Success With Hyperlinking Has Yet To Contact Its Senator

by Peter Gray on Oct 28, 2011 12:01 PM EDT in Link Dumps

That's it. There are now several United States senators involved in conference realignment. In related news, I'm done talking about it until something official happens. I'm sorry for getting politics in your football, and here is a token of my appreciation for your understanding.

And of course, since I wrote this last night, the Big 12 decided to actually do something official and invite West Virginia, and West Virginia only. Hopefully this is where we say fin to major conference realignment, and no, that doesn't include the Big East adding the likes of Central Florida and the service academies.

Big changes comin'. The NCAA rolled out several big-to-massive rule changes yesterday. They basically boil down to this:

Four year scholarships are now back on the table.
Teams must maintain a 930 APR to be eligible for postseason play. (Penn State's football APR, as of the 2010 report, was 974.)
Schools can offer $2000 in addition to full scholarships to help meet the full cost of attendance.

I think these are all good ideas in theory, but they aren't perfect. The scholarship rule needs to be implemented extremely carefully, otherwise you're staring down the barrel of an administrative nightmare. As for the full cost of attendance money, it's good for Penn State, but it's bad for every FBS school that isn't a big boy. The good thing as that these changes are going to be implemented over the course of the next few years, so hopefully any major kinks can be ironed out before they become too big of a problem.

Box Score Lunacy. Check out the box score from last night's Houston-Rice game, a 73-34 win for the Cougars. Of particular interest: Case Keenum's nine touchdown passes makes him the NCAA career leader for touchdown passes, and WR Patrick Edwards caught seven balls for 318 yards and five touchdowns. I know the air raid inflates passing stats, but this is simply ridiculous.

Awful. Whatever your feelings may be about Pitt, you can't help but feel for Ray Graham, who was lost for the season with a knee injury. Pitt lost offensive lineman Matt Rotheram and wideout Cameron Saddler for the season on Wednesday night as well. Talk about a costly win.

And now for better news. Eric LeGrand is going to lead Rutgers onto the field against West Virginia this weekend. This is appointment viewing, and don't forget to bring your tissues.

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And with WVU's move to the Big XII

come the demise of WVU football in any type of national relevancy. In the Big East they were an annual contender for the conference championship, and as the Big East Champ they’d have a chance to get to a BCS bowl . In the Big XII they become a middle-of-the-pack-also-ran who will never have the recruiting they need to keep up with Oklahoma, OK State, Texas, and Texas Tech. Once every ten years they’ll maybe get to the conference championship and lose. Their chances of getting to a BCS game are pretty much gone since only the conference champion of the Big XII will play in a BCS bowl.

"Illegitimus non Carborundum!" (Don't let the bastards wear you down)

by RWReese on Oct 28, 2011 12:15 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Agree

I always thought that it would make the most sense for WVU to join the SEC or the ACC, going to the Big XII makes as much sense as TCU joining the Big East (which is no sense at all).

Run.

by Bob Sacamano on Oct 28, 2011 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions

ACC would be about the only move that makes sense for WVU

except for just staying where they’re at. They’d get eaten alive in the SEC and would be lower than whale crap on the ocean floor. If they stayed in the Big East, which Notre Dame will eventually be joining, they’d be in a much better position to win on a consistent basis.

"Illegitimus non Carborundum!" (Don't let the bastards wear you down)

by RWReese on Oct 28, 2011 12:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Notre Dame isn't joining the Big East

Of the existing conference, only the B1G has a chance of landing ND.

by kijana's acl on Oct 28, 2011 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm thinkin' they might opt to go Big East

over B1G IF the Big East stays viable as a conference. It’d be too hard for their football team to compete on a consistent basis in the B1G and they’d more than likely end up never getting to a BCS bowl…too much competition. IN the Big East they’d be a big fish in the small pond, get to a BCS bowl and compete for conference championships. All their other sports are there already. I don’t think they ever want to join the B1G.

"Illegitimus non Carborundum!" (Don't let the bastards wear you down)

by RWReese on Oct 28, 2011 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah but its about money

And as it sits, they’d be giving up a lucrative NBC deal to play on Wednesday nights in the Big East.

Other than sticking it out as a football independent, the only way they would make even close to the same amount of revenue they do now, would be to join the B1G. Unless they can work in some insane deal that absolutely favors no one in the Big east, Notre Dame wont want a seat at that table. Plus, they’d be giving up Michigan/Michigan State/Purdue and likely USC in favor of…

'Why would she have you meet her in a bar at ten in the morning?'
'I just figured she was a raging alcoholic'

by psuphysicist on Oct 28, 2011 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions

They've probably got a better chance of

keeping their own TV deal and joining the Big East than keeping their own TV deal and joining the B1G. I’d bet the Big East would slobber all over themselves if ND said they’d join so long as they maintain their own TV contracts.

In reality ND wants to stay independent. But, I don’t see them seeing any benefit to joining the B1G…they’d never compete for more than also-ran status in either of the divisions.

"Illegitimus non Carborundum!" (Don't let the bastards wear you down)

by RWReese on Oct 28, 2011 2:28 PM EDT up reply actions

I still they could work around the NBC deal if that were the only problem.

At this point, I really don’t think that money is the issue at all. What does Notre Dame really have left at this point but tradition? Money, but seriously, what else?

I think the Big Ten’s expansion plan is wait out Notre Dame, and when they are ready to go grab Rutgers too. Rutgers in and of itself does not get the Big Ten on cable in NJ and NYC, Rutgers, Notre Dame, coupled with Penn State does. Rutgers isn’t going anywhere we won’t be able to find them, so all we have to do is wait.

Yeah, I get it. Our plan is to show up with our fantastic defense and let the chips fall where they may.

by jesse. on Oct 28, 2011 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Everyone always looks at the ND - B1G from the POV of how

the B1G benefits from ND joining but rarely looks at what are the pluses for ND joining the B1G. There really aren’t any. They’d have to play a harder schedule in the B1G. They would have less chance getting to a BCS bowl. They’d lose their lucrative nation-wide TV coverage more than likely. There really aren’t any good upsides to joining the B1G for ND.

In the Big East they’d probably keep their TV deal, play an easier sched, get to BCS bowls more often. The only other conference that makes sense for them is the PAC-73 or whatever it is now. I think the B1G can wait and wait and ND will never join up.

"Illegitimus non Carborundum!" (Don't let the bastards wear you down)

by RWReese on Oct 28, 2011 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions

They might be losing their TV deal

but they’d be gaining the money from the B1G Network, which is much, much greater than their contract.

"I don’t know what he’s done differently, whether he’s eating differently or Sue is making him happier, but he’s definitely a different coach out there" Devon Still

by jman07 on Oct 28, 2011 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, that TV Deal is a huge Red Herring.

If Notre Dame doesn’t go to the BCS they get less money from NBC than Northwestern gets from the Big Ten. Moreover, I don’t think that NBC would balk at paying Notre Dame the same amount of money to play a Big Ten schedule than the one they currently play. Finally, if Notre Dame is a valuable commodity, why would ABC complain about getting more of it than they currently have for the exact same price. As to the cash, simple, ND doesn’t share in the BTN or other conference revenue until every other team in the league gets what ND get from NBC. Problem solved, moving on.

That’s before the BTN adds Rutgers and the BTN is on in NYC and New Jersey. That folks will be one valuable property.

Why would ND join the Big East? They’ll make less money than the B1G. They might make be able to keep their NBC deal (they might be able to keep if they join the B1G too) but there is no way that they would be able to keep a disproportionate share of their BCS earnings like they do now. Plus, They’d lose their games with Michigan, Michigan State and Purdue, which they always play. By joining the B1G the USC game certainly survives, as do their other traditional games.

It’s happening. But for silly pride, it be done already.

Yeah, I get it. Our plan is to show up with our fantastic defense and let the chips fall where they may.

by jesse. on Oct 28, 2011 3:32 PM EDT up reply actions

They would join the Big East

if it is more about ego than money. They could keep their side deals, have total say over everything the conference does, and still seem like an independent that happens to play a lot of big east teams.

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*Accepting Applications

by PSUinBOSSton on Oct 28, 2011 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions

UConn, Rutgers, USF, Louisville, Cincinnati. They realistically add, what, Memphis, Temple, UCF and if a miracle occurs, BYU and Boise. It’s about ego and they’re gonna join that crew?

So they can play home and homes with, and get schooled by, Boise State? I doubt it.

At least there is some honor in losing to Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska or Penn State. If they join that league they’d be the laughing stock of college football, and rightfully so,

Yeah, I get it. Our plan is to show up with our fantastic defense and let the chips fall where they may.

by jesse. on Oct 28, 2011 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

+1

Couldn’t have said it any better myself.

Run.

by Bob Sacamano on Oct 28, 2011 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Exactly.

Ain’t nobody that’s anybody, especially ND, joining that Big East. The ship that was the Big East has sailed and now sunk.

by J Breezy on Oct 28, 2011 6:04 PM EDT up reply actions

And at his home in State College

Joe Paterno enjoys a hearty chuckle.

"I don’t know what he’s done differently, whether he’s eating differently or Sue is making him happier, but he’s definitely a different coach out there" Devon Still

by jman07 on Oct 29, 2011 8:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Houston's offense is hilarious

F*** IT I’M GOING DEEP on every play. I watched for 10 minutes and I saw at least 8 passes attempted over 30 yards and maybe 5 of them completed. It’s like Rex Grossman died and went to heaven.

Anyway, the flashlights eat our human power grids, our souls if you will. So i destroyed them, and if a few precious panties were burnt or soiled in the reckoning then so be it

by millzners on Oct 28, 2011 12:16 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah but

Case Keenum, in 8 games, has 32 TDs and 3….THREE INTs. Three. THIRTY TWO and THREE. OMG. And a 193 passer rating. I don’t care what conference you play in or what teams you play against…that is sick.

"Illegitimus non Carborundum!" (Don't let the bastards wear you down)

by RWReese on Oct 28, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions

The only thing sick is what they did to Rice last night

Case and the rest of team played like crap for the first 1 and 1/2 qtrs than decided to run it up so bad in the second half that even Bielema would have been disgusted. That was disgraceful and their coach should be ashamed of himself.

by psuwresfan on Oct 28, 2011 12:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Bielema has no conscience and therefore never feels disgusted.

Ever.

"Illegitimus non Carborundum!" (Don't let the bastards wear you down)

by RWReese on Oct 28, 2011 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

Apparently Saturday, October 22nd never happened.

You damn well bet anyone would be disgusted after losing like that.

Author at Acme Packing Company, a Green Bay Packers blog, and Editor at BT Powerhouse, a Big Ten Basketball blog
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by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Oct 28, 2011 7:24 PM EDT up reply actions

True, that is sick...

But you know how Penn State’s thing is plain uniforms, Oregon’s thing is fancy uniforms, Texas’ is being rich, Ohio State has that silly thing their band does, Michigan has hundred year old stolen uniform elements, USC the best sweater seamstresses in the history of recorded man kind, Texas A&M has lunatics, Arkansas/pigs, etc., etc…

Houston’s thing poor sportsmanship in the name of pretty talented quarterbacks running up gaudy numbers while massacring the little sisters of the poor. It doesn’t mean much more than that. It never has and it never will.

Yeah, I get it. Our plan is to show up with our fantastic defense and let the chips fall where they may.

by jesse. on Oct 28, 2011 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

I thought tOSU's thing is being flaming butt-holes....huh....my mistake.

"Illegitimus non Carborundum!" (Don't let the bastards wear you down)

by RWReese on Oct 29, 2011 7:19 AM EDT up reply actions

Houston: Andre Ware.

Nothing more needs to be said on the subject.

by J Breezy on Oct 28, 2011 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, David Klingler...

I think he was the quarterback that 92 on SMU. But it actually pre-dates that too. It’s just who they are. And yes, Andre Ware sucks on TV.

Yeah, I get it. Our plan is to show up with our fantastic defense and let the chips fall where they may.

by jesse. on Oct 28, 2011 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions

It was Ware who scored 90 something on SMU.

Douchefaces.

"Pick it, Moon'."

by ReadingRambler on Oct 28, 2011 8:58 PM EDT up reply actions

I have to think Klingler helped a little.

Yeah, I get it. Our plan is to show up with our fantastic defense and let the chips fall where they may.

by jesse. on Oct 28, 2011 9:17 PM EDT up reply actions

The Ray Graham injury was awful. A few plays before, he made a “sick” move (seemingly cut left in mid-air) to turn a short gain into a fairly large one. Just like our kids, you never want a player to get hurt and lose a year and potentially a crack at some big money in the NFL. The way it happened reminded me of Mauti’s, it just buckled and he was done :-( .

I used to be indecisive. Now I'm not sure.

by PaJoe on Oct 28, 2011 12:58 PM EDT reply actions

West Virginia joining the Big 12 is like Maine and Mississippi seceding together.

I mean, who gives a crap, right?

Oh, the sun shines bright on my Pennsyltucky home.

by ReadingRambler on Oct 28, 2011 1:03 PM EDT reply actions

Also

Since this new league has no geographic sense whatsoever and is built exclusively for temporary sports boon as opposed to academic excellence ala PSU joining the Big Ten, West Virginia will now have to rename itself WEST Virginia just so no one asks why they’re in the league they’re in.

Also, this new conference will fall apart within a decade.

Oh, the sun shines bright on my Pennsyltucky home.

by ReadingRambler on Oct 28, 2011 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions

From Burns Hargis, an Okie State guy who heads the Big 12:

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.

(emphasis added)

Wow, straight from The Dr. Josef Goebbels School of Communication.

"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world" -- Ludwig Wittgenstein

by SubLime on Oct 28, 2011 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, compared to Oklahoma State University & Auto Diesel School, yeah.

Yeah, I get it. Our plan is to show up with our fantastic defense and let the chips fall where they may.

by jesse. on Oct 28, 2011 2:42 PM EDT up reply actions

And Burns Hargis...

The more I’ve thought of it, this guy’s name sounds like some Tennessee Williams creation.

"The limits of my language mean the limits of my world" -- Ludwig Wittgenstein

by SubLime on Oct 28, 2011 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Texas pledged their TV revenues to the Big 12 for, I believe, the next 6 years

I expect Texas to leave the Big 12 in 4-6 years.

by kijana's acl on Oct 28, 2011 1:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Football around here just got better.

Inside of three hours of my house on any one weekend you could see Texas, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Michigan, Nebraska, Miami, Florida State, Virginia Tech, or even Penn State. All playing conference games. This year, Penn State had Alabama in town, WVU had LSU, and Pitt had Notre Dame. It’s hard to argue that the quality of teams coming into the area isn’t going to be a lot better with the death of the Big East as we know it.

Yeah, I get it. Our plan is to show up with our fantastic defense and let the chips fall where they may.

by jesse. on Oct 28, 2011 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Amen to getting the Big East Game of the Week

off of WTAE.

Follow @pmnipper

by PSU Mudder on Oct 28, 2011 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Seriously right?

It might have been a messy divorce for eastern football but it looks like we’re all going to land on our feet.

Yeah, I get it. Our plan is to show up with our fantastic defense and let the chips fall where they may.

by jesse. on Oct 28, 2011 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Minus WVU

who will be on the level of Mizzu or Texas Tech. Flashy offenses who occasionally can capitalize on down conference years but will never win anything of significance.

"I don’t know what he’s done differently, whether he’s eating differently or Sue is making him happier, but he’s definitely a different coach out there" Devon Still

by jman07 on Oct 28, 2011 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions

We'll see.

I think they’ll fare a little better than you think. Plucky bunch those Mountaineers.

Yeah, I get it. Our plan is to show up with our fantastic defense and let the chips fall where they may.

by jesse. on Oct 28, 2011 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions

I agree.

by J Breezy on Oct 28, 2011 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions

I would like to keep the coastal

Kennebunkport to Portland area. Canada can have pretty much the rest.

BSD Wentworth
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Chariman, Hiring Committee*

*Accepting Applications

by PSUinBOSSton on Oct 28, 2011 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions

That's because you're a snotty Bostonian.

Admit. It is literally impossible for a Bostonian to not be at least 1/4 snotty.

Maine is a fine state, all of it – and even rednecks (especially primarily) non-racist rednecks) contribute in their own, special way.

Besides, I want the whole coast if we’re giving the rest of the state to Canada.

Oh, the sun shines bright on my Pennsyltucky home.

by ReadingRambler on Oct 28, 2011 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm fine with keeping the entire coast.

But let’s not igore that a lot of Maine is already pretty much Canada. In the winter, people ride around on their snowmobiles and aren’t even sure what country they’re in half the time. That isn’t a knock on it, necessarily. I think Montreal is a terrific city to visit. But we aren’t changing much by letting Canada assume actual control.

BSD Wentworth
Co-Founding Partner
Chariman, Hiring Committee*

*Accepting Applications

by PSUinBOSSton on Oct 28, 2011 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Here's the thing though:

A lot of people in inland Maine are of French stock. And snotty French-Canadians want to be independent because that’s just in their blood, but realize that it would be economic folly to secede. So, if we gave inland Maine to Canada, we would be faced with wrathful Francophone lumberjacks. Not a healthy prospect.

Oh, the sun shines bright on my Pennsyltucky home.

by ReadingRambler on Oct 28, 2011 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Why are we giving anything to the Canadians?

Most of them are already down here anyway in Hollywood and on TV…I’d rather just annex Canada and make it the 51st through 64th states. Canada is like our attic…you forget about it most of the time but every time you go there you find all sorts of good stuff that you could probably put to good use.

"Illegitimus non Carborundum!" (Don't let the bastards wear you down)

by RWReese on Oct 28, 2011 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

Didn't the NCAA also change the GPA requirements for eligibility of freshmen to both play and practice?

or am I making that up?

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Fire Dan Snyder

by Cari Greene on Oct 28, 2011 1:12 PM EDT reply actions

Decided to skip Happy Valley tomorrow (I am a wimp)

The good thing about this is that I can watch the other games. I am also happy that I will be able to watch Eric LeGrand lead Rutgers on to the field.

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by letsgopsu on Oct 28, 2011 2:37 PM EDT reply actions