The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

College Sports

February 26, 2012

Is Florida State going to sue WVU?

By Mickey Furfari For The Register-Herald

MORGANTOWN — It appears that Florida State University is laying the groundwork for a lawsuit against West Virginia University.

It would involve the Feb. 3 cancellation by WVU of the football game between the two  institutions on the 2012 schedule in Tallahassee, Fla.

While the contract reportedly calls for a $500,000 penalty for such an action, the Seminoles are claiming that actual damages are considerably more and possibly in excess of $2 million.

Because notice was given so late, or less than one year, FSU could not find a comparable replacement. And that would  result in loss of far greater revenue.

In a news release last Wednesday, Florida State emphasized that all the blame belonged to WVU. FSU couldn’t find a BCS school with an open date.

So it scheduled Savannah State as a replacement for West Virginia. “Don’t blame us,” the release reads. “This is West Virginia’s fault.”

In case you don’t know, Savannah  State is a member of the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference and went 1-10 last season.

So FSU will be opening its season in home games against Murray State and Savannah State. Obviously, those two can’t be very attractive to ticket-buyers.

WVU officials made the decision to drop Florida State instead of another non-conference opponent in bolting the Big East for a berth in the Big 12 effective July 1.

In so doing, they apparently have given up a scheduled return game with FSU in Morgantown as part of the canceled contract.

As a side note, the cancellation deprives head coach Jimbo Fischer, a Clarksburg native, of showing off his Seminoles in his native state.

College football is big, big, big business these days. So pretty much anything goes.

And debts, plus interest on borrowed millions, keep mounting.

———

West Virginia basketball coach Bob Huggins had a ready reply Friday night when asked why his team can’t protect leads.

“Tonight it’s real easy to tell,” he said. “(Marquette coach Buzz Williams) didn’t play three of his starters in the first half, but they played all of the second half.

“When they run the ball, you’ve got to get back (on defense) real fast and we couldn’t. If you don’t, you’re not going to win.

“We got a big rebound with a chance to win. But we’re not very consistent.”

Actually, the Mountaineers have lacked positive consistency all season. That’s the biggest reason they have blown double-digit leads in other losing efforts this year.

Too, they haven’t made key shots in crucial situations. “We’re not consistent with our efforts,” Huggins said. “We’re not consistent in the approach we’re supposed to have.”

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