We should go to 12 Football Teams and 20 Basketball Teams

[metsfan2323]

One thing that has killed the perception of the football conference is that we are just too small. If we expand to 10 now we are still too small. We need to stop screwing around and aggresively go to 12.

Locks:
Central Florida
East Carolina

Possible candidates for the last three slots:
Houston (brings a basketball heritage)
Temple (Big city, very good hoops tradition)
UMASS (State school, decent hoops, hurts UCONN recruiting)
Delaware (State school, very passionate fan base, don't know if they would be interested but they should be asked)
Boise State for Football only
Navy Football only

Any other candidates?

 

[UCHuskies08]

Delaware? Then what, the people who run all the BCS bowls laugh?

 

[UConn4ever]

Theres nothing decent about Umess hoops

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

::vomit::

 

[BlueMAB]

Conference USA and the MAC both have 12(or more) teams and a conference championship game, and it's widely accepted they are weaker than the Big East. The Mountain West has 7 teams(but has two really good programs) and people argue it's as strong as the Big East.

It's not about quantity, it's about quality.

Adding 4 non-bcs teams doesn't make the ACC, SEC, or B1G any less appealing to anyone in the league.

 

[willie99]

I think 12/20 may be what we're looking at

C Fla, E Car, Houston, SMU, Navy & Memphis, now that the B12 looks to be holding together

but the B12 may be only 9 or 10 right now, I assume 9 less the SEC is still in the hunt. So while we're looking for 5 at this point, at least 3 more teams are still in play.

Hopefully the B12 looks west @ BSU, BYU

 

[BlueMAB]

I think 12/20 may be what we're looking at

C Fla, E Car, Houston, SMU, Navy & Memphis, now that the B12 looks to be holding together

but the B12 may be only 9 or 10 right now, I assume 9 less the SEC is still in the hunt. So while we're looking for 5 at this point, at least 3 more teams are still in play.

Hopefully the B12 looks west @ BSU, BYU

Anyone want to explain how those schools improve our value or stability?

Bonus points if you explain how we aren't harmed by the fact each and every one of those schools is located in the heart of either ACC, SEC, or Big 12 country, or how they completely water down the basketball conference (except Memphis).

 

[metsfan2323]

Anyone want to explain how those schools improve our value or stability?

Bonus points if you explain how we aren't harmed by the fact each and every one of those schools is located in the heart of either ACC, SEC, or Big 12 country, or how they completely water down the basketball conference (except Memphis).

If you are worried about watering down the basketball conference you are giving amunition to the people who are saying the basketball only schools are hurting the football schools. Houston has a basketball heritage, Central Florida has had a decent baskeball team recently (certainly much better than Seton Hall and Providence and Depaul).

 

[willie99]

improve our value? by giving us a home for a football program, retaining our BCS bid and a conference championship game

also protects us from another deflection, we can't be living on the edge all the time

many of those programs are better than us in football already, or at least our equal. They will improve in time

if the ACC or B10 don't come knocking, what better options do we have?

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

protects us from defection? so you're saying if UCF and Temple were invited, you'd turn down the ACC? O rly?

 

[willie99]

yep, that's what I said, as in absolutely not even in the ballpark

if 1 or 2 teams leave a 12 team conference, there will be no need for that conference to push the panic button

yes, "O rly"

whatever that poppycock is supposed to mean

 

[BlueMAB]

If you are worried about watering down the basketball conference you are giving amunition to the people who are saying the basketball only schools are hurting the football schools. Houston has a basketball heritage, Central Florida has had a decent baskeball team recently (certainly much better than Seton Hall and Providence and Depaul).

I'm worried about watering down basketball to the amount that it hurts us financially. The basketball schools aren't hurting us financially.

We'd have to split the conference money with them. Seton Hall, Providence, and DePaul are in better markets and/or have better upside than SMU, Navy, ECU, etc.

We will probably add a program or two, but 12 is not the answer for us. We are increasingly becoming one of the big fish in a little pond, why split the money more than we have to? We're better off keeping the conference smaller, making it easier to get to a BCS game (not harder), and wait for an invite.

Initially, I thought it would happen this week, but now I think we'll be waiting months, potentially years .

 

[BlueMAB]

improve our value? by giving us a home for a football program, retaining our BCS bid and a conference championship game

also protects us from another deflection, we can't be living on the edge all the time

many of those programs are better than us in football already, or at least our equal. They will improve in time

if the ACC or B10 don't come knocking, what better options do we have?

We don't need to add multiple programs to have a home. The big east isn't kicking us out. If anyone gets an invite, we'll be one of the first. If we aren't, the programs mentioned aren't getting one either and will still be available.

The suggestion of adding those teams does nothing to protect our BCS bid, nevermind mean you can say we will "retain" it. Add those teams, and we are more likely to lose it. We need a program or two that have been top 25 recently if we want to keep it. That means we need to strongly consider Boise State. I'm not thrilled by this, but it might be necessary.

Even if the schools mentioned were better, (they aren't) they don't have a brand name. These moves aren't made because Quse beat Wake Forest this year, but because Pitt/Quse have a solid brand name.

It doesn't protect us from defection, anyone would still leave if offered something better. The conference will still be weak and unstable. We have 2 years, think about what happened the past 3-4 months. 2 years is an eternity.

Again, any of the teams people suggest we need to add now, will always be available. They are not going to take a spot in a better conference that we want. We will need to get back to 8 or 9, but 12 is not the answer. and the 12/20 that is mentioned is big for the sake of big, but not any more stable than our current situation, and would possibly split the pot more than necessary.

If we don't get an invite soon, we wait and go to work. The Big 12 is just as unstable. We work with the conference on adding Baylor/Iowa State, consider Boise St football only, as plan B, while working towards an ACC invite. If Baylor/ISU or BSU think they're going to be left out (they probably will) they may consider joining a BCS conference now while they can.

We can be honest with the conference because everyone knows we'll leave if offered, but this move is best for the conference long term with or without UConn. I believe we can work toward both ends, because they are best for both parties. I am sick about having to work to add Baylor/ISU & BSU and those three are far more deserving than Houston, ECU, UCF, Memphis, and Navy.

If after 12-18 months nothing's changed, then maybe we consider adding ECU/UCF/Navy, but those should be our last options.

 

[jrazz12]

^^^^^^THIS.

Theres no need to add anyone. As Herbt's has said, and I think most of us feel, this is not a conference that we want to be a part of anymore. Let Marinate go through with his rock solid Air Force plan, we'll see where we are at the end of the 27 months and hope TX has changed their tampons, somebody finally punches ND in the face, and everyone (namely ACC/B1G) is ready for 16 teams. Hopefully very soon but we should be ready for a couple years.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

The conference expansion will pick up as we get to 2014 when the BCS contract is set to expire. That will be the next expansion time period...so let's just take our place at the Big East table and just wait it out until then. We can go to a couple more BCS bowl games and then head to the ACC or Big Ten when the next expansion round kicks off.

It isn't the way we would have planned it, but it might work out better for us in the long run. The 2003 raid actually opened up a huge opportunity for us and we took advantage of it (there is no way we are at this level of success if the 2003 raid hadn't occured). So let's use this as a chance to establis ourselves as a perennial BCS Bowl game participant so we hit the ground running in our next conference.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

I say we invite Buffalo into the Big East for no other reason then to piss off Syracuse. We aren't going to be in this conference in 5 years anyway, so who cares!

 

[uconnbill]

Did you come up with this when you stayed at a Holiday Inn...Just curious with throwing out garbage like UMass, Delaware and Temple...Why not throw out Memphis, Southern Miss, UAB while your at it.

My gosh this place is becoming beyond ridiculous.

One thing that has killed the perception of the football conference is that we are just too small. If we expand to 10 now we are still too small. We need to stop screwing around and aggresively go to 12.

Locks:
Central Florida
East Carolina

Possible candidates for the last three slots:
Houston (brings a basketball heritage)
Temple (Big city, very good hoops tradition)
UMASS (State school, decent hoops, hurts UCONN recruiting)
Delaware (State school, very passionate fan base, don't know if they would be interested but they should be asked)
Boise State for Football only
Navy Football only

Any other candidates?

 

[RS9999X]

UCF, ECU and NOVA. That's the 10 teams.

FWIW the Big-12 is still in a weird place. Texas would not revenue split with the PAC. That means they won't do it for the Big-12? They want a sweetheart deal somewhere to keep the Longhorn Network? What conference is desparate enough? Or will they go Indie? I don't see them eating crow and saying they need the B12. The ACC doesn't need their drama.

Someone eats crow in the B12. Is Texas a Bitch Goddess? Oklahoma?

Stay tuned to Good Christian .

 

[FfldCntyFan]

The 12/20 model (which Marinatto has been championing for nearly a year now) may be where we go. The unfortunate thing is that now, after again losing high profile membership, the 12 and the 20 will be weaker than what it would have been if we had been willing to act on it earlier (we may have even been willing to sneak Nova in for football if two other legitimate football schools were added) and it will be far weaker than what it could have been (if the conference leadership had the foresight a decade ago to view the football conference as more than a place where the schools that cared (Miami, Cuse, VT, etc.) had a handful of schools they could call conference mates. The iron of a 12/20 at this point would be that eleven months ago the catholic schools were adamantly against this when Marinatto kept trying to convince them that this was necessary for the BE's survival.

 

[UConnRock]

The BE needs teams that add stature to the conference. Do whatever is necessary to add some football power. My suggestion, as crazy as it may seem is to add Boise, houston and Air Force to the west (w/ TCU, Louisville and Cincy). Add UCF or Navy to the east.