Way back in the 1980s I stopped caring about the University of Pittsburgh. Sure, it was my “home town” team. But nothing about it and the overt homers who never had a bad thing to say about it and it’s sport programs gave me much of a reason to care. And judging by attendance at Pitt football games these days, many other Pittsburgher’s agree with me that Pitt sports are pretty much not that interesting. More people talk about Penn State sports around here these days than Pitt.

Back in the 1990s I jumped at the chance to get away from the “Pitt” bandwagon for good and enrolled at West Virginia University. And since I have been a loyal Mountaineer fan.

When the Big East expanded to football in 1991 (my sophomore year) I liked the league. It was a good conference. But in 2005 when BC, Virginia Tech and Miami jumped ship to the ACC, resulting in the forced additions of Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida, signaled what everyone knew was going to be a long, painful death.

The conference, every year, became a contest between Pitt and WVU to see who would screw up and let the other win the league. Some years, both screwed up and someone else would take the title.

Now the death throws appear to be ending. Pitt an Syracuse are bolting for the ACC. The Big 12 has formally announced that WVU will go west to compete. WVU wants out now. The Big East wants to hold them for 27 months, a term to which Pitt and Syracuse have agreed not to contest.

So why hold together a bunch of schools that no longer want to be associated with each other? The Big East has long been accused, and rightly so, of focusing too much on creating what was, unarguably, the premiere basketball conference in the nation while not working to help the football side.

It is time to give up the ghost. I know there are contracts and money involved. I know people want to keep their power. But it is time for the Big East to let all those who want out, out. Then rebuild – at least on the basketball side. As for football though?

R.I.P. Big East. It was fun while it lasted. But the Big East has never had the respect it had when Miami was a member. Let us all just part ways.