12 fans filling up their section than BE fans ever did.

Slaton is absolutely right… after the traitor schools left… how many years was WVU picked to win the BE? How many years did WVU finish lower than 2nd?

 

[bbwvfan]

Considering the ACC… had WVU been left in the AAC… I would be relieved to be in the ACC. When the BE was dying, my preference was for WVU to land in the SEC. I still wish that would have happened.

Going back to 2011, had both the ACC and the Big 12 courted WVU, I would have been happy with an ACC invite.

But, I would never claim the ACC to be a better football conference than the Big 12. I would have been content with an ACC schedule.

There is no comparison to how excited I am today about our Big 12 opponents… and, there is no way I would be as excited about an ACC schedule…