Big East Invests in exploring Villanova upgrade

[nelsonmuntz]

I am pretty sure Villanova didn't want to upgrade prior to Pitt and Syracuse leaving, and the President of Nova only went through the motions because his alumni were demanding it. Their proposal was a joke, and they had only called the soccer stadium like a week before they submitted the proposal. They might as well have submitted the proposal in crayon on construction paper. Which is why it was summarily rejected.

If they didn't want to upgrade when they had Philadelphia to themselves, why would they do it now? The school is just going through the motions so they can tell their alums "look, we tried".

 

[Carl Spackler]

I am pretty sure Villanova didn't want to upgrade prior to Pitt and Syracuse leaving, and the President of Nova only went through the motions because his alumni were demanding it. Their proposal was a joke, and they had only called the soccer stadium like a week before they submitted the proposal. They might as well have submitted the proposal in crayon on construction paper. Which is why it was summarily rejected.

If they didn't want to upgrade when they had Philadelphia to themselves, why would they do it now? The school is just going through the motions so they can tell their alums "look, we tried".

I'm inclined to agree with this opinion. Villanova is a school with a profile that mirrors a school like Wake Forest, among others. Private school, relatively small student body compared to a UConn or Syracuse, Temple or Rutgers. They went the 1-AA route with football, and have been successful there. Their athletic department budget reflects it. They were extended the option to upgrade to 1-A and join the Big East with UConn in 1997. The upgrade has basically been a standing offer, that's been revisited a few times since.

Franklin Field, UPenn, I'm sure would be happy to host football games for a cut of the 50k+ seating capacity gate count. It's not an ideal solution, but...well, anyway......

My opinion is that Villanova, although a school with an entirely different profile than UConn, would have an easier time upgrading successfully to 1-A football than UConn did, having to build from scratch, an off campus football stadium.

 

[SubbaBub]

agreed,
this financial support almost sounds like a reimbursement for expenditures Nova has already incurred, now that they realize w/ Temple in the league, their pipe-dream of a BIG-boy fb program is just that

i'm coming around to this new BIG east football league, seems like a bunch of schools w/ some mojo, a whole lotta enthusiasm (which has been seriously lacking in places such as Syracuse & Pitt in recent years), not to mention LARGE student bodies in some new & equally LARGE markets, and the potential for some intriguing match-ups/rivalries:

UCF/USF
Memphis/Louisville
Boise vs. anybody
Navy @ San Diego St. should be an event given the US Navy presence out there
Rutty @ Temple will sell-out the Linc, adding another improving northeastern program is a definite plus
Houston has been akin to a Cinci-type program recently, and even SMU has the cache' of having June Jones as head coach, the guy wins wherever he goes.

i'm bullish on the new BIG east

i'd rather be rogue than on bended knee "begging harder"

I think you may have developed Stockholm Syndrome. Might want to.get that checked out.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk

 

[TouchdownHusky]

So now fans want two teams from Philly, which is first and foremost a pro sports town. The Eagles, the Phillies, the Flyers & the 76'ers and . . . little interest in college football. Between Villanova & Temple they could probably get 25k fans on a beautiful autumn afternoon.

 

[RS9999X]

Both teams in Philly aren't ideal but helps with channel placement.
Somewhat dovetails with the Big 5 in basketball.
Penn accomodates scheduling with Temple; will likely do the same for Nova every year.
It's not ideal but the BE presence could be improved in Philly. Philly could offer an alternative to MSG for the first two rounds of the BE tourney in basketball. The assumption is Yankee Stadium would host a football conference game. Philly could enter the picture.
Hartford plays host to the women's BE tourney. Philly might be able to play there too with 2 teams

 

[businesslawyer]

The Big East needs to think long-term and short-term and in the long term, it probably makes sense to have Nova in the football conference if it's feasible. They basically can't count on any of the current football members to be here in five or ten years.

And Nova was right to needle some concessions out of the Big East. UConn did when their vote was needed in the past.

Would you stop with the posts exonerating scapegoats and finding rationality in actions? We need to blame and hang!

 

[HuskyHawk]

The Big East needs to think long-term and short-term and in the long term, it probably makes sense to have Nova in the football conference if it's feasible. They basically can't count on any of the current football members to be here in five or ten years.

And Nova was right to needle some concessions out of the Big East. UConn did when their vote was needed in the past.

Agreed. Long term imagine Louisville gone. UConn gone. Boise and SDSU forming a mid-western league of some kind, possibly taking Houston, Memphis and SMU with them.

What do you have? The future BE has Nova, Temple, UMass, UCF, USF, maybe Rutgers if they can't escape, Cincy, and whoever else they can find, ECU, maybe an upgraded Delaware. Plus the existing BB only schools. This Frankenstein conference is not going to last once AQ status becomes irrelevant.

 

[uconndogs]

Well, here's exactly where I am with this cluster duck* of a conference.

Just beat the holy hell out of everyone. Nova, Temple, SDSU, Memphis....who knows, maybe UMASS. Just win and if the chance is there to win huge, embarrass folks. All with the aim of establishing ourselves as the best option for the ACC or BiG the next time realignment comes around.

 

[metsfan2323]

The new Big East staying together hinges only on a TV contract, it does not hinge on AQ status. AQ status is the most overated possesion we have and has only brought the Big East scorn. Hopefully "AQ status" becomes an extinct term in college football.

 

[freescooter]

Temple makes sense from lots of perspectives. In a sense it is no worse than BC, except nobody really hates Temple. The football program has come a long way since 2002 when the decison was made to boot them (they left after the 2004 season but were given a couple of years notice) and they bring a solid basketball program to replace Pitt and Syracuse. Pretty consistently a top 25 team. And they were available for 2012. I'm not really sure what to make of the Villanova portion of this deal. In some ways it gets Villanova's leadership off the hook, and they clearly do need to upgrade their football practice facilities which are bad even by low end FCS standards. So they get $1million for that, and the Big east pays a consultant to tell them it will cost another $50 million to really make it happen. I imagine they'll also get a few games against Big East opponents overthe next few years.

 

[John Greene]

Temple makes sense from lots of perspectives. In a sense it is no worse than BC, except nobody really hates Temple. The football program has come a long way since 2002 when the decison was made to boot them (they left after the 2004 season but were given a couple of years notice) and they bring a solid basketball program to replace Pitt and Syracuse. Pretty consistently a top 25 team. And they were available for 2012. I'm not really sure what to make of the Villanova portion of this deal. In some ways it gets Villanova's leadership off the hook, and they clearly do need to upgrade their football practice facilities which are bad even by low end FCS standards. So they get $1million for that, and the Big east pays a consultant to tell them it will cost another $50 million to really make it happen. I imagine they'll also get a few games against Big East opponents overthe next few years.

Other than being available in 2012 Temple makes no sense. The Philly college footballl market is poor. Temple is in worse shape there than BC is in Boston. They do not "replace" either Pitt or SU, never mind both. Finally for most UConn fans they in no way repalce BC on the hate factor scale. On that point we agree.

 

[Hoophound]

Other than being available in 2012 Temple makes no sense. The Philly college footballl market is poor. Temple is in worse shape there than BC is in Boston. They do not "replace" either Pitt or SU, never mind both. Finally for most UConn fans they in no way repalce BC on the hate factor scale. On that point we agree.

I think the powers that be look at Temple as filler. It serves a purpose but isn't exciting at all. They are counting on Boise and Houston as being "exciting". Hopefully, those schools continue to perform.

I think the Big East brand will help the southern newbies advance and that this will turn out to be a very good conference on the field, it will just lack the tradition and rivalries that a great conference needs. Hopefully, some national rankings and great games help it gain respect. If the NBE features gunslinger football like Boise and Houston play, it will really help the product on tv.

 

[freescooter]

John,
Temple is a better basketball program than any of the other all-sports additions save Memphis. They were available for football in 2012. I agree that they aren't going to be Michigan in football, but they are far better than the Temple program that got kicked out in 2004. Are they great? No, and as hoophound says in some ways they are a filler. But they are also a credible basketball program. Currently ranked 21. They will get an NCAA bid whether they win their league or not. Tehy ended last year ranked too. The new crop of teams, in case you didn't notice is very football focused. Houston hasn't been a factor for 2 decades. SMU has never been one. UCF is a middling mid-major.

 

[John Greene]

John,
Temple is a better basketball program than any of the other all-sports additions save Memphis. They were available for football in 2012. I agree that they aren't going to be Michigan in football, but they are far better than the Temple program that got kicked out in 2004. Are they great? No, and as hoophound says in some ways they are a filler. But they are also a credible basketball program. Currently ranked 21. They will get an NCAA bid whether they win their league or not. Tehy ended last year ranked too. The new crop of teams, in case you didn't notice is very football focused. Houston hasn't been a factor for 2 decades. SMU has never been one. UCF is a middling mid-major.

I hear you and agree on Temple BB. It just grates that even when the need to be filled is on the FB side, BB always seems to be part of the answer. I know that BB was the reason for the BE in the first place and that maintaining it must have a high priority. Its just that at times I sincerely wish we were in a more balanced conference. But then again no such thing may exist since most conferences seem to have a strong tilt toward FB or BB.

 

[Hoophound]

I hear you and agree on Temple BB. It just grates that even when the need to be filled is on the FB side, BB always seems to be part of the answer. I know that BB was the reason for the BE in the first place and that maintaining it must have a high priority. Its just that at times I sincerely wish we were in a more balanced conference. But then again no such thing may exist since most conferences seem to have a strong tilt toward FB or BB.

Would you prefer ECU or Southern Miss for football focus? I think Memphis and Temple bring more to the table in terms all sports.

I don't think there are any strong football schools to add left, so you go with brand names in big markets.

 

[RS9999X]

There is no one in the Big East or soon to be in the Big East who is not hoping to use the Big East as a stepping off point to something better.

This is nothing more than a blinding glimpse of the obvious.

OK. I don't like gratuitious applause for Fishy Farts. But this is an exceptional fart in its insight. May you all fave it and pin it for its glory.

It obviously was always so going back to the days of Pitino @PC, but the NBE is clearly a league below the others based on contract and salary. We are a little bit fortunate here at UConn. But the days of Providence getting the up and comers or Marquette are over. There's BC and Wake and Georgia State to keep them occupied. If the Butler dude, Stevens, signs for humonguous bucks by waiting a year don't be surprised. He's the next Tom Creamy.