Sports Then and Now

The Big East may be losing, and gaining, some schools for College Football.

The Big East, and Big 12, have been at it for a couple of weeks. However, not only the conferences are working towards aligning their respective “divisions”  differently, the schools are. Here’s the Big East Merry Go Round:

Pittsburgh and Syracuse want out. The Big East for College Football has fallen to the cellar of any College Football Conference Ranking. The conference just can’t win the big games. Did you see Connecticut last year? They won the Big East, but then got run over by Oklahoma 48-20. There’s no way for a Big East team to win a BCS game right now, it’s impossible.

I’m questioning and pondering why Pitt and ‘Cuse want out. They plan on moving over to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), but every fan knows that they can’t win their either. Sure, recent NFL Players have come out of Pittsburgh, Lesean McCoy, Larry Fitzgerald, and you can even go back with Dan Marino, Mike Ditka and Tony Dorsett. It’s the truth, the University of Pittsburgh has a stellar football program, the thing is, they can barely win in the Big East, and I can’t imagine them tearing up the ACC like they plan on doing. Fine, Duke, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Virginia are all easy teams to beat, but North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Clemson will wallop the Panthers. All I have to say about Pitt, is there is just no point in switching Conferences.

Syracuse, has a little different story. The Orangemen were a prominent team way back when, but they have struggled at the Carrier Dome, and every field, for recent years. The Orange, have turned it around a little bit, but still haven’t found any formula for winning games, and the Big East in general. ‘Cuse hadn’t had a winning season since 2001 after their 8-5 campaign last year, and haven’t reached a BCS Bowl since 1998! We’ll see if the Orange can turn it around, or Syracuse will find themselves being the pushover in the ACC.

Possible Contenders: There has been rumors flying in all directions about the Big East, but this is true: If anyone in the Big East leaves, the Big East will replace them. Possible schools to fill the gap are Army, Navy, Air Force, Temple, Villanova and East Carolina. Notre Dame, Memphis, Houston, Central Florida and Southern Methodist are all longshots, but are definitely still in the running. Even add Connecticut to the “I want out” list, as the defending Big East Champs may want to follow the leaders.

The Big 12 also has schools wanting to leave, as rumors fly about Texas, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State may want to leave as well. So basically, all the powerhouses in the Big 12 may be leaving, which literally destroys the conference to the maximum.

So, we have discussed the rumors, the facts, and the questions, but not the outcomes. I’ve been questioning these conferences since their existence, and I still need some answers:

What bothers me most about these possible changes, is the location. TCU, will have to travel to Connecticut for a Conference Game next season. Nebraska, will have to go to Penn State. Air Force (If They Join The Big East), would go to South Florida (USF) for a Conference Game. Do you see this? College Football, isn’t NFL. Let’s use the Bills for example. They could fly out to… Denver, come back to Buffalo, then go back out to Oakland, and come right back East. It’s the NFL, and they are getting paid, but do you see the problem? College Football is about Local Rivalries, West Virginia vs. Pittsburgh. Army vs. Navy. Ohio State vs. Michigan. Not Air Force against USF! It’s even beyond Football. What happens if the flight crashes, gets delayed by rain? Or if these schools are going out across the country each week, will they be able to achieve a degree? I know, College Athletes do fly out for some of their away games, but not every away game. If these Conference Changes happen, these local matchups, might be destroyed in the process. All we need to do, is restore, replenish, and encourage the schools to be in a Conference depending on LOCATION, not Ability. Will that happen? All we have to do, is hope.

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