Rob Lenhart
Member
I'm still in shock over it. Great for the schools when/if it happens but IMO Fox is out of their mind. I am hearing that the money to be divided among the schools will eventually be "evened out" but that for the first several years the new schools rumored to be asked to take a lot less than the the Catholic 7. If the FOX contract (assuming it's taken) is dividend across the board for 12 years then the twelve school conference would get approx $41.7 million a year. Reports that the seven former Big East schools would be getting $5 million a year would leave only $6.7 ,million or approx. $1.3 million a year for the five new schools. That's 74% for the current schools and 26% for the new schools. I'm reading for other boards that boards that although the money is much higher than what they're now getting both Butler and Xavier have issues with such a large (initial) dollar difference. Not only is there a large dollar difference but the five new schools will also be only ropes for paying exit fees to the conferences they're now in while the existing BE schools expect to benefit by getting paid some of the exist fees paid by departing fb members less whatever they opt to pay to keep the Big East name. Still, I'd have a hard time seeing Butler and Xavier turning the money down and saying no to an offer. The initial contact money difference would, however, seem to go against the comment by Father Harrington that the fb- bb split was a philosopical rather than monetary issue. Initially, at least, money seems to have trumped philosophy.
As for Gonzaga/St. Mary's there was some consideration of them being involved in the new league IF it evolved into a 14 school conference. That line of thought had the league split into two 7 school divisions. For now this idea has been tabled but here's what it may have looked like.
EAST DIVISION
Providence
St John's
Seton Hall
Villanova
Georgetown
Xavier
Dayton
WEST DIVISION
Marquette
Butler
DePaul
St Louis
Ceighton
Gonzaga
St Mary's
Another variation of this had Gonzaga and St Mary's replaced in the West by Xavier and Dayton with Virginia Commonwealth and either Richmond, Davidson or Duquesne replacing Xavier and Dayton in the East. Things have, however, seemed to have settled on a 12 team league. Although, as someone wrote yesterday, SJ is pushing for Dayton there is a feeling among the other schools that rather than add two schools from the same state it would be better to expand to new territory which is why VCU has been getting more attention.
Lacrosse? Anyone know/care what may happen to it. The league will be down to five schools. At least six schools are needed in a conference for NCAA tourney eligibility. VCU, if added, If not, then ... ?
Football? Yeah, I know. Pipe dream. Ship has sailed. But Villanova, Georgetown, Marquette field non-scholarship teams. So do possible new Butler, Dayton and Xavier so there's a possibility of them getting together. Could SJ be interested. Probably no one cares and probably will never happen but ... It just bothers me that SJ gave up on it year a school like St Anselm's, a 2,000 student Catholc college from New Hampshire that can field a non-scholly team. Closer to home even Sacred Heart has fb.
Probably even lower on the could-care-less totem pole the A-10, expecting schools to leave, is said to be looking at Detroit, George Mason, Stony Brook, Davidson, College of Charleston, Drexel and Delaware.
Finally, not to ruffle feathers but to get some blood boiling, JOE3 never answered my query about why SJ-Rutgers should have been an on campus game. I commented that based on crowd noise MSG sounded dead. Turns out attendance was given as 6,192. Sadly, some two and a half weeks ago it was reported a predominately Syracuse crowd was at MSG for a Syracuse-Temple game with attendance given as 12,648. I know this looks to be another SJ roller coaster year but coming off the Cincinnati victory one would have hoped for fewer than 12,000 empty seats to show up at MSG for a BE league game when more than twice that number showed up for a Syracuse non-league game two weeks either, double-header event or not. Let's see what the Georgetwon game brings following the depressing oss to Rutgers.
As for Gonzaga/St. Mary's there was some consideration of them being involved in the new league IF it evolved into a 14 school conference. That line of thought had the league split into two 7 school divisions. For now this idea has been tabled but here's what it may have looked like.
EAST DIVISION
Providence
St John's
Seton Hall
Villanova
Georgetown
Xavier
Dayton
WEST DIVISION
Marquette
Butler
DePaul
St Louis
Ceighton
Gonzaga
St Mary's
Another variation of this had Gonzaga and St Mary's replaced in the West by Xavier and Dayton with Virginia Commonwealth and either Richmond, Davidson or Duquesne replacing Xavier and Dayton in the East. Things have, however, seemed to have settled on a 12 team league. Although, as someone wrote yesterday, SJ is pushing for Dayton there is a feeling among the other schools that rather than add two schools from the same state it would be better to expand to new territory which is why VCU has been getting more attention.
Lacrosse? Anyone know/care what may happen to it. The league will be down to five schools. At least six schools are needed in a conference for NCAA tourney eligibility. VCU, if added, If not, then ... ?
Football? Yeah, I know. Pipe dream. Ship has sailed. But Villanova, Georgetown, Marquette field non-scholarship teams. So do possible new Butler, Dayton and Xavier so there's a possibility of them getting together. Could SJ be interested. Probably no one cares and probably will never happen but ... It just bothers me that SJ gave up on it year a school like St Anselm's, a 2,000 student Catholc college from New Hampshire that can field a non-scholly team. Closer to home even Sacred Heart has fb.
Probably even lower on the could-care-less totem pole the A-10, expecting schools to leave, is said to be looking at Detroit, George Mason, Stony Brook, Davidson, College of Charleston, Drexel and Delaware.
Finally, not to ruffle feathers but to get some blood boiling, JOE3 never answered my query about why SJ-Rutgers should have been an on campus game. I commented that based on crowd noise MSG sounded dead. Turns out attendance was given as 6,192. Sadly, some two and a half weeks ago it was reported a predominately Syracuse crowd was at MSG for a Syracuse-Temple game with attendance given as 12,648. I know this looks to be another SJ roller coaster year but coming off the Cincinnati victory one would have hoped for fewer than 12,000 empty seats to show up at MSG for a BE league game when more than twice that number showed up for a Syracuse non-league game two weeks either, double-header event or not. Let's see what the Georgetwon game brings following the depressing oss to Rutgers.
