Quote:
Originally Posted by NorvTurnerOverdrive
honest question, why isn't wvu ever mentioned? they fit geographically and competitively, no?
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Two things that pretty much kill WVU: academics and TV numbers. WVU's academic reputation generally is perceived to be lower than what the Big Ten is seeking. As has been repeated fairly often in the thread to this point, the B10 is just as much an academic consortium as an athletic one.
The bigger thing, though, is probably the TV issue. West Virginia has a regional-to-semi-national profile and a strong traveling fan base (crucial to any bowl game), but TV potential is very limited since West Virginia itself is one of the lower-populated states in the country. If another factor the B10 is considering is whether their TV network gets more eyeballs and thus better carriage rates from cable/satellite providers, West Virginia isn't going to deliver as much as the "potential" of stronger access to the New York City market provided by either Rutgers or Syracuse or Connecticut.
The odds at this point are that if the Big 10 were to super-size to 16 with some combination of Big 12/Big East schools, then what the SEC does in response may dictate what happens to WVU. If the SEC raided the ACC, I could see the ACC responding by absorbing the best (or even all, depending on who survives from both leagues) of the remnants of the football Big East that aren't taken in by the Big 10. The ACC also has a strong academic bent, but that probably would crumble in the face of an existential threat to the conference caused by the SEC taking in more than one of Clemson, FSU, GT, or Miami. An ACC without at least three of those southern schools will continue to drift to mid-major status because no one else in the league outside of VT is really considered to have much football tradition. WVU would help with that, but may not be enough, especially if other Big East football members aren't any better than current ACC members. The basketball conference would be on par with the current Big East, though, especially if Syracuse and UConn were part of any merger. Too bad the money's not in basketball like it is in football.