WVU’s place among the ‘big boys’; a young hooper named Pittsnogle
Like many longtime WVU fans, I’ve often worried about the school’s place among the “big boys” of college athletics.
And it hasn’t always been easy. West Virginia was in the Southern Conference. It was independent. It was in the Big East. It’s in the Big 12. Heck, remember the Atlantic 10, and the Eastern Eight (or was it listed as ‘8’?) basketball league and the Hoopster Rooster?
Thankfully, Oliver Luck, Don Nehlen, etc., helped get WVU into the Big 12, now one of the Power FOUR conferences. The Mountaineers survived the battle of conferences when the Pac-12 imploded.
This summer, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah joins the Big 12 to make it a 16-team league. But gone are bell cows Texas and Oklahoma.
And now the powerful SEC and Big Ten have announced their new “joint advisory group.” In other words, look for those two leagues to call even more of the shots, which leaves the Big 12 and embattled ACC at arm’s length.
Which, again, worries me for WVU. I’m sure in the short term, West Virginia is just fine. But Florida State – and apparently other schools – want out of the ACC, so will that conference implode as well with the SEC and Big Ten scooping up whatever schools they want? Will the rich soon own the kingdom?
OK, so deep breath. Perhaps a little dramatic. It would be folly to stiff-arm all those schools in the Big 12, plus the leftover ACC schools.
But amidst everything came some good news for WVU and the Big 12 on Tuesday. The College Football Playoff approved a move for the upcoming 12-team event to include the five highest-ranking conference champions, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams as determined by the CFP Selection Committee.
I reached out to someone within WVU’s athletic circle and asked what that means for the Mountaineers. He sent back an animated GIF of money flying.
Mo money, mo money. Part of the reason is ESPN has a six-year, $7.8 billion extension on the table to televise the event through 2031-32.
Now, it’s reasonable to think the Big 12 will have more than one team in the CFP at least every other or every few years.
But I asked if the SEC and Big Ten are going to gobble up more and more of the money. The response I received: They did this past year in the New Year’s Six bowl games. And he’s correct: Missouri versus Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl; Ole Miss and Penn State in the Peach; Georgia against the ACC’s FSU in the Orange; Michigan and Alabama in the Rose; and, of course, Michigan against the Pac-12’s Washington in the national championship. Gobble, gobble, gobble.
What concerns me now is the approved 5+7 format is said to be the “starting point of the format debate for 2026 and beyond.” SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has suggested numerous times to open the playoff field completely, with no automatic spots.
And take a guess where that would tilt the playing field.
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By the way, I saw a picture of a basketball player from Hedgesville High this morning: Kwynsie Pittsnogle.
If you follow WVU (or college basketball) at all, you recognize the last name from ex-Mountaineer star and NCAA tournament hero Kevin back in the day.
So, I reached out to Hedgesville coach Kelly Church. I had to know.
“He’s a skilled kid who shoots it fairly well for a 6-9 kid,” Church said.
A senior, the younger Pittsnogle has played summer travel ball as well as that in high school. With the playoffs coming up, Hedgesville has a tough task with No. 1 4-A Spring Mills and No. 3 Martinsburg nearby. Seeing the young Pittsnogle in the state tournament might be a longshot.
But what’s most important is Kwynsie apparently has the full support of his famous father, now an assistant principal at Musselman High.
“Kevin is a tremendous dad,” Church said. “Not just to Kwynsie, but to all of his kids.”
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.