WV Writer: WVU Not A Fit With The SEC

October 5th, 2011 11:27 AM║ Posted By: John Pennington ║ Permalink ║ Schools: Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
Tags: Big East, SEC, West Virginia, WVU

As internet rumors swirl about West Virginia possibly joining the SEC — even rumors that Mike Slive was in Morgantown yesterday — one writer for The Charleston Daily Mail believes WVU would be a better fit in the Big 12 than the SEC.

According to Jack Bogaczyk, the sports editor for his paper:

“As for the SEC, it’s a dream by many among WVU fandom, and it might soon become a reality. It also could be a nightmare for the Mountaineers. I don’t think WVU should make that very large football leap.

If the SEC chooses WVU and the Mountaineers say yes, well, I’m wrong or now… but I’ll be right about what it will take for WVU to compete.

Simply put, West Virginia will not be as nationally relevant in football — on a consistent basis — in the SEC as it would with its other options.

Yes, WVU can make about $10 million more annually in SEC revenue sharing than it does in the Big East now. But the expense is greater, too. The Mountaineers would need to build, build, build. They would need a new baseball field; they may need to add sports, like golf an softball…

Let’s put it another way: If WVU goes to the SEC, in order to compete on a perennial basis in football, it would probably be time to end that tired, oft-repeated line about “a self-supporting athletic program” in Morgantown. It would need state help, seriously.”

Question: Couldn’t many of those same arguments be used if WVU joins a league with Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas? Just asking.

Doing a radio show in West Virginia a couple of weeks ago, I was surprised at the fear factor shown by an ex-player co-host on the program. Many along the country roads of the Mountain State don’t believe their school could keep pace in the SEC. It’s not just this writer.

From my perspective, WVU could compete in the SEC, but the word “consistent” is key. Ask big name schools like Georgia and Tennessee how easy it is to consistently compete in the SEC. Florida lost five games last year. Alabama and LSU have each suffered through dry spells over the past few decades. No one competes for titles in football year-in and year-out. No one.

So if Mountaineer fans believe their school could win at a Big East clip in the SEC, they would likely be in for a rude awakening.

That said — and as we’ve stated numerous times before — we have been told by multiple people inside multiple SEC athletic departments and administrations that WVU remains a fallback/emergency choice only.

(And for the record, the writer of the above column called the SEC offices and found that Slive has been in Birmingham — not Morgantown — all this week.)

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25 comments

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Jim

You have mis-understood. I would prefer the SEC and the butt-whippins that go with it to the ACC or any other conference. I believe WVU would do much better in Ohio and Pennsylvania recruiting than they do now and would field a better team and I think the one we have now is pretty good.

I probably do need my head examined but that is a separate conversation. When WV was up and had 9 or 10 wins the place would be hopping. What about the 4 and 5 win seasons that will come in the SEC, you can't always be up and if you have a down year in that league you have some problems. Would we fill it then for an Ole Miss game if Ole Miss was having a similar year. We need to prove that, see Dana Holgorsens comments on the Bowling Green crowd.

I love your passion and I am not trying to send the impression that I think we are mediocre because I don't but if WV does not get in a good conference and can't hang on to this hot shot coach we are in trouble. A couple of weeks ago Georgia was 0-2 following a 5-7 year and filled the place for Coastal Carolina, that is big time.

@jtturner1970

why dont you root for someone else we dont need or want you we put 46,000 in the stands for BG in 40 degree raining buckets and yes I was there a lot of older folks and people with kids were there but left why dont you take a look back at att before you speak in the last 10 yrs this was only 2nd crowd of less than 50k other was rutgers 0 degrees and yes i was there also as for the hot shot coach they come and go and are replaced thats just normal

Stan Cardwell

tv sets - how does the very real possibility that one of the DC stations would like to cover the SEC and has a better excuse with WVU in the league. heck MASN is showing us versus Norfolk State now. You don't think that (aside from NBC and ND), DC and Baltimore TV would love to get some people watching the SEC - tier 1,2,3 to compete against the ACC network?

Pitt Fan

I'm not sure the SEC would consider WVU as a significant factor in the DC tv market.... at least I have not read any blogs or legit pundits connect those two dots like they have St. Louis/ Kansas City with Missouri. WVU just doesn't add markets for cable networks or fertile recruiting grounds for the SEC. Best bet is Big !2 expansion with WVU and Louisville and please let's keep the Backyard Brawl intact.

John James

The writer of the Charleston Daily Mail is trying to bad mouth West Virginia University because he is a fan of Marshall and Marshall has never defeated WVU in football ever. The SEC needs to see how many former state people who live elsewhere will tune into to the pay for game syndrome. Which team has the highest Thursday and Friday telecasts on ESPN-WVU . If you really want a cash cow and one that can compete in the SEC then it is the Mountaineeers of West Virginia Univerity

Pitt Fan

Everybody is missing the real issue here. It is not a matter of whether WVU can be competitive or how many people show up at the games. It is about the number of new television sets your university can deliver via the cable networks. With both the Kansas City and St. Louis markets available with Missouri, they can deliver far more potential income than the West Virginia footprint can. Missouri $$$ >>> WVU $$$

Cary

I'm also a WVU alum, and I think WVU would be able to compete in the SEC. I have no doubt about it at all. I don't understand why people get so hung up on the fact that the state of WV only has a population of + or - 1.8 million people. Do they forget that WVU has alumni all over the place? It's not just bringing in market share for the state of WV, it's also the market share where the alumni are. Look at where WVU's largest alumni groups are. There's where a significant and substantial portion of this oft-repeated market share will come from. There are large numbers of WVU alumni in the southeast. I'm going to be so bold (and arrogant, and haughty), and suggest that MORE people in Pittsburgh tune in to watch one of our games than a PITT game.

@jtturner1970

we can also play a couple home games each year in DC that market is wide open for college football and oliver luck is already working on it

Jamie Thornton

lol @ Paul Finebaum today. Does Mizzou even have fans? All the people of Mizzou care about are the Cardinals. Mizzou = awful fit for SEC

WVU8

I for one am a WVU Alumnus, staunch WVU athletics supporter and would (of course) love to be in the SEC. I started reading your postings when the whole conference realignment thing was REALLY big news but enjoy the content simply as a rabid college football fan. That writer who wrote this story, Jack Bogaczk , is a hack who hates WVU and always find ways to slight the school as well as athletics.

Would we win the SEC every year, no chance. Would we be competitive every year, yes. We have always had solid football teams and I believe recruiting would only get better if were to join the SEC.

I know getting into the SEC is a long shot and we will probably waste away in the Big East, but it is nice to believe we could be in the SEC one day.

Hillbillydelux

"Dominate"? Certainly not. WVU hasn't even been able to do that in the Big East. But top to bottom, the SEC is clearly a stronger conference than the Big 12, so you could see WVU taking the conference crown once or twice a decade--as opposed to every 25 or 50 years in the SEC. And this is coming from a Mountaineer fan.

WVfan

We did destroy OK in the Fiesta a couple years ago and most think we have a better team now than in 08. I'd rather get knocked off by an SEC team than TX or OK. Also, this writer is a Marshall homer. He's is only concerned that the State will actually have to start spending some money on its flagship university, thus taking some state funding away from Marshall. WVU athletics is completely self-sustaining on a $65M budget. In fact, WVU receives minimal funding from the State. That will have to change if WVU ever got into the SEC, which looks more and more like a long shot.

ncaafootballfan

WVU would certainly compete better than Missouri. It's probably a blessing in disguise for WV when Mizzou goes to the SEC. WV will go to the B12 and have a good chance at dominating that conference, like they did the Big East. Missouri however, struggles now. As they say, be careful what you ask for, you might just get it.

matthafer

you think WVU would dominate Texas and Oklahoma?

Really?

bee

For some reason I see of score 48 to 28? Does that ring any bells? 2008 Fiesta Bowl

Jamie Thornton

THey already dominated Oklahoma a few years ago in the fiesta bowl. They also beat Georgia in the Sugar bowl. So why do people think WVU can't win in the SEC? THey lost to the best team in the country.

@jtturner1970

we may only have 1.8 mil people but we had a 320 mil dollar budget surplus this year we are going to put half in our rainy day fund bringing it up to 800 mil I think that would go a lomg way toward keeping us competitive people who think wv is a poor state are wrong we have enough coal reserves to power the whole country for 250 yrs and that = money

xcoldbeer

I also am being realistic about what our options are if we stay in the Big East. The reality is that the Big East is falling apart and this could very well be the last year of its existence (at least for all-sports members). The ironic thing is that WVU, the best team in the Big East, is the one who is going to be left holding the bag.
What are our options if we do not join the SEC? Well, let's look at that.... The Big10 and ACC doesn't want us. To join the Big12 means a nightmare for away games (in all sports), plus they really don't want us either, and have made that pretty clear. So what is left? Join the MAC? Join CUSA? Pick either one of those conferences and you have just destroyed any and all progress that WVU has made over that past 25 years. We would continue to be a "coaching farm team" for all other conferences, hardly (if ever) get into a BCS game and NEVER have the opportunity to play in a National Championship game.

Jim

xcoldbeer, just being objective. In the post below Scott explains why Nebraska sells out every game. If WVU was in Flatwoods it would sell out every game too.

When Georgia is 4-7 and they play Vanderbilt there is 90K plus there to see it, can WVU or West Virginia match that, probably not because you don't care about Vanderbilt, that is the problem.

I refuse to slam a "TRUE Mountaineer" because we need all we can get. I believe WVU can put a product on the field that can compete in the SEC because I believe kids in Ohio and Pennsylvania would rather play in the SEC than the Big 10 but would the fans support it, even when WVU was 4-7 and were playing a 4-7 team, this weekend suggests that they would not.

Sorry but we can't ignore facts.

Scott

75% of Nebraska's population lives within 1-1.5 hours of Lincoln. Also, there is nothing else within 2 hours to draw them away as far as sports. It's a farther drive for most WVU fans and the state has less money. I still think we could fill it up, we sell out, but people often don't show up.

xcoldbeer

Jim, do you have a degree from PITT?

Have you ever tried getting tickets to a Nebraska game? They seat 95,000 and their stadium is packed for every home game. Nebraska's population? 1.8 million.

Also, who in the hell cares about Vanderbilt anyways?

While it might be true that you're a lifelong resident of West Virginia, you are far from being a lifelong fan of West Virginia University. Fans like you we TRUE Mountaineers can do without.

Jim

I think what everyone is saying is everybody takes their lumps in the SEC, if WV goes to the SEC there will be some 5-7 years, it would be silly to think Georgia could go 5-7 and WV would never have a losing record in the SEC, sorry.

I am a lifelong West Virginian and Mountaineer fan but would we get 65k to a game against Vanderbilt if WV as 4-7?

As bad as I want WV to be SEC caliber they are not. We have 1.8 million people. I think if WV would go to the SEC the product on the field would step up but we still have 1.8 million people, it is amazing and a credit to the coaches and admin that WV can compete anywhere near this level.

ncaafootballfan

I said they would have a good chance. WVU is certainly a caliber team that can beat OK, as they did in the Fiesta bowl. Will they OWN the conference year in and year out? NO. But they would have a good chance every year to be right up there at the top.

WDE>Bammer

West Virginia would do better in the SEC than Missouri. At least they have rabid fans and have won something once in a while.

Andy Allen

Jack Bogaczk is a crap writer who loves Marshall and never has an unbiased opinion when it comes to WVU.

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