Not sure why this seems to be a surprise to some people. I think the Notre Dame move was expected. Once the host is dead or dying, they either die with it, or find a new one. Notre Dame and the basketball on lies have bee a bunch of parasites for years. I think UConn is doing the right things to position itself for an opportunity. Being a good program in a bad conference will make us stand out. But the New New New Big East apologists need to stop putting lipstick on this pig.
Step one is to become good enough to win 5 BE FB games every year. Step two is to schedule tougher OOC games since we would no longer need them for bowl eligibility. Step three is to win those OOC games including bowl games. Step four is to consistently win the BE Step five is to participate in the national playoff. Step six is to win the whole ing thing. Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2
ND ed the Big East. I always felt they would. That they took their Olympic sports to the ACC while remaining independent is ultimate slap in the face. The ACC has gone out of its way to make the Big East impotent. ND didn't even have decency to let the Big East work out its new tv deal before bolting. BUT, the Big East deserved it. They were the ultimate enabler of ND and their desire to remain independent. At the time the Big East did it, no other major conference would have allowed them a place for their olympic sports. All the talk about better bowls just doesn't jive. I know we had a tie in with the Gator because of them and a partial tie in with the Sun, but with what down yesterday is it really worth it. The ACC offered them the same deal, because as much as they have tried to kill the Big East, the conference still has a pulse. Even if you're not thrilled with the teams coming in, if the TV contract is decent, and I have no reason to believe that ND basketball is going to affect that all that much, the conference will find a way to thrive. Get ready for prime time Tuesday night football.
End of the day, ND really didn't do much for the BE and they were always out for themselves. They never delivered on the promise to play BE schools in football and walked out during a critical media rights negotiation. And, they took more attractive bowl games from BE football teams. As for men's basketball, how many BE tournament championships did ND win since they joined in 1995? ZERO. How many championship games did they play in? ZERO. Since they joined the BE, they have been to the Sweet 16 ONCE. Women's basketball? ZERO Big East championships. Still, women's basketball is where ND was most relevant and they will be missed. The ND/ACC marriage will go well until ND bumps an ACC football school down to a less attractive bowl and/or they don't deliver on scheduling 5 ACC teams per year.
The hybrid conference was bad strategy to begin with. This framework in this environment was doomed from day one.
But its what it always was since the BE entered the FB business. Without it, we're likely still in some variation of the Yankee Conference.
