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Big East rises from ashes to become powerhouse
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Not even a visionary like Joe Paterno could have foreseen the scenario that currently exists in college football.
When he was trying to put together the all-sports, all-eastern conference during his stint as Penn State's athletic director back in 1980-81, Paterno couldn't have imagined the day when Rutgers and West Virginia would be ranked higher than his Nittany Lions while Pitt and Syracuse were nowhere in sight.
But that's the way things stood when dawn broke this morning. The Mountaineers and Scarlet Knights -- along with Big East partner Louisville -- were high in the preseason rankings. In fact, some think the Mountaineers might take a serious run at a national title.
Who could have known way back when the Nittany Lions owned West Virginia and Rutgers?
Who could have known just two years ago when the Big East was knee-capped by the decisions of Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech to bolt for the more established, more powerful Atlantic Coast Conference?
That move stripped the Big East of most of its star power, leaving only West Virginia to try to hold the conference's head above water.
Penn State, of course, had long since gone west to join the Big Ten, leaving its eastern brethren to fend for themselves.
Now look.
The Big East went 5-0 in bowl games last year. It had three teams finish in the top 12 in the BCS rankings and hung up a 14-7 record against the other BCS conferences. And it has four legitimate Heisman Trophy contenders in West Virginia's Steve Slaton and Pat White, Rutgers' Ray Rice and Louisville's Brian Brohm.
So much for its perceived second-class status. The Big East is now a major player on the college football landscape.
And you can look down your nose at the fact that it plays its TV games on Thursday nights but the fact is, two of the best games of last season were the Thursday night battles between Louisville and West Virginia, and Rutgers and Louisville.
Now throw in the fact that the Scarlet Knights are in New York City's back yard, so the potential exists for them to carve out a share of that mega-TV market, and with that exposure they become even more attractive to the recruits in New Jersey.
Plus, they've got one of the hot young coaches in the business in Greg Schiano.
Add it up and it's not hard to see the oak tree that's sprouted on Penn State's lawn.
Had Paterno had his way in 1981, Penn State would be one of the cornerstones of the conference.
Had he had his way then, Boston College and Virginia Tech, along with Maryland, would be members of the Big East now and it truly would have become the BIG East.
Of course he wanted the conference to include all sports and Pitt, Syracuse and Boston College were not interested in that because their basketball programs were both wanted, and better suited, for the fledgling Big East circuit. And the struggling Penn State program wasn't considered a good fit for the league.
So now we watch as the Big East powers that had room to grow once Boston College, Virginia Tech and Miami left, have thrust themselves into the national spotlight.
Their critics sniff that they don't play defense in the Big East, that it's a quarterback's dream and a cornerback's nightmare.
But it's an entertaining product they're putting on the field in Morgantown, East Brunswick and Louisville. Compared to the Big Ten, it's a Mustang running against an SUV. And if Pitt and Syracuse are able to regain their status as solid, competitive programs, then the Big East will be able to stand shoulder to shoulder with all but the SEC.
Anyone who would have suggested such a thing in 1981 would have been referred to counseling.
Ron Bracken is sports editor for the Centre Daily Times.
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Big East rises from ashes to become powerhouse (article)
