Creighton Athletic Director Proposes Combining Big East & Big Ten For 2020-21 College Sports Season

[Drew]

Shatel: Athletic directors like Creighton's Bruce Rasmussen are preparing for the unknown

When it comes to sports, the pandemic has taught us to think outside the box.

www.omaha.com

“A good example would be this: The Big East and Big Ten are almost in an identical footprint,” Rasmussen said. “So why couldn’t you have men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, soccer, where we play more regionally. And we have an alliance where the Big Ten and Big East partner.”

Rasmussen isn’t talking about nonconference games. He’s talking about, for one year (or however long it takes), combining the Big Ten and the Big East.

For instance, take the Big Ten West schools and put them with Creighton, Marquette, DePaul and Butler. Then the East Coast Big East schools with the Big Ten East.

You would award champions of the two super divisions — the Delany and Gavitt divisions — and qualify a limited number to a Big Ten/East Alliance tourney (Big Ten volleyball would do this for one season).

 

[Drew]

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Yes.

 

[Austin316]

UConn to the Big Ten next season.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Genius.

Here's a map of how it looks. Blue dots are Big East and Red dots are Big 10. Pardon my proximity errors, but it's a good impression of how it will look:

Just between Penn State and Providence, there's a nice nine-team slate between Nova, Maryland, Seton Hall, Rutgers, Georgetown, Providence, St. John's, Penn State and no team would ever have to take a bus ride longer than seven hours.

 

[BuffaloHusky]

I was actually thinking of something similar during the am about just the Big East schedule. My thought was every Big East school could conceivably have a travel partner similar to the Pac 12. For instance UConn/Providence could play DePaul/Marquette when Villanova/Georgetown are playing Butler/Xavier. The problem is that Creighton is always the outlier so only 1 conference game could be a played when traveling there. That would mean every school would have to have a bye week or schedule a non-conference that same week.

 

[UConnTrumbull]

Oooohhh, behave!

 

[Palatine]

Especially for football.

 

[UCLJ0211]

Not a bad idea. Anything to help us have a season next year.

 

[Ts5034]

That would be a wild season If that were the case. So Im assuming the east coast teams would play the “conference” tournament in MSG, and the western teams would play in Indiana?

 

[CTBasketball]

TV money will be at a premium.

 

[TIP-IN]

I realize this is a great situation for us potently, but anyone expecting this to happen, please put your bong down now !

 

[Austin316]

Rutgers and Maryland would benefit a lot from this

 

[Hey Adrien!]

I realize this is a great situation for us potently, but anyone expecting this to happen, please put your bong down now !

But it's good weed!

 

[bendm]

Here's a map of how it looks. Blue dots are Big East and Red dots are Big 10. Pardon my proximity errors

Besides sticking northwestern on the border of michigan and indiana that's helpful.
Just for fun that's 25 teams. A division of 12 and a division of 13. Keeps the in-state rivalries in tact while reducing overall travel.

BIG 25 West:
1. Nebraska
2. Creighton
3. Iowa
4. Minn
5. Wisonsin
6. Marquette
7. Illinois
8. NW
9. Depaul
10. Indiana
11. Purdue
12. Butler

BIG 25 East:
1. PC
2. UConn
3. SJU
4. Hall
5. Rutgers
6. Nova
7. PSU
8. Maryland
9. Gtown
10. OSU
11. Xavier
12. Michigan
13. MSU

 

[businesslawyer]

If they let us in the Big Ten, we won't have any intention of going out. Just sayin ....

 

[Salty Dog]

This would be insane.

 

[Dogdeacon]

So you mean colleges should align & schedule games against teams in close proximity, create some natural rivalries & ease travel burdens?

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I realize this is a great situation for us potently, but anyone expecting this to happen, please put your bong down now !

If I had to bet between one of the following occurring in college sports in 2020-2021:

A) regular conference schedules similar to last year, and
B) something weird,

my money is on B.

 

[Samoo]

If they let us in the Big Ten, we won't have any intention of going out. Just sayin ....

Squatters' rights?

 

[MilliniumPrince]

 

[MuchoDogYears]

But what would the conference name be?
How can we combine into one unified name The Big Ten and The Big East?

Hmmm, could it be The Big Teats?

 

[jleves]

But what would the conference name be?
How can we combine into one unified name The Big Ten and The Big East?

Hmmm, could it be The Big Teats?

The Big Big

 

[#1 PA Husky Fan]

This would be awesome!!! Imagine what this would do to the Syracuse board? It would implode!

 

[Hurleyman216]

Has any conference gotten 18 bids to the tourney in a single year?

 

[zls44]

Big fan of Creighton already just for this idea lol

 

[dennismenace]

This would be awesome!!! Imagine what this would do to the Syracuse board? It would implode!

Big pair.

 

[Fan4ever]

Yeah, would also take the guesswork out of which teams to solicit in expanding the B1G after the trial period and success metrics are reviewed.

 

[FatHank]

I like this idea. It'd be funny if the BIG offered some BE teams a conference slot and they declined saying it is much more fun to be in the BE and whip up on you then it would be for us to be in the BIG and whip up on you. The BIG probably sees this as an exit plan for saying goodbye to Rutgers.

 

[TheChamps990411]

Has any conference gotten 18 bids to the tourney in a single year?

I think its great idea