53374
« on: October 07, 2011, 11:44:31 AM »
I want WVU and Louisville.
You can throw all the so called expert studies, and all the "Kentucky owns the state" crap out. Louisville will fill a 55,000 seat stadium for a decent football team, they will fill a 22,000 seat basketball arena, they have a $72 million dollar athletic budget. Public universities don't get to that level because they have a mega loyal fanbase of 60,000 who are also all rich . . . they have a significant following, and their basketball program while maybe not a mega elite is still a national level program. In addition, being in Louisville puts the Big 12 right at the crossroads of Big 10/SEC country.
West Virginia outside of a few lame games fills a 62,000 seat stadium, they have a good basketball program with a well known coach, they do have a strong presence in their part of the country. No, I am not saying they're Penn State, but they have high visibility and are not that far away from what I call the Megalopolis Corridor of the East Coast.