(12-28-2013 02:49 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  WVU did what it had to. The Big East was a sinking ship, and every program WVU had any real history with was heading off to the ACC, which had no desire to add the Mountaineers. The remaining Big East programs were looking for a way out of the conference as well. So it wasn't like WVU was leaving a stable situation.

There's a very vocal portion of WVU's fanbase that's upset about everything related to Oliver Luck and the move to the B12. WVU has lost every rivalry to realignment. They see Holgorsen and the futility of the football team as an offense, and the struggles of the basketball team haven't helped. Some success would help settle things down, which will come in time. But the move to the B12, coupled with substandard play in both major sports, has started a lot of grumbling.

I'm not upset about the move. Although some success in conference play in at least one major sport would make it much more palatable to the majority. Without any success, most people tend to focus more on what was lost or missed, not why.

If you want to settle down your fan base, show them the AAC tv money checks.

WVU was one of my favorite programs to watch in the Old Big East and in football in general before going off to college at UCF. WVU will do just fine...as long as they fire Holgy, and just weather the storm that is joining a new conference with a new QB.

(12-28-2013 03:24 PM)lumberpack4 Wrote:  

(12-28-2013 02:41 PM)Gamecock Wrote:  

(12-27-2013 06:38 PM)Kaplony Wrote:  

(12-27-2013 04:05 PM)Otacon Wrote:  The ACC would of taken UCONN before WVU

Had the ACC added UConn over WVU they would have most likely been looking for two or more candidates within a few days.

This.

At that point, I believe FSU and Clemson would have had very serious discussions about leaving.

Not a chance. GT, Miami, NC State, VT, and BC were never voting for UConn so Clemson and FSU were not facing this outcome. Talk about that is false - a fabrication of the northeastern media.

Wrong x1,000,000!!! Of the schools you listed, 3 were definite no. 1 was yes, and the other a maybe. This nonsense about FSU and Clemson leaving is, to put simply, sabre-rattling. They were never serious about bolting to the Big12. Let me state it again, NEVER! SERIOUS!!! Spin it all you want ACC fan, this is the truth (or close to it).

(12-28-2013 04:29 PM)chrisiskingx Wrote:  WVU was one of my favorite programs to watch in the Old Big East and in football in general before going off to college at UCF. WVU will do just fine...as long as they fire Holgy, and just weather the storm that is joining a new conference with a new QB.

I still think Holgorsen will do fine at WVU given time. He's getting the players he needs in place. Neither the offense nor defense lose anyone that can't be fairly easily replaced. All Holgorsen needs to do is find that QB who makes it all work.

(12-27-2013 04:05 PM)Otacon Wrote:  The ACC would of taken UCONN before WVU

Hard to say. Many thought UConn had the inside track over UL, but there was strong pressure to take a school with better football cred. Had the B12 had taken UL instead of WVU, there would have been some of the same pressure to add a strong football school to replace UMD, but for whatever reason, WVU has enemies in the ACC that UL did not need to face. The real problem for WVU is that the B12 hesitated in inviting UL as a travel partner, and seems even less likely to add Cincy. Either one or both would have made life in the B12 a lot easier for WVU.

The B12 didn't want WV nor UL. They didn't expand because they wanted to expand. They were forced to back fill, and WV was in their minds the best available. People here can talk Uconn, Cincy Usf, UCF all they want, I don't see that happening until b12 feels it is forced into expansion either.

Folks, the ACC was never going to take WVU, period. The triangle in the Carolina's would see to that. Heck, they did not really even want VT.

There are decades of history that prove the ACC did not/does not want WVU.

The SEC was WVU's only hope sans the Big 12. Luck did what he did to survive. The Big 12 funked up in my opinion by not adding WVU, UoL and Cincy all at once for the long term. Of course, I would have like to have seen Memphis in that mix as well. Big did not add more because of money.

(12-30-2013 03:46 PM)Tigeer Wrote:  Folks, the ACC was never going to take WVU, period. The triangle in the Carolina's would see to that. Heck, they did not really even want VT.

There are decades of history that prove the ACC did not/does not want WVU.

The SEC was WVU's only hope sans the Big 12. Luck did what he did to survive. The Big 12 funked up in my opinion by not adding WVU, UoL and Cincy all at once for the long term. Of course, I would have like to have seen Memphis in that mix as well. Big did not add more because of money.

Your VT example is evidence that West Virginia could have made it into the ACC under the right circumstances. Maryland leaving very well could have been the necessary circumstances. The ACC football schools were holding more power in that expansion than they ever had before.

(12-29-2013 09:28 AM)goodknightfl Wrote:  The B12 didn't want WV nor UL. They didn't expand because they wanted to expand. They were forced to back fill, and WV was in their minds the best available. People here can talk Uconn, Cincy Usf, UCF all they want, I don't see that happening until b12 feels it is forced into expansion either.

Personally, I think the BigXII's going to eventually get carved up amongst the other four conferences at some point. I think, in fact, that the biggest reason they're deliberately keeping it small is so that it's easier to disband.

(12-30-2013 04:58 PM)WakeForestRanger Wrote:  

(12-30-2013 03:46 PM)Tigeer Wrote:  Folks, the ACC was never going to take WVU, period. The triangle in the Carolina's would see to that. Heck, they did not really even want VT.

There are decades of history that prove the ACC did not/does not want WVU.

The SEC was WVU's only hope sans the Big 12. Luck did what he did to survive. The Big 12 funked up in my opinion by not adding WVU, UoL and Cincy all at once for the long term. Of course, I would have like to have seen Memphis in that mix as well. Big did not add more because of money.

Your VT example is evidence that West Virginia could have made it into the ACC under the right circumstances. Maryland leaving very well could have been the necessary circumstances. The ACC football schools were holding more power in that expansion than they ever had before.

Talking about might have been is kind of fruitless. By the time Maryland and Rutgers got their invites, WVU was already committed to the B12, and had spent a good bit of change to make the move.

The B12 was not going to take multiple programs. Their TV contract was setup for 10 members. Any more would subtract income from everyone in the conference.

It would have been nice to maintain some old rivalries, and renew a few. But it didn't work out that way. Life goes on.

Anyone who thinks that WVU would have been better off in the BIG EAST sans Syracuse, Pitt, BC, Miami, VT, and UL (UL would have gone to the Big XII but for WVU) is out of their mind.

Sure WVU would be better off in either the ACC or the SEC, but neither of those invites were going to happen. The Big XII was the best realistic option. It was a good move.

(12-30-2013 05:10 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  Anyone who thinks that WVU would have been better off in the BIG EAST sans Syracuse, Pitt, BC, Miami, VT, and UL (UL would have gone to the Big XII but for WVU) is out of their mind.

Sure WVU would be better off in either the ACC or the SEC, but neither of those invites were going to happen. The Big XII was the best realistic option. It was a good move.

The insanity is catching too.

WV has to hope when the shifts occur again potentially in 10 years, then they'll be ready for either the ACC or SEC. They need to use the time and the extra money to get themselves prepared.

Facilities is the order of the day.

(12-30-2013 07:57 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Facilities is the order of the day.

Academics too, I guess, but personally I think that the perception of WVU is not reality.

(12-30-2013 08:01 PM)Tigeer Wrote:  

(12-30-2013 07:57 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  Facilities is the order of the day.

Academics too, I guess, but personally I think that the perception of WVU is not reality.

WVU's academics are fine. The main thing that would increase WVU's academic standard would be to increase the entrance requirements, which aren't very strict, due to the mission that WVU performs for the State of West Virginia. If WVU could be more selective about who comes to WVU, their academic standard would rise considerably. But that doesn't suit WVU's mission for the state.

(12-30-2013 05:10 PM)nzmorange Wrote:  Anyone who thinks that WVU would have been better off in the BIG EAST sans Syracuse, Pitt, BC, Miami, VT, and UL (UL would have gone to the Big XII but for WVU) is out of their mind.

Sure WVU would be better off in either the ACC or the SEC, but neither of those invites were going to happen. The Big XII was the best realistic option. It was a good move.

+1000

I don't understand why WVU academics is considered inferior. A school that produced John Chambers, president of Cisco, and Charles Vest, former MIT president, can't be all that bad.

West Virginia is going to be fine. Someone said it in this thread, but he's clearly brilliant -- when football and/or basketball starts having success, the vocal minority who is grumbling will stop grumbling. Noone *#@itches about this kinda crap when they're winning.

WVU snagged a spot in a really good conference. There's going to be an adjustment. Once they do, they'll be fine.

Louisville will have to adjust to the ACC, and looking at the roster, and projecting for next year, it's not the best timing for hoops. And our football team has some key players to replace too.

It's all gonna work out for West Virginia.

And not to change the subject any, but the real drama is who the Big XII expands with ... and I think they eventually will. I think the new 4 team football playoff makes a conference championship game even MORE desirous for TV networks to have ...

So who gets those 2 spots??

(12-30-2013 09:15 PM)NJ2MDTerp Wrote:  I don't understand why WVU academics is considered inferior. A school that produced John Chambers, president of Cisco, and Charles Vest, former MIT president, can't be all that bad.

Like I said earlier, there's a good bit to the academic rating process that is based upon factors that are pretty irrelevant to education. Acceptance rates are one of the metrics used. And many of the metrics used to determine an institution's status are based upon factors that WVU will not compromise on to improve the academic status of the university because of the mission for the State of West Virginia that WVU performs. WVU can't, and won't make any adjustments that could improve their ranking, since it would do so at the expense of the university's mission to the state.