Big East Nightmare Scenario

[RMF5630]

WVU runs the table and does not go to the NC game as a one loss SEC team gets the nod.

Rodriguez says screw this and jumps to UNC because he now thinks he can't win the big one in the Big East.  Petrino does the same thing to NC State or Miami.  Now the BE has lost its 2 premier coaches.  Throw Schaivano to UM or even Penn State (a school he said he would go to earlier with a 90 year old coach) and what do you have?  Throw in FSU's situation and there may be some premier openings in conferences that can go to the NC game alot easier than the BE.  

WVU has to get into the NC game or the Big East is in real trouble.  Basically, it makes the BE a

BCS version of the MAC, a stepping stone.  Call me a doom and gloom person, but this could happen.  You lose your top coaches and there are problems.  

[Jewbull]

Paterno isnt going anyway, so Schiano to PSU is ridiculous, and Penn St is a school that would either hire within or hire a bigger name than Schiano.

[smazza]

unc could never be as successful as WV

wv will be in NC game before unc

big east survived and thrived after bc,vt,and canes left so they would survive coaches leaving

[BullBlood]

I agree that losing top coaches would definitely hurt the BE.  If you look at the situation of each coach though.......

Schiano is a rutgers guy and I think he's actually from jersey.

Petrino could have left two seasons ago, but chose to stay.

Rodriguez is a WV guy as well.

Their situations are similar to Leavitt in that they wanted to stay "home" and build their respective programs.  Now that they've done that, why should they leave now?  They are all ranked very high.  Look at the schools that they could be going to.  Miami isn't ranked and there's obviously a huge amount of pressure coaching for that team.  UNC is terrible.  Penn state is terrible and has to play OSU/MICH/ND every year.  FSU also unranked.  

Maybe i'm being a little over-optimistic, but they would all be switching to WORSE teams than they currently have.  It's gotta be tough to leave a #3 or a #5 or a #12 team and think you're going to a better place.  It doesn't happen that often in football unless you're talking about OC/DC positions moving to HC jobs.  They aren't exactly dismissing offers, but CJL did the same thing and got himself a nice contract extension with a hefty raise for himself and assistants (CJL was not truly considering leaving USF.  It was a contract negotiation issue).  

I think the BE is an easier conference to get to a BCS game or NC game than any other conference (only 8 teams + guaranteed BCS game for the champ).  The SEC had an undefeated Auburn team sit out the NC game a couple of years ago and they were the strongest conference that year.

[Mtneer001]

does a coach define the program or does a program define the coach?

Is Miami still a great program without Jimmy Johnson?

Is Florida mediocre without Steve Spurrier?

Does an undefeated Big 10 champion Penn State team get left ouf of the national title game (98)?

Does an undefeated SEC Champion Auburn get left out of a national title game? ('04)

The Big East conference has arguably the easiest path to the national title game every year.

[BullBlood]

Look at John L. Smith now!  He left Louisville.  He decided it was a bad program that couldn't go anywhere and decided to coach in a "better conference" for a "better team."

How did that work out for you J. Smith?  Last time I checked Louisville is undefeated, #5 in the country, had 2 heisman candidates, and is playing in one of the biggest games of the year tonight, with NC implications.

How's Mich State doing????

[___ Eats It]

unc could never be as successful as WV

wv will be in NC game before unc

big east survived and thrived after bc,vt,and canes left so they would survive coaches leaving

Wiser words never left Steve's mouth.

[Ricky the Bull]

Look at John L. Smith now!  He left Louisville.  He decided it was a bad program that couldn't go anywhere and decided to coach in a "better conference" for a "better team."

How did that work out for you J. Smith?  Last time I checked Louisville is undefeated, #5 in the country, had 2 heisman candidates, and is playing in one of the biggest games of the year tonight, with NC implications.

How's Mich State doing????

In case you were just alluding to bad times he's having there and no one has heard the news, but John L. has been fired effective the end of this season.

[Guest r_to_the_izzo]

unc could never be as successful as WV

wv will be in NC game before unc

big east survived and thrived after bc,vt,and canes left so they would survive coaches leaving

Mack Brown had UNC at 12-1 before he bolted. Who can't be succesfull?

The BE has "survived" and "thrived" playing the weakest non-conference schedule of the bcs teams (from your own facts). All they have prooven this year is other than WVU/UL, the rest is mediocre. Even Rutgers hasn't shown to be a dominate team, just one that survives.

[Greg Auman]

If West Virginia doesn't make the national title game, it won't be because of the Big East. It's because West Virginia scheduled nobody out of conference -- you don't impress people by beating Marshall, East Carolina and Maryland.