masthead.jpg

switchconcepts.com, U3dpdGNo-a25, DIRECT rubiconproject.com, 14766, RESELLER pubmatic.com, 30666, RESELLER, 5d62403b186f2ace appnexus.com, 1117, RESELLER thetradedesk.com, switchconcepts, RESELLER taboola.com, switchconceptopenrtb, RESELLER bidswitch.com, switchconcepts, RESELLER contextweb.com, 560031, RESELLER amazon-adsystem.com, 3160, RESELLER crimtan.com, switch, RESELLER quantcast.com, switchconcepts , RESELLER rhythmone.com, 1934627955, RESELLER ssphwy.com, switchconcepts, RESELLER emxdgt.com, 59, RESELLER appnexus.com, 1356, RESELLER sovrn.com, 96786, RESELLER, fafdf38b16bf6b2b indexexchange.com, 180008, RESELLER nativeads.com, 52853, RESELLER theagency.com, 1058, RESELLER google.com, pub-3515913239267445, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0
May 1, 2009

I should know better. It’s the offseason. Not much to discuss. So, a useless story will generate more attention than it should.

“I’ve tried to talk to the Big Ten people about, ‘Let’s get a 12th team — Syracuse, Rutgers, Pitt — we could have a little bit of a playoff.'”

Paterno spoke to several college football reporters before a booster meeting at the Plaza Hotel. The comments came in response to a question on whether a team from the Northeast could win a national championship. The 1986 Nittany Lions are the last No. 1 team from the region.

“The only [Northeastern] team that’s got a shot would be us, and yet we’ve got a tough job because the Big Ten is not as visible in the key times as the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12.”

Asked what sort of response he had received, Paterno raised his eyebrows in a facial shrug.

“You know, it’s a conference that’s dominated by a couple of people,” Paterno said. “If I start talking, they’re polite, but they snicker.

“They don’t know I know they’re snickering, but they’re polite. …I wish I were younger and going to be around [another] 20 years.”

With the conference commissioners holding so much power, Paterno said, the whole landscape could change if two or three people change.

“We’re not talking about invading Normandy,” Paterno said. “We’re talking about some alignments that could happen very quickly.”

Whether it is talk about expanding for purposes of the Big 10 Network, it’s just that — talk. It’s not happening. Not now. Not in the next several years. It may happen at some point, but not in the near future.

The only exception would be if ND came to them. That would be it.

From a geographic/market standpoint, there is probably little interest in adding Pitt. Rutgers or Syracuse is much more attractive in that respect. Frankly, if you want to play that game, the Big 11 is best to wait and watch anyways.

Rutgers may be the stronger football program at this point, but can it be sustained? They are a mess in basketball — still. They have major budget issues that even predated the recession. If Syracuse can at least get back to mediocrity in football, the overall health of their athletic department makes them actually a more attractive program in the long term.

That said, it is nothing new. Paterno has said on occasion before that he would “support” Pitt getting invited to the Big 11 if they ever expanded. It was an empty promise then.

The desire by Paterno for a Eastern member in the Big 11 is simply about the geographic isolation of Penn State. It is, as usual, self-serving for Paterno and Penn State. It is not about the Big 11 or any desire to reach out to the other 3 programs mentioned. It is not about helping the Big 11 and their big gap between the end of the season and bowl season.





As a Panther Club member living in Columbus I concur with the above editorial. And, I add congratulations for someone to FINALLY refer to the Big Ten as the “Big Eleven”, which they are(although I don’t think the word “big” is accurate). These arrogant mid-western sports enthusiasts can’t even count. The Big East is equal to or better than the “Big Eleven” in everything except size of stadiums. Come on, Papa Joe level with the public for once. All you really care about is the fading image of PSU. George Mehaffey, Columbus, Ohio

Comment by rev. george mehaffey 05.01.09 @ 10:58 am

This may be distorted logic but here goes … I believe now is the time for the BE to issue it’s ultimatum to Notre Dame. Join full time or leave!

Chances are that not only will ND leave, they will join the Big 11 (Ten) for their other sports as well as fotball (since the Big 11 will have it no other way.)

This will ensure that Big 11 will no longer consider add an eastern team which is good since a BE team defection (Pitt, SU or RU) would have devastating effects to the remaining BE team members. Not only would a new team need to be added, it is hard enough as it is right now for BE ADs to schedule 5 non-conference games each year.

Comment by w bill 05.01.09 @ 3:45 pm

What’s interesting about reading the 2007 posts regarding potential Big 10 expansion and Pitt is how much has changed, for the worse, with Big East football.

In 2007 it really felt like WVU and Louisville would be national powers for years to come and Rutgers and South Florida were strong up-and-comers. None of that feels true anymore.

A scant two years later and Big East football is on VERY shaky ground; when you think about the Top 25 teams for 2009, there isn’t one Big East program that comes to mind. Coaching defections and graduations have gutted this football conference.

Combine declining football with a ridiculously bloated Big East basketball conference and the Big 10 looks that much more attractive. (Yes, I know, Big East basketball has great teams. It also has awful teams, which means many of the games stink.)

I hate the Big 10 as much as anybody, but today’s Big East has a lot of problems. It’s not nearly as viable as it looked in 2007.

Comment by hugh green 05.01.09 @ 4:00 pm

If ND minor sports left the BE and joined the B11 they still would not join it for football. They have no reason to as long as they have their own TV contract and BCS tie-in. They are a conference of one and have no reason to join any other.

If they did join the B11 it would end up hurting Pitt because they would drop Pitt from their football schedule and keep USC and Boston College as their out of conference games.

Comment by Chuck Morris 05.01.09 @ 4:07 pm

B11 would not accept ND unless football is part of the package. While ND doesn’t need a conference for their fb, they need it for all other sports … thus, if BE ever issues an ultimatum, ND will probbaly pick the B11 before the BE.

Pitt does benefit from non-conf with ND but it is by no means even close to a perpetual agreement as ND has with USC and BC, even the Navy series is longer-lasting that the one with Pitt.

Bottom line is that BE cannot afford another fb defection … it probably can survive the status quo but will likely never flourish. On the other hand, BE basketball should maintain its high level since the eastern seaboard should be a fertile recruiting ground for years to come.

Comment by w bill 05.01.09 @ 6:31 pm

Maybe folks were snickering at JoePa, not because of his comments, but because he soiled himself again.

Comment by Gas 05.01.09 @ 8:07 pm

The BE Presidents cannot continue to allow the conference to live in fear of a defection. The conference is too skewed toward basketball and too basketball heavy with a few deadweight programs. The conference needs to look at teams with potential to improve. For example, Florida Atlantic seems like a great prospect. Located near Miami, the school is an up-and-comer with a proven coach. Why DePaul was ever asked to join is not because of the Chicago market. Notre Dame already brings that market to the table. If Joe’s comments have the effect of waking up the complacement presidents, including Norenburg, he will have done a great service to the Big East.

Comment by TonyinHouston 05.01.09 @ 10:59 pm

w bill,

Minor correction, but the BC-ND rivalry is not very extensive. The series is tied 9-9 (they have only played 18 times), while Pitt has played ND 64 times.

Also, because BC joined the ACC, it is doubtful they will continue to schedule ND after the 2010 season.

Comment by Ryan M. 05.01.09 @ 11:18 pm

As a Pitt fan, I don’t see a B-10 or 11 expanding any time soon. Besides, if Nordy had a choich he would stay with the BE. I cannot say the same for several other BE schools.

What does concern me is expanding in other conferences. It will be a domino effect that ends up at the BE. joe pud would get his dreame come true, the demise of the BE football.

Comment by joel 05.02.09 @ 7:40 am

in a perfect world (and yes, it is very idealistic), BE will exchange ND for PSU with B11, and BC for USF with ACC.

Comment by w bill 05.02.09 @ 9:53 am

In a not-so-perfect world, it may one day happen that PSU get’s tired of being the “third wheel” in the Big 11 and decides to return to it’s roots as the big fish in the small pond that is BE Football. The Big 11 becomes the Big 10 once again, and ND stays independent. Ahhh. Miami was once the big fish in the BE and left for what they thought would be greener pastures..how is that working out for Miami? Also, I don’t agree with the statement that BE Football will “likely never flourish”. As was pointed out above, BE Football was on the verge of something special a few years ago. There is no reason to believe that it can’t get back there again. Lastly, I don’t think the BE needs 10 or 12 teams, but we do need one more to balance out the home and away schedules. Call me crazy, but I think the idea of having a FB conference where all of the teams don’t play each other every year is unappealing.

Comment by HbgFrank 05.02.09 @ 11:25 am

I dont know if this is old but Duhart and Porter are out of Pitt and transfering elsewhere

Comment by Max 05.02.09 @ 3:16 pm

Parrom commits to AZ. This is a better non-get for Pitt considering the abundance of SF types they have. Maybe this whole situation works out so they can really target an elite SG for 2010 or a C. Hopefully they consider keeping it open for 2010.

Comment by Ritz 05.03.09 @ 11:11 am

BCS bowl tie ins and conference revenue sharing of the Big Ten vs. the Big East would make any offer by the Big 10 very attractive. Pitt, Syr, or Rutgers would be wise to get out while the gettin is good. Joepa was right about conference realignment years ago and he’s right again.

Comment by JIMPSU 05.03.09 @ 1:19 pm

JoePa did suggest an all eastern conference way back when, but PSU (and JoePa) applied for Big East membership before Pitt was offered … this is a well known fact. After that, even JoePa didn’t know for a decade that PSU would be offered a spot in the B10 … and I’m sure he also was (pleasantly) surprised when Miami, VT and BC bolted from BE. Don’t give him too much credit.

Comment by w bill 05.03.09 @ 6:24 pm

switching topics a bit- this from the Mercury News blog after rookie minicamp

Something about Scott McKillop (fifth round) reminds me of Derek Smith, who closed out his 49ers tenure with five consecutive seasons with at least 100 tackles (by NFL.com’s count). Maybe it’s the way McKillop’s eyes lit up when he start talking about the art of wrapping up.
While at Pittsburgh, missed tackles were treated like a deadly sin. During film room sessions, former Paul Rhodes (now the heat coach at Iowa State) would count up missed tackles and then think of some horrible punishment for the offenders – push-ups, up-downs, etc.
“We’d probably spend at least two or three periods per day just working on proper footwork, proper angles and securing the tackle,’’ McKillop said. A great defense doesn’t miss many tackles.”
Pittsburgh credited McKillop with a 151 tackles in 2007 and 137 in 2008.

Comment by sf_pitt 05.04.09 @ 9:58 am

To follow up on WBill’s point, my understanding was that one of the main reasons the “Eastern All-Sports” conference was never fully embraced was that the schools could never agree on the revenue sharing model, which was slanted heavily towards PSU and, to a lesser extent, Pitt. Other schools, such as Syracuse, would not sign on without a greater degree of equality in revenues from bowl games, etc.

Comment by Pantherman13 05.04.09 @ 12:15 pm

most of college football needs realigned but never will due to money. such is life.

Comment by greg 05.04.09 @ 2:09 pm

Does anyone know why Paul Zeise is no longer publishing his Q & As? Did something happen?

Comment by TonyinHouston 05.05.09 @ 1:21 pm

Tony

Quite the opposite. Nothing has happened. Hence, no need for a Q & A. They are all pretty much seasonal on the PG website, so when things pick up for Pitt athletics late this summer, you will see more content on the site.

Comment by maz. 05.05.09 @ 3:43 pm

FWIW, Big 10 Commish sad tat expansion is a back burner issue .. no immediate plans

Comment by w bill 05.05.09 @ 4:01 pm

Are colleges waiting with baited breath for the Big Eleven to plan its(and their) future? I think not. Big East( and others) should draw up their own projections without comments from (heaven forbid)”Big Eleven” officials. That includes Papa who doesn’t give a Tinkers D. about Pitt. Let’s concentrate on BUILDING a BETTER BIG EAST.

Comment by rev. george mehaffey 05.05.09 @ 5:47 pm

maz – thank for update.
rev. george – I’m with you. Sports writers are not commenting much about possible Big Eleven expansion nor the need for the BE to expand in football. BE football has a tentative feel as long as the BE brass offers nothing.

Comment by TonyinHouston 05.05.09 @ 6:21 pm

from meaningless Paterno patter to even more meaningless 2010 bowl projection from College Football News:

PapaJohn’s.com Bowl
Jan. 2 / 1 p.m. ET Birmingham, Ala. ESPN
Tie-Ins: Big East vs. SEC
Way Too Early Projection: Pitt vs. Auburn

Note that CFN is predicting that WVU will rep the BE in the BCS playing in the Sugar Bowl vs Ole Miss

Comment by w bill 05.05.09 @ 7:04 pm

Powered by WordPress © PittBlather.com

Site Meter