Published: October 13, 2009 12:15 am      

Marshall series could be in jeopardy

MORGANTOWN — In the midst of Marshall week, which is a week of celebration of college football in the state of West Virginia, perhaps the most pressing question is the basic one that has torn away at the very fiber of the state itself for as long as they’ve played the game.

Should West Virginia and Marshall play at all?

With the current contract drawing to a conclusion with the Sept. 1, 2012, game and with negotiations at a standstill, WVU demanding that it get two home games for each one at Marshall, the time has come to look into the long-term situation.

The WVU-Marshall series does not exist in a vacuum and to keep it going, even if WVU can strong-arm a two-for-one contract out of the Thundering Herd, the Mountaineers may have to suck it up beyond where they should.

See, there are serious discussions going on within the Big East to add a ninth football-playing member and if that were to be the case, it could jeopardize the continuation of the WVU-Marshall series, although Athletic Director Ed Pastilong says he believes it could be worked out.

As things stand now, with eight football playing teams, scheduling is inequitable for you play only seven league games, meaning one year a school plays four league home games, the next year three. The imbalance throws off the final conference standings, making the teams with only three home conference game have a tougher road to the title.

First of all, make no doubt that the league’s football coaches want a ninth game.

“As coaches, we’re all in agreement that we’d like to see a ninth team,” said Connecticut’s Randy Edsall. “We understand there are some challenges. That’s up to the Big East office and the presidents. It would make things a lot easier for all of us, but it would have to be the right fit for what the conference is all about.”

“Obviously, everyone would like that because it makes it easier. The decision must be made administratively and it is only good if it makes us stronger. If it’s being done for scheduling, it isn’t enough,” added Rutgers’ Greg Schiano.

“Most people would say scheduling [is the main reason to add a team].” South Florida’s Jim Leavitt said. “There are all kinds of different reasons, though. I’ve not thought a lot about it right now. It depends on who you add. That’s the big question. That goodness there’s smarter, wiser people who have to make those decisions than me.”

And West Virginia’s Bill Stewart is among those who want to add that ninth team.

“It’s a bear, scheduling five non-conference games,” Stewart said. “The guys in the league office are a whole lot sharper than me, but we would be so much better off if we had a ninth team, then played four at home and four on the road.”

Right now, Stewart says, “Marshall is like a conference game for us.”

Such is the importance, but does WVU need to be playing Marshall as one of only four non-conference games.

See, the way it would break down, WVU could play four and four in the Big East, then a home-and-home with a border state school like Maryland, a home and home against a BCS opponent such as Florida State or Auburn, a one-time home game against a school like a Mid-America Conference team and a home game against I-AA team.

That way they are scheduling their seven home games, they are playing an even Big East schedule, they keep an attractive schedule for their fans and they don’t put their neck in a noose with a game against in Marshall that sooner or later has to end in a disastrous loss.

Getting that ninth team for the Big East could prove troublesome because the conference already possesses 16 basketball school and adding another school would throw that out of whack. Now you could drop one of the basketball only schools — DePaul in recent days has fallen on hard times — and add a two-sport school like Navy, Memphis or East Carolina.

Pastilong, however, says he believes they could work things out with a 17-team basketball conference.

The problem is that when you add a new school, you are cutting the money nine ways in football and 17 ways in basketball, so that school would have to add a strong television market, something some schools just can’t do, and be capable of marketing on a Big East level.

“It would have to carry its own weight financially,” Pastilong said.

Ideally, having Notre Dame join in football would turn the Big East into a premier conference but that just isn’t going to happen in the foreseeable future. Perhaps finding a way to convince Villanova to move up a division in football would answer the problem, but the Wildcats don’t seem interesting in becoming a I-A team at present.

But make no doubt, West Virginia would be seem to have more to gain with another Big East game on its schedule than it is in playing Marshall on a yearly basis, especially if every other year it has to go to Marshall.

THIS ‘N THAT: WVU’s Oct. 24 home game with Connecticut will start at noon and be shown on ESPNU … Noel Devine should have been Big East Offensive Player of the Week a week ago when he rushed for 220 yards against Colorado but didn’t get it, missing out to Pitt QB Bill Stull. The conference used the old make-up call this week and gave the honor to Devine, who rushed for 91 yards against Syracuse but caught his first career touchdown pass ... No new major injuries out of the Syracuse game for the Mountaineers.

E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.