If the Big East conference is to survive long term, its got to stop its schools from looking over the fence every few years to see where the grass is greener. They've got to fix it and get it right this time. Lets face it, the football schools have a different agenda than the basketball only schools. I understand that the ACC presidents recently agreed to a 20 million dollar departure fee to stop their schools from looking for greener pastures. The Big East needs to do the same, or inevitably the conference will be a basketball only conference. And, it thats the inevitable future then bite the bullet now and break off into a basketball only conference. The moves being talked about are band aids on the problem and unless there is a firm commitment to stay together they are just prolonging the inevitable.
Revamped Big East
- Thread starter SJU61982
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Whatever way it goes Lawman, you, me and the rest of the rat pack here will always be there as redmen fans! We were there when we were independent playing Bobby Knight and Army every year. I still miss seeing half of Alumni Hall filled with cadets. We were there before 1995 when we added the football scum and were national title contenders. But remember this, last meeting to decide on the ESPN TV deal THREE CATHOLIC priests killed the deal that would have kept Syracuse and Pitt in the fold and led to the total collapse of the Big East. I have no confidence that EIGHT priests will vote as a block unless Pope Benedict orders them to. LOL!
If keeping football is the answer then the BE has to go all out, because this situation absolutely requires a really futile and stupid gesture on somebody's part.* That said, screw the academies. And screw Baylor - murderous swine -and Iowa State, which is like in South Dakota or something.
1. Maryland. In the new ACC they've gone from being a BB never ran to and a never never also ran. They could barely compete with DeWk and NC, and now they'll never compete with Pitt and Syracuse. Their FB team is mediocre enough to be competitive in the BE. And they want out of the ACC: they'd already have joined the big 10, but travel expenses prohibit it.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/20...terrific-conference-atlantic-coast-conference
2. Memphis. No brainer. Filthy FedEx money keeps them competitive in both sports forever. Also, Elvis Presley.
3a. Penn State. They were going to join before, they'll join again. As every ones knows, sloppy seconds are even more delicious the third time around. Plus the BE needs a team to rep Podunk.
3b. Boston College. Like ME will never be competitive BBwise in the ACC. Whereas they're suddenly the best FB team in the BE. Big media market.
Two of those gives you a mediocre 10 FB teams and doesn't dilute BB too much and allows for the creation of natural geographic rivalries.
As to these others, Kansas, Kansas State. Really? If the BE needs to create a West Coast FB conference to survive the loss of two BB teams a lot of people have been deluding themselves about a lot of things.
* Op cit Eric Stratton
tom in salem
Well-known member
AmoreCourantDom Amore
In the room: 15 big east presidents. Remaining 14 members, plus TCU. No Syracuse, pitt. Originally this meeting was to discuss TV.
2 hours agoFavoriteRetweetReply
tom in salem
Well-known member
yukon beat writer giving twitter updates from D.C. involving the BE presidents meeting currently taking place.
Hartford Courant's Jeff Jacob's:
jacobscourant Jeff Jacobs
Love the growing sentiment for Catholic basketball schools to ban together and boot the Big East football schools. Knew that was coming.
Also reports that the WVU president stormed out of the meetings early.
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My take from above information is that west virginia and other bridesmaids are continuing their refusal to commit to long relationship with BEast and raise of exit fee. I hope that the basketball schools draw line in sand and tell mighty west virginia that if no commitment then go independent.
It also confirms information in the above linked Providence Journal article by Kevin McNamara.
jacobscourant Jeff Jacobs
Love the growing sentiment for Catholic basketball schools to ban together and boot the Big East football schools. Knew that was coming.
Also reports that the WVU president stormed out of the meetings early.
_______________________
My take from above information is that west virginia and other bridesmaids are continuing their refusal to commit to long relationship with BEast and raise of exit fee. I hope that the basketball schools draw line in sand and tell mighty west virginia that if no commitment then go independent.
It also confirms information in the above linked Providence Journal article by Kevin McNamara.
tom in salem
Well-known member
AmoreCourantDom Amore
Im told wva pres did not leave early.
BE statement: pres did vote unanimously to pursue discussions with schools that have expressed interest in joining BE.
BE Commish Marinatto said UConn president Herbst "terrific in the meeting, promised to do anything she can to help strengthen the big east."
wouldn't say which schools he'd pursue, but said they will be football members. Sevices academies fit academic, athletic profile, he said,
The Providence Journal article was obviously FOS.
Assuming everyone is on board, it's eight basketball-only schools, and six football schools. If TCU stays, add Temple, Memphis, and Houston for all sports, and Army and Navy for football. The football will still be generally poor, but you get your 12 football teams so there's revenue from a Big East championship game. And there are 18 basketball teams that you can divide into three divisions and a 22-game regular season. Memphis and Temple will generally offer decent to great teams with great fan support. Houston has two top prospects coming in, so they are headed in the right direction for basketball. TCU will probably be bottom-feeder most seasons.
Not horrible considering the alternatives. Now we just need it to happen.
tom in salem
Well-known member
Assuming everyone is on board, it's eight basketball-only schools, and six football schools. If TCU stays, add Temple, Memphis, and Houston for all sports, and Army and Navy for football. The football will still be generally poor, but you get your 12 football teams so there's revenue from a Big East championship game. And there are 18 basketball teams that you can divide into three divisions and a 22-game regular season. Memphis and Temple will generally offer decent to great teams with great fan support. Houston has two top prospects coming in, so they are headed in the right direction for basketball. TCU will probably be bottom-feeder most seasons.
Not horrible considering the alternatives. Now we just need it to happen. [/quote]
Marinatto says TCU chancellor "had never wavered" about joining big east.
Not horrible considering the alternatives. Now we just need it to happen. [/quote]
Marinatto says TCU chancellor "had never wavered" about joining big east.
Class of 72
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Its a positive sign. If the schools stick together and keep BE together, We have TCU which has an excellent football team,WVU a Perrinial top 25 team with some seasons that were outstanding, USF is a rising program that has spent time in the top 25 and was ranked as high as 2 in the nation. Navy and Airforce have respectable programs and schools like Memphis and Temple have football programs equivilent to Syracuse and good BB programs, their inclusion to the BE would elevate their status,help with their recruiting . Its not like the Acc are world beaters in FB. .We would still be an excellent BB confernce.
Class of 72
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Excellent BB indeed and likely better football too!! Assuming Lav keels recruiting top 100 players, Providence gets better talent, and Rutgers keeps recuiting as it has, I would propose that in another year the Big East may still be stronger top to bottom than the ACC. After Duke, UNC, Syracuse and Pitt there are no world beaters there. SJU, Georgetown, Notre Dame, Marquette, Uconn, Villanova, Louisville, UWV, Cincinatti, Rutgers, Temple and Memphis would make it the #1 basketball conference in America.
BTW, those 12 teams could quite possibly be in the top 50 teams once the NCAA tourney comes around in 2013! It would hilarious if the BE would get 8 bids and the ACC just 4 or 5 even after raiding the Big East!!
tom in salem
Well-known member
A source with knowledge of the meeting told ESPN.com's Andy Katz that the Big East did not issue any invitations Sunday. The source said a number of schools were discussed, including Navy, Army, Air Force, Temple, Central Florida and a new name in SMU, which would be a natural rival with TCU if the Horned Frogs honor the commitment to join the conference in 2012-13. All of these schools except Army and Navy would join the Big East for all sports.
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...ve-commissioner-ok-expand-big-east-conference
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/s...ve-commissioner-ok-expand-big-east-conference
A couple of football-only schools will be added regardless, like navy and air force. I'd prefer Memphis but the football schools obviously want more of Texas and/or Florida. Memphis is not as attractive football-wise right now, even though they are very attractive from a bball perspective.
Big East football will NEVER be as good as the other major conferences. The only goal football-wise should be getting to 12 teams and having them agree to never leave. Basketball is why the conference was created in the first place, and the boneheads in charge need to realize that.
alexd.
Active member
How do you get a school to agree to "never leave"? Exit fees can always be increased if there are enough votes. But that's about it.
It's true that the BE was created as a hoops conference. But it's no longer 1979. Football dollars rule the NCAA. The BE tried for 2 decades to keep up with the top conferences. But things were always greener somewhere else and thus you had the defections. Football is the northeast and mid-atlantic will never compete with football in the midwest or the south. Now the BE is left with trying making the football part of the conference as strong as possible. So the goal isn't to just "get to 12 teams". Pickings are slim at this point.