The number one topic facing Pitt athletics right now is this - when do the Panthers get to begin competing in the ACC? I am now becoming more and more convinced in the conversations I've had in the past two days that Pitt will be in the ACC in 2012 and here is why - the school has had enough with the way the Big East has mangled this all and frankly is waiting on West Virginia.

If - or more accurately - when, West Virginia finally declares they are leaving for the 2012 season officially and the Big 12 schedule is announced with WVU on it, Pitt is going to follow them out the door and dare the Big East to stop them.

Memphis appears headed to the Big East in 2013

BC program well-represented

****** BC MISSED HUGE BY NOT GOING HARD AFTER URBAN MEYER!******

I am always quoting Pope Urban Meyer here and how BC missed the Golden Ticket with a devout Roman Catholic and offering him $4.5/5 years (or way more!) to shun OSU and use every alum, power alum, Cardinal and even a live Pope to bring glory back to the Heights!

This was a crucial moment in BC Athletics History in the glamour cash cow NCAA sport of College Football, now a billion dollar +++ business, where the Heights Leader's were a stunning empty vacuum of incompetence, arrogance and mind boggling stupidity!

Read this now, and after our incompetent Spazooageddon's National SIGHING Day! and the inevitable pathetic Excuse Train pulling into the Yawkey Station this Wednesday!

That current BC list and comments from kids and all over, makes me use the most hated word ever for BC's Football Program and Jesuit Admins and our Board of Trustees == PURE L-A-Z-Y!

WARNING:

READING THIS STORY WILL CAUSE DEPRESSION, NAUSEA and make you realize what an utter, embarrassing CLOWNSHOES FOOTBALL PROGRAM GDF and loser SPAZOO have turned the greatest U in the galaxy into!

We are now light years away from rebuilding BC Football to respectability!

We need a guy who is another of my most favorite words in life:

RELENTLESS --- In Recruiting and Preparation!

***************************
For top recruits, Urban Meyer's impact at Ohio St. is unmistakable!!

Since taking over on Nov. 28, Urban Meyer has been a force for Ohio St. recruiting!

Meyer landed seven four- and five-star recruits, including prized DE Noah Spence

With 23 commits in the '12 class, OSU could be a recruiting giant for years to come

Blue-chip defensive end Noah Spence committed to Ohio State just two days after his state championship game, on Dec. 18.

As the nation fixates on the ever-growing media maelstrom that accompanies the months leading up to the presidential election, another campaign comes drawing to a close. It's also characterized by powerful men traveling the country, attempting to woo their audiences with long term goals and promises of a brighter future. That's right, National Signing Day is just days away, and time remains for many coaches to significantly bolster their programs.

"It's probably the sport that's most like politics," said JC Shurburtt, the national recruiting director for 247Sports.com, "because it depends on the opinions of young people and media and coaches. The voters get to vote for the championship and the young people decide if you're going to win because that's how you get personnel."

With the end in sight, a familiar candidate has emerged for the top class in the nation. Ohio State -- coming off its first seven-loss season since 1897 -- boasts the No. 3 haul according to Rivals' team rankings. After beginning the season with a broken team, plagued by an ousted coach and a fleeting quarterback, the Buckeyes have entered the upper echelon.

The reason for the surge, of course, was the Nov. 28 hiring of Urban Meyer. In the mere months since he took over, he's lured seven four- and five-star prospects to Columbus. More could follow on Feb. 1.

"He's a relentless recruiter. I mean he is relentless," said Jeff Weachter, the coach of defensive end Noah Spence at Bishop McDevitt (Pa.). "When Urban puts his mind to it that he wants a kid, he doesn't break the rules, but he's going to pull out all the stops."

That approach certainly worked on Spence, a prized 6-foot-4, 245-pound pass-rusher who committed to Ohio State on Dec. 18. According to Weachter, Spence was still considering a number of other schools when Meyer inquired about him after his hiring. Meyer, former interim coach Luke Fickell and linebackers coach Mike Vrabel attended McDevitt's state championship game, and, in the words of Weachter, "made Noah feel that, hey, we're not just giving you lip service, we really want you to be here."

Spence soon trekked to Columbus for his official visit. Two days later, he was the newest member of the Buckeyes' incoming class.

"If it wouldn't have been for Urban and his efforts, he probably wouldn't have even went out and visited," said Weachter, who has sent 62 players, including Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, to Division-I schools. "[Urban is] very impressive when he sits down with a family."

Another huge signing for Meyer was Tommy Schutt, a four-star defensive tackle from Glenbard West (Ill.). Originally interested in Ohio State, Schutt was deterred after the Jim Tressel scandal, giving his verbal commitment to Penn State in August. He questioned that pledge after the Jerry Sandusky allegations, and soon received a call from Meyer. On Dec. 12, he committed to spending the next four years in Columbus.

After originally committing to Penn State, defensive tackle Tommy Schutt pledged to Ohio State on Dec. 12.

"I think, as a player and a recruit, that Urban Meyer going to a place like Ohio State is definitely a big deal," Schutt said. "Kids that are committed will definitely still be taking looks at Ohio State before Signing Day now."

Dave Schutt, Tommy's father, was similarly impressed with Meyer's approach -- and not just the X's and O's of his pitch.

"I haven't seen anything quite like the Urban Meyer brand," he said. "He's enthusiastic, he puts family first, [and] he has an obviously tremendous winning record. He really tries to put emphasis on the fact that we're going to be a football family that everybody can be proud of and be a part of."

"I think he'll be a recruiting force across the nation," he added. "He is truly persuasive."

Meyer used all of that persuasive power to flip another four-star lineman, Se'Von Pittman out of Canton McKinley (Ohio). Pittman was bound for Michigan State, a program that plucked him from Ohio State's backyard in June. As with Schutt, Tressel's resignation also played a part in Pittman opting to originally spurn the Buckeyes.

"Once coach Tressel was let go, it made my decision hard," Pittman recalled. "I had to worry about, was I going to be happy at Ohio State? Because Tressel was a big part of the reason why I was going to commit there."

Pittman developed strong relationships with Spartans' coach Mark Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi, committing to Michigan State in June. Once Meyer took over, however, the prospect of playing for a coach with a pedigree equal to -- or perhaps even greater than -- Tressel's was simply too tantalizing to resist.

"Everyone says they want a national championship, but when a guy like Urban Meyer says he wants to go get it again you better believe him, because he's been there," Pittman said. "And let's not forget, he is at The Ohio State University, which is a great entity in itself."

It's important to remember that the bulk of the program's 2012 class has been on board since before Meyer was brought on. To these players, the chance to don the scarlet and gray was a privilege that turmoil and coaching changes couldn't taint. Linebacker Joshua Perry out of Olentangy (Ohio) committed in June of 2010 -- the first official pledge in this year's class -- and hasn't wavered one bit.

"I realized that coaches might not be there for the duration of my career, so what I had to fall in love with was the school and the atmosphere and the idea of becoming a Buckeye," said Perry. "When you hear about a program like Ohio State, you know that no matter what they're going to get back to the top. It might take a little time, but you know they're going to win games."

Ohio State commits since Meyer's hiring
Name
Position
High School
Rating
Se'Von Pittman
DE
McKinley (Ohio)
Tommy Schutt
DT
Glenbard West (Ill.)
Noah Spence
DE
Bishop McDevitt (Pa.) CATHOLIC SCHOOL!
Taylor Decker
OT
Butler (Ohio)
Joey O'Connor
OT
Winsor (Colo.)
David Perkins
ATH
Washington (Ind.)
Camren Williams
LB
Catholic Memorial (Mass.) !!!!!!!!

Warren Ball, a running back from St. Francis DeSales High (Ohio), echoed those sentiments.

"I was a little shocked at first," he said of the Tressel fiasco, "but Ohio State is more than one person. It never once changed my viewpoint of Ohio State. I still remained 100 percent committed."

That mentality, coupled with the efforts of interim coach Fickell to recruit in a season fraught with instability, allowed the Buckeyes to land six four-star recruits before Meyer's hiring. Thirteen of the 16 pre-Meyer commits hailed from Ohio, demonstrating the school's reputation resonated with in-state players even as the team stumbled to a 6-7 finish.

But make no mistake: Meyer's impact is tremendous. And given what's shaping up to be a top three class -- and possibly No. 1, if Meyer can land No. 8 prospect Stefon Diggs -- Ohio State should be a recruiting behemoth for years to come.

"I think the stability question was answered in such a dramatic way with Urban Meyer coming and taking that job," said Shurburtt. "I think he's one of the top recruiting head coaches in the country. I see them signing great classes year-in and year-out."

Despite being ineligible for a bowl in 2012, Ohio State will certainly be a candidate for next year's top recruiting class -- and could be gunning for a national championship run in the not so distant future. Don't be surprised if several "Meyer for President" signs start appearing on lawns in Columbus before the election next fall.

"If you're a Buckeyes fan you're going to enjoy seeing your school in the thick of things for the nation's top prospects," said Shurburtt.

WVU to Big 12 within a week?

Greg Schiano

NFL?

What a stretch! WOW!

Really?

68-67 Lifetime?

0-4 versus BC
0-3 versus Virginia Tech
0-3 versus Miami
0-11 versus West Virginia

0-21 vs. Big East Peer teams.

Unreal.

Great Hire!!! LMAO!

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