Finally, a little positivity

[Point6]

Maybe things are not so bad ... (and accordingly, I retract my suggestion last night that Geno should be asked to coach FB):

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/spor...i-ucf-big-east-1028-20111028,0,4384912.column

 

[UConnJim]

He is right . This year, the "new" BE is better than this year's BE.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Regardless of current rankings, if UConn is in a league with those schools, things are bad.

 

[sportsart]

He makes a good point.

Why is it UL, Cincy, USF and UConn can build their programs by joining a BCS conference yet teams like UCF, SMU and Houston can't in much more fertile markets.

Boise is already at the top of BCS teams and Air Force and Navy are fairly competitive.

In 5 years the new BE is a better conference, period.

 

[UConnJim]

More people at the Houston/Rice game than the Miami/Virginia game tonight

 

[Section205]

Invitation imminent? Ummm... not quite sold on that.

 

[Excalibur]

He makes a good point.

Why is it UL, Cincy, USF and UConn can build their programs by joining a BCS conference yet teams like UCF, SMU and Houston can't in much more fertile markets.

Boise is already at the top of BCS teams and Air Force and Navy are fairly competitive.

In 5 years the new BE is a better conference, period.

You assume that it's a BCS conference after 2013. That is far from certain.

 

[sportsart]

We get to count Boise if they join so that keeps our rolling average up there, yes?

You assume that it's a BCS conference after 2013. That is far from certain.

 

[Excalibur]

We get to count Boise if they join so that keeps our rolling average up there, yes?

It improves it, but I don't think anyone knows if it does enough.

 

[huskymedic]

You assume that it's a BCS conference after 2013. That is far from certain.

I wouldn't assume there is a BCS period - after 2013, the way things are changing so fast. Super conferences could lead to play-off system (pipe dream but the FBS is becoming one strange animal).

 

[Chin Diesel]

For most of the Uconn fans, who live in the northeast, this is a bummer. But, nationally the conference will get better press and finding flights from northeast airports to Orlando, Houston and Dallas/FW is fairly easy and cheap.

UCF is the second biggest college storyline in Orlando, behind the Gators, but ahead of Miami and FSU. I have a sister who lives in Apopka and I travel to Orlando for work about every other month and UCF is front page news in the Sentinel. Having a heated rivalry with USF 90 minutes away can only help.

Houston and SMU are probably the #3 story in their own cities, but it's friggin' football in Texas and even the #3 team gets lots of press.

Adding BSU gives us national attention and the AFA and Navy give us a presence world wide.

If I was living in CT, I'd be bummed. I live in the panhandle of Florida and the consensus down here is that BSU, SMU, Houston, AFA and UCF improves the quality of football in the BE. The only consistent negative comments are of WVU leaving.

 

[TheRogers]

FWIW, the Rutgers board mentioned there is a 2 year grace period which means AQ is secured to 2015. Someone from the Boise St did AQ calculations without WVU and Ville. The new BE comes out ahead of the ACC.

 

[UConnJim]

I'm watching the Houston game. Houston and Boise St. would win the BE this year.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

Watching the Houston/Rice game tonight on Comcast. It is pouring rain and the stadium is packed. I think Houston would be a huge add to the BE.

Boy would we kill to get a QB like Case Keenum. The way he is tossing around the football makes Johnny Mac look like a pop warner QB.

 

[UConnJim]

One last point on the new BE. Over the last few years, UConn has benefited by Syracuse being Robinsoned, Louisville getting Kragthorped, WV getting Stewarted, and Pitt getting Stached. The new BE will be harder than what the BE was over the past few years and UConn will have to raise their game to compete. If Sunseri could gash UConn's defense, imagine what Houston, Boise St., and SMU would do.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

One last point on the new BE. Over the last few years, UConn has benefited by Syracuse being Robinsoned, Louisville getting Kragthorped, WV getting Stewarted, and Pitt getting Stached. The new BE will be harder than what the BE was over the past few years and UConn will have to raise their game to compete. If Sunseri could gash UConn's defense, imagine what Houston, Boise St., and SMU would do.

We better get some athletes to compete on D. Our coaches need to change their mindset to match the current offenses and defenses in college. We will need to learn how to defend the spread. We have been killed by the spread last few games and that's on our coaches.

 

[CL82]

This would be the hometown university's first foray into the world of big-time — er, medium-time college football

Funny.

Did somebody give this guy a happy pill? Not a week ago he was saying that UCF should turn down an inviation.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

What does it take to get an offense system like Houston is running at the Rent? We should have hired Mike Leach.

 

[Druken Friar]

The BE is not going away. The only question is will it continue to be a football league. The article makes a great point regarding TV markets and potential. Houston, Dallas, Orlando are larger TV markets. In addition, adding Boise State, SMU and Houston makes the conference tougher.

He's also right that in perception, the BE is #6, that doesn't change with the defections and additions. Yes Boise and Houston are better right now than any BE football team.

 

[CAHUSKY]

I think this comment sums it up:

"What's amazing is the shortsightedness displayed by some of the big-boy leagues. The Big 12, for, instance, is trying to add either West Virginia or Louisville. If the leaders of that league had any vision, they would add UCF and USF in a package deal and seize a TV and marketing foothold across Florida's Interstate 4 corridor from Tampa to Orlando to Daytona Beach.

Who knows? Maybe such a move will happen in the Big 12's next phase of realignment."

They're not even in the conference yet and are already thinking about the possibility of moving to the Big 12. I guess they will fit perfectly in the Big East.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

I think this comment sums it up:

"What's amazing is the shortsightedness displayed by some of the big-boy leagues. The Big 12, for, instance, is trying to add either West Virginia or Louisville. If the leaders of that league had any vision, they would add UCF and USF in a package deal and seize a TV and marketing foothold across Florida's Interstate 4 corridor from Tampa to Orlando to Daytona Beach.

Who knows? Maybe such a move will happen in the Big 12's next phase of realignment."

They're not even in the conference yet and are already thinking about the possibility of moving to the Big 12. I guess they will fit perfectly in the Big East.

I read an article on the SMU scout board with pretty much the same sentiment. Pretty much advising the school at least use the BE to get to the Big 12 eventually. I don't care if they are thinking about next steps though because so are we. Maybe we can make something that will actually work and endure or maybe it will be a temporary arrangement. Who really knows? I don't care as long as it means we have a BCS home so that we don't regress.

 

[mattp]

He's also right that in perception, the BE is #6, that doesn't change with the defections and additions. Yes Boise and Houston are better right now than any BE football team.

Boise basically makes up for the loss of WVU in terms of giving us a perennial top 10 caliber team. after that we're losing 2 teams that played in a combined 3 or 4 bowl games since the first split. it would almost be impossible not to improve in terms of BCS bid calculations. we'll still be considered the weakest BCS conference, we'll still be better than the ACC, and we'll keep our BCS bid, just like before the recent defections. even if we have to replace Louisville.

 

[gioff23]

I firmly believe the schools scurrying to the B12 will live to regret their decision. OU is moving west, period. It may not be for a few years, but they are gone. And the PAC 12 will help them as soon as they get done digesting the first course of UT and CO. The B12 circa 2013 will look like the BE today. So, WVU and UL, enjoy your brief stay in the B12.

While I would like to believe we are better than the ACC it would sure help if we could actually beat them on the field - we have 2 losses to a mediocre UNC team, needed Wake's QB to get hurt for SU to pull off a miracle and saw WVU nearly blow a 24 pt lead to that O genius who previosuly coached here. The one thing this conference failed to do over the past few years, other than fire JM as commish, was to win on the field against quality opponents.

 

[junglehusky]

well... if UConn stays in the NNBE (or whatever it's called if the fb/bb split happens) and the new guys help keep BCS status, I'm happy. However, the loss of an eastern identity would be a major loss for me. Who knows, if UConn and say, Houston were to improve over the next five years, there could be a big ESPN Friday night game with Orange bowl implications, it could draw eyeballs and fan interest. But it wouldn't feel the same as it would with another northeastern school, or even a mid-atlantic / appalachian school where they burn couches, it wouldn't have that regional sense of rivalry.

 

[HuskyHawk]

This is a like a band-aid for a severed artery. The only chance I think this hodge-podge collection of schools has is if it is a football only league and they drop the BE name. Houston being ranked now is irrelevant. No major conference would take them. This is essentially UConn, RU and SFU joining the better teams from CUSA and MWC. Let's not fool ourselves that this league is better than any other BCS AQ league.

None of these teams, save maybe Boise, is a TV draw, and Boise only is because they've been top 10 lately. Even a slight drop of to say a ranking in the teens or low 20's and Boise becomes irrelevant. Ole Miss vs. Florida (neither ranked) would be a much higher rated game than Houston vs. CFU. History and tradition are hugely important in attracting viewers. This league would have none. As Notre Dame demonstrates every year, current records and rankings are much less important than history and tradition.