Invitaions?

[FfldCntyFan]

Have they gone out yet? I still have heard nothing and I am getting seriously concerned.

What exactly is the holdup now?

 

[FDNY99]

FfldCnty you didn't think Marinatto wasn't going to screw this up too did you?

 

[SAMCRO]

Pure speculations, but i'm guessing (hoping really) there are serious discussions w/ BYU right now working out the details of TV, and we dont get Boise UNTIL we've secured at least 1 western based team to join w/ them (and Texas based is not western).

To the OP's point though, what the hell is taking so long? The ACC had their deal w/ SyraPitt wrapped up in a flash, and managed to keep the entire process covert.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

1) We have no idea how long SyraPitt took. Nordenberg could have known he was going to the ACC when he torpedoed the ESPN TV contract.

2) BYU is always a problem. By most accounts, they are one of the most difficult schools to do business with.

3) I think the service academies may be getting cold feet. Even if they are not, I believe they have fairly specific processes and approvals to do something like this that are more involved than other schools.

 

[RS9999X]

I think the service academies come last. Much like the B12 the Big East has one agenda upfront: signing Boise! then adding the large growing demographics of UCF, Houston and SMU gets them to the minimum 9.

Plan A) BYU as #10. Then the service academies for a dirty dozen and a BE Conference playoff.

Plan B) Here's the rumor mill.
East: Add the Philly market or ECU or Memphis in the East. Southern Miss as a cultural longshot.
West: Add Nevada and SDSU in the West.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I think the less of a media spotlight on all of this the better. I've got no choice but to have faith that the job gets done right, so I'm doing my best to do that. From what I can gather, the big east conference has a very good idea who they want for all sports, and the votes, decision making, and power to make things happen all rests in the proper hands.

Those all sports universities are the absolutely essential, and most important part of all of this, becasue there is no division 1-A/BCS football, without at least 8 university athletic departments that qualify for 1-A status, and that means you have to carry the required number of 1-A sports, including football. There is no rush right now to make some kind of formal invitation/announcement to those programs, because Syracuse, Pitt and WVU are going nowhere for at least two more seasons. What Marinatto does have going for him, is that this is a good person we've got there, too good to a fault at times, but a strenght at others, like now. He's not the type of guy that will meet with a university president, BOT, or AD and lie to their face, so if he tells somebody(ies) that the big east wants them, they've got no reason to suspect otherwise, and it's just a matter of timing.

As for the football only schools, the thing that is glanced over way too much in all of this, is that any schools out there in the west planning to play football only, in a nationwide football conference....they have to maintain 1-A status as well, and that means that they need to become just like f8cking Notre Dame, and find a home for their other 1-A sports separate from football. That's a much, much more difficult thing to do than joining the big east for all sports, and has a very deep trickle effect into the other 1-A level conferences in the country.

My hope is that the big east is doing due diligence, handling things well, and this I have no idea about - but I hope - is happening, looking to set up a separate and distinct football management office from Providence once it's done, and waiting for everybody involved to get their houses in order with all of their sports programs, before anything formal is done, so that once it is done formally, you don't get the clusterduck that is going on around the big 12, and the announcment is made - this is what we're doing, and that's that. No 'sources say', no maybe leaving this eweek, or next, or any of that horsesh*t.

man, how cool would it be to have a championship game in New York City? I'm confident it will happen. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. LOL.

 

[willie99]

probably trying to make sure everyone comes in together

and I'm sure there are concerns about UConn & Louisville & maybe even ND leaving

I don't think anyone wants to join the BEAST without those programs

This just can't be easy to pull off. Maybe they want some sort of guarantee from the remaining schools, while such schools have a desire to jump ship

 

[willie99]

I think if the remaining teams agree to stay for 6 or more years, this thing happens quickly

just a WAG on my part, no evidence whatsoever

 

[CL82]

man, how cool would it be to have a championship game in New York City? I'm confident it will happen. We'll see how I feel tomorrow. LOL.

A championship game at Yankee Stadium would be pretty cool.

 

[freescooter]

Rumor is that they were ready ot be mailed, but Marrinatto spilled some marinara sause on them so they need to be re-done...I have to think tht the real answer is that the commissioner is talking to all the schools involved and will announce they outcome more or less as a group...last thing you want is an announcement from Providence that Navy has been invited only to have Navy to say "no thanks." I think you want everyone lined up and signed up before you have the announcement.

 

[VAHuskyFan]

A championship game at Yankee Stadium would be pretty cool.

A championship game at Yankee Stadium would be an attendance disaster. Think every ACC championship, only worse. This year the game would be Boise St. vs. Cincinnati -- 2,400 and 650 miles from NYC respectively.

The championship game needs to be played at the stadium of the division winner with the better record/higher BCS ranking (and the conference should chip in a healthy traveling budget for the away team).

 

[ctchamps]

A championship game at Yankee Stadium would be an attendance disaster. Think every ACC championship, only worse. This year the game would be Boise St. vs. Cincinnati -- 2,400 and 650 miles from NYC respectively.

The championship game needs to be played at the stadium of the division winner with the better record/higher BCS ranking (and the conference should chip in a healthy traveling budget for the away team).

I agree. The disadvantage of giving a home field advantage to a team is, imo, strongly outweighed by the need to have an exuberant audience. It certainly will be unfair if one division is much stronger than the other, and the winner of that division, even though it probably is the better team, will have a field disadvantage. But that individual sacrifice will offer an important advantage to the conference.

 

[HuskyHawk]

A championship game at Yankee Stadium would be an attendance disaster. Think every ACC championship, only worse. This year the game would be Boise St. vs. Cincinnati -- 2,400 and 650 miles from NYC respectively.

The championship game needs to be played at the stadium of the division winner with the better record/higher BCS ranking (and the conference should chip in a healthy traveling budget for the away team).

I wouldn't go to Yankee Stadium and I live in MA. I despise NYC, and can't stand traveling anywhere near it. It's an awful potential venue for any college football game. Also, baseball stadiums make lousy football stadiums, the sight lines are all wrong. Paul Brown Stadium is probably the most neutral location, and Cincy is a major air hub, easy for travel from anywhere. People in Ohio love football, and might turn out to watch a good game, even with the local team out of it. In NY it would be lucky to warrant a news clipping.

I hope you all understand, there are only two northeastern teams in this proposed conference, our core market will not be in the northeast.

 

[Carl Spackler]

Gee, there's a surprise, a boston guy that doesn't like new york!! I'd hope that if UConn were playing in Yankee stadium, which is a distinct possibility anyway - that you'd find a way to get over your big city fright for a day!! Just kidding. LOL, not about going to the game....just the other sstuff.

It's the new york city media that is the most important thing about putting a championship game there. There is no media center and population center combination in the world as powerful as new york city, even in this day and age when everybody has the internet at their fingertips practically anywhere on the planet, and a championship game is news that will get covered by the many, many media outlets in NYC, especially if you got a family like the Steinbrenner's taht are interested in promoting it is invalueable.

I think a football championship game in new york city, with relevance on the scale nationally to something like the BCS and pursuing a football national championship is a no-brainer.

IF the big east conference were at all interested in promoting football at any point prior to losing two of it's flagship members that are football schools in 2011, it would have happened a long time ago.

 

[CL82]

New York is a destination city. The wife is willing to go for shopping and shows. Take the kids to the museums.etc. I think you'd get a decent draw. The Big East most marketable aspect is it's association with NY. I think you give it shot. I think that it would work.

 

[VAHuskyFan]

a championship game is news that will get covered by the many, many media outlets in NYC, especially if you got a family like the Steinbrenner's taht are interested in promoting it is invalueable.

The Steinbrenners are interested in getting some $$$ from the Big East for using a baseball stadium that would otherwise just sit there. It's a free lunch for them. The Yankees are worth $1.7 billion -- beyond letting us use the facility, how much energy do you really think they are going to spend promoting a Big East championship game that will draw 20,000 fans?

And yeah, media outlets will cover the game -- on page 7 of the sports section after articles about the Jets, Giants, Knicks, and Rangers (all of whom are in-season when the championship game would be scheduled). No one in NYC is going to care about Boise-Cinci or Houston-Louisville or whatever just because the game is played in NYC.

If there's a new Big East, the championship game has to be treated as a branding event. Playing at the packed standing-room-only home stadium of the higher ranked Big East team (with the Big East logo at center field) would be huge. Provide the "away" team with an outsized traveling budget so they can send the band, cheerleaders, and a mess of students. Run a College Gameday style pregame show outside the stadium with screaming students from both schools. Don't play the damn thing in an empty baseball stadium.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Not that I am either in favor of or opposed to the idea of Yankee Stadium as the site for a BE title game, I'm not sure that it should be the responsibility of the Yankee brass to promote this thing. I seriously doubt that those who manage the Georgia Dome (when they host the SEC title game) spends much effort promoting that game.

I personally believe that a title game for a conference with two northeast schools, two Ohio valley schools, two Florida schools, two Texas schools, a mid atlantic, and two rocky mountain schools will be a tough sell if it is not in someone's home stadium but this is a different argument.

 

[NutmegState]

Heard this from a large UCF donor : UCF/SMU/UH/Boise/Navy are in. Big East legal is hard at work with BYU. AFA non-committal, but expected that they'll join.

FWIW

 

[FfldCntyFan]

I hope this is true (and BYU would be one hell of a coup).

 

[huskeynut]

If UCF, SMU, Houston, Boise, Navy, Air Force and BYU come that's a major coup for sure. Both BE factions should be happy with this upgrade. And it is a major upgrade!

With two of the three service academies in, I wonder if Army will come on board. Not a great team but a wonderful setting to watch football in the fall!

 

[VAHuskyFan]

I sincerely hope this is true! That would create a great foundation and make it much easier to pick up BYU and/or Air Force.

Re: Army - I haven't heard anything about the Big East having any interest in Army. Since 2005, Army's record is 28-53 (against largely mediocre competition). They did go to a bowl last year, but are 3-6 again this year. Don't think the Big East can afford to give them an offer at this point as they'd hurt the conference strength too much.

 

[weyuo]

If you invite Navy and Air Force you need to invite Army. The Army/Navy game is televised every year and watched by many. It's as traditional a football game as any in the land. If that becomes a Big East game then it's a feather in the cap for the Big East, just as the "Backyard Brawl" was or the "Bucket of Nails" is.

A conference championship game at Yankee Stadium is a mistake. It's a baseball stadium folks. The Meadowlands is a different story. But until teams in The Big East, like UConn, travel well(meaning thousands of fans go to important away games) the best bet is to have conference championships at the home of the team with the best conference record. Though, having a game at a neutral site(one of a number of pro football stadiums) might be attractive enough to draw a good crowd....... in the future when the new league is well established and rivalries are built.

UConn needs to work on building it's fan base, recruiting and WINNING RECORDS before they need to worry about what anyone else in the BCS is doing. Winning breeds fans and recruits. I can't wait for the 2013 season. We should see a real boost in fan and recruit interest after that season.

 

[ctchamps]

This is great news if true. The other conferences, particularly the B12, may still interfere with the process, but at least we'll find out how they want to play their hand. I'm still arguing that the B12 breaks up sooner rather than later and that could really work to the BE's advantage. I'm aware that it's just as possible the B12 makes a play for Cinci and Ville. That would be interesting. Then it becomes a game of chicken. The BE will still insist on the 27 month wait. The invites will withdraw. Then it comes down to Texas. Are they sincere about the invites to WV, Ville and Cinci? Or are they playing the game of bluff and will fold if they can't get those teams next year?

If I'm the BE I play the hand tough all the way even if it loses. It was going to lose if it played capitulation anyways, so make it hard on the B12 at the very least, and prolong the battle until the BE can entertain discussions with NBC. Those discussions can be game changers and give the BE some leverage.

I'm afraid this isn't over until next year.

 

[UConn64BA72JD]

If UCF, SMU, Houston, Boise, Navy, Air Force and BYU come that's a major coup for sure. Both BE factions should be happy with this upgrade. And it is a major upgrade!

With two of the three service academies in, I wonder if Army will come on board. Not a great team but a wonderful setting to watch football in the fall!

This has made my day. However, I count seven schools and with our remaining five football teams equals two six team divisions. I was hoping for eight team divisions (East/West) (Tho I could live with seven) and feel its still possible. Choose four (or two) from the following: Army, San Diego St., Nevada, UNLV, Memphis, Temple, or Tulsa and a long shot, Ol' Miss.

 

[VAHuskyFan]

This has made my day. However, I count seven schools and with our remaining five football teams equals two six team divisions. I was hoping for eight team divisions (East/West) (Tho I could live with seven) and feel its still possible. Choose four (or two) from the following: Army, San Diego St., Nevada, UNLV, Memphis, Temple, or Tulsa and a long shot, Ol' Miss.

Twelve schools works for me. The point of maintaining the AQ is to maximize the chance that UConn goes to a BCS bowl. Once we've shored up a BCS bid with 12 members, stop right there. 1/12 is better than 1/16. Plus I have a hard time believing adding 4 marginal schools to get to 16 improves the revenue share numbers. Better to stay at 12 and leave room to re-up with the next Boise St if the conference needs to add strength again down the road.