WVU's Road to the Big 12

[bbwvfan]

A Long, Strange Trip - WVU Athletics

I liked this reference... it made me think of Mickey... and some others...

Ever since the mid-1920s, when athletic director Harry Stansbury put his prestige on the line by successfully fighting off a statewide push to have West Virginia University join the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

 

[mad2mc]

A Long, Strange Trip - WVU Athletics

I liked this reference... it made me think of Mickey... and some others...

Great article. I wish they would have expanded and revealed the ACC schools who gave us the middle finger. I always heard that Paterno attempted to screw Pitt while forming this league. Not sure what he tried to do except attempting to schedule 2 home games for every 1 game away. I could not figure out how/why he would do this in the interest of a newly formed league. Only if this league would have formed. No telling how big/strong this league would be. SEC who?

 

[Anotherwvufan]

“There’s no question about that,” said Nehlen. “If we’re not in a (major) conference right now we’re done.”

Wonder what DADs opinion of this is?

 

[bbwvfan]

That WVU would have gone to the ACC instead of UofL.

 

[Slaton10]

For now, it looks like the game of musical chairs has ended. Had West Virginia University not found a home in the Big 12 Conference in 2012, Mountaineer athletics as we know it would have been dramatically altered, perhaps even fatally.

“There’s no question about that,” said Nehlen. “If we’re not in a (major) conference right now we’re done.”

Well DAD here is one of your Hero's saying EXACTLY the same thing I did just a few weeks ago..............

 

[bbwvfan]

And, there is this...

“I got to the game and I found Jim Clements,” he said. “I said, ‘Jim the first thing I think we should do is I will call every AD that I have a personal relationship with in the ACC. And I’m going to ask them point-blank, 'Is there any possibility of West Virginia being considered for admission into the ACC? - because it’s obvious you’re growing.' Then I said to Jim, ‘I think you should do the same with the ACC presidents.’”

When Luck and Clements got back together to compare notes, the responses they got were unanimous – there was no interest in WVU. Counting the two times West Virginia failed to get into the league when it was created, and the four different times the conference chose to expand through the years, that’s six different occasions that the potential was there for West Virginia to join the ACC and couldn’t.

 

[Slaton10]

And, there is this...

You know what else I take away from the whole column....folks thing Luck and the "New Regime" have discarded any ties with previous stakeholders in the team.........clearly not the case coming from the horses mouth!

 

[mountaineers44]

I love the fact that the quality of opponent/competition has increased - much more enjoyable to watch.

http://www.wvusports.com/blogs.cfm?blog=ccBlog&story=25893

Facing difficult grid slates on a yearly basis is once again part of the deal for the Mountaineers now that West Virginia is in the Big 12. Holgorsen’s West Virginia teams have played eight games against ranked opponents in the last two years after the Mountaineers faced only seven ranked teams during a four-season stretch from 2008-11.

 

[mountaineers44]

This Week's Mountaineer Sports Notebook - WVU Athletics

 

[bbwvfan]

I guess some WVU fans are never happy.


When WVU was playing in the watered down version of the Big East, some cried that WVU received little respect from fans of B1G, SEC and Big 12 conferences who often cited WVU's weak SOS.


Now... some WVU fans are crying over the poor start in our new league.


Looks like WVU shares misery with some other notable schools who've transitioned to big boy conferences. Ask Utah and TCU how things have gone for them...

 

[Slaton10]

I guess some WVU fans are never happy.


When WVU was playing in the watered down version of the Big East, some cried that WVU received little respect from fans of B1G, SEC and Big 12 conferences who often cited WVU's weak SOS.


Now... some WVU fans are crying over the poor start in our new league.


Looks like WVU shares misery with some other notable schools who've transitioned to big boy conferences. Ask Utah and TCU how things have gone for them...

The old adage...becareful what you wish for...you just might get it!

 

[GoldRusher]

I guess some WVU fans are never happy.


When WVU was playing in the watered down version of the Big East, some cried that WVU received little respect from fans of B1G, SEC and Big 12 conferences who often cited WVU's weak SOS.


Now... some WVU fans are crying over the poor start in our new league.


Looks like WVU shares misery with some other notable schools who've transitioned to big boy conferences. Ask Utah and TCU how things have gone for them...

SOME truth to that BUT we switched at a terrible time as far as roster talent. Sure the B12 is a better conference but IMO we would have struggled in ANY conference the last year or two with the pathetic number of scholarship players we had.

 

[DCWV4life]

SOME truth to that BUT we switched at a terrible time as far as roster talent. Sure the B12 is a better conference but IMO we would have struggled in ANY conference the last year or two with the pathetic number of scholarship players we had.

And no matter who the HC was....

 

[GoldRusher]

on the article btw, great read.

I had forgotten about how good Houston was once upon a time, scary to think of what our fate would have been had there been no Big12 shakeup. Id say worse than the Cougars, they ARE in Texas for goodness sake, WVU wouldn't have even had in state talent to draw from like UH

For the record Im not naïve enough to think it still couldn't happen to us in the future should this conference indeed go the way of the old SWC,Big8 ect.. They left UH and TCU standing on the curb at one time, no reason to think they wouldn't do the same to WVU if the circumstances were right.

 

[bbwvfan]

SOME truth to that BUT we switched at a terrible time as far as roster talent. Sure the B12 is a better conference but IMO we would have struggled in ANY conference the last year or two with the pathetic number of scholarship players we had.

I don't think WVU would have struggled in the BE or AAC the past two years. I think they easily could have finished 9-4 the past two years.

Look at UofL's schedule last year, and predict WVU's outcome…

Louisville Cardinals Schedule - 2013

Year: Export Calendar


2013 LOUISVILLE CARDINALS SCHEDULE
DATE OPPONENT RESULT/TIME
Sun, Sept 1 vs Ohio W 49-7 1-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 7 vs E Kentucky W 44-7 2-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 14 @Kentucky W 27-13 3-0 (0-0)
Sat, Sept 21 vs FIU W 72-0 4-0 (0-0)
Sat, Oct 5 @ Temple W 30-7 5-0 (1-0)
Thu, Oct 10 vs Rutgers W 24-10 6-0 (2-0)
Fri, Oct 18 vs UCF L 38-35 6-1 (2-1)
Sat, Oct 26 @ South Florida W 34-3 7-1 (3-1)
Fri, Nov 8 @ Connecticut W 31-10 8-1 (4-1)
Sat, Nov 16 vs Houston W 20-13 9-1 (5-1)
Sat, Nov 23 vs Memphis W 24-17 10-1 (6-1)
Thu, Dec 5 @ Cincinnati W 31-24 OT 11-1 (7-1)

RUSSELL ATHLETIC BOWL
Sat, Dec 28 vs Miami (FL)* W 36-9 12-1 (7-1)

 

[bbwvfan]

And, as we know…9-4 records should be treasured… and the leaders of such team… hero worshipped…

 

[GoldRusher]

DATE OPPONENT RESULT/TIME
Sun, Sept 1 vs Ohio W 49-7 1-0 (0-0) We struggled with William & Mary...I dunno, maybe
Sat, Sept 7 vs E Kentucky W 44-7 2-0 (0-0) Played tough in Norman, yep W
Sat, Sept 14 @Kentucky W 27-13 3-0 (0-0) their Rival game..our rival game vs Maryland . UK pretty shabby at this point so W
Sat, Sept 21 vs FIU W 72-0 4-0 (0-0)- FIU was horrible, similar to Ga State yup W
Sat, Oct 5 @ Temple W 30-7 5-0 (1-0)- Id give us the edge here W
Thu, Oct 10 vs Rutgers W 24-10 6-0 (2-0)- this was around the time Baylor was beating our brains out, RU prob would have played us tough.. toss up imo.
Fri, Oct 18 vs UCF L 38-35 6-1 (2-1)- no question iyam, good lookin team last year. L
Sat, Oct 26 @ South Florida W 34-3 7-1 (3-1)- Yea, Bulls awful and we were playing KState tough so W
Fri, Nov 8 @ Connecticut W 31-10 8-1 (4-1)- UConn tuurrrrible W
Sat, Nov 16 vs Houston W 20-13 9-1 (5-1)- same week as KU game...eesh L
Sat, Nov 23 vs Memphis W 24-17 10-1 (6-1)- Id give us one of those offensive outburst games (Texas or ISU) W
Thu, Dec 5 @ Cincinnati W 31-24 OT 11-1 (7-1)- Cincy was a better team imo at least at this point. L

meh, You may be right. I didn't realize how bad that conference got ,yikes.

 

[DBAR4WVU]

Not to take anything away from Louisville, but I think WVU may have fared better than 9-4 against that schedule. Even from a "watered down" BigEast perspective, that is a pretty light SOS. WVU should have cruised thru the first 6 games. UCF wins it hands down. But Houston, Memphis and Cincy are toss ups. We beat OSU so beating these guys is as likely (more so) a chance. I don't think we would have beaten Miami even though UL dominated.

But I am hoping after the dust settles and we are entrenched in the B12, we will be competative. If CT rises to the occasion at QB and DH can survive this season - maybe we begin to see a slow rise in the B12 rankings and we get out of the cellar and move to the middle of the pack. Then who knows....

 

[WVUDAD]

For now, it looks like the game of musical chairs has ended. Had West Virginia University not found a home in the Big 12 Conference in 2012, Mountaineer athletics as we know it would have been dramatically altered, perhaps even fatally.

“There’s no question about that,” said Nehlen. “If we’re not in a (major) conference right now we’re done.”

Well DAD here is one of your Hero's saying EXACTLY the same thing I did just a few weeks ago..............

Notice, Slaton, that Nehlen said A major conference, not which one. When the next round happens, with a switch to four "super" conferences, the B12 will be the one gone, and WVU will be in the same boat again. I agree that at the time, going to the B12 looked like the only option, but looking back, would we have been better off with UL getting the nod? You guys say the ACC hates WVU, I do not know if they do or not, they had two agenda items: kill the BE, and make more money, had UL gone to the B12, WVU was the best money team left to be easily snatched up, I say if UL had gone to the B12, we would be playing our real rivals in the ACC today.

 

[WVUDAD]

Not to take anything away from Louisville, but I think WVU may have fared better than 9-4 against that schedule. Even from a "watered down" BigEast perspective, that is a pretty light SOS. WVU should have cruised thru the first 6 games. UCF wins it hands down. But Houston, Memphis and Cincy are toss ups. We beat OSU so beating these guys is as likely (more so) a chance. I don't think we would have beaten Miami even though UL dominated.

But I am hoping after the dust settles and we are entrenched in the B12, we will be competative. If CT rises to the occasion at QB and DH can survive this season - maybe we begin to see a slow rise in the B12 rankings and we get out of the cellar and move to the middle of the pack. Then who knows....

Do you REALLY think a team that gave up a 20+ point lead at home to IAST, got manhandled by Kansas, and barely beat W&M would have cruised through ANY schedule? I see MAYBE 6 wins there, probably our first loss to a MAC team since 1949, and MAYBE a minor bowl.