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| Big East and BCS thoughts-Who is next for the 8 team conference? |
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| Written by Personal Foul | |||||||||
| Saturday, 01 December 2007 | |||||||||
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{mosimage}Big East rep Jason Kobeda (aka Personal Foul) was cool enough to answer a few questions about the Big East, BCS and the future of both. He not only follows the Big East closely but also recruiting, so his insight can be seen from the ground up. 1. With only 8 teams, do you see the Big East adding football teams in the future? Yes, I think they would like to expand but if they do, they're likely going to take their time and be very careful about it. Fortunately for the Big East, all of the new members have been able to build their programs and be successful. Adding any two teams might jeopradize the integrity of the conference. I think an easy target for the Big East would be Marshall, granted Marshall is one of the worst teams in the country this season but they already have a big rivalry in place with West Virginia and it's a program that has had success in the past. The tenth team might be one they try to lure from another conference, there are a number of possibilities but Commissioner Mike Tranghese would really have to put together a good deal to lure someone like a Wake Forest away from the ACC for example. 2. What team(s) could best challenge West Virginia over the next five years? Definitely USF if Jim Leavitt sticks around. Leavitt has built that team from the ground up, however I think we're about to see him tested by the almighty dollar from a big school somewhere. I said in an earlier article that I thought Leavitt should be a candidate for the Michigan job. If he denies all offers and stays at USF for a few more years I would expect the Bulls to gain national prominence. The same could be said for West Virginia as well though, if Rich Rodriguez leaves for another school I would expect WVU to go down for a couple years. I think people underestimate how well Rodriguez has done at WVU. UConn is another team that I believe could challenge, at least in the forseeable future. UConn is a very young team and Randy Edsall has built that program very quickly. Whether or not UConn can stay at the top remains to be seen but for right now, they have a very young, talented team. 3. The BCS is once again filled with debate. Do you like the BCS (or Bowl affiliations) or would you prefer a playoff system College football is doing so well right now that I can't see any drastic changes happening in the near future. There is constantly controversy over who is ranked where and who plays in the National Championship Game etc... but I think that's viewed as a good thing. All of that controversy drives ratings and provides endless ESPN fodder and USA Today cover stories. The influence that the networks and publications have on the NCAA is probably more than we'll ever know. If Missouri were to blow out Oklahoma and WVU beats Pitt by a point; Ohio State may sneak into the National Championship Game. It's the possibility of this and a number of other things happening that will have the nation glued to their televisions on Saturday night. I heard someone on "The Sports Reporters" on Sunday morning say "Michigan lost to Appalachian State in Week 1 and ruined their national title hopes, when was the last time you saw something that significant happen in the NFL in week 1" I think that is exactly what the NCAA is thinking, they've fostered an "any given week" mentality that has been far too successful to change. Now back to the question, would I prefer a playoff system? I think it would be interesting to try. I don't see why, if it were implemented, it would have to stay forever. Try it out for four years, if it doesn't work, go back to the BCS. Easier said than done sure, but that's why I'm a blogger. This isn't a risk I would expect the NCAA to take, honestly if I were president of the NCAA and my Board of Directors approached me with this, I would probably just resign! 4. What team do you think would win a national 8 team playoff? I think that a college football playoff would be drastically different than an NFL playoff simply because each team's style differs so drastically. NFL teams are usually talented all around but when you look at the unique variables in college football like option offenses, I think the most well rounded teams would usually do the best. That being said, I believe Georgia, Ohio State and Missouri would probably go the farthest in this year's crop with Ohio State winning. Missouri is a very well rounded team that doesn't turn the ball over very often, but Ohio State has had many more substantial victories and a better defense. 5. What is your EARLY top 3 in the Big East next year? This is difficult to determine without knowing who will declare early for the NFL Draft but I'll give it a shot... #1 WVU - The Mountaineers will lose power FB/TE Owen Schmitt, WR Darius Reynaud and DE Johnny Dingle as well as their top three corners and two safeties to graduation. That is going to take its toll, but Rich Rodriguez has done a tremendous job of recruiting and there are several young players still developing within this program. Unfortunately, Dingle will no longer play with fellow linemate Scooter Berry and leave us without the amusement of hearing the announcers dance around the call that "Dingle and Berry combine on the tackle". If Steve Slaton doesn't go into the draft as a junior, he, Pat White and Noel Devine could really do some damage next year. #2 USF - Matt Grothe and George Selvie are only going to be Juniors next year, that's almost scary. The only significant offensive loss will be WR Amarri Jackson but the defense will suffer with the loss of standout LB Ben Moffitt as well as RE's Jarriet Buie and Woody George, NT's Richard Clebert and Allen Cray and CB's Trae Williams & Ryan Gilliam. If All American corner Mike Jenkins comes back next year, he'll need to take Moffitt's lead and bolster that defense. #3 UCONN - Uconn will need more production out of QB Tyler Lorenzen in his senior season if they want to do better than the Meineke Car Care Bowl next year. They will be returning every starting player on offense with the exception of RG Donald Thomas and will lose only three on defense, DT Dan Davis, MLB Danny Lansanah and CB/KR Tyvon Branch. This team took a lot of people by surprise in 2007 on a national scale, but within the Big East, they've made their presence felt for the last few years. Randy Edsall always has his guys ready to play and I think next year could be boom or bust depending on Lorenzen's performance.
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Lloyds Apple
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I find it interesting you did not include West Virginia as a team that could win a playoff. As far as expanding the conference, I'm a UCF grad (go Knights!) and they of course are playing Tulsa for the CUSA championship. UCF fans want to be in the Big East. A USF-UCF (the war on I-4) rivalry would be great for college football. I went to the 64-12 drubbing USF handed UCF earlier this year, so they are a ways away, I guess. Nothing that a couple CUSA championships could not change. Plus, they have a new stadium and a pretty strong following. You know, CUSA originally asked UCF to join but only for football so they said no. USF took the spot, then got bumped up to the Big East and the rest is history. UCF is left wishing, but I think it could still happen, with UCF trying to line itself up right now. I see the Big Ten adding a team in the next 10 years (not Notre Dame). I've seen Pitt thrown in the conversation. Syracuse. Mizzou. Those all could happen. West Virginia would be great if not for their academic standards. I expect some shake downs soon enough, and will be interested to see where the chips lay when it's over. |
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Personal Foul
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Yeah, as far as WVU, you could easily make an argument for any of the top 8 teams in a playoff. I was thinking about the most consistent and well rounded teams. I think WVU's subpar passing attack would cause a problem for them in a playoff against the top teams. I never heard of that story with UCF and USF, that's crazy. I think the state of Florida has enough football talent to support many of it's top schools such as Florida, Fla St, Miami, and USF and still have enough left over to make UCF a powerful team. I know that a lot of northern schools still get a bunch of Florida recruits and it will be up to UCF to start keeping them at home. However, FIU and FAU might be SOL! |
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Nice article Nick. Maybe the Big 12 title game...
Hey thanks for bumping this back up. I complet...DRS Gear
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