Big Ten playing the big bully

There is no way the 'Eye would be happy if Tony Barnhart's outlandish speculation comes true. I'm in no position to question Barnhart's sources or his own instincts when it comes to seeing into the Big Ten's future.

The scribe is one of the best college football guys around.

But does it make sense for the Big Ten to make the leap from 11 to 16 teams? Barnhart seems to think so. It would play well into B10 commish Jim Delany's ego as it has been rumored that this is his way to put a final stamp on his legacy.

Of course Barnhart's fact/fiction has the B10 raiding the Big East of Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut and Rutgers. The fifth and final addition would potentially be Notre Dame. This would all but doom the football sect of the Big East, and relegate West Virginia, Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida will either be left for dead or hope the ACC or SEC scoops them up in an effort to not fall too far behind Delany's dream conference.

More realistically, the four remaining Big East teams would find a home in lesser conferences or try their best to salvage what's left by seeking new members from Conference USA and elsewhere. But maintaining BCS status will not happen.

The SEC doesn't need to overreact, but instead of taking what's left of the Big East it could look at adding Miami, Florida State, Clemson or even Texas.

All of this seems a little crazy, but remember what WVU's Bill Stewart said not too long ago, and Tony Barnhart wouldn't just throw out this crazy plan without some solid information. Right?

Not so fast Pac-10

So all that expansion talk by the Pac-10 may be losing some steam. According to a recent article by Dennis Dodd at CBSsports.com, Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott says they may petition the NCAA to change the conference championship rule from 12 to 10 teams.

If this happens the Pac-10 wouldn't need to expand, nor share money with two other institutions. While a Pac-10 championship game means more money it's appeal is limited at best. Still, if this happens it would open the door for the Big Ten and Big East to have a conference championship without adding teams. This could also save the current conference alignments.

Scott also tells Dodd he has spoken with Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany and Big East commish John Marinatto about holding championship games without expanding to 12 or more.

This would definitely be of interest to the Big East and its eight football members, and possible to an extent the Big Ten and its 11 members. If Delany can't land, say, Notre Dame or Texas, maybe passing on expansion is a possibility.

However, the Big Ten's expansion is more about growing its TV network through large markets and cashing in on all of those homes paying a $1 or more to have the Big Ten Network, so Big Ten expansion is going to happen. It's also interesting to see the Pac-10 is still discussing a similar TV network with the ACC and Big 12.

This story is far from over. Too bad Marinatto remains (OK, he spoke with the Pac-10 from his luxury office in Providence, R.I.) on the sidelines as his conference is in a death roll.

Pac-10 expansion comes into focus

Thank you Jon Wilner.

While we have spent a great deal of time and space dissecting the potential and pitfuls of Big Ten expansion, 'Eye and 'Eer have shied away from much discussion about the Pac-10's big expansion plans. Mainly because we aren't in touch with it quite like those on the west coast.

But thanks to the San Jose Mercury News columnist, we now have an excellent view of how and why expansion is inevitable in the Pac-10. It's clear from his piece the Pac-10 is willing to abandon its academic high ground for the all important cash. Here is a quote from the story:

“Everything is for sale,” one source told me. “They’ll do anything necessary to make money.’

With state funding becoming more scarce and athletic budgets skyrocketing into hundreds of millions it's easy to see why Pac-10 leaders are jealous of the $200-plus million made by the Big Ten and SEC.

So stay tuned as it is very clear now the Pac-10 will not sit by idly and will look to probably add Colorado, Utah or BYU.

So, once again, what is Big East commish John Marinatto have planned to secure the future of his conference? We're still waiting Big John.

Big Ten gets more serious about expansion

While it comes as no surprise, the Big Ten has hired a firm to investigate the potential of possible expansion partners.

Spending big dollars to consultants seems to be the way of big-time athletics. But is it really necessary? Do Big Ten officials really need to spend millions for a consultant to tell them Rutgers has no football history (other than playing the first game ever), but it is near NYC?

A few interesting revelations that came out of the story are that Notre Dame remains an unlikely decision, that Texas isn't even mentioned among the initial 15 schools and that commissioner James Delaney may make a recommendation to the Big Ten presidents this summer.

Certainly the Pac-10 will follow suit soon. So where's the Big East and commissioner John Marinatto?

How will the Big Ten grow?

Everyone just assumes whoever the Big Ten invites to join the cash-rich conference will just jump. But that may not be accurate.

Notre Dame is still a longshot and probably out of reach. It was also a stretch to consider Texas and the Longhorns are in a pretty strong position and will more than likely remain put (or maybe consider a jump to the SEC one day).

So of course the most likely choices are Nebraska and Missouri from the Big 12 or Syracuse, Pitt and Rutgers from the Big East. Look, Rutgers jumps right now. Missouri probably does the same. But is Rutgers or Missouri really the splash Jim Delany is looking for by moving the Big Ten to 12 teams?

Nebraska is better and possible. But Syracuse and Pitt aren't necessarily guaranteed to bolt the Big East for the bigger dollars of the Big Ten.

After recently speaking with a Syracuse source, he said Orange coach Doug Marrone does not support a move and would consider it a big mistake. And a recent article in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review makes some valid points as to why Pitt should stay put as well. One key reason is the increasing intensity of the Backyard Brawl.

Now is the time for the Big East to seek new members. What are you waiting for Commissioner Marinatto?

What is Marinatto/Big East waiting for?

What the hell is Big East Commissioner John Marinatto waiting for?

He's new to the job, but just five years after Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami bolted for the ACC, the Big East is sitting idly by as the Big Ten and Pac-10 announce each is looking to expand in the next year.

Marinatto should immediately announce the conference is forming a fact-finding group that will look at expanding the Big East to 12 teams. He should also assure everyone that the group will do everything it can to retain all current members, since the Big East may be raided once again by the Big Ten.

Rutgers, Pittsburgh and Syracuse are all considered potential expansion partners with the Big Ten, especially if Big Ten commissioner James Delaney and his fact-finding group decide expanding to 14 teams is a better idea.

So Marinatto needs to be proactive and start thinking of the long-term sustainability of the Big East football schools. This could prove beneficial as he hopes to keep any Big East schools from listening to the Big Ten's overtures.

Remaining idle now will just increase the bashing by those who see the Big East as nothing more than a basketball conference.

There are a number of excellent options for the Big East ... elevating Villanova and Georgetown and adding Memphis, East Carolina, Central Florida or Navy is just one of them. But instead of just looking at the Big East we will soon present a proposal of going to eight Power Conferences.

Hopefully it will be more forward thinking than anything the Big East has to offer us.

Bowl Preview: Meineke Car Care Bowl

Meineke Car Care Bowl
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
Pittsburgh vs. North Carolina
Date: Dec. 26
Time: 4:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN
Line: Pitt -2.5

About Pitt: The Wannstaches were only a late touchdown away from beating Cincinnati and reaching a BCS game. Instead, they're spending Christmas in Charlotte. Ouch. Pitt's biggest improvement over previous seasons was when offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh took a job with the New York Jets. This let Pitt hire a new OC, Frank Cignetti, who was interested in scoring points. That and they got a freshman running back named Dion Lewis who's sweet.

Intangibles:Peppi's North Side: +5
Pitt campus: -3
Steelers fans: -7
Steelers fans when they suck: +4

About North Carolina: The Tar Heels are returning to the Car Care Bowl for the second season, which may not be quite the visions of Mack Brown-like glory fans were hoping for when they hired Butch Davis. the Heels could be great Saturday. Or they could be terrible. Nobody ever knows. They're kind of like the rest of the ACC. Or any team coached by Butch.

Intangibles: Butch Davis at Miami: +3
Butch Davis with the Browns: -8 (F you, Butch.)
Roy Williams: -3
Not Duke: +3

Impact Player: I'll go with Pitt QB Bill Stull, who I actually saw play in high school as a freshman. He's a little better now. If Stull can make some plays down the field, Pitt wins.

Bowl slogan: "Inviting North Carolina-based teams since 2004 to help our attendance projections!"

Little known fact: North Carolina's uniforms are kind of cool, but kind of gay and make me uncomfortable with own sexuality. Billy, have you ever seen a grown man naked? Wait, what?

Watchability (1-5): 3.8

The pick: Pitt 27, North Carolina 21

The first one falls...

Louisville mercifully ended the Steve Kragthorpe era today, letting the formerly hot coaching name go after three years of really bad football.

He wasn't alone as Akron ditched J.D. Brookhart, who never seemed to transfer his recruiting prowess from Pitt to NE Ohio.


While driving I heard ESPN's Pat Forde, a Louisville resident, give the preliminary list of potential replacements being discussed by the Cardinal brass. Houston coach Kevin Sumlin and Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong were mentioned. Then the list went into typical Louisville "we think way more of our football program than anyone else does" with Gary Patterson at TCU, Bronco Mendenhall of BYU and Kyle Whittingham of Utah.

Okay guys, sure. Too bad Jon Gruden signed that MNF contract or he'd be dying to coach at Papa Johns Stadium.

Bigger than the game

I learned a long time ago that no matter how much I cheer (yell) or root (swear), nothing I do will help WVU win or make a big play. However, following yesterday's way-too-close-for-comfort win over Marshall I started looking ahead to UConn coming to Morgantown this weekend.

Would QB Jarrett Brown be healthy enough to play after suffering what appeared to be a concussion on the first drive Saturday? If freshman Geno Smith has to play this weekend how will he do against a much better Huskies defense? This is an important Big East game for the Mountaineers, and these are pressing questions.

None of that seems to matter now. Injuries are part of the game. Tragic deaths of 20-year-olds are not. The terrible news out of Storrs is that Jasper Howard, a starting cornerback, was stabbed to death early Sunday morning near the student union -- just hours after the Huskies defeated Louisville 38-25.

According to a report in the Hartford (Conn.) Courant, police said the stabbing happened when a school-sponsored dance at the student union was let out. A fire alarm was pulled at 12:26 a.m., an altercation happened outside the building between two groups of people and then two people were stabbed.

On Saturday, I'll still be cheering and rooting for WVU. But I'll also be grieving for the UConn family.

WVU fans beware - animated loss to Auburn

FULL SCREEN VERSION
(Drive chart courtesy of SBNation's Rocky Top Talk)

Both 'Eye and 'Eer watched every play of this game, but apparently we needed to relive the horror through this fancy schmancy animated drive chart. Auburn still wins 41-31 and WVU still turns the ball over six times. (Note to OC Jeff Mullen: No more middle screens).

Podcast: Episode 38

You can tell by our voices in today's podcast that were more than ready for Thursday night's kickoff to College Football. However, how could we do a show without starting it off by talking about Practice Gate and the problems with Rich Rodriguez in Ann Arbor. No sympathy here.

After we spend way too much time talking about the team up north, we get on with other important topics such as Pete Carroll's love affair with Matt Barkley and if the Cincinnati-Rutgers game on Monday could provide the Big East with some relief. 'Eye and 'Eer also make their Heisman picks, as well as give you a game this weekend that you should care about.

Podcast: Episode 37

With the countdown to the start of college football down to single-digit days, An 'Eye and an 'Eer podcast is back to doing a weekly show. This week we have our first guest, Ryan Zundell from the podcast Brothers in 3-Z. Ryan brings to the table tons of knowledge about the Big East and WVU. So go check out his podcast, which takes a look at all sports.

After we let Ryan get back to his life, Phil and Tom lambast Lou Holtz for picking Notre Dame to play in the BCS Championship Game (what a dope). We also pick our sleeper teams for each conference, as well as consider Steve Spurrier's options if South Carolina gets off to a slow start this season.

Big East shut out again

No Big East team is good enough to crack the AP Top 25 or the USA Today Coaches preseason polls. This once again proves how insignificant these polls are and how we should wait until the first week of October before a poll is released.

But now GQ is dissing the conference. In the magazine's America's 25 Douchiest Colleges not a single Big East team made the cut. Seriously GQ, have none of your editors or writers met anyone from UConn? And Matt Grothe alone should warrent South Florida consideration.

OK, Ohio State's inclusion is pretty funny, but how does the ACC's Virginia Tech and North Carolina not make the list?

Podcast: Episode 36

It's time to give the Big Ten and Big East a little more credit than each has been getting lately. Seriously, does anyone who knows anything about college football really think Utah, Boise State, BYU or TCU would be any better than the third best team in any BCS conference? I didn't think so. Stop the complaining and let's get the season started.

We also give you who we think is the best player on a bad team (can you say Jake Locker?). We also give our picks for who will be this year's Clemson and fall quickly from the rankings into oblivion. Enjoy another podcast from Phil and Tom.

Big East is MIA

Bloggers and columnists are signaling the end of the Big East since no conference team is in the USA Today Preseason Top 25 Coaches poll. All that really tells me is preseason polls are meaningless.

Boise State (16), TCU (17), Utah (18) and BYU (24) are all ranked. Seriously, does anyone think all four of these teams will be in the Top 25 at the end? Does anyone remember Clemson last year? The Tigers were ranked in the top 10 and considered the ACC's premiere team. How did that work out for Tommy Bowden?

Cincinnati is the highest ranked Big East team at No. 29, followed by Pitt (30), West Virginia (31) and Rutgers (32).

My guess ... Pitt, WVU and Rutgers are all in the final Top 25. But really, what does that mean today?

Big East expansion?

This may sound far-fetched and considering it came from the New York Post it just may be, but is the Big East in a position of strength when considering future expansion to 9 or 10 teams?

According to the Post, two sources say the Big East would like to expand to nine teams if it can get ... wait for it ... an ACC team to bolt. The likely schools? Maryland or Boston College. This is a big step up from others who have been mentioned (East Carolina, Memphis, Central Florida, Army, Navy) as likely Big East expansion partners.

The Terrapins and Eagles seem a bit of a stretch for the Big East, especially when you consider the money the ACC is making these days and the academic profile that comes with being in that conference.

Look a little deeper and you can see the logic.

Maryland has always played Big East teams in non-conference tilts and Gary Williams would add another big-name coach to the best basketball conference in the country. Boston College has learned that the jump to the ACC may have been a bit shortsighted. In the down economy the Eagles have learned that traveling up and down the East Coast for soccer and softball aren't fiscally responsible. BC also has many more natural rivals in the Big East.

So is this a pipe dream or realistic in the near future?

"I think we've proven ourselves over the last three or four years," said new commissioner John Marinatto. "I think we are in a much better position."

Maybe this isn't so far-fetched.

Preseason: Big East rankings

Ugh. The Big East: sucking the fun out of football for the past 10 years! Just kidding, just kidding. Mostly.
Okay, enough pestering. Prediction time. It should be a competitive race this year as I don’t see any team dominating.

1. Cincinnati
Key returners: QB Tony Pike, WR Marcus Gilyard, WR Dominic Goodman, DT John Hughes
Predicted record: 8-4
While I think UC ends up with a worse overall record than WVU, I think they take the conference, as long they can win the season finale at Pitt. Big losses on defense will hold the Bearcats down a bit early in the year, but Brian Kelly knows how to get his offenses to score points. Tony Pike is back at QB and Marcus Gilyard at WR. UC has a new defensive coordinator and is supposedly switching to a 3-4 look.

2. West Virginia
Key returners: QB Jarrett Brown, RB Noel Devine, RB Jock Sanders, OG Josh Jenkins, DT Scooter Berry, LB Pat Lazear
Predicted record: 9-3
While the ‘Eers wll miss Pat White, Jarrett Brown is a talented backup who might be a better fit in WVU’s post-Rodriguez offense. Noel Devine is a home run threat at running back, but should get a few more carries per game. Replacing four starters on the offensive line could hinder WVU’s offense. The defense has some experienced players back and should be solid. The book is still out on Bill Stewart, though.

3. Pitt
Key returners: QB Bill Stull, QB Pat Bostick, WR Jonathan Baldwin, OT Jason Pinkston, TE Nate Byham
Predicted record: 8-4
The Panthers could win the Big East, but not just yet. I know Pitt fans were celebrating the departure of OC Matt Cavanaugh back to the NFL, and for good reason, but the questions at quarterback are still there. With a good offensive line, good receivers and solid backs, there’s no reason Pitt’s offense shouldn’t excel regardless. But I’ve heard that before.

4. Rutgers
Key returners: OT Anthony Davis, LB Ryan D’Imperio, LB Damaso Munoz, RB Kordell Young
Predicted record: 7-5
Mike Teel is gone, leaving a big hole at quarterback that could be difficult to fill. That’s the bad news. The good news is eight players are back on offense including four starters on a good offensive line and RB Young. Rutgers also has a cake non-conference schedule with the exception of Maryland. I just don’t quite see the talent there for the Knights who are a year away from being back at the top of the league.

5. Connecticut
Key returners: RB Jordan Todman, DE Marcus Campbell, DE Lindsey Witten, LB Greg Lloyd
Predicted record: 7-5
Notre Dame transfer Zach Fraser was anointed the No. 1 quarterback in the spring, which unfortunately doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence for one of the worst passing offenses in college football last year. Donald Brown is also gone. Questions abound on offense and defense, but it’s tough to question Randy Edsall’s ability to at least get this team back to a bowl game.

6. South Florida
Key returners: QB Matt Grothe, WR A.J. Love, DE George Selvie
Predicted record: 5-7
Offseason coaching turmoil is rarely a good thing and Jim Leavitt brought plenty of that on himself with dissension among the assistants and a couple firings. The Bulls will once again start the year hot, but there is a tough non-conference schedule with FSU and Miami and too many trips north late in the year.

7. Syracuse
Key returners: QB Ryan Nassib, CB Dorian Graham, S Kevyn Scott
Predicted record: 4-8
Don’t get me wrong, the ‘Cuse is still bad. Despite the record, the ‘Cuse will tie Louisville for the bottom. New coach Doug Marrone isn’t a miracle worker. Rob Spence’s spread, short-passing offense could help the Orange be more efficient on offense. But this is another rebuilding year for Syracuse. Marrone might want to skip the games to recruit.

8. Louisville
Key returners: DE Greg Scruggs, WR Josh Chichester, RB Victor Anderson, S Richard Raglin
Predicted recorded: 3-9
I like Steve Kragthorpe. I think he’s a good football coach. But this whole Louisville thing has been a nightmare scenario from the start. It won’t get better this season, mostly due to the brutal early schedule. After opening with Indiana State, Louisville faces Kentucky, Utah, Pitt, Southern Miss and Connecticut. That’s a potential 1-5 start, a lame duck Kragthorpe and a serious bottoming out in the pizza place.

Lamenting Lambert

There was a time when the football programs in the East cared about the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy. With the BCS and almost every team in a conference the significance of the honor is somewhat hollow these days.

On Monday, Penn State was awarded the Trophy for the 27th time—by far the most of any team.

According to Wikipedia, to be eligible for the Lambert Trophy, a school must be located in the East or play half its schedule against eligible Lambert teams. The territory includes New York, New Jersey, New England and Pennsylvania, while teams in the bordering states of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia and the District of Columbia qualify if half their schedule features eligible teams. While they were members of the Big East Conference, Virginia Tech and Miami of Florida were also eligible. Current Big East members Cincinnati, Louisville and South Florida are now eligible.

Here are the 2008 Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy standings:
1. Penn State
2. Cincinnati
3. West Virginia
4. Pittsburgh
5. Rutgers
6. Boston College
7. Connecticut
8. South Florida
9. Navy
10. Buffalo

Update 2: Bowl Standings

With only three bowl games remaining the Pac-10 has wrapped up the Bowl Challenge Cup. The Big Ten could really use a win from Ohio State over Texas, while the Big 12 has a chance to add two more wins and improve to 5-2. A Florida win over Oklahoma in the BCS title game would give the SEC the most wins at six. The Mid American Conference needs Ball State to knock off Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl on Tuesday to get its only victory.

I'm surprised how well the Pac-10 played this bowl season, but it's a stretch to say it was the best conference this season. Utah's upset of Alabama and South Carolina's pitiful performance against Iowa dented the SEC claim to being the best.

If Texas and Oklahoma win the Big 12 should be considered the best. But let's wait and see.

Conference Bowl Standings
Pac-10 5-0
SEC 5-2
Big East 4-2
Big 12 3-2
Conference USA 3-2
Mountain West 3-2
Sun Belt 1-1
ACC 4-6
Western Athletic 1-4
Big Ten 1-5
MAC 0-4

Update: Bowl Standings

Just for fun and with the Independence Bowl still in doubt (La. Tech leads Northern Illinois 14-7), here is our second look at how each conference is fairing so far. Interesting to note that not a single SEC or Big 12 team has played yet. Maybe that does prove these were the best two conferences this year and why Florida and Oklahoma (should be Texas) are playing in the BCS Championship.

The Big 12's Missouri faces Northwestern in the Valero Alamo Bowl at 8 p.m. tomorrow. Vanderbilt will start things off for the SEC as the Commodores take on Boston College in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl at 3:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve.

Here are the rankings so far:
Big East 2-0
Pac-10 2-0
Mountain West 2-1
ACC 2-2
Conference USA 1-1
Independents 1-1
Sun Belt 1-1
Big 10 0-1
Mid American 0-1
Western Athletic 0-3

(Photo courtesy of The Associated Press)