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[QUOTE="All4SU, post: 165994, member: 381"]
I have my facts straight.  I'm talking prior to the formation of the Big East.  Teams like SU, Pitt and BC lobbied hard to form an all-sports conference -- one like those which had taken over the leadership role in college athletics, in the SEC, the PAC10, the Big 10, etc.  They knew that PSU was the most important piece of the puzzle.  PSU had the preeminent football program in the Northeast.  But PSU stonewalled them.  Would not join an "All Sports" conference, unless their precious football program was allowed to remain out of the deal.  Consequently, the conference idea could not get off the ground.  Dave Gavitt steps forward for plans of a big-time basketball conference, and with some reluctance, the Big East was formed -- without PSU, as their BBall team sucked.
 
Years later, Paterno re-wrote history to make it sound like the Big East kept an all-sports conference from happening by not inviting PSU.  But that wasn't until much later.  The opportunity existed in the early-mid 70s and PSU and Paterno shot it down.
 
Consequently, football in the Northeast languished for a couple of decades outside of Pitt (and PSU of course) -- putting teams like Syracuse, BC, WVU, hell, even Rutgers, behind the nation in terms of awareness for college football, and depriving them of the opportunity to build their brands at a crucial time with college football was taking off in a big way.  Instead, the northeast remained fragmented, and an out-lander in the world of college football.
 
Thank you PSU.
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