NBCSports: Bowlsby says 'we don't have any imperative to get larger'

[xWVU2010x]

and xWVU2010x thinks that WVU is going to have a chance to remain in a power conference by sitting on its @$$ and doing nothing to put itself in the best position compared to other programs should realignment happen again. This type of thinking will lead WVU straight out of major college athletics.

Of course WVUs leadership needs to meet with leaders of other conferences and sell WVU. If xWVU2010 didn't have his/her head buried in the sand he'd realize that is what is going on all the time with schools--several leaders of schools trying to get into the BIG 12 for example have been visiting in person with leaders in the BIG 12, selling their school and what they can bring. They have posted about these meetings on social media and elsewhere. To think that you can just sit back, do nothing and magically you'll be picked up is about as delusional a thought process as I've ever seen.

WVU and WVU's community has to be proactive--they are in competition with others. Oliver Luck understood that and worked hard along with others to make opportunities for WVU. Had he not, WVU wouldn't be in a major conference now. Depending on the outcome of meetings in the BIG 12 over the next several months WVU might find itself in a similar position in the next several years. There are many things that need improvement that will take time to improve and you don't just sit back and wait until its too late.

We are powerless. You are so ridiculously delusional it is comical. All of the AAC schools can make all of the press releases they want but they all still are what they are, the Big XII Im sure has a pecking order of preferred schools, and they arent going to randomly pick a school like ECU and say "well their AD made some good points". If ECU, Temple, UH, Cincy, UConn or whoever wants to post on their website that they are so close to a power conference invite (they have done this in the past) then let them, it helps with recruiting naive 17 year olds who have offers from ECU, Marshall, and Tulane who can say "well ECU might be in the Big XII soon, so Ill go there". If we did something similar the Big XII would probably kick us out, were not in a conference that needs us, and they dont want us conspiring for its demise.

If WVU wants to be proactive, then invest more into football and win a lot of games, that is about the only thing we can do to be proactive. We cant change our location to a more populated area, we cant change our academic profile. What we can do is become great at football again, that helps ensure our safety more than anything you think actually happens in the politics of college athletics.

 

[Buckaineer]

We are powerless. You are so ridiculously delusional it is comical. All of the AAC schools can make all of the press releases they want but they all still are what they are, the Big XII Im sure has a pecking order of preferred schools, and they arent going to randomly pick a school like ECU and say "well their AD made some good points". If ECU, Temple, UH, Cincy, UConn or whoever wants to post on their website that they are so close to a power conference invite (they have done this in the past) then let them, it helps with recruiting naive 17 year olds who have offers from ECU, Marshall, and Tulane who can say "well ECU might be in the Big XII soon, so Ill go there". If we did something similar the Big XII would probably kick us out, were not in a conference that needs us, and they dont want us conspiring for its demise.

If WVU wants to be proactive, then invest more into football and win a lot of games, that is about the only thing we can do to be proactive. We cant change our location to a more populated area, we cant change our academic profile. What we can do is become great at football again, that helps ensure our safety more than anything you think actually happens in the politics of college athletics.

It is you that is ridiculously delusional. First of all I didn't state that only meeting with these people and selling yourself was important which it absolutely is. WVU also needs work on the things it can control somewhat such as its academic standing, physical facilities and the community at large which btw has a very bad reputation outside of Morgantown.

Winning football games is great--you are naive obviously, but thinking that is all WVU can do or should do is downright ignorant.

No one is talking about someone posting on their website that they are "closer to a power conference invite". Presidents and chancellors are posting about their visits with leaders of major conferences. Leaders in the BIG 12 have posted about meeting with leaders of schools and how they heard about this or that university and a case was made. These people-unlike certain individuals on this board-are intelligent people and understand that if they want to eventually get somewhere they have to do all they can to sell themselves. Just the same way, when no one was looking at WVU, WVU went out and sold itself and landed a spot in the BIG 12. If Luck and others hadn't worked hard for that invite WVU wouldn't be a major athletic dept. (or school in many ways really) today.

Oklahoma's president just alluded to meeting with leaders of other P5 conferences--should he be worried about being getting kicked out? You don't think Texas and probably some others have done the same? Difference is some of those schools have lots of choices. WVU is in a precarious situation and has to do everything it can to make itself attractive now and over the next several years.

If they sit back and do nothing as you want then if something happens down the road WVU will be unprepared and uninvited.

You need to read this article on WVU's conference and alignment changes over the years so you can educate yourself and understand people don't just sit back and wait when they are trying to best position their university for realignment. Don Nehlen, Jim Clements and Oliver Luck were instrumental in WVUs move and without that effort WVU would be nowhere now.

http://www.wvusports.com/page.cfm?story=25902

 

[xWVU2010x]

It is you that is ridiculously delusional. First of all I didn't state that only meeting with these people and selling yourself was important which it absolutely is. WVU also needs work on the things it can control somewhat such as its academic standing, physical facilities and the community at large which btw has a very bad reputation outside of Morgantown.

Winning football games is great--you are naive obviously, but thinking that is all WVU can do or should do is downright ignorant.

No one is talking about someone posting on their website that they are "closer to a power conference invite". Presidents and chancellors are posting about their visits with leaders of major conferences. Leaders in the BIG 12 have posted about meeting with leaders of schools and how they heard about this or that university and a case was made. These people-unlike certain individuals on this board-are intelligent people and understand that if they want to eventually get somewhere they have to do all they can to sell themselves. Just the same way, when no one was looking at WVU, WVU went out and sold itself and landed a spot in the BIG 12. If Luck and others hadn't worked hard for that invite WVU wouldn't be a major athletic dept. (or school in many ways really) today.

Oklahoma's president just alluded to meeting with leaders of other P5 conferences--should he be worried about being getting kicked out? You don't think Texas and probably some others have done the same? Difference is some of those schools have lots of choices. WVU is in a precarious situation and has to do everything it can to make itself attractive now and over the next several years.

If they sit back and do nothing as you want then if something happens down the road WVU will be unprepared and uninvited.

You need to read this article on WVU's conference and alignment changes over the years so you can educate yourself and understand people don't just sit back and wait when they are trying to best position their university for realignment. Don Nehlen, Jim Clements and Oliver Luck were instrumental in WVUs move and without that effort WVU would be nowhere now.

The University is going to work to improve its academic profile regardless of football. Academics and athletics are separate, but trust me our academic reputation is not going to skyrocket overnight, I believe we do as best as we can on that front and I respect the academic leadership at WVU given its mission as a land grant institution. Improving the facilities would fall into "investing in football" which I cited as a way of making ourself more attractive. Winning football games would be the only thing that could give us a little leverage. 10 years ago if Baylor disrupted anything they would have been laughed out of the conference, now Baylor has some clout because they are a winning football program. If we won the Big XII a few times I guarantee we would immediately have significantly more credibility than we do now.

We got picked by the Big XII because of multiple other schools and conferences making moves that just so happened to open up a spot for us. If the B1G, PAC, SEC, and ACC stayed content as they were in 2010 we would still be in the Big East along with Pitt, Cuse, Rutgers and UofL. We were not "proactive". I have no doubt once the dominoes started falling Luck, along with the ADs of Pitt, Cuse, Rutgers, UofL, UConn, Cincy, USF, and hell why not throw in Temple, ECU, and UCF were all on the phone asking about where their school stands in all of this. We REACTED the same way everyone else did, we were just fortunate to grab a seat as a school with a respected football program that was brought in to a conference vying to maintain its football credibility with the networks. Because at the end of the day, you can have all the markets you want but if no one watches the conference's football games, you really dont have anything, ask the AAC.

As for OU, Oklahoma's president wants to recruit members of P5 schools to the Big XII, they are not shopping themselves to other conferences. IMO trying to recruit another P5 school is a very ambitious endeavor that will not materialize into anything, and it says to me that the Big XII does not see any immediate threats to the conference and can sit around and wait before poaching an AAC school or asking BYU. Not to mention, Oklahoma can do whatever they want because the conference loses significant TV value without them. They along with Texas are not going to ever be kicked out. Their AD can show up at media days, drop his pants and take a dump on the floor and they will remain a member of the Big XII. We do not have that luxury as the outlier school 1000 miles away that grabbed one of the last remaining seats at the table, us and TCU are thankful for the opportunity and will shut up in the press unless prompted by Texas or OU. Stability for the Big XII works in our favor.

 

[ColoradoMountaineer]

The only expansion that is going to happen in the near term is the amount of threads and posts concerning expansion

 

[Chazz Michael Michaels]

B12 should be, and may already be, investigating what next tv package value would be.
BYU and Cincy would make the most sense if we go to 12.

 

[Beechurst]

Buck...

The chicken little prophet of doom that NEVER NEVER SLEEPS.

A misguided, fallacious agenda for the AGES.