*The BIG EAST is officially over. There is a new BIG EAST (for the 1,000th time) and there is the American which is legally the successor, but nothing more. However, the BIG EAST that existed in the 80's, 90's, and 00's if officially over. Take your pick of a Catholic basketball conference (even more so than in the 80's) or a glorified CUSA, but neither conference will be what the BIG EAST was. There won't be any more 3/4 teams in a Final Four or any more national championships in football.
*On a similar note, Syracuse is officially in the (once despised) ACC, and I'm absolutely elated (which is something that I never thought that I would say).
*Syracuse is about to embark on a journey with a new football head coach (for what seems like the 1,000th time in recent history)
*Syracuse is on the precise of having a new chancellor
*Syracuse has/is about to have a bunch of shiny new facilities. I even saw an interview where a recruit was "blown away" by our facilities. When's the last time that happened? 1990?
*Jim Boeheim is on the verge of retiring (unless he actually is a machine, which is very possible)
*And, perhaps more thought provoking, our greatest rivals are gone:
**JT is long retired (albeit his kid is coach and Georgetown still sux)
**Calhoun is gone (albeit UCONN still sux)
**WVU is bunkered in the Big XII (which pretty much speaks for itself - this will be the first year since 1955 that we don't play 'em)
**PSU is in the B1G (so much for that conference being squeaky clean)
**Johns Hopkins is cowering in the B1G (I'm starting to really, really not like that conference)
**'Nova and St. Johns are in the BIG EAST (well, the other BIG EAST)
Anyway, that go me thinking: who were Syracuse's 5 biggest rivals, who are Syracuse's 5 biggest rivals, and who will be Syracuse's 5 biggest rivals? (from SU's perspective - also, I broke them into football and basketball, because SU is one of the few schools that can be good at both)
I would say:
Were:
FOOTBALL
1. PSU
2. WVU
3. BC
4. Miami (in the 90's) - Otherwise Colgate
5. Pitt (Cornell before that)
BASKETBALL
1. Georgetown
2. Saint John's
3. UCONN
4. 'Nova
5. BC
Are:
FOOTBALL
1. PSU - when we play them, I expect a lot of interest
2. BC
3. WVU (beating them feels SO GOOD)
4. Pitt
5. VTech (I remember '03)
BASKETBALL
1. Georgetown
2. UCONN
3. Pitt
4. 'Nova
5. Louisville
Will be:
FOOTBALL
1. BC
2. Pitt
3. PSU
4. ND (from our perspective)
5. WVU (I don't think that this will completely die)
BASKETBALL
1. Pitt
2. BC
3. Duke
4. UNC
5. Georgetown (old habits are slow to die - UCONN is #6)
And, for the heck of it, 5 schools that wish that they were our rival, or still our rival:
1. Rutgers (anything)
2. UCONN (football)
3. Saint John's (basketball)
4. Colgate (anything, but especially football)
5. SUNY at Buffalo (anything)
*On a similar note, Syracuse is officially in the (once despised) ACC, and I'm absolutely elated (which is something that I never thought that I would say).
*Syracuse is about to embark on a journey with a new football head coach (for what seems like the 1,000th time in recent history)
*Syracuse is on the precise of having a new chancellor
*Syracuse has/is about to have a bunch of shiny new facilities. I even saw an interview where a recruit was "blown away" by our facilities. When's the last time that happened? 1990?
*Jim Boeheim is on the verge of retiring (unless he actually is a machine, which is very possible)
*And, perhaps more thought provoking, our greatest rivals are gone:
**JT is long retired (albeit his kid is coach and Georgetown still sux)
**Calhoun is gone (albeit UCONN still sux)
**WVU is bunkered in the Big XII (which pretty much speaks for itself - this will be the first year since 1955 that we don't play 'em)
**PSU is in the B1G (so much for that conference being squeaky clean)
**Johns Hopkins is cowering in the B1G (I'm starting to really, really not like that conference)
**'Nova and St. Johns are in the BIG EAST (well, the other BIG EAST)
Anyway, that go me thinking: who were Syracuse's 5 biggest rivals, who are Syracuse's 5 biggest rivals, and who will be Syracuse's 5 biggest rivals? (from SU's perspective - also, I broke them into football and basketball, because SU is one of the few schools that can be good at both)
I would say:
Were:
FOOTBALL
1. PSU
2. WVU
3. BC
4. Miami (in the 90's) - Otherwise Colgate
5. Pitt (Cornell before that)
BASKETBALL
1. Georgetown
2. Saint John's
3. UCONN
4. 'Nova
5. BC
Are:
FOOTBALL
1. PSU - when we play them, I expect a lot of interest
2. BC
3. WVU (beating them feels SO GOOD)
4. Pitt
5. VTech (I remember '03)
BASKETBALL
1. Georgetown
2. UCONN
3. Pitt
4. 'Nova
5. Louisville
Will be:
FOOTBALL
1. BC
2. Pitt
3. PSU
4. ND (from our perspective)
5. WVU (I don't think that this will completely die)
BASKETBALL
1. Pitt
2. BC
3. Duke
4. UNC
5. Georgetown (old habits are slow to die - UCONN is #6)
And, for the heck of it, 5 schools that wish that they were our rival, or still our rival:
1. Rutgers (anything)
2. UCONN (football)
3. Saint John's (basketball)
4. Colgate (anything, but especially football)
5. SUNY at Buffalo (anything)
