(03-20-2020 09:54 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I always thought that Penn St fit in well with the Big Ten two. They are an industrial state the same way that Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, etc are.

Penn State would have been a perfect fit in the old Big 8, but that's just my humble opinion. Location and culture, heavy ag-sci. It's evolved enough that it does look more like the others, but, you can't reconcile that location.

That part of PA doesn't feel like Big Ten territory the same way Pittsburgh might, the Lehigh Valley, or the Lancaster-Harrisburg-York triangle.

(03-20-2020 11:55 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(03-20-2020 09:54 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I always thought that Penn St fit in well with the Big Ten two. They are an industrial state the same way that Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, etc are.

Penn State would have been a perfect fit in the old Big 8, but that's just my humble opinion. Location and culture, heavy ag-sci. It's evolved enough that it does look more like the others, but, you can't reconcile that location.

That part of PA doesn't feel like Big Ten territory the same way Pittsburgh might, the Lehigh Valley, or the Lancaster-Harrisburg-York triangle.

Location? The nearest Big 8 school to Happy Valley is Iowa State. I'll admit Penn State is in the middle of nowhere so it might be more like Lawrence, Ames, and Manhattan in that aspect but PSU athletes wouldn't want to travel to games in these locations any more than West Virginia does now.

(03-20-2020 12:07 PM)schmolik Wrote:  

(03-20-2020 11:55 AM)The Cutter of Bish Wrote:  

(03-20-2020 09:54 AM)Fighting Muskie Wrote:  I always thought that Penn St fit in well with the Big Ten two. They are an industrial state the same way that Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, etc are.

Penn State would have been a perfect fit in the old Big 8, but that's just my humble opinion. Location and culture, heavy ag-sci. It's evolved enough that it does look more like the others, but, you can't reconcile that location.

That part of PA doesn't feel like Big Ten territory the same way Pittsburgh might, the Lehigh Valley, or the Lancaster-Harrisburg-York triangle.

Location? The nearest Big 8 school to Happy Valley is Iowa State. I'll admit Penn State is in the middle of nowhere so it might be more like Lawrence, Ames, and Manhattan in that aspect but PSU athletes wouldn't want to travel to games in these locations any more than West Virginia does now.

That’s how I meant it. Not looking at a map but taking in the surroundings...it has that vibe. But, yeah...not a fun real trip. When I went there and then visited friends, it always felt like you happened upon it.

(03-18-2020 11:29 AM)AntiG Wrote:  as a Rutgers fan, I'd love to see WVU in the B1G to restart Guidos vs Hillbillies Week but that will never happen given their academics and lack of population.

Does West Virginia have a good size New York audience? My understanding is they all leave the state and go to New York but remain WVU fans. Is this correct?

(03-20-2020 07:11 AM)10thMountain Wrote:  

(03-19-2020 09:18 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(03-19-2020 06:27 PM)10thMountain Wrote:  The way I look at it, the “Tech Problem” (having to take an undesirable little brother tagalong school that would never be considered for membership by themselves in order to make state politicians happy and secure membership of the actually desired big brother school) is now a thing of the past, at least for the SEC and B1G.

Simply put, the money that the SEC and soon the B1G will be making means that not even UT can bring enough value to make up for the revenue deficit that taking these sort of political tagalong schools would be costing the conference. Kansas can’t make up for KSU, OU can’t make up for OSU and UT can’t make up for TTU.

A combination of UT/OU/KU is the absolute minimum these conferences would consider in the new financial reality

I would tend to agree, but I thought the same about expansion to 14. Yet 3 conferences did it, and with Maryland/Rutgers, Pitt/Syracuse and Missouri/A&M. Not a blue blood among them and only A&M among the high revenue/high fan support schools. Perhaps noone but A&M a top 30 football program.

Not same at all.

All those programs are AAU, Flagship, Land Grant or Flag Ship Equivalent schools (showing that academics and cultural fit are indeed a factor)

They were chosen for their wholistic value to the conferences because they were the desired selections made by those conferences under no obligation to take any of them in particular.

Someone like Texas Tech on the other hand is NOT desired by these conferences and instead would be a pick they are forced into making in order to get who they really wanted.

A school forced on them vs a school they actually wanted. That’s the difference

And as I said, due to new financial reality, the SEC and B1G are beyond the point where a coerced, political choice will be entertained by them.

Texas Tech has had governance problems in the past with internal politics on their Board coming out into the open. I don't know if those problems still exist but it would be a big negative combined with the distance to Lubbock.

(03-20-2020 10:10 PM)Sactowndog Wrote:  

(03-18-2020 11:29 AM)AntiG Wrote:  as a Rutgers fan, I'd love to see WVU in the B1G to restart Guidos vs Hillbillies Week but that will never happen given their academics and lack of population.

Does West Virginia have a good size New York audience? My understanding is they all leave the state and go to New York but remain WVU fans. Is this correct?

I don't really know any WVU alum in NYC to be honest. I would assume they would still be fans of their alma mater though. The reason I wouldn't mind them being in the B1G is because most Rutgers fans enjoyed Morgantown, genuinely like their hilarious fanbase, and want another shot at beating them after the close losses after we got good following years of beatdowns. There was a nice Big East rivalry brewing between Rutgers, West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinnati, and South Florida in those years where Schiano's recruits started balling out and all five programs were top 25 material. WVU is also close to Ohio, Pennsylvania, NJ and Maryland so it makes for a fourth Eastern section of the B1G.

Either way its not going to happen.

(03-20-2020 10:10 PM)Sactowndog Wrote:  

(03-18-2020 11:29 AM)AntiG Wrote:  as a Rutgers fan, I'd love to see WVU in the B1G to restart Guidos vs Hillbillies Week but that will never happen given their academics and lack of population.

Does West Virginia have a good size New York audience? My understanding is they all leave the state and go to New York but remain WVU fans. Is this correct?

They're in MD and northern VA.