My biggest worry about conference realignment...

[EricLA]

at this point is if the Big East actually tries to stay together. if UCONN gets left out and the BE ends up looking to add the likes of Baylor and Iowa State, the conference technically could survive, but it would be a joke and UCONN would be left in a barely BCS conference, if even that.

so much depends on what others do and how big the other conferences want to be. UCONN could end up in a good situation, but it looks rather dismal at the moment.

with Pitt and Syracuse leaving, it's going to be a free for all. the Pac (whatever) is obviously not going to come calling. no reason to think the SEC would want UCONN when they could get WVU and L'ville, and what will the big 10 do? some thought they might want Pitt.

i think the writing is on the wall for the Big East, and not to sound selfish, but i couldn't care less about the rest of the conference. i want UCONN to end up somewhere better than a glorified Conf USA...

 

[UConn5]

UConn needs to get out and get out now. If they stay and try to continue on in whatever makeshift conference is left it won't be good.

 

[chickenhead]

The rest of the BE needs to get together and find an amicable split between football and basketball school.

 

[dsturdy5]

The rest of the BE needs to get together and find an amicable split between football and basketball school.

And then what? A six team football conference won't cut it. Not with those 6 teams remaining. Who is going to join a conference with UConn, Rutgers, WVU (maybe), USF, Louisville, and Cincy? I doubt TCU wants to stay in that league. That is a lateral move at this point and how does that basketball league look? At the moment, UConn is screwed...though I will impatiently await UConn's announcement.

 

[chickenhead]

There will be enough schools left over after the musical chairs for the BE football schools to merge with.

 

[RuffRuff]

Bottom line here is that two of the staples in the league have showed their hand and want out - two teams that know what is coming with the BE. Syracuse is one of the bluebloods of this league - if they're signing up for the first exit, then a Uconn has no choice but to follow suit. There is no point in being reactive on this and waiting for all the other cards to fall because when the dust settles, it is highly doubtful that what's left of the BE is anything but a Conference USA type league on steroids. And once this things all comes together, if you're not one of those REAL BCS leagues, the chance of getting into one may be 100 years. I mean, it is absolutely critical that Uconn gets into one or it really puts the athletic program in an ugly spot. I mean, the athletic program is accountable for building up up a lot of what the academics of the university are today. You don't want to throw that out the window as an afterthought in all of this.

 

[dsturdy5]

There will be enough schools left over after the musical chairs for the BE football schools to merge with.

Yeah, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas Tech...whoopie. Sorry, as a football season ticket holder and basketball fan, I don't see this as an upgrade. The KU hoops games would be great but aside from that? Though I think TCU might stick around if that type of league came together and having them and WVU could give the new league some football legs...some.

 

[dsturdy5]

Bottom line here is that two of the staples in the league have showed their hand and want out - two teams that know what is coming with the BE. Syracuse is one of the bluebloods of this league - if they're signing up for the first exit, then a Uconn has no choice but to follow suit. There is no point in being reactive on this and waiting for all the other cards to fall because when the dust settles, it is highly doubtful that what's left of the BE is anything but a Conference USA type league on steroids. And once this things all comes together, if you're not one of those REAL BCS leagues, the chance of getting into one may be 100 years. I mean, it is absolutely critical that Uconn gets into one or it really puts the athletic program in an ugly spot. I mean, the athletic program is accountable for building up up a lot of what the academics of the university are today. You don't want to throw that out the window as an afterthought in all of this.

I agree with RuffRuff. UConn can't sit back and wait. They need to research all available options...not saying they won't but we haven't heard anything and that is the worst part.

 

[upstater]

And then what? A six team football conference won't cut it. Not with those 6 teams remaining. Who is going to join a conference with UConn, Rutgers, WVU (maybe), USF, Louisville, and Cincy? I doubt TCU wants to stay in that league. That is a lateral move at this point and how does that basketball league look? At the moment, UConn is screwed...though I will impatiently await UConn's announcement.

There will be several other Big12 teams left out in the scenarios we are discussing.

Worst case is the Big12 stays together.

 

[upstater]

Yeah, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Baylor, Texas Tech...whoopie. Sorry, as a football season ticket holder and basketball fan, I don't see this as an upgrade. The KU hoops games would be great but aside from that? Though I think TCU might stick around if that type of league came together and having them and WVU could give the new league some football legs...some.

I don't get this thinking at all. It's all short-term stuff. TCU sucked eggs for decades and just now in the last 5 has looked good. A decade ago Kansas St was the IT team. Texas Tech with leach lit things up. Things are cyclical. WV and TCU hold no advantage over the rest of the "scraps" in such a league,

 

[Pudge]

Options? We ain't got NO stinking options. We probably are poorly led by the Providence boys. But, frankly, Larry Bird ain't coming through that door (to use someone else's phrase). We need to fight to survive; & while it is self-preservation, we aren't getting a B1G invite. So WE need to work with the Louisville and best of the rest.

 

[UconnU]

We will get into a major BCS conference we live in a HUGE media market and have the best basketball program in the country. No way we get stuck in some 2nd tier non-major conference.

 

[SallyH]

And then what? A six team football conference won't cut it. Not with those 6 teams remaining. Who is going to join a conference with UConn, Rutgers, WVU (maybe), USF, Louisville, and Cincy? I doubt TCU wants to stay in that league. That is a lateral move at this point and how does that basketball league look? At the moment, UConn is screwed...though I will impatiently await UConn's announcement.

Wasn''t there some talk a while back about UConn joining the Big10? Pit would seem like a more likely candidate (Geographically).

 

[TopDog18]

We will get into a major BCS conference we live in a HUGE media market and have the best basketball program in the country. No way we get stuck in some 2nd tier non-major conference.

I agree. UAB or Memphis will not be UConn's rivalries or the future. We will not be in some mid major conference.

 

[RuffRuff]

I think you're overhyping the media market a little - Boston doesn't care about Uconn and Rutgers is a lot closer to NYC. And our football program is still very new. Hoops ain't gonna drive much of this. That being said, Uconn has some good things going for it. It's a flagship state school, solid academics(something that would hurt a WVU). I just don't see any kind of cultural fit with the Big Ten - I just can't see that every happening. The Big Ten has a number of better choices before it goes Uconn, including Rutgers.

Best case scenario here is getting into the ACC as a 15/16th member. Let's pray the ACC goes in that direction and doesn't stop at 14 or doesn't go to some silly non football scenario with ND/Texas(doubtful) - I think the fit is very good there. Rutgers/Uconn to the ACC makes very good sense there. There will be natural rivalries in a northern division, both schools have solid academic credentials, it will grab TV market share in big markets, Uconn does bring great hoops tradition to a hoops centric conference. Let's cross the fingers because the view here is that is the only good possibility left. The Big 12 Leftover league - I mean, traveling halfway across the country into a totally different corner of the US for half the games is just ridiculous.

 

[Hans Sprungfeld]

Rutgers and UConn into the Bos-Wash northern division.
From North Carolina-to-Florida in the southern division.
16 teams, done.
Pretty please.

 

[EricLA]

I think you're overhyping the media market a little - Boston doesn't care about Uconn and Rutgers is a lot closer to NYC. And our football program is still very new. Hoops ain't gonna drive much of this. That being said, Uconn has some good things going for it. It's a flagship state school, solid academics(something that would hurt a WVU). I just don't see any kind of cultural fit with the Big Ten - I just can't see that every happening. The Big Ten has a number of better choices before it goes Uconn, including Rutgers.

Best case scenario here is getting into the ACC as a 15/16th member. Let's pray the ACC goes in that direction and doesn't stop at 14 or doesn't go to some silly non football scenario with ND/Texas(doubtful) - I think the fit is very good there. Rutgers/Uconn to the ACC makes very good sense there. There will be natural rivalries in a northern division, both schools have solid academic credentials, it will grab TV market share in big markets, Uconn does bring great hoops tradition to a hoops centric conference. Let's cross the fingers because the view here is that is the only good possibility left. The Big 12 Leftover league - I mean, traveling halfway across the country into a totally different corner of the US for half the games is just ridiculous.

i'm rooting for that big time. or else UCONN and RU to the big 10 if they decided to expand some more.

 

[Sam Briggs]

http://www.courant.com/sports/uconn-huskies/hc-jacobs-big-east-0918-20110918,0,1059980.column

"UConn has had conversations with the ACC, a Courant source confirmed"

at least it looks like we are talking to them.

 

[Stinger92860]

Please give e

There will be enough schools left over after the musical chairs for the BE football schools to merge with.

Please give me every possible scenario and then show explain to me how we end up whole in each?
we are in a bad position at the moment.

 

[huskyharry]

all scenarios are nauseating!
Join the hated ACC just like turncoat BCU did and that is our BEST option?...yuck!
Join the Big Ten and have our closest opponent be Penn State, so our fans hardly ever travel to see away games and our rivals become Minnesota, Iowa and Northwestern?... yuck!
Stay in the Big East with the non-football schools and then the football team withers and the Athletic Department budget gets decimated?...likely won't happen