Q: Given that Notre Dame will never seriously consider Big East league membership (but will continue to enjoy the fruits of postseason play)and Penn State will never come back home, would it be out of the question to consider adding a new member that is never mentioned - Houston?
Overnight they'd add not only strength of program but also an expanded Big East footprint into the 4th largest city in the country while striking it rich in the heart of Texas.
(And forget the nonstarter centering on the 'Big East' geographical reference as they've already added DePaul and Marquette. Besides, conference names mean little - right Big 10?
Howard Swint, Charleston, W.Va.
DUNLAP: Houston? Not going to happen, at least in my estimation. The reason is simple: and it has little to do with football or men's basketball, as it could be pulled off in those two sports. But the travel costs for the non-revenue sports would be astronomical. Also, it would present a logistical nightmare in those sports, as well. It would simply be too much -- in a monetary sense -- for, say, the West Virginia women's soccer team, or the baseball team, to have to compete in a league where they would have to travel to Houston and, in turn, Houston would have to travel to places like Morgantown, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Rutgers, etc.
You can think about this from West Virginia's perspective, but try to think about it from Houston's -- it would make very, very little sense for them on many levels, first of which would be recruiting and, as mentioned above, could you imagine their travel budget, as they'd have to come east (in every sport) for every conference game.
It is a nice thought, but don't hold your breath waiting for it to happen. You'd have a better chance with East Carolina or Central Florida.
Q: I guess defensive recruiting isn't the only area in which RichRod lacked. Minus Tavon Austin, all of the current receiving core are RR recruits. The hands have been suspect, if not terrible at times, and they're clearly not getting open against the meat of the Big East schedule. I hate to come with the "next year" prognostication but I feel like they will be better next year when Heastie, Bailey, and (hopefully) Deon Long are getting their chance especially considering that 2 of the current are natural running backs. What's your take?
Robert Fisher, Pittsburgh
DUNLAP: A good point, to a degree. But, don't forget about Jock Sanders, I think he has had a very good season to this point. One of the big questions, and maybe the biggest head-scratchers in recent WVU football history has been Wes Lyons. The way he hasn't taken over games, with his 6-8 frame, has been well documented and I don't think we need to go into it again. But, Wes is a guy who they had huge hopes for that, at least until now, the program hasn't seen that huge breakout game.
The young guys you mentioned provide a hope for the future at that receiver position. But, again, it is nothing more than hope. They need to keep progressing, they need to keep getting better and, most of all, develop a relationship with Geno Smith, who is the undisputed quarterback of the future, if WVU's passing game is to flourish over the next few seasons.
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