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Steve, you'll have a great time. It is definitely a huge step up from what you're used to seeing in pre-game tailgating and so forth. Is Kristen coming with you? I"d like to invite you, or you and her to be my guests at our beautiful Alumni Center for food and beverages pre-game.
If I were to guess, I'd say we end up in the SEC but where this ends up is anybody's guess. We might be SEC, ACC, or a hybrid BE/B12 member. In any event, we will still be a major player.
WVU belongs in the ACC...so many geographical rivalries, and overall it fits the type of school that WVU is from both a football and basketball standpoint.
No offense, but WVU would be completely awkward in the SEC. Not only would you have very long travel situations for almost every away game...but do you people actually pay attention to the SEC? We're talking a completely different style of football with players who are both larger and faster than what WVU has. All of those 9-4/10-3 typical WVU seasons will easily shrink down to 7-5 and 8-4 on average if not worse on some occasions. WVU won't be anywhere near as relevant in the SEC considering how murderous that schedule would be. Imagine having to play 4 top 10 teams in a row every year...I think WVU could quickly be at risk for being shot down to the likes of Kentucky's football program considering who and what they would be going up against on a weekly basis. Seriously, only Vandy stands as a punching bag in that conference...by default, WVU would automatically be towards the lower half of the pecking order upon entry.
It's a different game with a different environment...those SEC stadiums are HUGE. I fear that WVU would get left in the dust and have no chance of ever hanging with the big boys of that conference with their NFL sized stadiums, cream of the crop recruits, etc. Just look at how long it's taking Tennessee to get it back together and return to former glory...that school is a southern staple and even THEY are having massive problems with catching up to the big guns. How in the world could WVU ever expect to make this work when they don't hold a stake in the South to begin with?
I see it like this...go to the SEC and be considered as a low-middle to middle ranking team/school functioning as filler to even out their numbers, or go to the ACC where you could be a high ranking to top of the line school that legit belongs and holds some clout. The ACC makes so much more sense considering rivalries and what's at stake.
I'm not opposed to playing in either the ACC or the SEC. I do hope we keep the Backyard Brawl regardless. It is important to both schools.
The SEC is, far and away, the Nation's best football league. No program there will be dominant year in and year out, but we'd be competitive there and would excell from time to time. But, those 8 win seasons in between would be filled with exciting football (virtually every game like a bowl game) and our current $62 million athletic budget would quickly grow by about $20 million. There are athletic programs in this country that don't have $20 million in athletic revenue, so that shows you how significant that would be. This day and age, money talks.
Thanks for the invite CT. I'm going to Wheeling on Friday night and staying with some friends, and riding over Saturday morning to Morgantown. K will not make the trip, she's 8 months prego, so i will even be on standby with my phone, just in case!
Well then, advanced congrats to the expectant father! This will be your second, right?
Be sure to arrive early because parking could be a big problem unless you already have a pass lined up. There is such a demand for tickets to this game they are going for $250 to $300 each on TicketMaster. If you're early enough, you can park in one of the downtown garages, walk to the ESPN festivities, and take the PRT to the game and back to town.
We'll have thousands of Cajuns partying with us that day too. They were great hosts last year in Baton Rouge.
Thanks, yes this is our 2nd. Gonna be two handfulls with an 18 month old and a newborn.
We decided to just sleep in and watch Gameday at my friends place in Wheeling, then take a party bus to the game so that we can pregame on the trip there, and not wear ourselves out too early. I want to be amped up and in prime mood by 8pm!
This is a huge game for WVU. So much on the line, with conference realignment, i just hope the team is focused and performs well. A win would be a fantastic program builder.
GameDay will give The University, Morgantown, and the State of West Virginia unprecidented, all day long national exposure.
Morgantown Gets Ready For GameDay - West Virginia Headline News and Talk Radio (http://www.wvmetronews.com/news.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=47931 - broken link)
Now the rumors are that WVU will remain in the Big East (which might pick up some teams from the Big 12), or that the top teams in the Big 12 and the Big East might form a new conference.
The Big East needs to add at least one football school to get to eight, which is needed to continue in the BCS.
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