Memphis is joining the Big East

[Rumrunner]

On another note, and in fairness to all new members, we need to evaluate them on their future prospects, and not their past records. Can UM rise from the ashes with a BE logo on their field? If you were not a UConn fan, you would have been skeptical that UConn was a major add to the BE last decade. On that basis alone, we have to give other teams the benefit of the doubt and assume they will advance (a la UConn and Ville) w/BE membership, and not continue to be mired in mediocrity. There is no reason UM can not thrive on the field.

Aside from the fact that Tennessee's population is 6.5 million, of whom the great great majority root for either the Vols, and to a much lesser extent Vandy, and that Memphis is a third tier, urban, commuter school, I can see the similarities to UConn. They have all the tools in place to compete at the highest level. Just like they proved in CUSA. Even Herbst has denigrated UConn's endowment of $350 million as woefully inadequate. Memphis' endowment is $180 million.

As far as Memphis being the 18th largest city in the US. I believe that NYC is the largest, so we should add Hofstra. If a team plays in a big city yet no one is there to watch it, did the game really exist?

This is purely a basketball move. Which if you have followed Marinatto and the BE is quite surprising considering Providence's disdain for the basketball onlies.

 

[zls44]

Can't wait for Carl Spackler to explain how this will take the TV money to $25 million/year.

 

[Carl Spackler]

I think I'll just wait for an official announcement.

 

[Dann]

Aside from the fact that Tennessee's population is 6.5 million, of whom the great great majority root for either the Vols, and to a much lesser extent Vandy, and that Memphis is a third tier, urban, commuter school, I can see the similarities to UConn. They have all the tools in place to compete at the highest level. Just like they proved in CUSA. Even Herbst has denigrated UConn's endowment of $350 million as woefully inadequate. Memphis' endowment is $180 million.

As far as Memphis being the 18th largest city in the US. I believe that NYC is the largest, so we should add Hofstra. If a team plays in a big city yet no one is there to watch it, did the game really exist?

This is purely a basketball move. Which if you have followed Marinatto and the BE is quite surprising considering Providence's disdain for the basketball onlies.

agree. this was a bball ready team with a fball dream. they did this becuase lville is leaving and they are trying to keep this league together. the bball onlys will see thru this though. memphis isn't a school they want to be with, no matter the bball product. if we needed a bball school to keep the bball teams on baord and then there were better schols to add who don't mess up what were trying for in fball.

we could have added a xavier in bball and a ecu in fball. both sides would have been happier with that then memphis for everything. they was a last chance to keep the bballs on board and it will fail. in the long term of the new BE going to 16 with a east and west division, memphis prob would get a invite. they got it to early though as other teams are more important at this point.

uconn/ruty/temple/ecu/navy/usf/ucf
bosie/sdsu/uh/smu/memphis//?/?

the question is are we a fball only or not in the future.

pray for the b12 to go for the home run everyone. pray for it. if they can add 2-6 teams then we are gold. a lville/byu/fsu/gt/fsu/miami add(any 4 really) by them puts us in a great spot. the Big will eventually have to do something and nd will to. the best case id we get a Big invite one day with ruty and others. the worst case is a acc of unc/ncst/wake/duke/vt/uva/md/ruty/bc/cuse/pitt/uconn. both of those are miles better than where were heading.

 

[huskymedic]

Damn... and I just renewed my 3 year cycle tickets last night!

 

[gars44]

Damn... and I just renewed my 3 year cycle tickets last night!

Put in for a refund! Sue them for breach of fiduciary duty!!!

 

[zls44]

I think I'll just wait for an official announcement.

Why? It'll suck as much then as it does now.

 

[coachcap]

I think I'll just wait for an official announcement.

It's official. ESPN Radio just announced it on the 5 P.M. Sportscenter update. Joining for 2013 season.

 

[junglehusky]

#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder#BegHarder

 

[Carl Spackler]

It's official. ESPN Radio just announced it on the 5 P.M. Sportscenter update. Joining for 2013 season.

There's nothing shocking about this at all. ESPN will spin it that way. Memphis basketball has been a target for Big East expansion since the 2002 split.

The shocking thing about big east expansion in this go around, is that football decision making and priority has overwhelmingly come in top priority. The conference, nevertheless, is still a hybrid. Memphis basketball will be a nice addition. Memphis football? Well, I guarantee that anybody associated wiht Memphis football is ecstatic.

As for the other 10 football playing members? I can speak as a fan of one of them, I'm pretty happy that Memphis is on board, because that's a program that's going to be quite a bit behind for at least a couple years, and every conference that has a 10, 11, 12 game winner, is going to have a team on the bottom end that doesn't have many wins, and I most definitely want to be the team that's getting the 10,11,12 wins.

 

[Fishy]

It's actually more than a little shocking. The league presidents have always screened out Memphis for their academics and their inability to even pretend to abide by a rule book

It's another sign that UL is not long for the league.

 

[John Greene]

It's actually more than a little shocking. The league presidents have always screened out Memphis for their academics and their inability to even pretend to abide by a rule book

It's another sign that UL is not long for the league.

Or it is a sign that the second and third tier schools are firmly in charge of conference membership, which is even worse than UL being gone.

 

[TRest]

Or it is a sign that the second and third tier schools are firmly in charge of conference membership, which is even worse than UL being gone.

It's both. I can't believe ND can be looking forward to being in the same conference with West Tennessee State. Lew Perkins warned the state legislature, etc that UConn would be left behind in the coming split if we didn't upgrade football. This may be worse. Surprise, we let some CUSA schools in and the next thing you know they are recreating the Metro Conference and we have no better options.

 

[husky10]

look at the bright side if in fact they do make it necessary to win 7 games in order to make a bowl game it doesnt hurt to have a few easy wins on the schedule

 

[ConnHuskBask]

For everyone bashing the move - what were the other (realistic) options?

Not saying I'm thrilled about it, but at this point it's grab the biggest name and markets available.

 

[MattMang23]

For everyone bashing the move - what were the other (realistic) options?

Not saying I'm thrilled about it, but at this point it's grab the biggest name and markets available.

I would have approached Temple (don't know if you consider that realistic with Nova's BCU-like stonewall), UNLV, Tulane, Tulsa, Fresno State, and Nevada before Memphis.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

I would have approached Temple (don't know if you consider that realistic with Nova's BCU-like stonewall), UNLV, Tulane, Tulsa, Fresno State, and Nevada before Memphis.

Fair enough, Memphis and Temple are one in the same to me. Temple has been a lot stronger in football recently, I will give them that. Temple would be the logical replacement if Louisville goes to the BigXII.

BE East: UConn, Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinnati, Navy, USF

BE West: Boise State, Houston, SMU, UCF, SDSU, Memphis

 

[gioff23]

Fair enough, Memphis and Temple are one in the same to me. Temple has been a lot stronger in football recently, I will give them that. Temple would be the logical replacement if Louisville goes to the BigXII.

BE East: UConn, Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinnati, Navy, USF

BE West: Boise State, Houston, SMU, UCF, SDSU, Memphis

Um, I think you need to swap UCF and the Ville.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

Um, I think you need to swap UCF and the Ville.

Doubt it. If Louisville is still in this version of the Big East they are going to demand (and rightfully so) to be aligned with the post 2003 "Original" BE members. There's no way a competent AD like Tom Jurich lets Louisville get further mired down in with all C-USA and MTN West teams.

UCF and USF even though they would be in different divisions will have an annual game.

 

[husky10]

Navy doesnt come on board until 2015 there doesnt have to be a rush to add anyone. why not wait out or BYU? then you could add a team to the western division that is actually in the west. Memphis wasnt going anywhere fast they were available today they would have been available in 2013 when we needed to send out the invite to get a team in the same time as Navy.

 

[RS9999X]

They can negotiate a championship game come September

.
Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said the league needs to get its expansion plans settled by September 2012 when it begins television contract negotiations.

The Big East current has a television contract with ESPN that expires at the conclusion of the 2012-13 academic year. Marinatto said the Big East will begin a 60-day exclusive negotiation period with ESPN in September 2012

 

[SubbaBub]

If Uconn is going to be stuck in this conference, then I have some demands, namely leveraging this new schools for better bowl tie-ins. I'm talking Liberty Bowl, Florida, Texas, Houston, Las Vegas, and New Orleans, especially if we are stuck playing the 2nd or 3rd bowl game in each local.

 

[metsfan2323]

If Uconn is going to be stuck in this conference, then I have some demands, namely leveraging this new schools for better bowl tie-ins. I'm talking Liberty Bowl, Florida, Texas, Houston, Las Vegas, and New Orleans, especially if we are stuck playing the 2nd or 3rd bowl game in each local.

It would be great if the Big East champ could play in the Cotton bowl now that we have three teams near Dallas. "The Fed Ex Cotton Bowl"?

 

[TRest]

I still don't see the need for 12 football teams and a championship game no one will watch. Put together the best 10 teams you can, instead of projects and reaches like Memphis and SMU. And if the AQ status is gone, so will go Boise.

 

[junglehusky]

^^^This.^^^

Perhaps there's back channels to NBC or whoever that's driving this, but I find it hard to believe Memphis is some executive's piece of the puzzle.