Da Geek's Big East Power Rankings and Bowl Projections 11/14/2011:

1.  West Virginia  and Cincinnati share the top spot in this weeks poll.  As it appears that no one really wants to win this title.  Cincinnati still controls its destiny but they no longer have their starting quarterback.  Zach is down for the immediate future so the door is now ajar to the conference title.  WVU played uninspired football against Louisville last week but elected to show up somewhat at Paul Brown stadium.  As a result they have moved back into contention for the conference crown with 6 other Big East teams.  As for Bowl predictions:  Cincinnati has inside track to BCS while WVU is looking more and more Charlotte Bound for Belk Bowl.  Their is an outside shot that WVU could get a repeat visit to Orlando but that would require Notre Dame dropping a couple more games.  I don't see any Big East team playing in the Champs because they really want Notre Dame.  The only real caveat to this is that the Big East is falling a part a the seems and the Champs may not want to get stuck with a Big East team next year.

3.  Pitt has moved its way back into serious conference contention.  The reason that they reside here and not with WVU and Cincy in the top spot is that they lost to Cincinnati and have to travel to Morgantown without their star runner.  While the WVU defense has proven to be porous, so does Pitt's defense against spread offenses.  They have however, made themselves a contender with some help.  They need Cincinnati to lose 2 more and win out for the crown.  Pitt is likely making a trip to Birmingham Alabama.

4.  Louisville is still very much a contender but need both Pitt and Cincy to fall twice more.  In a four way tie they lose all the tie-breakers with their loss to Cincinnati and Pitt.  They do hold a tiebreaker over WVU but they can't win in either the 3 way or 2 way tie scenario.  They still have work to do but a bowl birth in Tampa Florida is now becoming close to a reality.

5.  Rutgers holds down the number 5 spot though they are also in mathematical contention for the crown.  Though they are also at a disadvantage due to tie-breaker woes.  As I have maintained for weeks they have all but locked up their bowl bid to the Pinstripe Bowl in New York City.

6.  Connecticut  and South Florida have moved into a tie for this spot.  Both teams got much needed victories this weekend.  Neither have a real good shot at a bowl game this post season but neither are mathematically out of that scenario either.  This fight to be at the bottom of the conference is fierce.  Only time will tell.

8. And Syracuse has now locked up the bottom feeder status for the week.  After giving WVU an embarrassing loss they are now falling out of conference contention with every week that passes.  It appears that wins over Wake Forest and WVU will be their key wins for the season.  Losing to Connecticut is considered a cardinal sin.  Particularly when you lose to your fired ex-coach at home.  Syracuse much like those other teams so desperate to be at the bottom of the conference still have a legit shot at a bowl birth but now that picture has become quite out of focus.

Blog Poll for November 14th

1.    LSU
2.    Oklahoma State
3.    Alabama
4.    Oregon
5.    Clemson
6.    Oklahoma/ Va. Tech
8.    Georgia/ Houston
10.  Boise State
11.  Arkansas
12.  South Carolina
13.  MSU
14.  Nebraska
15.  Kansas State
16.  Penn State
17.  SMU/Wisconsin
19.  USC/TCU 
21.  Michigan
22.  WVU
23.  Stanford
24.  Cincinnati 
25.  Georgia Tech

Others receiving votes:  Notre Dame, FSU, Arkansas State, Rutgers 

Louisville Cardinals A breakdown of this weeks opponent and prediction.

So what team from Louisville shows up this weekend?  Will it be the one defeated by both Marshall and FIU or will it be the one that beat Rutgers and soundly defeated Syracuse?   Time will tell but one thing that has been consistent with Louisville is their scoring defense.   For the season they are on average giving up only 16.2 points per game.  Of course they are only scoring on average 17.6 points per game.  Louisville's best offensive performance came last week against the Orange when they scored 27 points.  Their worst defensive game came against Cincinnati where they gave up 25 points.  Only 4 times this season has Louisville scored more than 16 points.  Only 2 times this season has Louisville given up more than 17 points in a game.  By contrast, WVU is scoring, on average, 38.6 points per game, while giving up on average 26.1 points per game.  WVU's worst scoring outing came against LSU scoring only 21 points.  WVU scored over 38.6 points 5 times out of 8.  The Defense gave up more than 26.1 points half of the time.  So which WVU defense is going to show up?  Which Louisville offense is going to show up?  Can WVU's offense put up more points on Louisville than any other team?  If that is the case can Louisville's offense keep pace?  All of these questions are going to be answered starting at 12:00 at MPC.  

So who are the play-makers for the Cardinals?   Charlie Strong is the MVP of this team he is playing youth all over the field on both sides of the ball while he does have some senior leadership on defense he is building a team from bottom up.  This season he is simply trying to find the chemistry.  He is making some progress but this team has some ways to go.  Louisville will win again in the near future but right now they are in a rebuilding mode.  But in true Charlie Strong fashion the Cardinals have begun that process of building this team around the concept of solid fundamentally sound and attacking defense.  Look for him to have them ready to play on Saturday.

On the offensive side of the ball, Coach Strong is starting a Freshman at the quarterback position.  The 6'3" 205 pound,Teddy Bridgewater has completed 63.3% of his passes this year for 1,029 yards on the season.   He has thrown for seven touchdowns run for one and has thrown 6 interceptions.    Much like West Virginia, Louisville Rushes the ball by committee.  The three backs that touch the ball the most are Jeremy Wright, who has rushes for an average of 37.9 yards per game  (It should be noted that he is a kickoff returner too and leads the team in all purpose yards for an average of 80.2 yards per game.); Vic Anderson, who averages 40.3 yards per game and has posted 2 scores; and D. Brown who has also rushed for 40.3 yards per game and has tallied one touchdown on the ground.  As Louisville spreads the wealth at the receiver position it is hard to find too many that have really distinguished themselves.   But the leaders for the team are M. Harris who averages 44.5 yards per game in receptions with 2 scores and  Devante Parker who has tallied 4 touchdowns on the year with an average of 30.2 yards per game.  As they have only passed for 12 touchdowns on the season their hasn't been any headline grabbers.  

The special teams standouts are again Jeremy Wright who averages 21.1 yards per return, Eli Rogers who averages 9 yards per punt return.  The punting duties have been split this year between Josh Blesser who has averaged 37.3 yards per punt, and Chris Philpot who has averaged 38.1 yards per punt.  They both fall in the average range among Big East punters.  The kicking duties fall to Chris Philpot who grants the opposing teams the 24 yard line on average.   The field goal duties are also Chris Philpot's responsibility.  He has made 8 of 12 tries with a long of 52.  He has plenty of leg but has been inconsistent.

Dexter Heyman

The strongest unit on the field for the Cardinals falls on the defensive side of the ball.  They as I indicated above are stingy when it comes to giving up points.  Charlie Strong has always been a defensive minded Coach and was one of the best defensive coordinators in the Country at his previous stops.  This years team is tough minded and as I said yield few points.  The play-makers on this unit are: Senior Linebacker, Dexter Heyman who has 35 solo tackles, 10 of which were tackles for loss, 3 of which were sacks, and 20 assisted tackles.  He has forced 1 fumble and picked the football off twice; Senior Safety Mike Evans who has tallied two interceptions and has made 22 solo tackles, it should be further noted that last year he sacked Geno twice at Papa Johns; and the talented 254 lb., Sophomore Line backer Preston Brown, who has tallied 25 solo tackles and 30 assisted tackles this season 5 of which were for a loss and 1 1/2 were sacks.   The most impressive thing about this defense is that they have played extremely well as a unit.  As I pointed out above they simply don't give up too many points.  While not the turnover juggernaut that Rutgers was touted to be, this unit is impressive.

This game comes down to which team imposes its will.  While, I think Louisville is extremely well coached, and very solid on defense,  WVU has moved the ball on the likes of LSU, I am not going to believe that they are going to be stymied by the likes of this Louisville team.  For that reason I just don't think a win for Louisville is in the Cards.

WVU 39 Louisville 17 

Go EERS!

Da Geek   

Big XII Bowls vs. Big East Bowls

While I am simply excited to be playing in the Big XII against the likes of Texas, Texas Tech, Baylor, Texas Christian, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas, Kansas State and Iowa State on an annual basis, I am even further excited by the opportunity to play in the Bowl games awarded to this conference.    Following is a simple and brief comparison and contrast of the opportunities WVU currently has, and what WVU can look to in the future. 

The current 2011-2012 Bowl games  for the Big XII are as follows:

1. BCS - Tostitos Fiesta January +
2. AT&T Cotton (SEC) January 1
3. Valero Alamo (Pac-10)
4. Insight (Big Ten)
5. Bridgepoint Holiday (Pac-10)
6. Texas (Big Ten)
7. New Era Pinstripe (Big East)

The current 2011-2012 Bowl tie ins for the Big East are as follows:

1. BCS-(Big East typically the last pick for available game- this year that would be the Orange Bowl)
2. Champs Sports Bowl (ACC) (May choose ND over Big East team)
3. Belk Bowl (ACC)
4. New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Big XII)
5. BVA Compass Bowl (SEC)/AutoZone Liberty Bowl(CUSA Champ)
6. Beef O'Brady's Bowl (CUSA)

On its face one can see, that with the exception of the BCS Bowl game, there really is no comparison.  Truthfully that can be assailed, as well, as the Big XII has had numerous multiple-team representatives in the BCS in a given year.  That has never happened for the Big East conference even in 2006, when the conference had 3 top 12 teams.

As for the non-BCS selections you need only look at the common bowl game between the two, The Big XII sends their 7th pick to the play the 4th pick from the Big East to the Pin Stripe Bowl.  I would also add that the Big XII members don't need to share their bowl games with Notre Dame.  This year it appears that the Champs Sports Bowl bid will go to the Irish if they merely are bowl eligible.  Thus the Big East really only has 5 games to play in.  Additionally, the Big East will face an ACC opponent in all likelihood, in 2 games, CUSA in 2 games or maybe the SEC,  and of course the Big XII's seventh best.  The Big XII has some great destinations as well.  San Antonio, San Diago, Dallas, Phoenix, etc.  While I liked going to games in Florida, the only warm weather game on the slate at that time of the year is the BCS game, and the Beef O'Brady's Bowl.  Orlando is a coin flip with regard to weather that time of the year.  By contrast the only game that is in a cold weather town is the Pin Stripe Bowl.  I have not even gotten into the disparity in payouts for those Bowl Games.   While in the Big East a team can actually lose money on its BCS appearance (see UConn last season), WVU stands to make money at just about every Bowl game they may be selected for out of the Big XII. 

My point, Eer Nation, is that we have reason to be happy about this specific change in our status going forward.  While, I maintain that the only Bowl game a team should aspire to be in is the National Championship, I am encouraged that the consolation prizes are much nicer in our new conference home.     

Da Geek   

Da Geek's Big East Power Rankings and Bowl Projections 11/01/2011:

1. Cincinnati remains the only unbeaten team in Big East play.  Next up for the Bearcats is at Pitt.  This game may pose some problems for the Bearcats.  The Panthers while gimping into the game without their premier player have somehow figured out how to throw the ball.  I am not a proponent of Tino, but he did have a decent day on Wednesday.  Okay Bearcat faithful I concede that was against UConn but the Panthers know what is at stake and they like the Mountaineers are among the teams with Cincinnati who control their destiny simply by winning.  For this reason Cincinnati better come ready to play.  For at least one more week, the Bearcats would be looking to play in a BCS game this postseason.   
2. WVU after an abysmal 6 quarters of play finally got on track on defense and held Rutgers scoreless in the second half.  They have, with the help of a choking Syracuse team, put themselves in a position to control their destiny in the league.  They are facing a Louisville team in Morgantown this weekend, whose defense, is best described as stingy.  They simply haven’t given up very many points this season to anyone.  Of course they haven’t scored that many either.  However, Louisville is on a two game winning streak that at least makes one start to forget their losses to FIU and Marshall.  WVU with a win at home sets up a huge clash with Cincinnati.  In the meantime the Eers get to advance one spot in the power rankings.  As for where they are projected in the post season, they are now officially bowl eligible for the 10^th straight year.  They are likely going to end up in the Belk Bowl as Notre Dame has all but locked up the Champs Sports Bowl Bid.  Bad news for the rest of the Big East teams.  The reality is that the Eers need win one other game to lock up the third place bowl tie in as their always going to be the pick of any big east tie in that can take them when Notre Dame isn’t mucking up the works.   
3. Pitt makes a splash in the Big East power rankings for basically showing up.  With the complete choke of the Orange this week Pitt moves into the 3 spot simply because they are one of 3 teams in the Big East that still control their own fate by simply winning.  That will be no easy task as they lost their best player to a season ending injury, but in this league stranger things have happened.  A win over the Bearcats turns this season into a very interesting one in deed.  They do get them at home but still have to face the Mountaineers the day after Thanksgiving in Morgantown.  For this reason they are staying in the third position as they are least likely to pull this off.  In terms of post season play Pitt is looking more and more likely as a candidate for the Beef O-Brady’s Bowl.  They don’t travel particularly well but South Florida is going to have some work to do to get bowl eligible and nobody else is looking that appealing in terms of traveling except maybe Louisville and they have some work to do as well.
4. Louisville has decided that it likes the taste of winning.  For a second straight week the Cardinals’ have found a way to win.  They simply kicked the crap out of Syracuse.  As I said in WVU’s segment, this team knows how to play defense.  Charlie Strong has instilled a toughness into them that has in the long view of the season panned out well.  They are still several players away from being a good team but with a little help from Pitt they would be able to control their own destiny.  How can it be that a team can lose to FIU and Marshall and still be in it for a BCS bowl slot?  Well realistically they aren’t but mathematically they still have a fighting chance.  For that reason they find themselves moving mightily up the power rankings.  Next up for them are the Eers, this will prove a tough matchup indeed.  Can this team score enough points to win?  I don’t see that happening.  But in this snapshot of the year they have earned the right to this spot in the rankings.   I said last week that they needed to get to the 7 win mark to go bowling.  I have since taken a different position, six wins will suffice.  I now see them as being the team invited to the BVB Compass Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.  Louisville’s fans typically travel and that gives them the edge over an available Syracuse team. 
5. Rutgers looked like it was about to finally get the Mountaineer Monkey off its back.  But alas the 17 years of futility continued.  Fortunately for the Knights they likely won’t have to face the Eers for several years to come if ever.  What Coach Schiano has to do for the rest of the season is not let the last two games define his team.  They still have wins over both Pitt and Syracuse to their credit.  The season is far from over but realistically they would need a lot of help to factor into the conference title.  Though 2 loss teams can win the conference they would need several pieces to fall into place for them to even get a share of the title.  That would include beating another nemesis of theirs the Cincinnati Bearcats.  Really all Rutgers needs to do is become bowl eligible and they are going to be taken by the Pin Stripe Bowl.   Syracuse just played in that game and likely wouldn’t get the nod over a Rutgers team that need only take a short train ride to the game.  
6. For the third straight week, the biggest mover in the Power Rankings is Syracuse.  As my prophecy of them not running the table came true in quick and decisive fashion they fall to 6^th in the power rankings.  They were simply man-handled by the Cardinals this past weekend.  This team looked nothing like the team that played in the Dome only a week ago.  So what does this mean for them?   It means they went from being in the driver’s seat to having to wait for several scenarios to play out for them to contend for the crown.  As such they are relegated to replacement team status in the bowl picture.  They will need another conference to fall short of meeting its tie in eligibility.   I think that this will happen but haven’t a clue where the Orange shall end up.  Bowling but waiting to see where.
7. The only reason U Conn remains at this position is due to the fact that they beat the team ranked below them.  What a week effort by the Huskies this past week.  I tell you that game was hard to watch.  Truth be told any game except the brawl is hard to watch when Pitt is the team playing but this game was particularly frustrating.  UConn’s experiment with this quarterback is ceiling its fate I am afraid.   I understand that Coach P. is trying to plan for the future but this is ridiculous.   I frankly don’t see the Huskies winning anther game this year.  As for bowls they are going to be watching them from the comfort of their rooms in the Nutmeg State.  
8. Well the upside for the bottom feeding Bulls is that they didn’t play a Big East game this past weekend.  As no team has ever won the Big East Championship with three conference losses they are likely relegated to simply playing out this season for a sub-tier bowl.  I think that some conference wins are coming for this team but they now have lost at least the motivation to play for a BCS bowl.  Skip will need to get this team healed up and ready to go to simply make this season bearable for the Tampa faithful.  Look rat the bright side  you live in Tampa.  I am afraid that they like Syracuse will have to hope for some at large bowl slots to open up.  The most likely Big East tie-in that would take them is the Beef O’Brady’s Bowl, but they have lots of work to do and Pitt is looking like the more likely candidate at this time.

Blog Poll for first week in November:

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
4. Stanford
5. Boise State
6. Oklahoma
7. Clemson
8. Nebraska
9. Oregon
10. Virginia Tech
11. Houston
12. Arkansas
13. South Carolina
14. Michigan
15. Penn State
16. Michigan State
17. West Virginia/Cincinnati
18. Georgia Tech
19. Kansas State
20. USC
21. Georgia
22. North Carolina
23. Wisconsin
24. Arizona State
25. Illinois

Dropping out of poll: Texas A&M, Arizona State, Texas Tech, SMU, Syracuse

Others receiving votes (best to worst): Auburn,Ohio State, Southern Mississippi,Washington, Toledo, Missouri/ND


Da Geek     

The war between WVU and the Big East begins in earnest... WVU fires first shot out of it's musket..

WVU files lawsuit against the Big East. (Adobe copy of the complaint.) Some important portions of the complaint are as follows:  

• Paragraph 21 alleges, The Bylaws specifically contemplate withdrawal from the Big East.  Pursuant to the Bylaws, a member may withdraw from the Big East by providing written notice to the conference. The withdrawing member is further required to (a) specify an effective date of withdrawal which must be at least twenty-seven months after the date that the withdrawal notice is received by the commissioner; and (b) pay a withdrawal fee to the Big East in the amount of five million dollars (5,000.000.00)." 
•  Paragraph 22 alleges, "In 2010 Texas Christian University ("TCU") accepted an invitation to join the Big East as an all sports member beginning in the 2012-2013 academic year.  TCU would be a football school.  the Big East invited TCU in an attempt to raise its profile as a major football conference an help insure it remained an AQ conference."  
• Paragraph 23 alleges, "On September 17, 2011, Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced they were withdrawing from the Big East and that they accepted invitations to join the ACC."  
• Paragraph 24 alleges, "On September 18, 2011, UConn President Susan Herbst issued a statement saying that although UConn is a "proud member of the Big East" the school was staying "actively involved in discussions with our counterparts from around the country to ensure the successful long-term future of our university's athletic program."  
• Paragraph 25 alleges, "On September 26, 2011, the Governor of Connecticut confirmed that UConn was aggressively seeking an invitation to join the ACC due to the uncertainty that the Big East would remain an viable football conference in the near future."  
•  Paragraph 26 alleges, On October 10, 2011, TCU announced that it was withdrawing from the Big East to become a member of the Big XII Conference.  The Big East did not require TCU to honor the twenty-seven month withdrawal period set forth in the bi-laws. 
•  Paragraph 27 alleges, "Upon information and belief, representatives of Louisville, Rutgers, and Cincinnati have been engaged in discussions with other sports conferences, including the ACC, the Big XII, and the Big 10 for the purpose of trying to obtain invitations to join these conferences and withdraw from the Big East. 
•  Paragraph 28 alleges, " On October 27, 2011, WVU received an invitation to join the Big XII for all sports, including football.  WVU accepted the Big XII's offer the same day.  As the Big East, in less than two months, had denigrated into a non-major football conference whose continued existence is in serious jeopardy, WVU had no choice but to accept the Big XII's offer.  
•  [In the portion of the complaint that contemplates Commissioner Marinatto's complicity in this matter in his capacity as CEO of Big East the complaint further alleges...]  Paragraph 32 alleges, "The departure of members Pittsburgh, UConn, and TCU created an imbalance and disparity between the football and non-football playing schools that was neither contemplated nor addressed in the Bylaws.  The departure of these schools left six football schools left six football schools and eight non-football schools.  The sudden withdrawal of thirty-three percent of the football schools resulted in the football schools  being subjected to increased governance by the non-football schools.  This disparity was not considered in the Bilaws, and the departure of the above-mentioned schools has rendered WVU's performance in the Big East commercially impracticable."    
•  Paragraph 33 alleges, "During the weeks that followed the departure of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, and TCU, and the public acknowledgment by UConn that it was exploring other conference affiliations, the Big East and its Commissioner further breached their fiduciary duties to the Big East football schools.  The Big East football schools advocated measures to be taken by the Big East and its Commissioner to maintain the level of competition of the Big East football conference.  The non-football schools repeatedly exerted their new-found level of increased governance at the expense and to the detriment of the football schools.  The Commissioner did nothing to protect the football playing schools and in fact took measures to further protect and advance the interests of the non-football playing schools."  
•  Paragraph 34 Alleges, "This lack of leadership, breach of fiduciary duties by the Big East and its Commissioner, and voting disparity between the football and non-football schools resulted in the Big East football conference no longer being a viable and competitive football conference.  Additionally, upon information and belief, is expected by WVU and others that the Big East will lose its position as an AQ conference.  Accordingly, the Big East Conference and its Commissioner, through their actions, breached their contract to WVU and nullified and voided the Bylaws."  
•  Paragraph 40 alleges, "In addition, WVU recently submitted an offer to the Commissioner proposing that WVU be permitted to immediately withdraw from the Big East in exchange for payment of certain monies with this offer."  
•  Paragraph 41 alleges, "Following the receipt of the aforementioned offer or proposal, the Commissioner accepted WVU's tendered enclosed payment, thus accepting WVU's offer to immediately withdraw from the Big East on the terms WVU submitted."  
•  Paragraph 47 alleges, "The Commissioner's acceptance of WVU's submitted monetary payment constitutes acceptance of WVU's proposal or offer to immediately withdraw from the Big East."  
•  Paragraph 48 alleges, "Moreover, the Commissioner's excusal of TCU's noncompliance with the 27-month notice provision of the Agreement constitutes a waiver of this same provision with respect to WVU.  
• Paragraph 57 alleges, "Due to circumstances and events beyond WVU's control, which are substantially different and materially different from what WVU reasonably anticipated, WVU's performance under the Agreement has become impossible or unreasonably burdensome."     
• Paragraph 69 alleges, "The provision of the Agreement requiring WVU to provide twenty-seven month's notice before withdrawing from the Agreement constitutes an unreasonable restrain on trade."  
•  Paragraph 70 alleges, "This restrain is larger and more extensive than was required for the necessary protection of the Big East's business interest."  
•  Paragraph 71 alleges, "Further, holding WV to the twenty-seven month notice provision of the Agreement will contravene public policy."  
•  Paragraph 77 alleges, "Absent a Court order permanently enjoining the Big East from enforcing the 27-month notice provision against WVU, WVU has no adequate remedy at law to protect its interests and will suffer continuing and irreparable damages and injury."

The Big East responds with this statement:  “We are disappointed that West Virginia has adopted this strategy and cannot imagine why it believes it does not have to respect and honor the bylaws it agreed to as a member of the Big East.  Based on an initial review of the lawsuit, it is clear that the allegations and claims in it are false and inaccurate. Certainly there is nothing in it that would justify WVU’s not fulfilling its obligations. To put it simply, a contract is a contract," said Marinatto.

 “Once we have reviewed the filing, we will explore all our legal options and will act vigorously to ensure that WVU lives up to all its obligations to our conference. In the meantime, this lawsuit will not interfere in any way with our ongoing efforts to strengthen and expand the Big East.”

Once again in true Big East fashion, their posture is one of reaction.  They haven't made a proactive move throughout this process and as a result of their continued mismanagement are once again having to say good bye to another member.  

WVU, as it alleges in the aforementioned complaint, was forced to accept the offer to join the Big 12.  As for why West Virginia "adopted this strategy" it had no choice.  The Big East wishes to force WVU into a specific performance (This is a legal term of art, used in contract law: An extraordinary equitable remedy that compels a party to execute a contract according to the precise terms agreed upon or to execute it substantially so that, under the circumstances, justice will be done between the parties. Specific performance grants the plaintiff what he actually bargained for in the contract rather than damages (pecuniary compensation for loss or injury incurred through the unlawful conduct of another) for not receiving it; thus specific performance is an equitable rather than legal remedy. By compelling the parties to perform exactly what they had agreed to perform, more complete and perfect justice is achieved than by awarding damages for a breach of contract.)of the contract terms.  WVU is seeking to first enjoin (legal term of art which means to stop action,) the Big East from enforcement of the 27 month rule and then seeks a "liquidated damages remedy"(Legal term of art which basically means to pay for value of that term of contract.) or damages (legal term of art, which seeks money for loss) for the Big East's breach of contract.)  This complaint has artfully alleged several issues for the Court to contemplate in its determination of this matter.  It should be noted that this suit was filed in the Mon County Circuit Court, of West Virginia.  My guess is that the first procedural response to this suit will be a motion to remove the case to Federal Court.  At that point the legal finagling will begin.  Rarely does this sports blog delve into the legal matters that come up in sports but in this particular case I feel compelled to report to you my readers all that I can on the matter.  WVU has taken the initiative in this matter.  I would give decent odds that WVU shall be playing in the Big XII conference in 2012.  I would also predict that WVU will pay to do so. 

Just as we get to breath a collective sigh of relief at getting accepted into a viable AQ conference we now have to endure the legal circus that results from being successful in finding a new home.  Stay tuned as this drama develops. 

Da Geek     

It is official!!! WVU to Big 12 (WVU to compete in 2012/2013 season.)

http://www.big12sports.com/  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 28, 2011

West Virginia University To Join Big 12 Conference

IRVING, Texas - The Big 12 Conference Board of Directors have voted unanimously to accept West Virginia University as a full conference member effective July 1, 2012. The Mountaineers will begin competing in the Big 12 beginning with the 2012-13 athletic season.

West Virginia is the second new member to join the Conference since it began in 1996 after the addition of TCU earlier this month.

"The Big 12 Presidents and Chancellors are excited to welcome another outstanding institution to the Conference," said Burns Hargis, Chair of the Big 12 Board of Directors and President of Oklahoma State University. "The addition of West Virginia, while expanding the reach of the Big 12, brings an impressive institution with esteemed academics and a proud athletic tradition into the Conference. This is another step in building a strong foundation for the future of the Big 12."

"The Big 12 is a perfect fit for West Virginia University," said WVU President Dr. James P. Clements. "It is a strong conference that, like WVU, values quality academic and athletic programs, and has a great tradition of success. This is a very exciting time for WVU and Mountaineer nation. I am confident that the future of WVU athletics has never been more promising."

West Virginia University, located in Morgantown, sponsors 17 varsity sports. Men’s sports include baseball, basketball, football, soccer, swimming & diving and wrestling. Women’s sports are basketball, cross country, gymnastics, rowing, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis, indoor and outdoor track & field and volleyball. The Mountaineers also boast a co-ed rifle squad. The Big 12 sponsors every sport the Mountaineers participate in except rifle and men’s soccer.

"We are excited to add West Virginia to our exceptional lineup of Conference members," said Big 12 Interim Commissioner Chuck Neinas. "They bring an excellent overall athletic program to the Big 12 and allow the league to expand into an area that boasts a passionate group of fans and alumni throughout its region."

Since its inception 15 years ago, the Big 12 has won 42 team national championships and 492 NCAA individual crowns. In addition, more than 3,700 student-athletes have earned All-America First Team accolades for their play on the field with more than 500 being recognized with Academic All-America honors.

Beginning with the 2012-13 season it is expected that the Big 12 Conference will be comprised of 10 Universities  Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas, Texas Tech and West Virginia. The Big 12’s footprint will encompass five states with over 36 million people. More than 4,100 student-athletes from across the United States and around the World compete annually in the 23 sports sponsored by the Conference.　

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY FACT SHEET



Location: Morgantown, West Virginia Enrollment: 29,617 (22,711 Undergraduates)

Founded: 1867 Colors: Old Gold and Blue

Chancellor: Dr. James P. Clements Nickname: Mountaineers

Director of Athletics: Oliver Luck Website: MSNSportsNet.com



FOOTBALL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Ø One of four programs in the nation to post nine or more wins in the past six seasons.

Ø WVU has been ranked in the top 25 of the final BCS Standings five of the last six seasons.

Ø Has reached a school-record nine consecutive bowl games.

Ø The Mountaineers boast the 12th-best record in the nation since 2005.

Ø West Virginia has 30 all-time bowl appearances, including each of the last nine seasons.

Ø The Mountaineers have competed in a New Year's Day or later bowl in six of the last eight campaigns.

Ø Recognized by the AFCA in 2009 and 2010 for having graduation rates of 75 percent or better.

Ø WVU has had three top seven Heisman finishers in three of the past five years.

Ø WVU has not finished lower than second place in its conference since 2002.

Ø Has recorded a 1,000-yard rusher in 13 of the last 15 seasons.

Ø Since 2002, WVU has had 22 All-America selections to 51 different All-America teams.

Ø A total of 177 Mountaineers have been drafted by the National Football League.

Ø Have had 28 Capital One Academic All-America honorees since 1952.



ADDITIONAL ATHLETIC ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Ø West Virginia teams have a combined academic progress rate score of 974 (NCAA average = 970). Six squads (cross country, rifle, men’s & women’s soccer, rowing, tennis) had perfect APR scores.

Ø Has finished in the top 50 of the Directors’ Cup rankings each of the past four years.

Ø The men’s basketball team has made six NCAA appearances in the last seven years (including all four under Bob Huggins) and also advanced to the 2010 Final Four.

Ø WVU men’s basketball has won 20 or more games for each of the last seven years.

Ø The women’s basketball squad has earned five NCAA bids in the past eight campaigns.

Ø WVU began last season with a 16-0 record in women’s basketball and posted the highest national-ranking (No. 6) in school history.

Ø Head baseball coach Greg Van Zant captured his 500th career victory a year ago.

Ø The rifle team has placed in the top three of the NCAA Rifle Championships each of the past three campaigns, with an individual NCAA Air Rifle Champion (Nicco Campriani) a year ago.

Ø The women’s soccer squad has made 11 consecutive NCAA appearances.

Ø WVU’s outdoor track & field program tied the school record by qualifying 12 student-athletes for NCAA Regionals in 2011.

Ø Five Mountaineer wrestlers earned berths to the NCAA Championships in 2011.

Ø Cross country has garnered three Top 10 NCAA finishes in the last four years.

Ø The Mountaineer gymnastics squad has amassed 28 NCAA regional berths.

Ø The rifle program has captured 14 national championships.





WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY FACT SHEET



FORMER WVU STUDENTS

Ø Gen. Bantz J. Craddock - United States Army, Supreme Allied Commander Europe

Ø John Chambers - Chairman and CEO, Cisco Systems

Ø Charles Vest ? President Emeritus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Ø Stephen Coonts - New York Times bestselling author

Ø Kim Weaver ? Research Astrophysicist, NASA Goodard Space Flight Center

Ø Rouzbeh Yassini - Inventor of the cable modem; Current President and CEO, YAS Capital Parnters

Ø Ray Lane ? former CEO of Oracle, Executive Chairman of Hewlett-Packard Board of Directors

Ø Greg Babe - President and Chief Executive Officer of Bayer Corporation

Ø Loretta Ucelli ? former Communications Director for President of the United States Bill Clinton; Currently Senior Advisor at Gutenberg Public Relations

Ø Jerry West - NBA 50th Anniversary Team, Model for current NBA logo

Ø Sam Huff - College and Pro Football Hall of Fame

Ø Darryl Talley - College Football Hall of Fame

Ø Bob Huggins - Head men’s basketball coach, West Virginia University



UNIVERSITY HIGHLIGHTS

Ø 2,343 full-time and 667 part-time faculty members

Ø WVU ranks nationally for prestigious scholarships, including 24 Rhodes, 22 Truman and 33 Goldwater Scholars

Ø A total of 16 faculty members have been named Carnegie Foundation Professors of the Year

Ø 13 college and schools offer 191 bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and professional degree programs

Ø Faculty conduct $177.7 million annually in sponsored contracts and research grants

Ø University expense budget is approximately $955 million

Ø Classified as a Research University (High Research Activity) by the Carnegie Foundation

Ø A land-grant institution - one of 106 in the United States

Ø One of the few schools in the country that are land-grant, doctoral research universities with comprehensive health sciences

Ø Approximately 70 percent of students receive some $350 million annually in financial aid

Ø Top 20 “Best Places to Work in Academia” by The Scientist (No. 2 public university on the list)

Ø The WVU Alumni Association is made up of more than 180,000 graduates worldwide

Rutgers Week ... DaGeek's breakdown of this team and game prediction.

So what shall happen this time around in Piscataway?  

For the last 16 years the Scarlet Knights have tried and failed to find the magic to defeat the Mountaineers.  They have fielded some really lousy teams and some pretty talented teams but still and again they have not been successful.   This years incarnation of the Knights team is predicated upon a strong and incredibly opportunistic defense.  In fact, they lead the nation in turnovers forced at 25.  That breaks down to 3 1/2 turnovers forced per game.  Those kind of marks will put a lot more W's in the column than L's.  They play an aggressive and tough nosed defense which gives up on average 16 points per game; 122.1 yards on the ground per game at about 3.7 yards per attempt; and 184.1 yards in the air per game at about 12.4 yards per catch.  Another very impressive statistic for the Knights on defense is there ability to get off the field on 3rd down.  They are only allowing a 3rd down conversion 33% of the time.  Greg Schiano remains a Coach on the "chopping" block (pun intended).  He has therefore found a way to motivate this side of the ball to do the things necessary to win.  Rutgers has proven to be tough to beat at their house this year and the defense has proven to be the necessary ingredient to that success.  Players to watch on defense for Rutgers include # 20 Khaseem Green who leads the team in tackles with a total of 66 tackles 6 of which were for a loss and 2 sacks; #42 Steve Beauharnais 2nd leading tackler with a total of 37 tackles 9 of which were for a loss and 3 sacks as well as 2 interceptions; # 91 Justin Francis has 27 tackles 7 of which were for a loss and 4.5 of which were sacks; #4 David Rowe who has tallied 3 interceptions; and #32 Duran Harmon who has tallied 4 interceptions.  These 5 play-makers are just a portion of this turnover causing machine.   

On special teams Rutgers has been average in the kicking game their kicker Justin Doerner on kick offs, gives teams an average starting point of the 27 yard line.  His punts net an average of 38.6 yards.  The place kicker San San Te has connected on 60% of his attempts and has a long of 50 yards that he has hit from 2 times.   Coach Schiano has this part of the game as I said looking average.  But they have been effective enough to tally 5 wins thus far.  

Rutgers offense has been the problem for the Knights this year averaging 28 points per game with 91.7 yards per game with 2.7 average per gain, and 236.1 yards in the air at an average of 11.6 yards per reception. Where they have really hurt themselves is the 15 interceptions and 12 fumbles.  On offense if you know no other name to pay attention to it better be # 6 Mohamed Sanu who has had 65 catches for 683 yards for a 10.5 yard average per catch tallying 6 touchdowns.  He has as you can see been averaging over 10 touches per game.  He is Rutgers offensive weapon.  He also returns punts.  He has thrown the ball and rushed the ball.  When he is on the field WVU needs to know where he is!  Rutgers is starting a quarter back in Gary Nova who is only making his 4th collegiate start.  He has been prone to throw picks and has made youthful mistakes but has found a way, as I have alluded to earlier, to find Sanu.  He has completed 55.3% of his passes for an average of 148.3 yards per game with 7 touchdowns against 5 interceptions. As you can see his numbers against the teams numbers fall a bit short.  This experiment for Greg Schiano may prove to be his undoing this season (though, I agree with building for the future this Coach just doesn't have that kind of time.)  Rutgers has an almost serviceable running game with Javon Jamison leading the way with 62.7 yards per game and 1 touchdown along with the highly touted Savon Huggins who has toted the ball for an average of 19.4 yards per game with 5 touchdowns.  The Rutgers faithful were hoping to see more touches for Huggins this season but circumstance and youthfulness have gotten in the way of that plan.  He should be a good one in the future, but as I said the player that must be found on this team is Sanu. 

As I have repeatedly said in this post I think Coach Schiano is in trouble this season if he doesn't produce.  This team has started off fast recently and sputtered down the end so the New Jersey faithful are in put up or shut up mode with him.  WVU has been an Achilles heal for him since he has been there, thus this game takes on particular importance to him.   I expect nothing short of Rutgers best game this Saturday.    

Geno Smith is going to have to a much better job avoiding pressure and make great decisions on passing the ball.  I expect that he will be ready to do just that, as I also expect, Coach Holgorsen is motivated to get that losing taste out of his mouth.  Will the defense be able to match Rutgers in both getting off the field and in turnovers?   Irvin, Garvin,  Goode, and Miller need to get in the face of Nova and force him to make mistakes.  And we need solid games from our entire defensive backfield dealing with the always moving and hard to stop Sanu.  Coach Casteel needs no extra motivation as he too was disgusted with last weeks disappointments.  The coaching staff really needs to do their best job of the year to get this team where it needs to be.  I am confident that they shall do just that.  I see this game ending WVU 38 Rutgers 24.  

This game shall be televised regionally on ABC at 3:30 pm. 

Da Geek

So it looks like the Ville is behind the snag to Big 12.

West Virginia Illustrated published this quick account of the same I just printed the same here:

West Virginia still appears to be moving to the Big XII, but the breakneck speed at which the deal was moving has slowed down.
Sources close to West Virginia University have told WVi that the paperwork has been filled out and a move to the Big XII should happen.
Numerous other media outlets jumped the gun and reported a press conference to announce the move was going to happen on Wednesday. Late Tuesday night WVU Associate Athletic Director of Communication, Michael Fragale, issued a statement contradicting those reports, "Contrary to media reports, there is no press conference scheduled for Wednesday concerning WVU's athletic conference affiliation.
West Virginia is poised to become the eleventh member of the Big XII until Missouri leaves for the SEC, which appears to be in the works. The Big XII wants to remain at ten members, at least in the short term, so the conference is only looking for one team right now.
Louisville is trying to avoid being left on the sinking ship known as the S.S. Big East. An eleventh-hour push by the Cardinals is believed to be the hold up in finalizing a deal sending West Virginia to the Big XII.
The Big XII is believed to be taking Louisville into consideration. The question is whether this is just to appease Louisville before discarding that idea and going with the Mountaineers.
So, don't look for a news conference Wednesday. If there is going to be a news conference announcing a move to the Big XII, it is looking more and more like it will take place early next week.