Comments:

1. portis said:

   posted on October 17, 2005 6:23 PM — 24.3.40.245 — link — abuse?

   
   
   

   The Beast is back!!! Let's go...............Mountaineers!

2. ColReb said:

   posted on October 17, 2005 7:43 PM — 68.23.192.206 — link — abuse?

   
   
   

   I'm sorry, but looking at these standings has to make one wonder how the Big East can possibly still get an auto BCS bid. One of these teams should be in the top 25, none of the rest anywhere close.

3. Rich said:

   posted on October 18, 2005 8:41 AM — 192.128.133.68 — link — abuse?

   
   
   

   I disagree with that statement. UL destroyed NC & Oregan State. WV manhandled a 4-2 ACC Maryland team. Look at any other conference, they will beat up on each other. If you take VA Tech & Florida State & play them head to head someone has to lose. It doesn't mean that the loser is a bad team just quality competition. That's what happened to WV & UL. After that you have a couple of up & coming programs in South Florida (there gonna be good in a few yrs) Connect when you have the resources to win the NCAA tournament in both men & womens basketball in the same yr. They are selling out there staduim have a great market & lots of cash. Mark my words they will be a power in just a short time. Rutgers is on the right track. Pitt & Syracuse are just like Alabama, Notre D, & Penn State. They have great history & will rise again to National Prominace. So that leaves celler dweller Cincinati. All Conferences have there dogs. Acc has Duke, SEC has Vanderb, Big Twelve has Baylor. I can go on! In three to four yrs The Big East will have two schools in the top ten & one to two more in the top 25. Mark my words. The Mounties are YOUNG they have more Freshmen & sophmores starting then Uperclassmen. There two QBS are a Freshman & Sophm. There two starting tailbacks are both freshm. Jason Gwaltney is a 5 star blue chip that USC, Ohio state any 30 others didn't get. Prior to VATech & Boston College leaving WV had a 12 - 2 Big East record. They have beaten up On BC every yr & beat VA tech 2 yrs straight, once when the Hokies were ranked third in 03 & 6-0. Now BC is a power in the ACC. Let BC & WV play & see what happens. This yr WV will hopefully win the Big East & be in the Sugar Bowl. If so we will find a way to win as a team. UL will be in the Gator Bowl & beat a BC or Maryland or maybe a VA tech once they crash & burn. Then you will see that the Big East does belong!

4. portis said:

   posted on October 18, 2005 1:41 PM — 24.140.92.2 — link — abuse?

   
   
   

   Rich, right on buddy. You bring up some good points, although I think the South Florida thing will take a little longer than expected. The Big East is one of the top 6 conferences in the country, there can be no denying that. If you take away the top 3 teams in each conference around the country, then see what you have, it would look similar. Think about that, take Tennessee, LSU, and Alabama(this year) out of the SEC. No more Michigan, Ohio State, or Iowa in the Big Ten. Texas, Oklahoma and Texas Tech (this year) in the Big XII and........well, you get my point. It's popular right now to jump on the Big East because they are weaker than they once were, but they will be back.

   UConn is building a program and has a brand new stadium. Rutgers has made HUGE strides since the days of losing to teams 80-7 (in Morgantown in 2001). Syracuse and Pitt are undergoing some changes,and as bad as I had to admit it Pitt will be back in a year or two. Aside from WVU, Louisville is the team best set to jump into the top 25 this year, and should be the end of the year. I know it's a long way from having Miami and VT in the top 10 with BC and WVU laying somewhere near the middle of the top 25, but the Big East will come back!

   As Rod said above, even when Miami, BC, and VT were in the league the last two years WVU was 12-2, with the only losses coming to Miami. Give it time, or don't, but everybody who is piling on the Big East now will have something different to say in 3-4 years. WVU will grow to become a national powerhouse, watch and see. Just looking at the diffent mindset of the team being fielded by Coach Rodriguez when compared to Nehlen is noticeable from afar. The team now believes they can win, and expects it. When Nehlen was there, there was the "shot" at winning, but not the belief.

   Here's a little something from inside the Mountaineer program that not many people know. In the Spring of 2001 (Rodriguez first spring ball), he had his first meeting with the team after taking over for the legendary Don Nehlen. He gave each player a piece of paper and told them to write down the top 3 football programs/teams in the country. After a few minutes the coaches collected the answers and tallied up the votes. There were several mentions of FSU, Ohio State, Miami, Texas, Michigan, the usual big traditional colleges. Only 6 slips of paper out of 113 players had WVU anywhere in the top 3. Every year since then Coach Rod has asked his team that same question....this class included WVU as one of the top 3 teams in the country on 80 of the 107 ballots. Good things are still ahead for the Mountaineers and the Big East, so be on the lookout.

5. ColReb said:

   posted on October 18, 2005 8:11 PM — 68.23.192.206 — link — abuse?

   
   
   

   Look, the Big East is below the SEC, B10, B12, ACC, PAC10 for sure, no way you can argue it isn't. You can argue which conference comes next. Is it the MAC, Big West, WAC or the B10. You can say what you want about 3 or 4 years from now, but the fact is is that the league is HQ'd in the weakest recruiting center. West Virgina might be a top 25 team, but not a BCS team. Anyone can argue there team is just .."3 or 4 years away".

   In addition, I would take Florida and Georgia from the SEC any day over the Mountaineers. I would take Mich St., Wisconsin, Minnesota and Penn St. from the B10. Etc, etc, etc... Its a bad argument anyway because you don't take those teams out, they are there and thats what makes them a quality league.

   Maybe they should pool together the MAC, Big East, WAC and Mountain West (maybe throw in CUSA and the Sunbelt for good measure) and take the highest ranking team. That gives a Wyoming or Fresno St. a chance they deserve every year. Remember, Louisville wasn't in the Big East last year, and now you think they are great.

6. portis said:

   posted on October 19, 2005 10:25 AM — 24.140.92.2 — link — abuse?

   
   
   

   Nobody said anything about them being great, but a team that had only 2 losses in 2 years coming into the game in Morgantown must be doing something right.

7. Sammy said:

   posted on October 19, 2005 10:10 PM — 24.110.217.175 — link — abuse?

   
   
   

   The Big East is going to loose their BCS bid in 3 years. The Big East doesn't have a football tradition that even comes close to the traditions of the SEC, ACC, BigTen, Big12, or the PAC10. There is no team in the Big East that could compete in any of the real BCS conferences. I agree with ColReb, they should get the top 2 teams between the MAC, WAC, Conference USA, Mountain West, and the Big East to play in a BCS bowl game. I have heard a lot of articles on this idea. I don't see how the Big East is a better or will ever be a better conference than the MAC, WAC, Mountain West, Conference USA. They are all pretty much in the same level.

8. russelle said:

   posted on October 20, 2005 8:39 AM — 150.176.136.121 — link — abuse?

   
   
   

   Arguing which conference is better is just hyperbole. Until there is a playoff any rating system isnt worth the paper its written on. Head to head is the only way to claim a championship.

9. Richard Spinks said:

   posted on October 24, 2005 12:26 PM — 12.20.58.68 — link — abuse?

   
   
   

   Ok Sammy, Maryland does fine yr end & out in the ACC. WV took them to the shed. BC always gets beat by WV look at the record. The # three team in the nation was owned by WV 2yrs straight. Everyone called the Big East weak when we had BC, Miami, & Va Tech. But look what happened every yr. BIG East doesn't have tradition? AH, WV was undefeated in 88 & 93 & played for the National Championship??????? Miami & VA tech played for how many. Syracuse in the Orange Bowl. No there's no history in the Big East. Of course the ACC has a history of raiding other conferences. The Big East was the victim here, they didn't decide one day to ship two National Contenders out they were RAIDED. The Big East had to make the best of a VERY Bad situation. I guess your thoughts are that if a child is kidnapped then we should just terminate the whole family? The Big East will survive. They will not be disinfranchised from the BCS due to there Television markets. Back to your statement about the no Big East team being able to compete in another conference. The Eeers would not only compete we would thrive. WV will be the leader in this conference. We will sell out 62,000 seat Mountaneer field. We will continue to own the out of conference schedule. UL put up how many on NC & Oregan State? The 60's I believe, but no they couldn't compete in the ACC or PAC 10. WV will be in the Sugar Bowl & WIN, UL will be in the Gator Bowl & beat a ACC team & then what will your argument be? Lets get real the BCS is all about Money? WV has a a small TV market or we would have been in the ACC. The ACC didn't want a good team just money. VA tech was only allowed in due to the fact that the Governer of VA would not allow UVA to vote yes unless VA Tech replaced Syracuse. The Cuse was one of the original teams raided & then dumped by the ACC. The ACC didn't want a good team just a large TV market (NY NY). They were willing to take a 1- 6 Cuse team who can't even sell out the dome (42,000) over VA TECH. It's not about winning but Money.

10. Yose! said:

    posted on October 29, 2005 9:28 AM — 66.152.244.161 — link — abuse?

    
    
    

    The Big East WILL be an elite conference again with 2 years. In doing this, they WILL keep their BCS bid. USF, a "weaker" Big East team, played good enough to have beaten Penn St. (the possible Big 10 champs). Louisville, crushed UNC, then got crushed by USF. Rutgers (yes Rutgers)is on the verge of being a consistent top 25 team. WVU & Louisville will always put quality teams on the field. Pitt and Syracuse will be back. Uconn & RU will start taking all the northeast talent away from Boston College. Even with the losses of VT, Miami, and BC, the Big East will be a consistantly great football conference very, very soon.

11. AllEers said:

    posted on November 1, 2005 3:47 PM — 70.22.125.224 — link — abuse?

    
    
    

    ColReb:

    Are you still bitter that WV seceded to the Union? You seem the type. The Big East is here to stay in both football and basketball. Who cares who has the oldest and longest standing traditions? Wasn't the confederacy overrun by a much younger Union? So too shall West Virginia and the Big East live to upset "west coast" offense, panty ball.