Just 2 years ago...

[The Viking]

TCU accepted an invitation to the Big East and was set to join us for the 2012 season. This was what our 9-team conference was looking like (we were looking to add a 10th)

TCU
West Virginia
Louisville
Cincinnati
Rutgers
Syracuse
Uconn
Pittsburgh
USF

that's a very solid football conference right now and in the near future. We could have kept the hoops together. Most years we'd probably be better than the ACC in football.

Watching the Ville game tonight made me sick to my stomach about what could have been.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

...and we probably would have gotten more money per team than the ACC is currently getting in a new TV deal with NBC.

 

[CAHUSKY]

...and we probably would have gotten more money per team than the ACC is currently getting in a new TV deal with NBC.

I was going to post the exact same thing. The money that conference could have demanded from the networks in todays environment would have been impressive.

 

[businesslawyer]

There is a very good chance that, when all is said and done, Pitt and Syracuse leaving will not only prove bad for its former conference mates and the Big East itself, but also for their institutions. Time will tell.

 

[TouchdownHusky]

There is a very good chance that, when all is said and done, Pitt and Syracuse leaving will not only prove bad for its former conference mates and the Big East itself, but also for their institutions. Time will tell.

But it's worked out so well for BCU!!!!

 

[junglehusky]

As I said on twitter last night - There must be a word in German for wishing your league hadn't self destructed so you could still derive pleasure from sports.

 

[mattp]

I think Louisville will thrive in the ACC, but the others will struggle. It's reminiscent of the first raid where the team they coveted the least will be the only worthwhile addition. In the ACC I think Cuse will really be diminished. Half of what made them special, like us, is/was their ability to pack the Garden. I'm sure they'll have a game or two there still throughout the year, but nothing was better for Syracuse basketball than the Big East tournament and they threw it away. Pitt will remain a decent team that nobody cares about, just in a conference that cares even less about them.

 

[TRest]

Has anyone gotten more screwed by realignment than us? Cincy and USF were Cusa schools anyway, so not as big a drop in relevance IMO.

 

[Chin Diesel]

There is a very good chance that, when all is said and done, Pitt and Syracuse leaving will not only prove bad for its former conference mates and the Big East itself, but also for their institutions. Time will tell.

When the move was announced there were several Tweets or blurbs how the move was so bad it killed two conferences at once. And they were probably right.

 

[CL82]

As I said on twitter last night - There must be a word in German for wishing your league hadn't self destructed so you could still derive pleasure from sports.

BigEastenfruede?

 

[CL82]

Has anyone gotten more screwed by realignment than us? Cincy and USF were Cusa schools anyway, so not as big a drop in relevance IMO.

Nope we're the big winners in that regard.

 

[mattp]

Has anyone gotten more screwed by realignment than us? Cincy and USF were Cusa schools anyway, so not as big a drop in relevance IMO.

You could just as easily say we were Yankee Conference so CUSA is still a step up. USF and Cinci also made significant investments in football to have the rug pulled out from under them. That being said we are still probably the most screwed so far. As it is we're losing our new investment (football) and also our bedrock foundation in basketball. That's why I'd rather see us stay in the Catholic BE for other sports and go independent in football or even play MAC football than join the NNBE v3.0. At least we'd still have the BE tournament to look forward to and our long time bball rivalries. The truth is while I was attending UConn I'd have been thrilled with CUSA/MAC football.

If we stay with the BEFB schools we'll basically have nothing to look forward to as far as conference games, aside from annual games against Temple and Cinci. It's not like being in the NNBE has even helped us with our football scheduling, do we even have a single game scheduled for 2014 yet?

I think if we showed them some interest they'd be more than happy to take our tournament credits for a few years while we're looking for a new long term home.

 

[TRest]

You could just as easily say we were Yankee Conference so CUSA is still a step up. USF and Cinci also made significant investments in football to have the rug pulled out from under them. That being said we are still probably the most screwed so far. As it is we're losing our new investment (football) and also our bedrock foundation in basketball. That's why I'd rather see us stay in the Catholic BE for other sports and go independent in football or even play MAC football than join the NNBE v3.0. At least we'd still have the BE tournament to look forward to and our long time bball rivalries. The truth is while I was attending UConn I'd have been thrilled with CUSA/MAC football.

If we stay with the BEFB schools we'll basically have nothing to look forward to as far as conference games, aside from annual games against Temple and Cinci. It's not like being in the NNBE has even helped us with our football scheduling, do we even have a single game scheduled for 2014 yet?

I think if we showed them some interest they'd be more than happy to take our tournament credits for a few years while we're looking for a new long term home.

Screw their football investments, neither had to build a stadium from scratch. And now we are the sole founding member of the BE left in the league when the C7 leave, the most successful basketball member of a major conference left holding our willy.

 

[noeynox]

The basketball ball onlies have openly singled out uconn as one of the schools that would bolt if offered by a power 5 conference. If you're them, why would you help UConn basketball remain relevant? At this point their looking at us no differently than BCU or Syracuse, by keeping us out, their eliminating a competitor for recruits, championships, etc. So yes, WE have gotten more screwed than ANYONE else in realignment SO FAR. Its not over yet though.

 

[Jericho]

The basketball ball onlies have openly singled out uconn as one of the schools that would bolt if offered by a power 5 conference. If you're them, why would you help UConn basketball remain relevant? At this point their looking at us no differently than BCU or Syracuse, by keeping us out, their eliminating a competitor for recruits, championships, etc. So yes, WE have gotten more screwed than ANYONE else in realignment SO FAR. Its not over yet though.

It's a fair point.

Although UConn is clearly the highest profile basketball program out there, there's some thought that the Catholic schools want stability. Do they even want to bother with UConn knowing it would bolt given the first good opportunity? They can still get good basketball schools without UConn (Xavier, Butler, Creighton, etc...).

Assuming that a split conference UConn would be feasible (which would require someone willing to take UConn as a football only), not sure the Catholics want the non-football sports.

I'd agree that UConn has clearly become the most screwed, as it was a founding member of the Big East and had always been a part of majort sports (although football came in later). Now all of its programs are being pushed to an inferior conference.

 

[metsfan2323]

The basketball ball onlies have openly singled out uconn as one of the schools that would bolt if offered by a power 5 conference. If you're them, why would you help UConn basketball remain relevant? At this point their looking at us no differently than BCU or Syracuse, by keeping us out, their eliminating a competitor for recruits, championships, etc. So yes, WE have gotten more screwed than ANYONE else in realignment SO FAR. Its not over yet though.

Is there a team in the country that wouldn't accept an invite to a power 5? Even the C7 would go if one of the power 5 went hybrid and invited them. I don't think UCONN is being singled out, we are just viewed as being next in line.

 

[ctchamps]

Screw their football investments, neither had to build a stadium from scratch. And now we are the sole founding member of the BE left in the league when the C7 leave, the most successful basketball member of a major conference left holding our willy.

But it's a beautiful and endowed willy so we can entertain ourselves until the beautiful chick comes calling or until the beautiful chick wakes up to us.

 

[noeynox]

I think its time for US to stop viewing ourselves as next in line. Until were in, were out just like everyone else out. It is going to take some arm twisting to get us into the acc going forward. Off the rip you're starting with no votes from BCU, Miami, and likely Syracuse.

BCU, SU, and the catholic seven have the most to gain from from our current predicament. The longer were in no mans conference land, the harder it will become for us to recruit head to head against them. Don't delude your self to think otherwise, this conference realignment has been cutthroat, due to the dollars involved.