It's scary out there in the Russian roulette world of college realignment, but both Penn State and Pitt are safe and in position to thrive as we enter an exciting yet dangerous new world of college sports.
It's exciting for the schools that get picked to be part of the money-making machines that superconferences undoubtedly will become.
For the schools that could get left behind -- such as Kansas, West Virginia or Louisville -- there's the danger of watching millions of dollars and exposure fly out the window for football and to a lesser extent basketball.
Penn State was never in any trouble of getting left behind since it's a member of the Big Ten Conference, which basically prints money for its schools with huge TV contracts and its own highly successful network.
Pitt, on the other hand, found itself in a precarious situation as a member of the Big East, which might be on its deathbed as a football league.
The Panthers' move to the ACC, along with Syracuse, ensures that both of those schools should be safe and, most importantly, financially secure when all the realignment craziness stops.
Let's look at a few particulars and possibilities:
* It's sad to see Pitt and Syracuse leave the Big East, the best basketball conference in the country and a powerhouse hoops league for more than 30 years. But this really had to happen, and both schools found as soft of a landing as they were going to find.
It would have been great to see Pitt join the Big Ten, where it would have a natural rivalry with Penn State. But the Big Ten didn't want the Panthers. It had no reason to want them because the league is all about expanding into new markets, and it already has the western PA market with PSU.
Pitt and Syracuse needed to find a league where their terrific basketball programs could still flourish, and that certainly will be the case in the ACC. It's disappointing to see rivalries with Georgetown, Villanova and St. John's end, but that's overshadowed by the excitement of playing Duke and North Carolina every year.
* The above represents the basketball fan's perspective. But clearly this wasn't a basketball decision for Pitt and Syracuse.
Football seems to be all that matters anymore in this country because it generates far more money, and college administrators sold out their schools long ago in the pursuit of the almighty dollar.
* The Big East's take of the TV money in college football is embarrassing compared to the Big Ten and the SEC. The Big East's current deal is worth $36 million per year, while the Big Ten gets $252 million and the SEC $205 million. The ACC gets $155 million.
Pitt and Syracuse don't have great football programs right now but do have strong traditions. They couldn't just sit back and watch other schools around the country get fat paychecks while they take their puny sums from the Big East, so they did the wise thing and went out and found a more lucrative new home for themselves.
* The weak Big East doesn't even deserve an automatic BCS bid as it is, and losing Pitt and Syracuse could be the death blow to that league for football. If it loses the automatic BCS bid, there will be little incentive for West Virginia or Rutgers or UConn to want to stick around. The problem is, what conference is going to want those schools?
* The Big East might be able to survive as a haven for less-desirable football schools, but if it does, it will not be a major player on the national scene.
* Notre Dame's future could come down to whether the Big East basketball conference can be salvaged. That's a big if and depends on how many more football members jump ship.
The Irish need a good league for their basketball program so that their football team can remain independent. If the Big East folds in basketball, it could force Notre Dame's hand to finally join a conference for both sports.
The natural option would be the Big Ten, and adding the Irish shortly after luring Nebraska would be a major coup for the league.
* Texas and Oklahoma appear to be on their way to the Pac-12, which would kill the Big 12. The Longhorns already have their own TV network, so them joining the Big Ten isn't likely.
Oklahoma is a different story. Maybe the Sooners feel like they want to be in lockstep with Texas, but they should at least consider the Big Ten, especially if Notre Dame possibly could be coming on board, too.
* No matter what any other league does, the Big Ten can sit back and call its own shots and won't be forced into adding any schools out of a sense of urgency.
It has its pick of the litter and right of refusal because of its academic standards and the enormous amount of money it makes, so it very easily could stand pat at 12 while other leagues expand to 14 or 16.
* Would Penn State be better off in the ACC? That argument can be made when it comes to competing on the field in football, but it makes no sense financially or academically for the school.
Penn State isn't going anywhere for a long, long time.
* It's hard not to feel bad for schools with tremendous basketball programs that make tons of money but offer very little when it comes to football.
If the Big 12 and Big East die, what will happen to the likes of Kansas and Louisville? Maybe there could be a superpower transcontinental basketball conference that includes all the schools that don't have a home for football.
* It's the end of the world as we know it for college sports, and we're heading into a great abyss full of questions and very few answers.
Pitt and Syracuse found their answer over the weekend, and when all is said and done, those two schools switching conferences will be remembered as one of the most important changes of realignment roulette.
Cory Giger is the host of "Sports Central" from 4 to 6 p.m. daily on ESPN Radio 1430 WVAM. Reach him at cgsports12@aol.com or @CoryGiger on Twitter.
