It’s time once again for another installment of the War Room. As will always be the case, we begin the session with the one ground rule we have for those of you who might be new to “Between Fifth and Forbes.” All information reported in the War Room MUST stay right here! That’s the way this deal works. Sometimes the information is sensitive enough that it simply can not be repeated beyond the confines of this room. This is a special feature for premium subscribers only.
The reason this information is posted on our premium board, “Between Fifth and Forbes,” is to ensure that it stays exclusive to the Panther Nation. This will only work if each of you helps make it work – let’s not have any problems! Anyone who violates this rule or our trust will be blacklisted immediately from Pantherlair.com – no excuses, no exceptions.
From The Desk Of Jim Snyder
What are Pitt’s Goals?
Several people have asked me recently what is Pitt trying to accomplish? My sources have put it quite simply. Pitt wants to continue to play college athletics at a very high level with a realistic chance to win the national championship in both football and basketball. We know this sounds simplistic but that is what we expect them to do. We have tried to caution this will be a very bumpy road. Most of these decisions are made by university presidents and not by coaches or AD’s. This makes it a difficult story for the media to cover.
Chancellor Nordenberg has worked very hard trying to insure that Pitt’s interests are protected. On the other hand, Jeff Long is scheduled to report next week as the new Athletic Director at Pitt. You can be sure everyone in Oakland wants another pair of hands working on the many problems that faces the athletic program these days.
Will the ACC be successful in their expansion plan?
Clearly it became apparent in recent weeks that this expansion plan was on a fast track. The lawsuit accomplished its first goal of slowing down this plan. It appears they are currently three votes short. The swing vote could be University if Virginia President John T. Casteen. Ironically he was once the President of the University of Connecticut.
Florida State has been leading the charge for expansion. Does this mean they will leave the ACC if they are not successful? This threat might eventually be too much for Virginia, North Carolina or Duke. What will Florida State do if this expansion plan is not successful?
For as long as I can remember there has been resentment in the ACC of schools located outside of the state of North Carolina against the tobacco road gang. South Carolina bolted from the ACC when they got fed up. If they ACC fails to pull this off the resentment against North Carolina and Duke could grow. Clearly Florida State was not happy going into this process.
Do you need 12 teams in your conference?
The NCAA requires a minimum of 12 schools to hold a championship game but some think 14 schools might work. Recently a story surfaced that the SEC was prepared a few years ago to move to 14 teams if Notre Dame joined the Big Ten. The SEC was worried about their leverage in negotiating with the television networks and the bowls.
The SEC may revisit expansion plans if the ACC fails to pull this off. Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech could be candidates. The ACC could pull two schools of this list.
What happens if the ACC fails to get the Votes?
It is hard to believe everyone is simply going to kiss and make up and say this was all just one big understanding. If the ACC fails to get the votes the Big East will need to sit down and listen to Miami. Some feel there will be a push to expand the conference.
I am starting to get the feeling that Louisville could be headed to the Big East regardless of how the vote goes. Andy Katz of ESPN has indicated that they will be invited if the ACC is successful. I am not so sure Rick Patino at Louisville is not ready to bring his act to the Big East regardless of how the vote goes next week.
Send in the Mediators
The proposal by Virginia Governor Mark Warner is a good one. I do not think it was a goal of the Big East 5 to force a merger with the ACC. A mediator could result in a number of agreements that could benefit both conferences. It might help the two groups to enter into a number of agreements, which might benefit both conferences. If Duke, North Carolina and Virginia are looking for a way out of this mess this might be a good straw to grab.
How is recruiting going?
June is often a slow period. The coaches are not allowed to recruit off campus. Players are often attending graduation ceremonies and proms. We have deliberately backed off recruiting articles the last two weeks. We will pick it back up next week. Hopefully the conference story will get a little clearer. The ACC expansion plan certainly has made the job of recruiting more difficult.
Our “birdies” tell us the Pitt staff is exploring a number of options to insure the word gets out to recruits that Pitt intends to play football at a high level regardless of the ACC outcome. The goal of winning a national championship has not changed.
This lawsuit could get very expensive for Boston College and Miami. I have personally been involved in a number of major lawsuits. I can tell you this could very expensive for Boston College and Miami. The legal fees alone can be staggering. The time required to answer these suits can be debilitating. It can drain an organization. Miami wanted a very quick exit. One goal was to slow them down. The Big East 5 does not consider this to be a frivolous lawsuit. They think they have a good chance of winning. They think that the suit is in a favorable venue and it is unlikely that it will be moved out of Connecticut. This could be a case of pay me now or pay me later.
Who knows if we do not get a settlement maybe West Virginia will end up with a branch campus at Chestnut Hill, MA? LOL!
Which one of these schools does not belong?
This week the Nashville newspaper did a report on season ticket sales for SEC football. Here is a list of season ticket sales so far for this fall:
Tennessee 65,000
LSU 65,000
Florida 60,000
South Carolina 60,000
Arkansas 59,000
Georgia 55,000
Alabama 59,000
Auburn 50,000
Kentucky 40,000
Ole Miss 30,000
Miss St 25,000
Vanderbilt (less than) 2,000
Vanderbilt is a fine school located in Nashville but is operating in a difficult environment. Private schools often find themselves in trouble once an NFL team has moved into town. If you need further evidence ask Tulane.
Rivals Conference in Nashville
Publishers from approximately 40 Rivals sites will be Nashville on Friday and Saturday. The goal is to continue to improve the product so you have a better experience when you come to the Pantherlair. There are a number of improvements in the works. The net result is you should get more information on Pitt, college athletics and high school prospects in the future. At the same time the goal is to make the information easier than ever to access. Hopefully once the ACC/Big East matter has been resolved we will find ways for to have a little fun too. We will report back after the conference.
From The Desk Of Greg Croft
Bits......Pieces........Tidbits
1. Despite the uncertain future of the Big East Conference, I really don't see a major effect in any at all in recruiting, it appears to mostly be a newspaper issue more then anything. I spoke with several players in the last week and a half and none even mentioned the possible break up of the conference. If Pitt loses a player or two because of the conference that player probably would not have come to Pitt anyway.
2. Once the season starts the recruits will forget about the conference deal anyway and be impressed at just how good Pitt will be.
3. Remember this saying a decent D-Line makes you a winner, a good D-Line puts you in the top twenty, but a GREAT D-Line gives you a shot at a National Title, Pitt's D-Line is nearly great.
4. For my upcoming Where Are They Now I've been speaking with several former players and having fun, the first issue of of this should be completed by mid next week at the latest. The first player will be former 1976 unsung hero Tom Yewcic. Any ideas for this series or any comments you may e-mail me at gcroft7@aol.com.
5. According to my Notre Dame sources they are watching the lawsuit very closely with tremendous interest to the outcome and I'm going to stand by my word Notre Dame will be a future member of the Big East or whatever conference these 5 schools choose.
6. I know there has been alot of negative posting about Pitt but to be honest Pitt has NO bad options! Worst case senario may be C-USA but really that is not a bad option and it certainly will not kill Pitt football, the more I look at it if the BE 5 would join uo with C- USA it could very well make Pitt a recruting powerhouse Pitt would be the Michigan, Miami, Florida State of that conference and open up recruiting bases in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, New Orleans, Memphis and Birmingham as well as maintain the regions we already have. As a last resort this is not a bad option. With the addition of Pitt, VaTech, and WVU to CUSA, a BCS bid would be there.
7. Mark Nordenberg is gaining tremendous respect nation wide, speaking with some coaches I know they are very impressed with his handling of the lawsuit.
8. In speaking with some former players and people in the know this week it really became apparent how much Walt Harris loves his job, one of Walt's long time friends says Walt can't shut up talking about what a great job he has. Don't expect him to be packing his bags anytime soon, I won't guarentee this but don't be shocked if Walt retires from Pitt many years down the road.
9. Much speculation was made that Walt was Pitt's 2nd choice after Matt Cavanaugh turned the job down, it appears Matt was never offered the job on a mutual agreement between himself and Steve Pederson, Matt who badly wants to be a head coach was concerned about not having experience with Pitt being in a delicate state at that time wanted Pitt to go with Walt.
!0. Since being involved in recruting since 1986 I have never ever seen so many high school coaches try to steer kids to and away from schools, I don't want to mention any names but 2 of these players are from Pennsylvania.
Have a great week Panther fans........and you can start looking for some recruiting info, and The Where Are They Now series to begin by mid week. Hail To PITT!
Note to Pantherlair.com Fans: The staff at Pantherlair.com works diligently to bring you the best information on University of Pittsburgh football and basketball recruiting in addition to our game coverage. Thousands of Panther fans visit our site on a daily basis. We have received a tremendous amount of e-mail thanking us for our efforts. If you like our site, please feel free to tell other fans about it. “Spread the word”, and let us add to our ever growing online family of Panther fans.
The reason this information is posted on our premium board, “Between Fifth and Forbes,” is to ensure that it stays exclusive to the Panther Nation. This will only work if each of you helps make it work – let’s not have any problems! Anyone who violates this rule or our trust will be blacklisted immediately from Pantherlair.com – no excuses, no exceptions.
From The Desk Of Jim Snyder
What are Pitt’s Goals?
Several people have asked me recently what is Pitt trying to accomplish? My sources have put it quite simply. Pitt wants to continue to play college athletics at a very high level with a realistic chance to win the national championship in both football and basketball. We know this sounds simplistic but that is what we expect them to do. We have tried to caution this will be a very bumpy road. Most of these decisions are made by university presidents and not by coaches or AD’s. This makes it a difficult story for the media to cover.
Chancellor Nordenberg has worked very hard trying to insure that Pitt’s interests are protected. On the other hand, Jeff Long is scheduled to report next week as the new Athletic Director at Pitt. You can be sure everyone in Oakland wants another pair of hands working on the many problems that faces the athletic program these days.
Will the ACC be successful in their expansion plan?
Clearly it became apparent in recent weeks that this expansion plan was on a fast track. The lawsuit accomplished its first goal of slowing down this plan. It appears they are currently three votes short. The swing vote could be University if Virginia President John T. Casteen. Ironically he was once the President of the University of Connecticut.
Florida State has been leading the charge for expansion. Does this mean they will leave the ACC if they are not successful? This threat might eventually be too much for Virginia, North Carolina or Duke. What will Florida State do if this expansion plan is not successful?
For as long as I can remember there has been resentment in the ACC of schools located outside of the state of North Carolina against the tobacco road gang. South Carolina bolted from the ACC when they got fed up. If they ACC fails to pull this off the resentment against North Carolina and Duke could grow. Clearly Florida State was not happy going into this process.
Do you need 12 teams in your conference?
The NCAA requires a minimum of 12 schools to hold a championship game but some think 14 schools might work. Recently a story surfaced that the SEC was prepared a few years ago to move to 14 teams if Notre Dame joined the Big Ten. The SEC was worried about their leverage in negotiating with the television networks and the bowls.
The SEC may revisit expansion plans if the ACC fails to pull this off. Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech could be candidates. The ACC could pull two schools of this list.
What happens if the ACC fails to get the Votes?
It is hard to believe everyone is simply going to kiss and make up and say this was all just one big understanding. If the ACC fails to get the votes the Big East will need to sit down and listen to Miami. Some feel there will be a push to expand the conference.
I am starting to get the feeling that Louisville could be headed to the Big East regardless of how the vote goes. Andy Katz of ESPN has indicated that they will be invited if the ACC is successful. I am not so sure Rick Patino at Louisville is not ready to bring his act to the Big East regardless of how the vote goes next week.
Send in the Mediators
The proposal by Virginia Governor Mark Warner is a good one. I do not think it was a goal of the Big East 5 to force a merger with the ACC. A mediator could result in a number of agreements that could benefit both conferences. It might help the two groups to enter into a number of agreements, which might benefit both conferences. If Duke, North Carolina and Virginia are looking for a way out of this mess this might be a good straw to grab.
How is recruiting going?
June is often a slow period. The coaches are not allowed to recruit off campus. Players are often attending graduation ceremonies and proms. We have deliberately backed off recruiting articles the last two weeks. We will pick it back up next week. Hopefully the conference story will get a little clearer. The ACC expansion plan certainly has made the job of recruiting more difficult.
Our “birdies” tell us the Pitt staff is exploring a number of options to insure the word gets out to recruits that Pitt intends to play football at a high level regardless of the ACC outcome. The goal of winning a national championship has not changed.
This lawsuit could get very expensive for Boston College and Miami. I have personally been involved in a number of major lawsuits. I can tell you this could very expensive for Boston College and Miami. The legal fees alone can be staggering. The time required to answer these suits can be debilitating. It can drain an organization. Miami wanted a very quick exit. One goal was to slow them down. The Big East 5 does not consider this to be a frivolous lawsuit. They think they have a good chance of winning. They think that the suit is in a favorable venue and it is unlikely that it will be moved out of Connecticut. This could be a case of pay me now or pay me later.
Who knows if we do not get a settlement maybe West Virginia will end up with a branch campus at Chestnut Hill, MA? LOL!
Which one of these schools does not belong?
This week the Nashville newspaper did a report on season ticket sales for SEC football. Here is a list of season ticket sales so far for this fall:
Tennessee 65,000
LSU 65,000
Florida 60,000
South Carolina 60,000
Arkansas 59,000
Georgia 55,000
Alabama 59,000
Auburn 50,000
Kentucky 40,000
Ole Miss 30,000
Miss St 25,000
Vanderbilt (less than) 2,000
Vanderbilt is a fine school located in Nashville but is operating in a difficult environment. Private schools often find themselves in trouble once an NFL team has moved into town. If you need further evidence ask Tulane.
Rivals Conference in Nashville
Publishers from approximately 40 Rivals sites will be Nashville on Friday and Saturday. The goal is to continue to improve the product so you have a better experience when you come to the Pantherlair. There are a number of improvements in the works. The net result is you should get more information on Pitt, college athletics and high school prospects in the future. At the same time the goal is to make the information easier than ever to access. Hopefully once the ACC/Big East matter has been resolved we will find ways for to have a little fun too. We will report back after the conference.
From The Desk Of Greg Croft
Bits......Pieces........Tidbits
1. Despite the uncertain future of the Big East Conference, I really don't see a major effect in any at all in recruiting, it appears to mostly be a newspaper issue more then anything. I spoke with several players in the last week and a half and none even mentioned the possible break up of the conference. If Pitt loses a player or two because of the conference that player probably would not have come to Pitt anyway.
2. Once the season starts the recruits will forget about the conference deal anyway and be impressed at just how good Pitt will be.
3. Remember this saying a decent D-Line makes you a winner, a good D-Line puts you in the top twenty, but a GREAT D-Line gives you a shot at a National Title, Pitt's D-Line is nearly great.
4. For my upcoming Where Are They Now I've been speaking with several former players and having fun, the first issue of of this should be completed by mid next week at the latest. The first player will be former 1976 unsung hero Tom Yewcic. Any ideas for this series or any comments you may e-mail me at gcroft7@aol.com.
5. According to my Notre Dame sources they are watching the lawsuit very closely with tremendous interest to the outcome and I'm going to stand by my word Notre Dame will be a future member of the Big East or whatever conference these 5 schools choose.
6. I know there has been alot of negative posting about Pitt but to be honest Pitt has NO bad options! Worst case senario may be C-USA but really that is not a bad option and it certainly will not kill Pitt football, the more I look at it if the BE 5 would join uo with C- USA it could very well make Pitt a recruting powerhouse Pitt would be the Michigan, Miami, Florida State of that conference and open up recruiting bases in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth, New Orleans, Memphis and Birmingham as well as maintain the regions we already have. As a last resort this is not a bad option. With the addition of Pitt, VaTech, and WVU to CUSA, a BCS bid would be there.
7. Mark Nordenberg is gaining tremendous respect nation wide, speaking with some coaches I know they are very impressed with his handling of the lawsuit.
8. In speaking with some former players and people in the know this week it really became apparent how much Walt Harris loves his job, one of Walt's long time friends says Walt can't shut up talking about what a great job he has. Don't expect him to be packing his bags anytime soon, I won't guarentee this but don't be shocked if Walt retires from Pitt many years down the road.
9. Much speculation was made that Walt was Pitt's 2nd choice after Matt Cavanaugh turned the job down, it appears Matt was never offered the job on a mutual agreement between himself and Steve Pederson, Matt who badly wants to be a head coach was concerned about not having experience with Pitt being in a delicate state at that time wanted Pitt to go with Walt.
!0. Since being involved in recruting since 1986 I have never ever seen so many high school coaches try to steer kids to and away from schools, I don't want to mention any names but 2 of these players are from Pennsylvania.
Have a great week Panther fans........and you can start looking for some recruiting info, and The Where Are They Now series to begin by mid week. Hail To PITT!
Note to Pantherlair.com Fans: The staff at Pantherlair.com works diligently to bring you the best information on University of Pittsburgh football and basketball recruiting in addition to our game coverage. Thousands of Panther fans visit our site on a daily basis. We have received a tremendous amount of e-mail thanking us for our efforts. If you like our site, please feel free to tell other fans about it. “Spread the word”, and let us add to our ever growing online family of Panther fans.
