OT: It's (almost) Official: West Virginia to the Big XII for 2012
Big East and West Virginia are close to a settlement, to the tune of $20 million.
If you don't want to read the article, the Big XII would be willing to assist in WVU's buyout, Florida State may go after West Virginia for getting rid of their September 2012 meeting, and West Virginia may assist the Big East in finding a team to join the Big East a year early.
By getting a team to join the Big East a year earlier, WVU may lower their buyout limit. Getting a team to join a year earlier probably won't work: Conference USA has released their schedules and its doubtful that Houston, Memphis, SMU, or UCF would be allowed out a year early. The Mountain West may be a bit more likely, as the dates are yet to be finalized, but everyone knows who they are playing.
February 9th, 2012 at 2:04 PM ^
Ok, time for Pitt and Syracuse to tell the Big East to shove it.
February 9th, 2012 at 2:05 PM ^
My guess is that the 2012 football season will be their last in the BE.
February 9th, 2012 at 2:06 PM ^
Yeah, I think you are right on this one. Especially if they don't get a replacement for WVU for this season.
Syracuse and Pitt have a legit argument about wanting to leave early - if they knew WVU was going to be let out with a cash settlement, they could have scheduled other OOC opponents ahead of time, rather than having a handful of options.
February 9th, 2012 at 2:12 PM ^
We now have two open dates on the schedule due to TCU and WVU leaving (we had three but filled one with Stony Brook).
These openings are during October and November which doesn't coincide with open dates for most D-1 schools that still have a date open.
So yeah, we may have to play Rutgers again (which may be moved to Yankee Stadium (we already play USC at the Meadowlands, which would give us only five home games with still another slot to fill). Or we may have to play two FCS teams, so that would mean those games dount count toward bowl-eligibility.
The ACC has two schedules drawn up, one with SU and Pitt, one without. They're waiting for the smoke to clear. If we go to the ACC now, our scheduling problems are immediately gone.
Let's GTFO.
February 9th, 2012 at 2:10 PM ^
Sacred carp, make it stop! The Big 12 needs to hurry up and fall apart into regional chunks for other conferences to have and the Big East needs to stop yoinking teams on the other side of the planet to stay "alive."
February 9th, 2012 at 4:02 PM ^
How long before Wayne State becomes a Big East candidate? It's a university in the Western Hemisphere with a football team, so it meets the criteria.
February 9th, 2012 at 2:22 PM ^
How can FSU go after WVU for nixing their game? didn't WVU already pay the buyout fee? Wouldn't FSU have to agree to that in advance?
February 9th, 2012 at 2:29 PM ^
Florida State's AD said they might seek liquidated damages.
I'm not sure I understand why, to be honest. That's the purpose of the buyout, its supposed to calculate the loss.
February 9th, 2012 at 2:38 PM ^
that sounds like a brilliant case:
Judge: so FSU, you already were paid a buyout for the game, on what grounds are you suing?
FSU: we didn't get as much as we think we should
Judge: didn't you agree to the terms of the buyout
FSU: well, uh, yea.
Judge: GTFO.
February 9th, 2012 at 3:00 PM ^
1. WVU has become the poster child for NCAA hypocrisy.
2. The Big East is turning into a major cluster. What is going to happen when the basketball-focused schools don't have as much say as those with football teams? This conference could expand, only to have the schools that are mainly basketball schools break away in a few years.
February 9th, 2012 at 10:44 PM ^
I kinda hope that happens. If the Big East thought there was an imbalance (btwn basketball and football schools) that wrecked the conference the last few times, what the hell is this mess?? Seriously, it's doomed. They do basketball REALLY REALLY well. I don't know how they can hold this frankenstein monstrosity together with only chewing gum, paperclips and snowballs from hell...
Your new Big East...
February 9th, 2012 at 2:59 PM ^
I didn't eve know about the "backyard brawl" until the late 1990s, but whatever....
And another historic college football rivalry is destroyed...**thunderous applause**.
February 9th, 2012 at 4:04 PM ^
Pitt fans can't be a happy bunch. Over the last dozen years or so they've 1) lost their on-campus stadium in favor of an NFL venue; 2) lost their rivalry with PSU and now 3) lost their rivalry with WVU. And they just lost their coaching staff.
February 9th, 2012 at 3:01 PM ^
Florida state is ACC - the Big East conference buyout probably doesn't cover them for losing their agreed out-of-conference game.
February 9th, 2012 at 3:11 PM ^
There's a buyout written into every single game contract. They've already said they're just going to pay the buyout and not play the game.