The views from here:
After last Sunday's column in which I interviewed Clemson president Jim Clements, messages were sent to me suggesting (and, in many cases, hoping) WVU move to the Tigers' Atlantic Coast Conference from the Big 12.
Of course, easier said than done. West Virginia would have to be desired by the league and invited. That's never been the case or happened. But, yes, OK, the conference does make more sense geographically.
Also, yes, I do think WVU eventually has one shot of landing there. One.
If, that is, Notre Dame joins the ACC as a full-fledged member.
As many of you know, Notre Dame is a member of that league in every sport but football. As a tradeoff, the Fighting Irish play five games a year against ACC opponents in the sport.
The Golden Domers, however, enjoy their pseudo-independence, uniqueness and exclusive deal with the NBC Sports Group. The latest extension of that NBC deal came in 2013 and will run through 2025.
But for a reported $15 million a year.
WVU fans can tell you their Mountaineers doubled that haul as a member of the Big 12 this past year. That $15 million figure, if as reported, is being dwarfed by payouts to Power 5 conference members. Which won't fly for long in South Bend.
Also, many in the Power 5 conferences are getting less and less patient with a Notre Dame program that seemingly plays by its own rules. The Big 12 and Sun Belt have now felt pressured to play that 13th football game via a championship. What do you do with independent schools like Notre Dame and BYU?
It seems the latter gets the message and is trying to get into the Big 12. Notre Dame, meanwhile, continues to point at its strong schedule that has never included non-FBS opponents.
When Notre Dame feels that's not enough, or when it is squeezed by the College Football Playoff system, or when it realizes more money is within a conference, perhaps then it will join the ACC in football. If such a move were made right now (lawyers start yer engines!), that could push forward an ACC Network with rocket thrust.
It would also leave the Atlantic Coast Conference with an awkward number of 15 teams. And perhaps finally lead to an invitation to WVU.
An expanded ACC with both Notre Dame and WVU would lead to blockbuster league television money. The very high hurdles are the Fighting Irish's NBC deal and the Mountaineers' grant-of-rights deal with the Big 12.
But, in the spirit of Lloyd Christmas, I'm telling you there's a chance.
* In case you don't follow Las Vegas oddsmakers (take my word, it's best if you don't), the early line was released on WVU's first football game against Missouri on Sept. 3. The Mountaineers are anywhere from 11.5- to 13-point favorites for the home game.
There is no line out for Marshall's Sept. 10 home opener against Morgan State.
* WVU's baseball team might have received a boost when top recruit Alek Manoah wasn't drafted in Major League Baseball's first 10 rounds on Friday.
Keep in mind Manoah's coach, John Burnside of South Dade High in Miami, Florida, said the 6-foot-6 righty "wants to go to school."
"I think he's pretty intent on going to college," Burnside said. "I think that's what his family wants too - unless [an MLB team] comes up with big money."
* I had the pleasure of accompanying the West Virginia basketball team on its bus ride to Boone County this past week.
It was a sobering experience to see the fine folks there ravaged by the downturn of the coal industry. It's truly heartbreaking.
Along the way, though, I realized there weren't three WVU freshmen on the trip, but four. The other was walk-on Tyler Bezold of Covington, Kentucky.
If the name sounds familiar, it should. Bezold's father, Dave, was the former basketball coach at Northern Kentucky University. The son used to tag along and then became a nice scorer at Holy Cross High. He was being recruited by schools like Otterbein and Thomas More before deciding to walk on.
I also continued to get a sense WVU is seriously interested in 170-pound four-star guard Markell Johnson out of Cleveland. The 2016 recruit, however, took an official visit to North Carolina State on Wednesday. He's also looking at Xavier.
In addition, I finally had the chance to meet the pride of Cameron, WVU's 6-foot-11 walk-on Logan Routt.
In case you don't know, his nickname on the team is "Mozgov." (Apparently, he reminds those within of the Cleveland Cavaliers' Timofey Mozgov.)
"He'll play," WVU coach Bob Huggins said of the redshirt freshman. "Maybe not this year, but he'll play."
* And finally . . .
Yes, there was mention of Mountaineer football defensive coach Tony Gibson on the aforementioned trip through Boone County and into Van, where Gibson's nephew Alex showed.
As you can imagine, most of the mention was lighthearted in regard to the vertically challenged "Gibby." When I lightheartedly said I couldn't find a statue of the favorite son, Arnold Edwards, the bus driver, said he'd found one and pointed to the left.
It was a fire hydrant.
Gibson, however, might have had the last laugh when he sent a text to Huggins.
"Be careful," Gibson texted. "You're going to my hometown. They don't like soft people there."
Have a great Sunday.