Connecticut women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma wants everyone to know that he loves Jesus, but he's a little upset with Notre Dame right now.
In a vintage Auriemma rant, he blamed Notre Dame football for the realignment of the Big East stating that had the Irish joined the league in football 17 years ago, the conference would have had stability. As it stands, all of the Irish's sports are in the Big East except for football, which remains independent.
"In this whole thing, there is only one sure thing: Notre Dame doesn't play football in our league ? and that's a bone of contention with a lot of us," Auriemma said during Big East basketball media day. "That's the only thing you're sure of: They don't play in our league and they never want to play in our league and for a lot of us that's a huge problem.
"They've been in our league (17) years, so how long are we going to date before we just decide this ain't working. And I'm not happy about it. That's not the opinion of the University of Connecticut, the Big East Conference, (UConn's) president, (UConn's) AD. That's just Geno Auriemma's opinion: I'm pissed about it."
In the past month, Syracuse and Pittsburgh announced they were leaving the Big East for the ACC and TCU backed out of its Big East agreement and is headed to the Big 12. The Big East, which will have just six football members and confirmed this week that it is looking to push that number to 12, is in dire straits and in danger of losing its BCS automatic qualifying status if it does not find some quality football replacements soon.
But Notre Dame won't be bullied. It's an independent for a variety of reasons, foremost among that it sets the Irish brand apart. It also can set its own schedule, make a boatload of money doing it, keep its traditional rivalries and get into a BCS bowl because of its own special set of rules (though that hasn't applied since 2006).
Auriemma doesn't care about Notre Dame football tradition. If anything, he thinks that tradition has been holding back the other teams in the Big East.
"If Notre Dame had come in as a football and basketball school when they came in, we wouldn't have a problem," Auriemma said. "Miami wouldn't have left, Virginia Tech wouldn't have left, Boston College wouldn't have left. We probably wouldn't have any of these issues, would we? We've got one school that holds the future of our league in the palm of their hand and they're not really that concerned about it."
There's something to Auriemma's reasoning. The old Big East probably would have stayed together and would have been a lot more attractive than it is now. In this tumultuous conference realignment climate, the Big East might have been in a position of power instead of a position of vulnerability.
Auriemma knows his gripes might fall on deaf ears because, despite being a giant in the sport of women's basketball, he has nothing to do with matters of college football. Still, what he said isn't wrong.
"It doesn't matter what we think because every decision being made is being made from a football standpoint. But if you know, that you as a school, have the ability to put a whole bunch of schools at ease and have the Catholic mentality of, 'We're here to serve and help?'
"I went to Catholic school all my life. I love Jesus ? and I'm not even a Republican."
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Graham Watson is on Facebook and Twitter: Follow her @Yahoo_Graham.
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