Big East to vote on increasing exit fees on Friday

[nelsonmuntz]

With the possibility of an exit fee costing $50MM, I just can't see the FB schools supporting this when right now, they're all looking to get the hell out.

It wouldn't surprise me if this vote gets tabled to buy more time (i.e. waiting for Missouri to make their move).

If the basketball schools cut bait, we are so colossally screwed that no amount of begging harder will save us.

 

[whaler11]

When the University of Connecticut is following a strategy that you like, it is a sure sign we are screwed and will end up in the MAC for all sports by next year.

Yeah, your hey lets hold ESPN's feet to the fire and get big money from Comcast/NBC has proven to be the winner!

 

[FfldCntyFan]

If the basketball schools cut bait, we are so colossally screwed that no amount of begging harder will save us.

So what you are claiming is we need to beg the basketball only schools to keep us around?

It sounds nice when fans from the PC's and Seton Hall's of this conference claim to have a unified front but the reality is that Nova is begging harder than any current football member for a safe haven in a BCS conference if the football schools leave the BE, Georgetown is trying to find some way to formulate a new conference if things go as they believe they will here and ND is trying any and every approach to keep this thing together as the last thing they want is a CYO conference.

There will be some agreement that will allow the conference to continue but as with all solutions the BE enacts, this will also be temporary (although this may actually be a case where a temporary fix will be the better move). One possibility is that if there are further all sports additions (to bolster football) and any of UConn, WVU, Louisville, et al move on, this will trigger an automatic split (giving the catholic schools full control over their destiny while ensuring some home for the football additions that is at worst equal to what they are leaving. For the record there also have been some rumors that a few of the original BE members feel that if UConn leaves there would be no longer any reason to remain as a football conference as at that point every football member would have been added solely to satisfy BE members who are no longer with the conference.

We (UConn) don't need the catholic schools as much as you are claiming and if a temporary stay in the MAC is what you perceive as our football future, how is it that we wouldn't be allowed the same arrangement as Temple (keeping other sports with the catholic schools), who is a member of the A-10 outside of football?

You offer quite a bit of bluster and take drama to a level beyond anything that would be acceptable for a male older than ten years old or a female older than fifteen. We are not however in a situation where we need to keep PC and DePaul on our side or face watching our athletic programs turn into Kent St. Butler was able to build a men;s hoops program that has been pretty successful recently from a conference that is viewed by most as below the MAC. Football programs have been built from mid-major conferences as well. It won't be easy to succeed if we need to spend a few years at a lesser level (although it will be above MAC level regardless of how often you whine) but there is no reason why we cannot do this. The next level of expansion is merely a matter of time (although it may be a few years, not a few minutes, which is not good for the impatient or weak minded). when it happens we will be in very good shape.

 

[coachcap]

So what you are claiming is we need to beg the basketball only schools to keep us around?

It sounds nice when fans from the PC's and Seton Hall's of this conference claim to have a unified front but the reality is that Nova is begging harder than any current football member for a safe haven in a BCS conference if the football schools leave the BE, Georgetown is trying to find some way to formulate a new conference if things go as they believe they will here and ND is trying any and every approach to keep this thing together as the last thing they want is a CYO conference.

There will be some agreement that will allow the conference to continue but as with all solutions the BE enacts, this will also be temporary (although this may actually be a case where a temporary fix will be the better move). One possibility is that if there are further all sports additions (to bolster football) and any of UConn, WVU, Louisville, et al move on, this will trigger an automatic split (giving the catholic schools full control over their destiny while ensuring some home for the football additions that is at worst equal to what they are leaving. For the record there also have been some rumors that a few of the original BE members feel that if UConn leaves there would be no longer any reason to remain as a football conference as at that point every football member would have been added solely to satisfy BE members who are no longer with the conference.

We (UConn) don't need the catholic schools as much as you are claiming and if a temporary stay in the MAC is what you perceive as our football future, how is it that we wouldn't be allowed the same arrangement as Temple (keeping other sports with the catholic schools), who is a member of the A-10 outside of football?

You offer quite a bit of bluster and take drama to a level beyond anything that would be acceptable for a male older than ten years old or a female older than fifteen. We are not however in a situation where we need to keep PC and DePaul on our side or face watching our athletic programs turn into Kent St. Butler was able to build a men;s hoops program that has been pretty successful recently from a conference that is viewed by most as below the MAC. Football programs have been built from mid-major conferences as well. It won't be easy to succeed if we need to spend a few years at a lesser level (although it will be above MAC level regardless of how often you whine) but there is no reason why we cannot do this. The next level of expansion is merely a matter of time (although it may be a few years, not a few minutes, which is not good for the impatient or weak minded). when it happens we will be in very good shape.

I see a MAJOR problem with spending a "few years at a lesser level." Next season is the beginning of the next 3 year cycle for season ticket holders who pay seat donations. If UConn drops down to MAC level, I fear a massive decrease in season ticket renewals due to the less attractiveness of competition being played.

 

[businesslawyer]

BL - do you think we're stuck in a no win position at least in the short term?

Unless we commit to something of substance, the basketball schools (rightfully so) won't add any more schools.

I realize we have time here, and while many of us are antsy, we're going to eventually have to add 2 teams at minimum.

I suspect the football teams won't commit to anything unless they are positive they won't be getting an invite, but I could easily see ACC, Big10 etc. leading us on as it will only further weaken us and the Big East.

Just seems like a lot of losing scenarios all around.

I have no clue if the basketball schools have the patience to see this through. But what ought to happen is that there should be a gentlemen's agreement that everyone will vote for higher exit fees at the latest possible moment you can do so and keep your football league BCS eligible when Pitt and Syracuse leave. I assume that will be spring because you could get two schools to play football in the BE next fall if you had to. That gives UConn, WVU and LV time to shop themselves around, or see if more destabilization occurs. If, at the end of the waiting period those schools don't have a better offer, they sign on and the Big East rebuilds.

It's not like they wouldn't take a better offer down the road and pay the exit fee anyway -- they would. It just hurts.

Right now, with the Big XII and SEC still unstable until Mizzou makes a firm decision, and therefore the ACC as well, you can't ask UConn and WVU to lock themselves in without risking driving them out. Give it time. There is not unlimited time, and I'm not sure how exactly to calculate it, but we have more time to resolve this than we've used so far.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/big_east_to_invite_six_VYHt8ArQpLKGN5Cz8tZSlM

Looks like they are raising the exit fee to $10m and that Nova has successfully blocked Temple. So it's going to be Boise St., Air Force and Navy as FB only and UCF, SMU, and Houston in all sports. I think this is better than Temple in some way anyway and don't think Temple as football only would raise it's profile enough for it to be worthwhile to extend the invite. I would guess that these would be the East/West Divisions. Probably going to have 17 basketball teams and no divisions for that sport. This also pretty much cripples the MWC and CUSA so BE definitely has played it's role in weakening other conferences but mostly in a reactive way.

UConn
Rutgers
West Virginia
Cincinnati
Central Florida
Navy

Louisville
South Florida
SMU
Houston
Air Force
Boise State

 

[businesslawyer]

If that is the revised conference, in the last five years 5 out of the 12 member institutions have been to the BCS (and 3 of those five have won BCS games). I dare one of our BC trolls to give me the comp numbers for the ACC, even including Syracuse and Pitt. Or, for that matter, for the Pac Ten.

That is not a league with long term brand names. But it is a league that, based on recent history, is competitive with those BCS leagues not named the SEC and Big XII. And it is light years, light years, ahead of any of the non-BCS leagues looking up at it.

Can it be successful? That depends how much a network other than ESPN wants competitive college product. ACC money is not in the cards, but a huge increase over where the Big East football schools are now is not impossible.

So, the whole shooting match depends on whether UConn, LV and WVU will be willing to lock themselves in within a time frame that the basketball onlies are willing to give them to do so. I don't know that the time frame is today. This now gets very interesting.

 

[CTEagle]

No way this passes when every football team is looking to jump ship. My guess is no vote will occr since they dont have the votes.

 

[uconndogs]

No way this passes when every football team is looking to jump ship.

Speaking in absolute terms from limited knowledge..........Must be a BC trait.......

 

[CTEagle]

Speaking in absolute terms from limited knowledge..........Must be a BC trait.......

Am I missing something? Is there a BE football school not looking to leave?

 

[Rumrunner]

Amen, brother.

So what you are claiming is we need to beg the basketball only schools to keep us around?

It sounds nice when fans from the PC's and Seton Hall's of this conference claim to have a unified front but the reality is that Nova is begging harder than any current football member for a safe haven in a BCS conference if the football schools leave the BE, Georgetown is trying to find some way to formulate a new conference if things go as they believe they will here and ND is trying any and every approach to keep this thing together as the last thing they want is a CYO conference.

There will be some agreement that will allow the conference to continue but as with all solutions the BE enacts, this will also be temporary (although this may actually be a case where a temporary fix will be the better move). One possibility is that if there are further all sports additions (to bolster football) and any of UConn, WVU, Louisville, et al move on, this will trigger an automatic split (giving the catholic schools full control over their destiny while ensuring some home for the football additions that is at worst equal to what they are leaving. For the record there also have been some rumors that a few of the original BE members feel that if UConn leaves there would be no longer any reason to remain as a football conference as at that point every football member would have been added solely to satisfy BE members who are no longer with the conference.

We (UConn) don't need the catholic schools as much as you are claiming and if a temporary stay in the MAC is what you perceive as our football future, how is it that we wouldn't be allowed the same arrangement as Temple (keeping other sports with the catholic schools), who is a member of the A-10 outside of football?

You offer quite a bit of bluster and take drama to a level beyond anything that would be acceptable for a male older than ten years old or a female older than fifteen. We are not however in a situation where we need to keep PC and DePaul on our side or face watching our athletic programs turn into Kent St. Butler was able to build a men;s hoops program that has been pretty successful recently from a conference that is viewed by most as below the MAC. Football programs have been built from mid-major conferences as well. It won't be easy to succeed if we need to spend a few years at a lesser level (although it will be above MAC level regardless of how often you whine) but there is no reason why we cannot do this. The next level of expansion is merely a matter of time (although it may be a few years, not a few minutes, which is not good for the impatient or weak minded). when it happens we will be in very good shape.

 

[The Funster]

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/college/basketball/big_east_to_invite_six_VYHt8ArQpLKGN5Cz8tZSlM

Looks like they are raising the exit fee to $10m and that Nova has successfully blocked Temple. So it's going to be Boise St., Air Force and Navy as FB only and UCF, SMU, and Houston in all sports. I think this is better than Temple in some way anyway and don't think Temple as football only would raise it's profile enough for it to be worthwhile to extend the invite. I would guess that these would be the East/West Divisions. Probably going to have 17 basketball teams and no divisions for that sport. This also pretty much cripples the MWC and CUSA so BE definitely has played it's role in weakening other conferences but mostly in a reactive way.

UConn
Rutgers
West Virginia
Cincinnati
Central Florida
Navy

Louisville
South Florida
SMU
Houston
Air Force
Boise State

I could live with this. As an aside, I'd look to negotiate with Dolan for some kind of an exclusivity clause regarding MSG. Something that would block the ACC from staging conference games and their post season tourney in MSG.

 

[alexd]

Ok....So can we assume that whatever schools we actually end up formally inviting will accept? I mean, we would have done our legwork beforehand, right? You don't invite someone if they're going to say "no", right??

 

[businesslawyer]

I could live with this. As an aside, I'd look to negotiate with Dolan for some kind of an exclusivity clause regarding MSG. Something that would block the ACC from staging conference games and their post season tourney in MSG.

You can't bar the venue from hosting other conferences when you're not using it. Antitrust laws.

You can prevent another conference from playing their postseason tourney there just by booking the dates.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

You can't bar the venue from hosting other conferences when you're not using it. Antitrust laws.

You can prevent another conference from playing their postseason tourney there just by booking the dates.

Sure you can. People sign exclusive marketing arrangements all the time. An exclusive arrangement for MSG will never rise to the level of anti-trust violation. That said, it will be expensive.