Ok, so I know I haven’t posted in a while, but the last 36 hours has been effing nuts in the Big East, so I figured I’d weigh in.
A lot of WVU fans think that the program’s future is in the SEC, which has only been fueled by reports that WVU has filed paperwork with the SEC.
Much like most Mountaineer fans, I would be thrilled if WVU joined the SEC. I think that they are up to their level of competition, and it would certainly bolster that conference’s basketball program (i.e. a school other than Kentucky challenging for the conference title every year).
But back to football. Like I said, as much as I’d love to have the Mountaineers in the SEC, I don’t think it will happen. For one thing, the SEC considers themselves elitists; there is a bit of old country pride in them and with thatthey are very selective of who joins the fraternity. From most SEC people I have talked two, they look down at West Virginia as a program that is beneath the SEC. Whether or not this perception is warranted is moot; the mere fact it’s there is the issue.
So what are the other options? Stay with the Big East? Probably not. I think the Big East is sinking; not even the Big 12 leftovers might save the league from an automatic qualifying bid, especially with the Mountain West expanding. I could see the Big 10 (or 12 or however many it is now) scooping up the best morsels of that (probably Kansas and Missouri) to bolster its basketball resume. TCU could try to back out as well, leaving the Big East in a world of uncertainty.
The solution I see has been dismissed by most beat reporters, but I think it makes a lot more sense than a lot of other solutions: I think WVU is headed to the ACC. Let me tell you why.
The ACC firstoff, would make the most geographic sense (I know that geography is a thing of the past in this new decade of college football, but it’s still nice). In part because of this geographic proximity, as well as the plethora of Big East schools who have already bolted to the ACC, there is a rich history between WVU and many of the schools within the ACC, and this geographical proximity would help to foster new rivalries as well. In addition to Virginia Tech, Virginia would be an every season opponent, as would rivals Maryland, Syracuse, and of course Pittsburgh. The basketball program would be a welcome addition and provide depth to an otherwise top-heavy slate of ACC programs, and it would help to balance things out as far as an even number of teams in the league goes if UConn gets accepted into the fold.
The naysayers of this proposal say the same things as SEC naysayers, namely that WVU’s program following and television market is small due to the population of the state. What they fail to realize is that the entire state (save for a blip around Huntington) root for the Mountaineers. What’s more, a lot of alumni live in and around the mid-atlantic region; and travel well. They’d certainly help to sell tickets to larger venues (such as Fed Ex field and Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte).
Would I love for WVU to join the SEC? Absolutely. But you have to look at the big picture; and in that sense, the most viable destination for the Mountaineers are in a ‘roided up ACC.
Filed under: football, West Virginia Mountaineers Tagged: | ACC, Big East, conference realignment, football, Maryland, Pittsburgh, SEC, Syracuse, West Virginia University, WVU
