[NU Sports] Big Twelve officially invites West Virginia

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

WVU to the Big XII and Mizzou to the SEC ... we've gone from crazy to ridiculous.

You can seem to tell a lot about each of the leagues from this round of expansion ...

- SEC? A bit cocky perhaps? They're the premiere league and know it. ATM was a smart expansion and fits, but Mizzou seems to be a bit of a reach by a league who knew they couldn't last with 13, but had too much ego to go a more natural route and select an ACC school that happened to be in the same state as a member school. I guess Mizzou at least improves their academics in that they now have two universities in their league.

- Big Ten? Playing it safe and smart. UNL was a good fit, just like PSU. Now they're just sitting and waiting for the Irish. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT take the bait of Cincy or Louisville. That would be a worse catastrophe than the division names.

- Big XII? The minions had their little revolt and got a small bit of leverage on big bad Texas, but this is still the Longhorn League. And while the burnt orange rulers may have reluctantly had to accept some sharing and in-state TCU to pick up for ATM, they seem to be avoiding logical choices like BYU or Boise State at all cost. Or even Houston. West Virginia??? Are you serious??? Really??? This is a league without a vision right now.

- ACC? Unlike the Big XII, this is the "non Big Two" of the B(C)S leagues that seems to have it's $#!T together. They locked up their member schools from possible poaching and became the aggressor instead of the prey by picking up Pitt and Syracuse to give BC some company in the lonely north. Still not much of a football league, but one heck of a basketball one -- especially if they can snag some more Big Least remnants (UConn?) in their path to 16.

- Pac 12? This is the middle child of the B(C)S ... desperate for attention, whether that means dying their hair pink or getting a tattoo. They've been the "big idea" and big talkers of this round of expansion - making overtures to Texas and Oklahoma and thinking grand ... but so far they're all talk and little walk. Colorado and Utah are not exactly big-time additions. If they could snag BYU and Boise, maybe it would seem better ... but right now, it just looks like they expanded to expand.

- Big East? On life support. They make a fine "Catholic league" basketball conference, but they're just not a football league. Go all the way back to their "Frankenstein" approach of allowing new schools just for the football (or allowing ND to not be in football) ... they're just winging it on the gridiron with no real plan. TCU was a desperate ploy. Boise even a more pathetic play. They're one more defection from total destruction and being replaced by the Mountain West/CUSA conglomerate as one of the Big Six leagues.

It's getting silly now (aside from the SEC web slip up, that was actually funny) ... this is all just a stupid sideshow now until someone like Notre Dame makes a move.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!