LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Chinstraps in place. Shoulder pads coming. Blow the whistle:
*The Indiana University football team will visit the Naval Academy Oct. 20. Non-league games against Wake Forest (ACC), South Florida (Big East) and Missouri (SEC) are booked for future IU schedules.
What about renewing the IU-Kentucky football series?
Or starting one against the University of Louisville?
"One of the first things I tried to do was reach out to Kentucky to re-start the Bourbon Barrel series," IU athletic director Fred Glass said.
"My perception is, and I should let them speak for themselves, is that with Kentucky already playing Louisville, playing another BCS team is more than they (UK) want to do.
"I think Louisville probably feels the same way. But I'd love to play either one of them. When Kevin (Wilson, the IU football coach) and I get to that point, I think it's something we'll probably explore."
The Big Ten recently lifted a moratorium on non-conference football scheduling that was put in place when it appeared the league was going to partner with the Pac-12 for at least two years of home-and-home scheduling. That plan has been put on hold. Schools are free to seek new games.
Kentucky's plate is full with U of L and its SEC agenda. An Indiana-Louisville game should fit – and would be a scheduling winner. User-friendly trip. Fans living next-door. Louisville has been eager to schedule games with teams from BCS conferences.
U of L fans travel in robust numbers. Indiana fans from the southern part of the state have an easy drive to Papa John's Cardinals Stadium.
I'd like to see Glass and U of L athletic director Tom Jurich make it happen.
*If the Big East is looking for a commissioner willing to stand up for the league, senior associate commissioner Nick Carparelli Jr. certainly seems eager to accept that assignment.
Carparelli has 10 years at the conference. He is reportedly one of the five finalists for the job. The Big East is supposed to name the replacement for John Marinatto by the end of this month. On Sept. 1, the Big East enters an exclusive negotiating period with ESPN on its TV deal. That period lasts for 60 days. At the end of that period, many expect the league to make a new deal with NBC, which is aggressively looking for college sports programming inventory.
Carparelli is involved in talks to establish stronger bowl ties or new games now that the league has essentially been sent to the sidelines by the Orange Bowl's deal that locks that game into the ACC champ, but not the Big East champ.
What is the Big East looking for?
"Student athletes want to go to a great place, play against a great team, have a great week,' Carparelli said. "We can certainly create that on our own in a lot of places. That's certainly something that's on the table."
Is the league open to establishing a game similar to the one that the Big 12 and SEC are creating? That game will match the two best teams from those leagues that are not participating in the four-team playoff that is scheduled to begin in 2014?
"The non-champions bowl?" Carparelli asked.
I hadn't heard that name. But, yes, it likely would include two league non-champions.
"The runner-up bowl?" Carparelli said.
I asked Carparelli how difficult the last year has been in the league office to watch West Virginia, Syracuse and Pittsburgh make plans to leave and to listen to Big East football become a tackling dummy in the national media.
"Of course it is (difficult)," he said. "Nobody likes to be criticized. It's hard when you're not in position to swing back because of how it might look or you don't yet have what you know you're going to have to swing back with.
"I grew up a Big East fan. I've worked here for 10 years after working at some other great places. I'm personally invested in this league.
"I feel a big part of the Big East. So you need to be a little bit patient, even if it causes some rumblings. We're tough in the Big East. Our office is in Providence. There's a lot of tough guys, some of them are my relatives."
*Louisville center Mario Benavides says that he doesn't care if you pick the Cardinals first, fourth or eighth. It doesn't matter. It's all noise. Players have to bring maturity to practice every day and simply play.
"We were picked to be last the last couple of seasons," Benavides said. "So to be picked to be first … you still have to go out there and do it.
"I think we have the tools to do that. Some people say 12-0. Some people say 11-1. I think we can win every game that we play if we do everything that we're supposed to do. We definitely have the ability. We just have to have the right mindset."
Copyright 2012 WDRB News. All Rights Reserved.
IU athletic director Fred Glass said the Big Ten recently lifted a moratorium on non-conference football scheduling.
