Not that anyone wants to acknowledge that I keep saying this, but I am not saying Marinatto was a good choice or did a good job. In hindsight, I think the Presidents wish they had put more firepower in his chair.
But saying that is totally different than saying that someone else in his chair would have us in a different position today than where we are. And, as I just said to Whisky, each time we waste bandwidth on "he sucks" or "they only care about the basketball schools" (yes -- because the football schools didn't get to vote for the last two presidents) we are discussing something other than what the Big East would actually have to do to put itself in a position where this doesn't happen.
I didn't say either. I said he did a horrible job, didn't build relationships with the football schools and frankly, he failed at what should have been his #1 responsibility, keeping the conference in existance. I'm not sure someone else could have done a better job of keeping things on track. This league is not one that really makes any sense. Too many different programs with too many issues and too diverse outlooks. For the life of me, I don't know why the football schools accepted him as commissioner, though. It was pretty clear from early on that he didn't have their confidence. I agree that everybody wishes they didn't make that choice in hindsight.
The "not winning" comments by Tranghese, by the way, were a bit disingenous in my view. Every year since 2006 but 2010, the Big East has ended the season with at least 2 and usually 3 teams in the Top 25. all but 1 other time, there has been at least 1 in the Top 10. In an 8 team league, and one that continually takes the media criticism (and the same media who vote for the Top 25)nor any "automatic" Top 25 teams (see Notre Dame) that is a pretty solid performance. Add in winning bowl records, a much better BCS record than other conferences...Would it have helped to have West Virginia play for a national championship? Sure, but that is a pretty high mountain for a team from the northeast, or one from the ACC not named Florida State, to climb. You need to be perfect. I've been saying the Big East needs to win games. Everyone agrees that the big East needs to win games. Our marquee teams schedule foolishly (travel across the country to play USC and be surprised that you got beat), Travel to Boise and lose and seem shocked. Bosie, and to a degree TCU have demonstrated that you don't need to schedule like that to earn respect. You are far better off winning than playing marquee teams. There was no strategey on the part of the league to develop a marquee program. But that is a different issue.