Southern Miss ready to take advantage of realigment

Just over a month ago the Big Ten Conference served notice to the world of college football that changes are on the way. The league announced that they were beginning a study to expand conference membership.

There’s no secret that a number of Big Ten schools are lobbying for expansion to twelve teams. Even the Dean of college football coaches Joe Paterno has gone on the record with his support for the move. Twelve is the magic number and that’s where everyone wants to be.

A twelfth team will allow the Big Ten to host a championship game that could generate as much as $15 million in additional revenue for the league. The Championship game also has the potential to add some much needed prestige to the league that looks to be playing catch-up to the Southeastern Conference and the Big 12 at the moment.
It’s unlikely that the league will expand by more than one program, an earlier version of the Western Athletic Conference proved that 16 members is unwieldy and unsustainable. The most favorible candidates for a Big Ten expansion seem to be Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse and Missouri. It’s not worth wasting time speculating on Notre Dame, as they have no interest in joining a football conference.

Missouri is probably the least attractive program on the short list for several reasons, the most notable reason being they would be the most likely to decline the invite opting to remain in the Big 12. The Big Ten seems to be better served in the future by moving eastward.

Some analysts believe that Rutgers may be the best fit including Tom Dienhart, Senior College Football Writer for Rivals.com and one of the nation’s most respected experts on the college game.

“I think Rutgers is most attractive,” Dienhart said. “It meets the Big Ten’s academic profile, and it would broaden the league’s footprint into the New York City market.”

While it’s not a certainty, in all probability the Big Ten will select a current member of the Big East and like the previous three rounds of re-alignment it’s sure to cause a trickle down effect to Conference USA and potentially other leagues.

Like the Big Ten, a key for long term stability for the Big East is to get to the magical number of 12 teams.

“If the Big East loses a school, I think it should try to add enough to get to 12, split into two divisions and have a title game,” Dienhart said. “What schools would make the most sense? East Carolina, UCF, Memphis, Southern Miss and maybe it would take Temple back. “

Southern Miss willing and able to take advantage of realignment

The Golden Eagles appear to be in a much better position for inclusion in a 12-team Big East than once believed. Southern Miss Director of Athletics Richard Giannini is in a key position to help the Eagle cause. He holds a seat on the prestigious Division I FBS Football Committee.

“We’re on top of the situation,” he said in an exclusive interview with BigGoldNation.com.

And while Giannini wouldn’t comment directly on the possibility of Southern Miss making the move to the Big East it’s clear that he believes the Eagles would be an attractive candidate for any league considering expansion.

“Southern Miss athletics has a lot of positive aspects to be proud of and we will continue to work hard and our goal has always been to play on the highest level of the FBS in football and our other sports,” he said.

Southern Miss is in the middle of an athletic enhancement plan that has seen more than $67 million dollars invested into athletic facilities since 2000, and there are more plans on the way. Projects funded include - an expanded M.M. Roberts Stadium, major renovations to Reed Green Coliseum, enhancements to Pete Taylor Park and newly constructed softball and tennis facilities.

“Over the past ten years Southern Miss has invested more private dollars into facilities than any other program in Conference USA,” Giannini said. “We’re going to make sure that Southern Miss will compete with the best and that our facilities are equal to anyone in Division I athletics.”

Inclusion in a BCS automatic bid conference would be a huge windfall for Southern Miss who has historically ran one of the most cost efficient athletic departments in the country. Fewer than one quarter of NCAA FBS programs operated in the black during the 2007-08 academic year. The added revenue sharing from inclusion would nearly double the Eagles’ athletic budget, and would help to level the playing field in-state where the other major programs have long had inclusion.

It is widely speculated that if the Big East were to move to a 12 team league that the divisions would be aligned into north and south format. This could put the Eagles in a South division with programs like - Louisville, South Florida and current C-USA rivals - East Carolina, Memphis and UCF.

If that were to happen Southern Miss would be able to retain long standing rivalries with Memphis and East Carolina while re-igniting one of the most heated rivalries in the program’s history - Louisville.

The changes are likely to start a domino effect out west.

“I think if the Big Ten makes a move, it will set off a series of moves across the nation that will see leagues altered. The Pac-10 likely would add two teams to get to 12,” Dienhart said.

At this point we can only speculate at how fast the changes will come from the Big Ten, but regardless of when it happens, be it in the next two weeks or two years, it’s apparent that Southern Miss is working to insure that they are willing and able to take advantage of any opportunity presented when these changes do come.

Courtesy BigGoldNation.com

Prepare for more Brian Kelly rumors

It won’t be long now. In a few weeks, when the regular season ends and vacancies begin to occur at high-profile programs, Brian Kelly’s name will likely be among the first linked to them. The University of Cincinnati football coach is one of the hottest - if not the hottest - coaching commodity in the country. Last year it was Tennessee and Washington. The year before that it was Michigan. This year it could be Louisville. And there’s always the prospect that Notre Dame might come calling if Charlie Weis gets fired. Kelly has come to expect this. So have UC officials. No matter how many new contracts Kelly signs with UC - and he just signed one earlier this year - it’s hard for observers across the country to believe that he’s really in for the long haul at UC, which has only recently discovered football success. Kelly takes it all in stride. He listens to the overtures, says he’s happy at UC and confident he can win a national championship there. While that may have seemed preposterous just a few years ago, the Bearcats’ current No. 5 ranking in the BCS standings is proof that it is possible. “When people look at this program and say you can do it here,” Kelly said, “then the questions will stop. It’s getting there.” – Cincinnati Enquirer

Rumors Swirl Around Louisville Coach Steve Kragthorpe

Here’s the deal. Kragthorpe may or may not return next season. Certainly, a 25-23 win over Southern Mississippi isn’t going to change the big picture on his UofL future by itself. There are still problems . The doubts still remain. I don’t see how he can pull himself out of the hole he has dug. The program is not moving forward… “My wife calls me and says, ‘What the heck is going on?’” Kragthorpe said. “I said, ‘I don’t know.’ She said, ‘Did you talk to (athletic director) Tom (Jurich)?’ I said, ‘No, I didn’t talk to Tom.’ And she says, ‘Well, everybody thinks you’ve talked to Tom and you’re out of here.’ And I say, ‘Well, I didn’t talk to Tom.’” Tom, for the record, isn’t talking much to anybody. And that, while frustrating perhaps for fans, and not quite convenient for good newspaper copy, is the wise thing. Anything he says at this point will be subject to such interpretation that it’s bound to create more confusion. He’s best served, it would seem, by letting events play out. If you want to interpret his silence, it would be fair to say he’s in evaluation mode. He will have a three-season body of work to judge. And with an expanded stadium opening and as much passion he has for the football program, he cannot let it continue to slide further. He certainly knows this. – Courier-Journal

Pressure Builds on Steve Kragthorpe

As the rest of the Big East jostles for position and a possible league championship, the (Louisville) Cardinals are sinking fast. The conference’s only team with no more than a single victory, Louisville has lost three straight to Kentucky, Utah, and Pittsburgh. And it appears to be getting worse as the season develops. Likely favored in just a couple of games the rest of the way, Steve Kragthorpe will have a tough time winning enough games to improve his job security. – CFN

Steve Kragthorpe Needs Quick Turnaround to Save Job

It’s not a make-or-break game for University of Louisville coach Steve Kragthorpe when Pittsburgh visits Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium on Friday night. But if the Cards can’t end their seven-game losing streak against Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the sold-out Friday night national TV game, you’re going to hear some cracking. And if they can’t do it next week at home against Southern Miss, you’re going to hear some more. No, it’s not a make-or-break game. But you could call it a make-or-break fortnight. Because at some point, without something good happening soon, there are going to be too many pieces for Kragthorpe to pick up. A great many fans believe there are already. You won’t hear that opinion from any official quarters, nor, frankly, should you expect to. UofL athletic director Tom Jurich is doing what he is supposed to do. He is supporting the guy he hired. He is giving him all the resources he needs to win. His conclusion on the program’s progress, or lack of it, isn’t likely to come with nine games left in a season. – Louisville Courier-Journal

Memphis’ BCS Bid a Bad Joke?

There’s one in every family. Maybe it’s an obnoxious older brother. Or, perhaps, an over-bearing uncle. But there always seems to be someone who condescendingly thinks he’s better than the rest. Which leads us to Memphis. The Tigers are that brother, that uncle in Conference USA. Memphis believes it is superior to the other 11 members. The Tigers consider themselves a BCS-quality program trapped in a non-BCS league. That’s why Memphis has hired retired Big East Conference commissioner Mike Tranghese as a consultant. He is being paid $5,000 per month on a six-month contract to help the Tigers get into one of the six BCS conferences. Their chutzpah is stupefying considering the circumstances. Memphis football has a 1-3 record and is one of the very worst programs in Conference USA. The Tigers were abandoned by the most recognizable figure in C-USA — basketball coach John Calipari. And Memphis is dealing with an NCAA scandal involving its revered basketball program. And now — of all times — Memphis has the audacity to believe a BCS league would be interested in serving as a porter for all their baggage? It would be laughable, if it weren’t so outrageous. – Herald-Dispatch

Brian Kelly Could Bolt Cincinnati

Brian Kelly has a provision in his contract about facilities upgrades at Cincy, and his buyout is significantly lower if those upgrades aren’t complete by specific deadlines. Meanwhile, his Bearcats teams continue to emerge on the national scene. They win big games, they play on national television, they’ve done things never accomplished before at Cincinnati. The reality is, this joyride in Cincy won’t be around much longer if the university doesn’t improve facilities. True story: The Bearcats have no practice fields; they practice at aging Nippert Stadium. Kelly will be the hottest coach in the country by the end of the season. His staying or leaving for a better job is up to the Cincy administration. – Sporting News

Memphis Eyes BCS League

Former Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese has been hired by the University of Memphis as a consultant to assist the Tigers athletic program in its efforts to gain membership in a Bowl Championship Series conference. Tranghese stepped down as Big East commissioner at the end of June after 30 years with the conference, including the last 19 as commissioner. Tigers athletic director R.C. Johnson said Tranghese, who was hired Aug. 1, is being paid $5,000 per month from private donated funds. “His role is to help us and advise us,” Johnson said. “He asked me: ‘What’s my charge?’ I said, ‘There are six BCS conferences. Just get us in one.’” – Commercial Appeal

Brian Kelly: Cincinnati football program has no practice field

Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly asked if its true that the program really does have no practice fields? “Yes, we have no practice fields. We practice at the stadium. There is no ability to go out and practice a spread, no-huddle offense. We don’t get 120 yards to do that. We have to do it on 50 yards because the defense is on the other half of the field. It is hard to do, and I give our kids a lot of credit for being able to overcome it and continue to win. And, of course, we have no indoor facility. In fact, to prepare for the Orange Bowl [last season], we had to practice in an indoor soccer facility. It obviously wasn’t a very good way to prepare our football team.” – Rivals.com

Steve Kragthorpe in Trouble at Louisville

Steve Kragthorpe, Louisville. After last year’s 0-5 collapse down the stretch, two losing seasons, a second straight loss to in state rival Kentucky, and a 1-6 2008 conference record the chirping of Cardinals faithful threatens to rise to a cacophonous Siren Scream. The opening 30-10 win against FCS Indiana State didn’t help matters any, as the Cardinals struggled to score well into the second quarter against a team that has lost 54 of 55. With 14 penalties for 128 yards, seemed poised to pass Cincinnati and South Florida for most penalty yards per game-but those teams win. What is most galling to Louisville fans is that Petrino left the pantry fully-stocked, with 54 lettermen returning from a 12-1 Orange Bowl Champ. But Kragthorpe’s recruiting has been abysmal, even for a place that is tough to recruit to. Should things not turn around quickly, the Bluegrass will be Kragthorpe’s burial ground. - AC