Friday Feedback
May 21, 2010 by Mike Casazza(Disclaimer: Apparetly things are not entirely fixed with our wheel/hampster. The spellcheck engine is not working … and I’m just not very good at that in general. Apologeez in advance.)
Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which no one says has to go first … but will, nevertheless. Yesterday’s haywiredness prevented the apppropriate discoure for the quizzical “Who said the Big Ten had to go first?”
It’s obtuse, I admit, but aren’t all these angles as they relate to expansion? At least initially? I would argue yes and admit over time they make more and more sense. Isn’t that right, Bill Stewart?
Anyhow, throughout the annual conference meetings you’d have to believe every one of the major conference and all of the second-tier — and their top-shelf members — have kicked around all the ideas. So what if the oh so silent Pac 10 invited Texas and BYU? Or Colorado and BYU?
Well, now the Big 12 has to move and perhaps it lands Boise State and, in the meantime, organizes and gets its current members to commit to the long term. Suddenly Missouri and/or Nebraska is off the table for the Big Ten.
The Big East is reading the tea leaves and scoops up … oh boy, um … ECU, UCF, Memphis and Buffalo and gets Rutgers, UConn, etc. to commit.
And this is just the domino apocalypse for teams getting to 12. Imagine if the Big Ten didn’t have to be first and someone — SEC — jumped off and went to 16 by acquiring, say, Miami, Georgia Tech, Memphis and Florida State. Imagine then the ACC’s reaction and, subsequently, the Big East’s.
If the expansion is so imminent and all these people in all these other conferences acknowledge, if even silently, they’re going to have to do something in response, why not be first and get what they actually want to be dominant/competitive/with the Joneses as opposed to what they need to do to stay in line.
Again, it might sound crazy, but in a few months, it might not.
Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, check your deductible.
Jeff in Akron said:
It is refreshing, and endearing, to realize that our basketball coach that just took us to the final four, and the Big East title, isn’t screaming for a raise because so and so just got one. Plus, he isn’t screaming from the proverbial mountain top how he has saved the university just by dong his job.
Further, he and his agent don’t seem to be that concerned about the whole process. Simply put, he seems to trust the powers that be at WVU to do that for him and adjust it accordingly. I’m sure there are checks and ballances built in somewhere. But Huggins doesn’t seem to be that overly concerned.
What a difference a couple of years makes.
Absolutely. I feel good for Ed Pastilong, too. He can go to the Big East meetings without having his peers make fun of him…
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