Chas, didn’t you call that, like, 5 years ago? I’m pretty sure you gave us an actual date and time of the split.

That’s interesting…we go on and on about how bloated the BE BB conference is at 16 teams, then we link to an article that suggests the SEC may be looking to expand to 16 teams in it’s FB conference, and that’s a good thing! By the way, the 16 team “super” conference is not new…I’ve seen it suggested over the years that all of the major conferences may eventually move to 14 or 16 teams as a way to buy off the non-BCS schools who are becoming increasingly hostile to the BCS conferences near monopoly on big money bowl games. I, for one, have no problem with our BB conference. If we expand in FB, it has to be a quality expansion. We can’t just add a team to even the schedule out. Lastly, the linked article makes the case for RU to become the Big 10’s 12th team. Answer this question RU fans (and all of you Pitt fans that want to join the Big 10): If the Big 10 has basically swallowed up and spit out a storied program like PSU, what chance do you think RU or Pitt’s programs have when they start recruiting against MICH and OSU? I’d rather stay in the BE and be a contender for a BCS game every year, than join the Big 10, get all the hype that goes with it, MICH or OSU at home every year, a renewed contest with PSU, and play perennial third fiddle to OSU and MICH. Just ask PSU how it feels (and I’m being generous, because the 3rd fiddle in the Big 10 is probably Wisc)!

I agree to some extent, Frank. However, how much of the “swallow[ing] up and spit[ting] out” do you think has to do with eating old food. Maybe if PSU didn’t feel obligated to keep Paterno around the past decade, PSU would still be riding high. It is tough to say.
And as far as recruiting against the big schools – Mich and OSU – I don’t really see how it would negatively impact Pitt from how they are already. Pitt is already in direct competition with those schools and generally loses to them on the big recruits. Pitt’s chances may increase if it could knock off OSU or Mich every couple years rather than playing the likes of UConn and Cincy. The high profile schedule would be better for Pitt.

more funny and embarrassing news from our toothless foes to the south:

link to news.yahoo.com

Imagine what kind of “favors” they do for the athletes?

Totally agree, Wanny. PSU’s inability to keep up with Michigan and OSU has been a result of it’s leadership at the top and the nepotism and parochialism on the offensive side. They flat out wasted great talent at RB and OL and WR and backup QB the past 3 years to stubbornly force Morelli down people’s throats. That’s almost imperial arrogance and I can’t believe it didn’t spell the end. The one freak year they finished in the top 3 almost did them a disservice because it made it impossible to dump Paterno cleanly. If they’d have eased Paterno out and promoted Bradley to HC (still running the D) and a modern OC, they’d have competed well EVERY year. After all, they have all the components … rabid, deep-pocketed fanbase, national exposure, a whole state religiously behind them, excellent recruiting even in lean years … unfathomable they don’t do better then they do (which Pitt fans would still take in a second, we can’t let our hatred get in the way of logic here).

10 – 12 years back, there’s no way we could move into the Big 10. Pitt sports was a big joke. But now with our facilities (including the pending upgrades for baseball and track slated for the Hill) and improvements in the major 3 sports, a president who claims to know of the importance (though I wonder, given the allegiance to the Big East), and bringing back Pederson, I think Pitt is very well positioned to move, compete and thrive in the Big 10. As mentioned, we fear losing on the recruiting front to those big boys … well, gee, looking at all the best players go off to Michigan and OSU the last few years, how is remaining in the Big Crap conference helping us?

And I think it’s hogwash that Pitt hoops would falter or that the Big Ten is greatly inferior in hoops. In recent years some of the top teams in the final rankings have come from the Big Ten. Our stellar hoops conference didn’t produce a champion since the expansion. “But we’d lose our NYC recruiting base!” I contest that’s already long gone, after Rohrssen left.

I’m a victim of coming of age during (the sad few) Pitt’s ‘glory years’ in football. and I got spoiled, I admit. I got used to Pitt playing big games against big teams almost every week, even beyond the usual eastern foes (including Oklahoma, BYU at their prime, Texas, OSU, etc). The bile in my mouth just seeing New Hampshire and Citadel and Furman and Buffalo on the schedules now is contemptible. I detest that we just seem to submit to the inevitable that we deserve to remain second-rate in football.

Hey folks, I definitely respect some of the plusses of the Big East, though the main one always sited (“it’s the easiest conference to get to the BCS in!”) seems like faint praise at best. I think it’s contributed to our mediocrity. Don’t we think we’re better than this?

Bombard Pederson with this kind of message (especially those of you who might donate some actual significant money — my few hundred bucks mean nothing)

**The bile in my mouth just seeing New Hampshire and Citadel and Furman and Buffalo on the schedules now is contemptible**

Please comment on Ohio State’s and Michigan’ non-conference schedule these past several years.

Ohio State played Texas in a 2 year series, Michigan has played ND consistently.

In addition, playing teams like Wisconsin, PSU, Purdue, MSU, and MICH (for OSU) and OSU (for MICH) are much more exciting to me than playing Uconn who five years ago was at the 1-AA level, Cincy, Rutgers, and all of the other programs with no history. Pitt has history, as does WVU and ‘Cuse. The traditional teams in college football are set and it is difficult to break that barrier into the upper tier team. While L’ville and Rutgers have been solid as of late, they still don’t carry the stigma of other programs. The Big East has a bunch of new comers to an old man’s game. While I agree that the landscape of college football could change, I agree with geeman that seeing Pitt play no-names makes me vomit in my mouth.

While OSU and Mich have played their share of cupcakes, at least they follow those games with a schedule filled with traditional powers. Other than WVU, there is no game on the schedule every year for Pitt which I get excited about. And, thanks to the wonderful scheduling of the Big East, it is recently scheduled for a time that conflicts with Thanksgiving.

At OSU, you always have Michigan, but the games against the other Big Ten powers is much more exciting than playing the Huskies or Bearcats.

One thing that could change this would be Syracuse getting their act together, traditionally solid team which has not played well in years. As far as the BE adding another team, I taste vomit when I hear “Nova should up themselves to 1-A” or “UCF” or “Memphis.” Who are these teams?

I know there is a slight bias towards Pitt being a traditional team, however I think it is warranted. Tell me another school in the Big East (other than Cuse, possibly) that has names like Marino, Dorsett, Ditka, Green, and more recently – Fitzgerald as alumni? I don’t think you will find one. Pitt has the history to be a part of the Big Ten, renew a rivalry with PSU, change back to the script, and keep WVU as a non-conference rivalry game. Wishful thinking I know, but Pitt deserves better.

If the SEC does expand as some thing, WVU will be a prime target, and they aren’t going to remain loyal. Their fans think of themselves as deep south, and their recent football and basketball success (and certainly their academics and administrative quality, cough cough) warrant consideration if they keep it up.

We all know Syracuse pimped itself to the ACC, and if they would expand again, Cuse would jump right in. RU too, perhaps (or perhaps to the Big Ten).

I think it’s every smart school for itself very soon, and Pitt better be one of the smart ones.

Good comments, wannstache. Football, of course, is the lead sport, but the BE conference may stay in tact becaus of basketball. BB and Boeheim kept Syracuse in the BE while BC bolted. With TV, BB has become a money sport. I think the Big 10 will go after Rutgers because of the NYC TV market. I question whether Rutgers would have much loyalty to the BE. That would leave Pitt on the outside looking into the Big 10 window.