As The Big East Turns: West Virginia Out The Door, Boise Stepping Through Early?

Hasn’t she been covering sports for more than a day?

I’ll personally throw in $50

And judging by this I would say they don’t feel any moral obligation to the Big East. But I’m almost positive Steve Pederson is readying the torches and pitchforks for his march to Providence

No “moral obligation” is keeping Syracuse in the Big East next year. Convenience and economics, however, are.

The Big XII NEEDED West Virginia to join next academic year in order to maintain their 10-team round-robin schedule for their TV partners. With a huge TV negotiation set to begin this summer, Neinas and Co. had to have their house in order. That’s why the conference passing the collection plate to the tune of One Million per school to make this happen.

Similarly, the Big East now NEEDS Boise to prevent itself from becoming a mockery of the joke it’s already become. Home-and-home games to fill out the conference schedule? I wouldn’t be at all suprised if the Big East endorses those nine million-dollar checks directly over to the MWC to get Boise in the fold a year early.

The ACC, however, is just fine. They have a atheltic schedule that works for them as presently constituted, and have already agreed to an extention of the ESPN deal that will give each school a small per-year bump on revenue. They don’t need ‘Cuse or Pitt next year. There’s no need to go out of the way and spend extra money to make this move happen sooner than it needs to.

But I do agree that we’ll be on the move in 2013, one year earlier than the original 27-month waiting period would have held us to. With six schools signed up to join the conference by that year, Cuse and Pitt would be teams 12 and 13. Unless the Big East wants 12 teams to try to hold a championship game in 2013, which they won’t be able to do again until 2015 when Navy joins, 13 teams is a bit unweildy (just ask the SEC and Missouri.) Also, the financial penalty will be much less severe for moving next year than trying to bolt now. With the original buy-out set at $5M, and WV paying out $20, with some of that probably moving on to help another school come in early, I can’t imagine either ’Cuse or Pitt will be on the hook for more than $7.5M, maybe $10M topps.

that may be the single dumbest line I’ve ever read. There’s no way in the world this woman is qualified to write a blog about college sports.

When all is quiet is when you wonder what’s really going on. SU and Pitt (mostly) haven’t really passed along any information from “unnamed sources.” Both schools weren’t allowed to participate in the TCU departure, the WVU legal issues, and the addition of new schools.

Notice that the ACC hasn’t published their 2012-13 schedules yet.

Notice how SU and Pitt haven’t said much about WVU (but probably called in some congrats). BTW, I’m bummed that a long history of football with WVU is gone.

Somethings happening. We’ll see.

I bet it stinks as a sportswriter at espn to get notified that you drew the short straw and must blog about the big east. remember the fool they had covering it last year? and they never picked someone from the northeast, it was always someone from the western fringe of the conference, someone devoid of historical reference or familiarity with the conference. Really, we should pity these poor saps.