As many of you are aware, there is quite a bit of uncertainty surrounding several conferences in NCAA Division I, including the Big East. You may be wondering what this means for the University of Louisville. I do not claim to be an expert on this topic, but I feel my opinion is valid. Here is my prediction: The University of Louisville will be in a an "AQ" or BCS power conference, regardless of whether or not that conference is the Big East.
With the abrupt and unexpected departure of Pittsburgh and Syracuse (the latter a charter member of the league), the future of the Big East as a relevant football conference seems very much in doubt. In almost every other sport, most notably basketball, the Big East is extremely competitive with the other power conferences. Unfortunately, this current shift in the conference landscape is all about money. Football is the engine that drives most athletic programs; from ticket and concession sales to multi-million dollar contracts with television networks.
Why Louisville will not be left out in the cold: The vast majority of athletic programs lose money. Louisville is one of the top 25 most profitable athletic programs in the country. Our athletic facilities rival anybody's in the country, regardless of sport. U of L's athletic teams are also littered with conference champions from track & field to tennis. Again, football is where the money is, but being one of the top programs in our conference in virtually every sport in which we participate makes us an attractive addition to other power conferences looking to expand. Having the best athletic director in the business certainly doesn't hurt either.
We are not guaranteed of anything. Some conferences, namely the ACC, have said that they have no interest in adding Louisville. Most people do not see the SEC being a viable option either. As a fan, it is hard not to take those snubs personally, but I am extremely confident in our administration. They are not just sitting around waiting for something to happen. They are being proactive and diligent in their efforts to find the best situation for my beloved Cardinals.
As a huge fan of college basketball, it would be sad to see us leave the nation's best basketball conference, but the league has already taken a significant hit in that regard with Syracuse and Pittsburgh leaving for the ACC. As I mentioned, our administration must make the best decision for the University of Louisville. Remaining in a league with questionable stability, that could quite possibly be on the outside looking in for a BCS bid, would not be in the best interest of our athletic program.
Although I would have not considered the Big XII as an option, even a couple of weeks ago, it seems to be the most logical place for U of L to land. Apparently, geography has little to do with which teams end up in which conference these days, so our location should not be a significant hurdle to overcome. The Big XII has already expressed interest in Louisville as they look to again be a 12 team league (currently there are only 9 members, with Texas A&M officially heading to the SEC).
I am not picky. The most important thing is to remain in an AQ conference and, at this point, I have no reason to believe that we won't. As much as I adore my hometown school, I understand that these things don't always work out the way we hope, or even expect, especially when big dollars are involved. If we are not in a BCS conference when the Big East's automatic bid to a BCS bowl is reviewed in 2013, however, I would be shocked and appalled. Even a Kentucky fan could not argue that the Cardinals unquestionably belong in a major conference!
Go Cards!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Leave Will Alone (for now)
As a die hard U of L fan and alumni, I want to see all of our teams do well. Like most red-blooded American males, though, football and basketball are the most important to me. So, watching the first two games of the University of Louisville football team's season has been painful. We have struggled against opponents that should not be able to compete with us. Especially on our home field. Replacing our starting quarterback is not the answer though. Not yet!
We have not looked great on either side of the ball. Our defense gave up several big plays in the loss to Florida International, and our offensive line couldn't block anybody. As a fan, it is sometimes hard to keep things in perspective. After all, fan is short for fanatic! It is easy to let your emotions get the best of you because you want your team to win so badly. If you take a step back, however, you can see why this Cardinal football team is having such a difficult time.
Louisville lost 26 seniors from last year's squad. Regardless of the talent level of those departed, it is a tall order to replace that many players, not to mention their leadership and intangibles. We have no returning starters on our offensive line (Mario Benavides was supposed to return as the starting center, but he is injured). We have had several key injuries on our defensive line including starters Greg Scruggs and B.J. Butler, and both cornerbacks are first-year starters. The Cards are an extremely young team, and consequently, rely on underclassmen (including many freshman) to help win ball games. Several of our young players have performed well. In most cases, they are more talented than their upperclassmen teammates. But playing at this level is a very difficult transition for most kids right out of high school.
Everybody has an opinion, but we aren't the coach. I am extremely confident in Charlie Strong and believe he will do everything possible to give us the best opportunity to win. Getting Teddy Bridgewater to sign with U of L was huge for coach Strong and his program. Don't you think he would play him if he thought Teddy was ready? Will Stein has not been the reason we have performed badly in the first two games. I am not saying he has been spectacular, but he has had very little support from his teammates. We haven't been able to run the ball effectively and Stein has been scrambling for his life to avoid sacks (FIU recorded 6 of them).
Coach Strong feels Will gives us the best chance to win right now and I don't have the credentials to argue with him. Frankly, most Stein detractors don't either. Be patient! This team will improve. As a fan, though, I certainly hope to see vast improvement from our squad in Saturday's game against that team down the road!!
Go Cards! Beat UK!!
We have not looked great on either side of the ball. Our defense gave up several big plays in the loss to Florida International, and our offensive line couldn't block anybody. As a fan, it is sometimes hard to keep things in perspective. After all, fan is short for fanatic! It is easy to let your emotions get the best of you because you want your team to win so badly. If you take a step back, however, you can see why this Cardinal football team is having such a difficult time.
Louisville lost 26 seniors from last year's squad. Regardless of the talent level of those departed, it is a tall order to replace that many players, not to mention their leadership and intangibles. We have no returning starters on our offensive line (Mario Benavides was supposed to return as the starting center, but he is injured). We have had several key injuries on our defensive line including starters Greg Scruggs and B.J. Butler, and both cornerbacks are first-year starters. The Cards are an extremely young team, and consequently, rely on underclassmen (including many freshman) to help win ball games. Several of our young players have performed well. In most cases, they are more talented than their upperclassmen teammates. But playing at this level is a very difficult transition for most kids right out of high school.
Everybody has an opinion, but we aren't the coach. I am extremely confident in Charlie Strong and believe he will do everything possible to give us the best opportunity to win. Getting Teddy Bridgewater to sign with U of L was huge for coach Strong and his program. Don't you think he would play him if he thought Teddy was ready? Will Stein has not been the reason we have performed badly in the first two games. I am not saying he has been spectacular, but he has had very little support from his teammates. We haven't been able to run the ball effectively and Stein has been scrambling for his life to avoid sacks (FIU recorded 6 of them).
Coach Strong feels Will gives us the best chance to win right now and I don't have the credentials to argue with him. Frankly, most Stein detractors don't either. Be patient! This team will improve. As a fan, though, I certainly hope to see vast improvement from our squad in Saturday's game against that team down the road!!
Go Cards! Beat UK!!
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