Another Big East Expansion Move In the West?

[UConnDan97]

I thought that maybe the expansion talk would die down for at least one week after the announcement of Temple to the Big East, but I was apparently mistaken. McMurphy tweeted that Marinatto is looking to add a 14th team, presumably from the West?

https://twitter.com/#!/McMurphyCBS/status/177532888747737089

If so, what makes the most sense? Air Force? Will we allow BYU their own tv deal?? Please, dear Lord, don't say Colorado State...

 

[metsfan2323]

This is the most important news of the day. We are going to 14. If Louisville leaves we will probably add two more west teams. Hopefully one is BYU. They have to join a league at some point.

 

[Dann]

if were going to be stuck in the BE then i want a east and west. and 16 teams, no way around it. and 16 fball schools but 12 all sports schools can work
lets say lville goes.

sdsu(fo)/bsu(fo)/uh/smu/memphis/byu/(fo)/? needs to be a school from nevada or tulane imho at this point
uconn/ruty/tem/cicny/usf/ucf/navy(fo)/ecu(fo)

so in fball you play your division each year plus 2 cross games. rotate zones for those cross games to make the league able for teams to visit all areas for recruiting and mk reach is my idea. for example:
1-usf/ucf/ecu/navy
2-uconn/ruty/tem/cincy
3-uh/smu/tul/mem
4-bsu/sdsu/byu/

in bball play a round robin.
(7)gt/nova/prov/marq/dep/shu/sju
+
(6)uconn/ruty/tem/cincy/usf/ucf
+
(5)uh/smu/mem/tul/byu
=18 so thats 17 games and throw in nd if they stick around for 19 teams in bball and 18 games.

 

[UConnDan97]

If we truly do get to 14 teams safely (a.k.a., L'Ville doesn't go to the Big 12), I am a big fan of getting selective for teams #15 and #16, if that is the ultimate goal (hell, even team #14!). I've heard the name "Tulane" thrown out there multiple times for the Big East, and multiple times, I've had to stop myself from choking on my own vomit. Other than "securing" New Orleans, I don't know what on earth we would want with Tulane....in anything! I'm also betting that the vast majority of New Orleans roots for a team in yellow and purple.

To me, the expansion choices that make sense from here are teams like BYU (if something could get worked out from a tv standpoint) or maybe an Air Force. I've heard UNLV, and again, I don't get it. A western team will not place their olympic sports in the Big East, so UNLV's basketball team will not be part of the discussion. Nevada; maybe. I think if you can grab BYU or perhaps Air Force, you lock up the #14 team and you wait 6 months for the next battery of musical chairs to start.....please, no more Tulane talk! I don't have enough Pepto in the fridge...

 

[metsfan2323]

If we truly do get to 14 teams safely (a.k.a., L'Ville doesn't go to the Big 12), I am a big fan of getting selective for teams #15 and #16, if that is the ultimate goal (hell, even team #14!). I've heard the name "Tulane" thrown out there multiple times for the Big East, and multiple times, I've had to stop myself from choking on my own vomit. Other than "securing" New Orleans, I don't know what on earth we would want with Tulane....in anything! I'm also betting that the vast majority of New Orleans roots for a team in yellow and purple.

To me, the expansion choices that make sense from here are teams like BYU (if something could get worked out from a tv standpoint) or maybe an Air Force. I've heard UNLV, and again, I don't get it. A western team will not place their olympic sports in the Big East, so UNLV's basketball team will not be part of the discussion. Nevada; maybe. I think if you can grab BYU or perhaps Air Force, you lock up the #14 team and you wait 6 months for the next battery of musical chairs to start.....please, no more Tulane talk! I don't have enough Pepto in the fridge...

Tulane has been brought up by a few people who think academics matter. They don't.

 

[Fishy]

If we truly do get to 14 teams safely (a.k.a., L'Ville doesn't go to the Big 12), I am a big fan of getting selective for teams #15 and #16...

Getting selective?

We gonna start requiring a pulse?

Selective left the building before Memphis arrived.

 

[coachcap]

if were going to be stuck in the BE then i want a east and west. and 16 teams, no way around it. and 16 fball schools but 12 all sports schools can work
lets say lville goes.

sdsu(fo)/bsu(fo)/uh/smu/memphis/byu/(fo)/? needs to be a school from nevada or tulane imho at this point
uconn/ruty/tem/cicny/usf/ucf/navy(fo)/ecu(fo)

so in fball you play your division each year plus 2 cross games. rotate zones for those cross games to make the league able for teams to visit all areas for recruiting and mk reach is my idea. for example:
1-usf/ucf/ecu/navy
2-uconn/ruty/tem/cincy
3-uh/smu/tul/mem
4-bsu/sdsu/byu/

in bball play a round robin.
(7)gt/nova/prov/marq/dep/shu/sju
+
(6)uconn/ruty/tem/cincy/usf/ucf
+
(5)uh/smu/mem/tul/byu
=18 so thats 17 games and throw in nd if they stick around for 19 teams in bball and 18 games.

I say ditch the football only experiment. If the Big East is going after more western schools, then bring everyone in for all sports. There will be enough teams to have the Western division play Olympic sports west of the Mississippi & be under the Big East umbrella for broadcast purposes. If Air Force can currently be housed in the Mountain West for all sports, invite them into the Big East under the same conditions & also force Navy's hand.

 

[Dann]

I say ditch the football only experiment. If the Big East is going after more western schools, then bring everyone in for all sports. There will be enough teams to have the Western division play Olympic sports west of the Mississippi & be under the Big East umbrella for broadcast purposes. If Air Force can currently be housed in the Mountain West for all sports, invite them into the Big East under the same conditions & also force Navy's hand.

i would be ok with this also but i feel marinate and crew are going to not like it. at this point if the BE can go to 16 in fball i would rather play that conf all in sports wise and forget about the bball onlys conf wise. ppl are going to get at me about that but we would be the exception to losing those games as we can easily play them ooc. the tv possibilities with mks and time zones would be great $$. plus now those schools can build there whole ath depts and have a feeling of a conf unity/purpose.

i hate the newBE as much as the next guy but if were going to be in it i wish the best possible ideas for uconn and hate what marinate thinks is right.

uconn/ruty/tem/cincy/ecu/navy/usf/ucf
uh/smu/mem/bsu/sdsu/byu//tul
navy and wont play bball imho in that league, let the other play and develope teams. uconn/tem/cincy/mem would easily be able to keep the league a top 4 league in the current cb world. usf/ucf/byu/ruty/uh/bsu have really come on the scene lately and can turn into something. if half of those teams continue to build and get better, that league in bball is good enough.

as far as the bball onlys not being in that conf, while others would play them do u really think they would pass up uconn in the ooc? not a chance. we could easily get 2 or 3 games a year vs nova/gt/sju/marq types. our sos along with other ooc games and a pre season tney somewhere would be just fine.

also just a question, dont schools like /navy/amry have a height requirment where ppl over a certin height can't go there for schools becuase of rules of duty/service? thought it was a tactical and machinery(hummer/plane/ship) issue. isnt it like 6'8 or something. i thought i remeber reading something like this? maybe just bs i read...

 

[socttrojan]

I say ditch the football only experiment. If the Big East is going after more western schools, then bring everyone in for all sports. There will be enough teams to have the Western division play Olympic sports west of the Mississippi & be under the Big East umbrella for broadcast purposes. If Air Force can currently be housed in the Mountain West for all sports, invite them into the Big East under the same conditions & also force Navy's hand.

funny,

but i thought getting the academy's football programs as "FO's" was actually to the BIG east's advantage

Navy & Air Force football are the only sports teams worth the BIG east's interest.

their hoops teams would get embarrassed on a nightly basis, no sense in that

 

[nelsonmuntz]

AFA doesn't want to do it. I like Colorado State to be honest. Big state school in a fast growing state. Not a compass school, and OK academics.

 

[coachcap]

AFA doesn't want to do it. I like Colorado State to be honest. Big state school in a fast growing state. Not a compass school, and OK academics.

What is AFA's motivation for their objection? Is it travel time away from class? What's the difference between playing
Olympic sports in the Mountain West vs. playing in a western division of the Big East against Boise, SDSU, Houston, Memphis & pick two from (Fresno St., Nevada, UNLV, Colorado St.)? If they are already in a conference for all sports, I see no logic for inviting them for just football other than attractiveness for a television contract.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

ACC anyone? Folks keep making this point. Connecticut needs the Govenor, UConn's President, all US reps, the two Senators to lean (and lean hard) on ESPN. They are a "player" and they are power brokers strong enough to craft a deal where UConn ends up in an approriate conference. Stop hitching our wagons to a patch work quilt of configurations.

 

[HuskyHawk]

And so none of you think that once we add more western teams, and AQ status goes away for everyone (which is looking likely) that this league won't stay together? The western schools are being smart. They want to have enough teams to split and form their own league. I think the hoop schools are thinking the same way with the Temple addition. Secure enough eastern teams to stay in business once the split comes.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

ACC anyone? Folks keep making this point. Connecticut needs the Govenor, UConn's President, all US reps, the two Senators to lean (and lean hard) on ESPN. They are a "player" and they are power brokers strong enough to craft a deal where UConn ends up in an approriate conference. Stop hitching our wagons to a patch work quilt of configurations.

OMG!!! No one thought of trying to join the ACC. You sir, are a genius.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

And so none of you think that once we add more western teams, and AQ status goes away for everyone (which is looking likely) that this league won't stay together? The western schools are being smart. They want to have enough teams to split and form their own league. I think the hoop schools are thinking the same way with the Temple addition. Secure enough eastern teams to stay in business once the split comes.

It has nothing to do with AQ status, and everything to do with TV. This patchwork is being assembled to give the Big East the best crack at a decent TV deal with NBC.

 

[Pudge]

Nelson is right. This is all about TV ... and Tranghese told a big fib last week. We are going City by City grabbing Markets. It might be the USFL for NBC or FOX; or it might be the AFL. WE (UConn & others) have been thrown around by the Cartel.

I also think that Boise/SD State & the Texas schools should not be out on a limb (like we had with the U); there has to be a full platform ... even if it is 6 schools in everything. So, Colorado State is interesting. Fresno is the 5th biggest city in California; and guess what happens in California markets. They get bigger & bigger. And then there is Nevada & UNLV. Those are the NON-BYU & candidates. Any have the potential. Football-wise, Fresno clearly has the best Fanbase. When I was at UCLA, no Fanbase but Nebraska brought more fans to the Rose Bowl from out-of-town. Red Sea.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Air Force and/or BYE make the most sense to me. I don't see any other real candidates, and we have to add a western team.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Agree with Pudge... UNLV, Nevada, , BYU, Colorado State and Fresno are decent pickings in big markets that would bolster the west, and create an opportunity for all to come on as all-sports members. UNLV and SDSU would be very good BB additions. Would also help their programs grow with regional rivals.
Having so many factions weakens the conference. and it doesn't help to have Boise wave the Big East flag for FB and the whatever conference for everything else. That doesn't help to bolster the Big East image.

And when the league is 24 BB schools, you could have regional pods like the NCAA. Just keep the sweet sixteen in NYC and MSG.

15 all sports (navy is fb only so you have 16 for fb), plus the 8 catholic schools. Probably need to add one more midwest bb school (Butler or Xavier come to mind)... I'm sure the scheduler's could make this work with 2 FB Divisions and 2 BB divisions.

 

[businesslawyer]

Nelson is right. This is all about TV ... and Tranghese told a big fib last week. We are going City by City grabbing Markets. It might be the USFL for NBC or FOX; or it might be the AFL. WE (UConn & others) have been thrown around by the Cartel.

I also think that Boise/SD State & the Texas schools should not be out on a limb (like we had with the U); there has to be a full platform ... even if it is 6 schools in everything. So, Colorado State is interesting. Fresno is the 5th biggest city in California; and guess what happens in California markets. They get bigger & bigger. And then there is Nevada & UNLV. Those are the NON-BYU & candidates. Any have the potential. Football-wise, Fresno clearly has the best Fanbase. When I was at UCLA, no Fanbase but Nebraska brought more fans to the Rose Bowl from out-of-town. Red Sea.

The year Fresno was undefeated and played a top ranked Reggie Bush led USC team at the Coloseum, that may have been the best I've ever seen a visiting fanbase do in terms of taking over a bigger program's stadium for a big game.

 

[FromTheInside]

And so none of you think that once we add more western teams, and AQ status goes away for everyone (which is looking likely) that this league won't stay together? The western schools are being smart. They want to have enough teams to split and form their own league. I think the hoop schools are thinking the same way with the Temple addition. Secure enough eastern teams to stay in business once the split comes.

Were the western schools smarter, they'd have ditched their BE delusions and built upon the Mountain West. But, the Mountain West's leadership is even worse than the BE's. They could have been making a lot more $$$ than they were. Not as much as in the BE, but the added travel offsets what they could have landed with savvy maneuvering. The second TCU announced their departure, they should have gone after Houston, SMU, Fresno State, and Nevada. There was enough fire power there with Boise State & BYU, and an up and coming Houston, to push for AQ status (assuming it doesn't go away). Plus, Nevada & Fresno State have had some strong teams in the WAC. Their commissioner couldn't have handled everything any more poorly.

 

[Marty Jackson]

Were the western schools smarter, they'd have ditched their BE delusions and built upon the Mountain West. But, the Mountain West's leadership is even worse than the BE's. They could have been making a lot more $$$ than they were. Not as much as in the BE, but the added travel offsets what they could have landed with savvy maneuvering. The second TCU announced their departure, they should have gone after Houston, SMU, Fresno State, and Nevada. There was enough fire power there with Boise State & BYU, and an up and coming Houston, to push for AQ status (assuming it doesn't go away). Plus, Nevada & Fresno State have had some strong teams in the WAC. Their commissioner couldn't have handled everything any more poorly.

It's all about pecking order. We can gripe about being stuck in the BE, but the fact is that there are a lot of schools that look at the BE as a step up (in prestige and money)... Houston, SMU, and the like will take the BE option unless there is an opportunity in the other 5 AQ conferences (see TCU). No conglomeration of the MW would equate to what the BE can offer.

 

[UConnDan97]

Getting selective?

We gonna start requiring a pulse?

Selective left the building before Memphis arrived.

Well said. I was making that comment in reference to football schools like Tulane and Colorado State, but I have to admit that the addition of Memphis made me taste my lunch twice that day. I wish them the best of luck and I hope they can turn their program around for all of our sakes, but my God in heaven, why Memphis?!? (is Fed Ex really that influential??)

 

[kibblesnbits]

What is AFA's motivation for their objection? Is it travel time away from class? What's the difference between playing
Olympic sports in the Mountain West vs. playing in a western division of the Big East against Boise, SDSU, Houston, Memphis & pick two from (Fresno St., Nevada, UNLV, Colorado St.)? If they are already in a conference for all sports, I see no logic for inviting them for just football other than attractiveness for a television contract.

Air Force's hockey team already plays in Atlantic Hockey with UConn. Besides, I heard those guys know how to fly so they probably know how to get from Colorado Springs to virtually anywhere quickly.

 

[rw005]

What about UNLV?

 

[UConnDan97]

I just don't get the UNLV thing, to be honest. It would be one thing if all of their sports would enter the league and you could say that their basketball team would add some quality, but nobody west of Texas is going to add their olympic sports to the Big East. And from a football-only standpoint, I don't see why we would want UNLV, other than the urban location philosophy to try to capture Vegas. I think I would rather have Nevada than UNLV, and I don't really want Nevada either.

I think the best available options in the west for the Big East currently are BYU (tv problems), Air Force (will Navy bring them in?), and Fresno State (has seen better days). Southern Miss is an interesting team also, but I'm not sure they fit the "western" mold, and they definitely don't fit the urban center ideology either.