The Big East and its costly misjudgment

LETS NOT FORGET THAT NOTRE DAME WAS ALLOWED TO JOIN B.E. WHILE EXEMPTING THEIR FOOTBALL TEAM...BIG MISTAKE....IF THEY HAD JOINED IN FOOTBALL,IT MAY HAVE REVERSED B.C AND KEPT THE OTHERS IN THE FOLD... 
 
My understanding is that Notre Dame's "deal" with the Big East evolved from a desire to keep ND from joining the ACC or the Big Ten.

If I recall correctly, when ND initially shopped for a basketball league in 1994- 1995, it was told by the Big Ten that it could only join if football was part of the package.

I recall that the ACC indicated in 1994 that ND could join for all sports, except basketball if ND scheduled 4 ACC football teams each season.

The Big East, in its wisdom, desired to prevent the ACC or Big Ten from dominating welcomed ND with open arms and no conditions. 
 
My understanding is that Notre Dame's "deal" with the Big East evolved from a desire to keep ND from joining the ACC or the Big Ten.

If I recall correctly, when ND initially shopped for a basketball league in 1994- 1995, it was told by the Big Ten that it could only join if football was part of the package.

I recall that the ACC indicated in 1994 that ND could join for all sports, except basketball if ND scheduled 4 ACC football teams each season.

The Big East, in its wisdom, desired to prevent the ACC or Big Ten from dominating welcomed ND with open arms and no conditions. 
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I think allowing ND in without their football wasn't the biggest sin. Because I don't think there was ever any chance ND would forgoe it's normal schedule of USC, Michigan, Purdue etc to play a schedule filled with Rutgers, UCONN and USF. Wasn't going to happen.

So as long as half our conference was non-football; (and catholic), letting ND in for non football sports wasn't a bad move. Especially if it kept them out of the ACC/Big 10. And it's not as if they joined another conference, they've been an independent. And their other sports have really contributed nicely to the Big East, from Women's basketball obviously, to lacrosse, to baseball ... they've been a big contributor across the board really. Plus their so called "olympic" sports, like track and swimming, are usually top notch.

Again I don't fault the Big East for letting ND in without football, because that simply never would've happened.

Penn State is a whole other issue. That's the key decision that led us to where we are today. They WANTED in. And had their football program been apart of the Big East .. we never lose Va Tech, BC, Miami. In fact we probably would've picked up schools along the way from the ACC because WE would have the better tv deal to offer.

I don't think it's ridiculous to think in a Big East with Penn State, Va Tech, Miami, Pittsburgh, West Va, Boston College etc that teams like Maryland or Florida State could be pried away. Imagine that lol -- the Big East being in the position to steal quality programs, rather than have our best programs raided.
 
The Big Ten would have cherry-picked Penn State eventually. Expansion by the major conferences was inevitable--call it manifest destiny.

Even with Penn State, the ACC would have been more attractive to Va Tech, Miami, and probably BC.
 
The Big Ten would have cherry-picked Penn State eventually. Expansion by the major conferences was inevitable--call it manifest destiny.

Even with Penn State, the ACC would have been more attractive to Va Tech, Miami, and probably BC.
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No way! It's all about football $$ and Penn State is far more attractive to TV audiences then anything the ACC was offering ... Georgia Tech? UNC football? Clemson? Penn State alone probably equals the tv audiences those 3 combined have on an average Saturday afternoon.

The key player would've been Florida State. No way they would have stayed pat. They would have bolted to either the SEC or for us. And I think at the right time.. with Miami, Va Tech, Penn State on board, you could have convinced Florida State to join the Big East.

Again, it's a domino effect ... but Penn State makes the league strong enough that Va Tech and Miami (two powers) never leave. Plus BC, a solid if less impactful school. Those teams staying home would've stayed off Pittsburgh, Syracuse and WVU from leaving.

You're right that the conference's greed for expansion was somewhat inevitable.. but by simply adding Penn State we would've been in position to be one of the league's adding on rather than the one being ravaged.
Again, ACC basketball is great - but as we know well, bball pays about 1/50 of what football does.
 
The Big Ten would have cherry-picked Penn State eventually. Expansion by the major conferences was inevitable--call it manifest destiny.

Even with Penn State, the ACC would have been more attractive to Va Tech, Miami, and probably BC.
Click to expand...
 

No way! It's all about football $$ and Penn State is far more attractive to TV audiences then anything the ACC was offering ... Georgia Tech? UNC football? Clemson? Penn State alone probably equals the tv audiences those 3 combined have on an average Saturday afternoon.

The key player would've been Florida State. No way they would have stayed pat. They would have bolted to either the SEC or for us. And I think at the right time.. with Miami, Va Tech, Penn State on board, you could have convinced Florida State to join the Big East.

Again, it's a domino effect ... but Penn State makes the league strong enough that Va Tech and Miami (two powers) never leave. Plus BC, a solid if less impactful school. Those teams staying home would've stayed off Pittsburgh, Syracuse and WVU from leaving.

You're right that the conference's greed for expansion was somewhat inevitable.. but by simply adding Penn State we would've been in position to be one of the league's adding on rather than the one being ravaged.
Again, ACC basketball is great - but as we know well, bball pays about 1/50 of what football does.
Click to expand...
 

Just my opinion, but I don't see even a school like Penn State getting in the way of natural geographical rivalries that UV-Va Tech and FSU-Miami offered. Schools were jumping at the chance to join the ACC.

Now, if you want to say that the Big East could have been proactive by taking Florida State, I might be on board with that.
 
The Big Ten would have cherry-picked Penn State eventually. Expansion by the major conferences was inevitable--call it manifest destiny.

Even with Penn State, the ACC would have been more attractive to Va Tech, Miami, and probably BC.
Click to expand...
 


All 4 of these schools suck at hoop.
Does anyone here really give a flying sh!t about big east football anyway?
 
 Ive been outspoken on this in the past and have always felt they should never have been allowed to join without allowing us to play with their football. But I dont think there was any chance ND would have gone to the ACC= ND came to the BE to play on the east coast because of its fan and alumni base which is large in New York and New England. Could they have gone to the Big Ten- maybe-
Personally I feel they should be made to play BE football with some sort of extra bonus because of their tv contract or told to leave. Since we are reorganizing we mind as well clean house. They only came here to build their basketball program and have been selfish from the start.
 
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