By
Denny O'Brien
©2011 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
Maybe the Big East will
eventually announce its replacements for the schools that successfully
escaped it. That moderately anticipated announcement was supposed to
occur several weeks ago, only to get 86’d by the scandal at Penn State.
Big East football hardly
registers nationally to begin with, and developments in State College
would have shoved any mention of expansion to the back page of any
sports daily.
Then it was supposed to
happen a couple of weeks ago, once all the red tape with existing
television contracts was cut through. Obviously the Big East wasn’t
expecting to get BY-Used in the process.
So here we sit today with
no official news on the Big East’s future plans. Only a six-pack of
mediocre pigskin programs remains, with speculation of the programs that
will join it. Included within that bunch are current Conference USA
members Central Florida, Houston, and Southern Methodist, along with
Mountain West delegates Air Force, Boise State, and San Diego State.
It’s perplexing that only
one of those schools is in the eastern time zone.
If the Bowl Championship
Series were to keep its current system in place, hopping a jet from San
Diego to New Jersey makes perfect sense. The lure of AQ status within
the current postseason structure would more than compensate for any
financial hardship that might accompany cross-country travel.
But if Houston and friends
are banking on the Big East — or anyone — maintaining AQ status, they
are taking a short-sighted approach. It’s clear from the most recent BCS
meetings that major change is on the horizon, and the elimination of AQ
status could be the next route taken.
Should that occur, and
many believe it will, what then for Houston and SMU? Will the television
contract the Big East negotiates provide the necessary compensation for
those schools to send their women’s volleyball teams to the Northeast
several times per year?
And without AQ status,
what’s the draw for Boise State to leave one league of perceived misfits
for another? Especially when further exploration into the new merger
between C-USA and the Mountain West could ultimately lead to more bowl
and television revenue.
Considering Central
Florida’s geographic location and rival South Florida’s existence in the
Big East, it makes perfect sense for the Knights to accept an
invitation. That’s not the case for most of the other schools being
discussed.
For the non-eastern time
zone schools, joining the Big East does not provide a decided
competitive upgrade from their current conference scenarios. More
importantly, there is no guarantee that a move will provide a better
bottom line.
The case for Oklahoma
State
The thought of a rematch
between LSU and Alabama had no influence on my final Harris Poll ballot.
Truthfully, my eyes would welcome another game between the Tigers and
Crimson Tide.
There were, however, many
factors that led me to push the Cowboys ahead of the Tide in the final
rankings. The most important was the overall number of quality wins.
Oklahoma State embarrassed
both Baylor (my No. 12) and Oklahoma (my No. 19) this year, while also
beating Kansas State (my No. 9). The Cowboys also registered solid road
victories over Tulsa, Texas A&M, Texas, and Missouri.
Comparatively, Alabama had
convincing victories over Arkansas (my No. 7) and Penn State (my No.
21). But its other conference wins weren’t nearly as impressive as
Oklahoma State’s, and the Tide also has a win over a Football
Championship Series opponent on its resume.
There is no question that
Oklahoma State has the worst loss between the two, losing at Iowa State
in double overtime. But in the end, I valued the overall number of
quality wins more heavily, along with the fact that the Cowboys won one
of the nation’s most challenging conferences, while Alabama didn’t even
win its own division.
Given that criteria,
Oklahoma State was more deserving.
Back to bowling
There is no indication
that East Carolina coach Ruffin McNeill is on the hot seat, but it’s
clear given the volume of openings that athletics directors lack the
patience that was reflected in the job 20 years ago.
They can’t afford to.
When programs don’t win,
donors aren’t nearly as generous with their checkbooks or attendance.
Television executives and regional media also lose interest when teams
lose more than they win.
And it’s ultimately up to
the AD to address those issues.
With East Carolina
finishing 5-7, the Pirates ended a streak of five consecutive bowl
appearances, a run that included two straight C-USA championships and
Liberty Bowl berths. Missing the postseason naturally caused some unrest
within the masses, and the mere thought of extending that to consecutive
seasons could potentially cause an uproar.
Given the navigable C-USA
slate and East Carolina’s competitive and financial position within the
conference pecking order, it’s reasonable for fans, at a minimum, to
expect the Pirates to conclude each season with a bowl.
The number of ECU
returnees compared to the personnel losses of its conference rivals
suggests the Pirates could again contend for the C-USA crown next fall.
With a lighter non-conference load, the Pirates should, at a minimum,
return to a bowl.
That should keep McNeill’s
status relatively secure.