Back to grim reality: Tulane and ECU

[nelsonmuntz]

Apparently while Herbst was planning her ACC acceptance press conference, she let the Big East vote these two turnips into the conference. Now we got to live with them.

Rather than head west, where there are multiple programs in large markets with little or no competition that would love to be in the Big East and provide local rivalries for Boise and SDSU, we took Tulane, which shares a relatively small market with LSU, and ECU, which shares a mid-sized market with 1/3 of the ACC. The Big East will never get credit for either market, and neither program is that good. Nevada and Fresno play BCS caliber football right now, and New Mexico and UNLV have potential. If they were going to pick a school that draws small crowds, why not take San Jose State in massive Silicon Valley instead of Tulane in New Orleans, right next to LSU? San Jose State almost beat Stanford on the road this year.

These two additions were bizarre, and seem to indicate a league that is either isn't very good at picking the right horses or got rejected by the better programs out west. Aresco deserves an F for this move.

 

[MattMang23]

With all due respect, Nelson, who cares anymore?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I am always going to be a UConn fan, even if the school completely blows it at its most important moments.

 

[MattMang23]

I'll always hope for the best for UConn, but I don't know how serious I can take college athletics anymore. Therefore, I don't know how serious I can take the Big East and its expansion process.

It's nothing against you. This process has just emotionally sapped me. I don't care if the Big East invites Marshall, Southern Miss, Valdosta St, and Alaska-Anchorage tomorrow. I just don't.

I think I've just lost it mentally.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Tulane Football hasn't had a winning season since 2003.
Tulane hasn't made an NCAA Tournament since 1995.

Has the whole fcking world gone insane??

Who voted for these teams??

 

[TRest]

The BE is about airport access at this point.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

There were 3 nut punches today:

1) Louisville to the ACC
2) The ACC looks like it will hold together (still some instability though)
3) The ECU/Tulane turdburger.

Of the three, #3 is in some ways the most infuriating because it is 100% self-inflicted. I would not have put either program in the Top 10 list of schools to add. Fresno and Nevada would be great additions, and potentially be an upgrade. UMass would make sense because it is the main state school in a large, rich state. UNLV or San Jose because of large metro areas.

ECU and Tulane make no sense at all.

 

[The Viking]

UMass has to be added. If we're gonna be stick in this thole of a football conference, give me SOME freakin regional rival. NY and NJ teams are gone. Give me a Mass team.

And BC.

 

[zls44]

The BE is about airport access at this point.

The Ingress Egress Conference

 

[Dann]

u guys are nuts on umass. if we were to be stuck here which wont happen, the last thing on top of everthing the nbe has turned into is for umass to be on the sme laevel of recruiting as uconn. u guys have all lost it. keeplaughing at me and my CR stuff instead of making sugestions about umass and .

 

[HuskyBlue08]

ECU is our 2nd closest road trip in the new new Big East (11.5 hours). Temple is closest (4.5 hours).

Should make for some torturous Ryan Phalen bus trips.

 

[tzznandrew]

There are going to be so few people at the Rent if we're stuck in the NBE, it will be sad. Even if UConn is really good, suddenly (and it shouldn't be too hard with Memphis, Tulane, and others), who wants to watch them play East Carolina? I don't care about watching them play San Diego State in football.

 

[noeynox]

Why don't I feel like quoting Bart Scott and yelling "CANT WAIT "?

 

[ZooCougar]

The Big East should change its name to the Big Turnstyle.

 

[amory]

I dunno why, but calling them "turnips" made me die laughing.

With all due respect, Nelson, who ****ing cares anymore?

So did this.

 

[huskypantz]

Grim reality is that it doesn't much matter who the teams are in the Big East at this point. We need to politic for an 8 game schedule so that we can play 3 BCS schools and one AA every year, because the conference schedule is basically pathetic - and that's assuming that Boise, SDSU, Houston et all stick around. There are absolutely no football teams in the BE aside from maybe Boise that make anyone in CT say "I'm really looking forward to playing X".

 

[jbdphi]

There are going to be so few people at the Rent if we're stuck in the NBE, it will be sad. Even if UConn is really good, suddenly (and it shouldn't be too hard with Memphis, Tulane, and others), who wants to watch them play East Carolina? I don't care about watching them play San Diego State in football.

Isn't the point of being a fan wanting to see your team win? So if we win our games against this watered down Conference USA monster, you don't think UConn will put fans in the seats because they're playing San Diego State or Tulane or East Carolina as opposed to Louisville or Pitt or Syracuse?

 

[ZooCougar]

Not ready to deal with this yet. If Pasqualonis is still here, we probably lose to these guys too.

 

[tzznandrew]

Isn't the point of being a fan wanting to see your team win? So if we win our games against this watered down Conference USA monster, you don't think UConn will put fans in the seats because they're playing San Diego State or Tulane or East Carolina as opposed to Louisville or Pitt or Syracuse?

Fans don't have to pay money to see games.

And I don't think UConn will put enough fans in the seats. Because tickets cost money. I'm certainly not going to pay to go to those games.

I'm not rich. If there were real teams coming in to the Rent, I could scrape together the money to get tickets. When Cincinnati is your best game? Not worth the money.

 

[Orac]

Isn't the point of being a fan wanting to see your team win? So if we win our games against this watered down Conference USA monster, you don't think UConn will put fans in the seats because they're playing San Diego State or Tulane or East Carolina as opposed to Louisville or Pitt or Syracuse?

Fans (especially in this part of the country) want to see the best.

For example (in a pro-sport illustration): MLS' biggest problem is not lack of soccer fans, it is that it's not up to the caliber of the rest of the world. The soccer fans would all rather be watching the English Premier League.

College football fans will know this for what it is. This new mess of a conference will be "minor league" college football. UConn better lower prices to reflect that it is no longer "BCS" if they want to have a chance to fill the stadium for the likes of Tulane...