If Oklahoma got Beebe pushed out a day later, what does it mean that Marinatto still has a job?

[UCHuskies08]

To me, it has to mean no one thinks it's even worth doing.

 

[businesslawyer]

LOL. The most obvious answer is that no one thinks they could get a better person to do the job. I'm not even saying that is the case, but it's frankly funny that no one seems to recognize that the football schools voluntarily voted to install this guy and we still haven't heard anyone at UConn express any belief that he is the problem or even a problem.

 

[brasssbonanzaa]

It's not worth doing. In the case of the Big 12, it was a requirement for someone as big of a player as OU to stay. If SU and Pitt said they'd stay in the Big East so long as Marinatto was fired, there'd be a hell of an upswell from the football members to get him ousted. But what does replacing him do at this point except to further throw the conference into more turmoil?

 

[arnie3]

It's not worth doing. In the case of the Big 12, it was a requirement for someone as big of a player as OU to stay. If SU and Pitt said they'd stay in the Big East so long as Marinatto was fired, there'd be a hell of an upswell from the football members to get him ousted. But what does replacing him do at this point except to further throw the conference into more turmoil?

+ 1

 

[HuskyFan16]

regardless, you would think even the basketball schools would be pissed that the stalwarts of their conference are running away as fast as they can.

 

[businesslawyer]

regardless, you would think even the basketball schools would be pissed that the stalwarts of their conference are running away as fast as they can.

They are. However, having knowledge of the realities of the situation, they just aren't blaming the Commissioner's office for it.

 

[CL82]

I'd take Tagliabue in a heartbeat even though he a GT guy. At least it would look like we are attempting to anything other than sitting in the corner, adjusting our glasses and hoping someone will ask us to dance.

 

[TRest]

I'd take Tagliabue in a heartbeat even though he a GT guy. At least it would look like we are attempting to anything other than sitting in the corner, adjusting our glasses and hoping someone will ask us to dance.

Nothing positive has happened for the BE since Tagliabue started advising it. Just sayin'.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

I hope Tagliabue is not the guy who told the BE to sit tight last few years while waiting for "value". I know Pitt was pushing for UCF. I think we all are screwed due to inaction of morons running the BE conference.

 

[CL82]

Nothing positive has happened for the BE since Tagliabue started advising it. Just sayin'.

Point taken.

 

[HuskyFan16]

They are. However, having knowledge of the realities of the situation, they just aren't blaming the Commissioner's office for it.

Thats illogical, complete and utter failure of this proportion may or may not be the blame of Marinatto. But leaders always take the final blame, its the nature of being a leader. Also of a more personal opinion, you act as though things were completely out of the control of Marinatto, but the Big East since the first raid has always been in a position of weakness. Marinatto has been comissioner for two years now, and has done nothing. Maybe anything he would have done would have ended up in this same position, but he didn't even try.

 

[Nostical]

If Susan Herbst had her way, Marinatto would already be asking customers if they wanted extra cheese.

 

[gars44]

If Susan Herbst had her way, Marinatto would already be asking customers if they wanted extra cheese.

LOL! Poor guy.

 

[gars44]

Thats illogical, complete and utter failure of this proportion may or may not be the blame of Marinatto. But leaders always take the final blame, its the nature of being a leader. Also of a more personal opinion, you act as though things were completely out of the control of Marinatto, but the Big East since the first raid has always been in a position of weakness. Marinatto has been comissioner for two years now, and has done nothing. Maybe anything he would have done would have ended up in this same position, but he didn't even try.

You can't blame Marinatto. Doesn't there come a point when there are just too many divergent points of view for effective leadership? That's what's called a confederation. Difficult to lead because too many sources of disagreement. Blame the structure that was unable to respond to a rapidly changing environment.

 

[UConnJim]

I think it is crystal clear that Marinatto represented basketball first over football. Thus, all the football schools are either leaving or want to leave. Believe it or not, Marinatto will probably survive as the BE basketball conference because he put "Providence basketball first."

End of the day, the BE hybrid conference concept was doomed to fail, unless you had a creative, dynamic, and visionary leader in charge of the Big East. Marinatto is none of the above. I hoped Tagiabue was going to help lead the BE into the future, but he did not and we don't know why. End of the day, Providence and Seton Hall had too much say in a conference in which they were minor contributors at best over the past decade. When the BE lost BC, Miami, and VT, the football schools should have pulled aside Georgetown, St. John's, and Villanova aside and told them they were committed to the BE if they could go to a 12 team football conference. If they didn't help, have fun in a conference with SH and Providence.

 

[ctchamps]

Different set of circumstances with each conference. Yes both conferences are imploding. But they are doing it for different reasons. The B12 has a lot of options in its control if the universities can cooperate. The BE has limited control of its destiny even if the teams cooperate.

The appeasement of OU and OSU was important, so Texas agreed to give into the tantrum of these schools and remove Beebe in order to keep things together without having to make major concessions with the LHN. So far it is working. But that isn't any guarantee. Missouri wasn't comforted by that move. It will take a lot more concessions by Texas, legitimate concessions, and not this cosmetic removal of the AD or the addition of another Texas team to keep things together. The big key will be the six year agreement. I think Missouri, OU and OSU are insisting on 13 years. If they get that the conference stays together. If not they head elsewhere. They see the six year agreement as a means for Texas to get the time to build up its LHN network and become independent after six years. That would effectively destroy the B12. And they don't want to be used that way.

The only reason any B12 teams with legitimate options are not running away immediately is because the financial stakes are very high. The schools leaving will be making a sideways move financially and give up a lot (history, geography, established rivalries) to do it. OU is more a key than Missouri. It is hoping Missouri stays. But it is more interested in that 13 year time line.

Getting rid of Marinatto, would only make disgruntled people happy. It wouldn't accomplish anything meaningful because, unlike the B12, there is no magic button (a thirteen year concession on media rights) that would keep the conference solidified. And the exit fee and current contracts are so bad relative to other BCS conferences, any move to any other conference is a significant upgrade. Whoever is the AD will inherit this problem.

 

[freescooter]

Here's the thing...it is possible to be in an impossible situation, and I agree with UConnJim that it is doomed. But is is also possible that the Commissioner is totally incompetent. to me, the fact that he was so disrepected by Pitt & Syracuse that they announced their move while he was at a game in an ACC stadium and he had no idea it was coming, tells you all you need to know. They didn't even feel it necessary to inform him they were looking or at least give him a heads up before the announcement. And Pitt was the conference chairman...Great relationship there!

 

[ctchamps]

Here's the thing...it is possible to be in an impossible situation, and I agree with UConnJim that it is doomed. But is is also possible that the Commissioner is totally incompetent. to me, the fact that he was so disrepected by Pitt & Syracuse that they announced their move while he was at a game in an ACC stadium and he had no idea it was coming, tells you all you need to know. They didn't even feel it necessary to inform him they were looking or at least give him a heads up before the announcement. And Pitt was the conference chairman...Great relationship there!

Your argument has merit. It also says a lot about the class of Cuse and Pitt, or the lack of class.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

As I said elsewhere, the responsibility for this mess falls solely to the presidents of the 8 football schools. No one else.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

As I said elsewhere, the responsibility for this mess falls solely to the presidents of the 8 football schools. No one else.

It would be accurate to take this stance if the alternative to this mess is the existence of a major conference where football participation is optional (at the cost of being able to truly grow a football side that would have the legitimacy to remain significant enough in the eyes of the college football world to achieve true stability).
The reality is that this (a hybrid conference) could never have been a permanent solution. It may have been able to survive a bit longer if things fell right (within forces that would always have been beyond the control of those within the BE) but this was designed to be a bridge to a point where each faction could attempt to survive on their own and could never have been much more than this.

As the a;ternative to this mess is a permanent home for the football members, those who have already secured departure plans and those who are still attempting to secure them are doing what they should do for the benefit of their schools.