The first order of business for the New New Big East

[noeynox]

I haven't seen anything official that TCU is coming but personally I think their crazy to join this cluster fluck.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

I haven't seen anything official that TCU is coming but personally I think their crazy to join this cluster fluck.

I agree. Louisville, WVU, TCU, Cincinnati, and USF would be better off elsewhere. But the ACC should love us, right?

 

[Scalito]

I agree. Louisville, WVU, TCU, Cincinnati, and USF would be better off elsewhere. But the ACC should love us, right?

How does your implied statement that the ACC should not "love us" follow from your premise? Yes, the BE football schools would be better off elsewhere at this point. Not much of an insight there. But if you assume that the ACC is interested in expanding further, why does that have anything to do with whether UConn is one of the better candidates for expansion? It doesn't. And if you are not sure whether the ACC hopes to expand, why does the fact that our football schools would be better off elsewhere factor into the question of whether it is in the ACC's best interest to expand? Again, it doesn't.

 

[noeynox]

Waylon stop fronting for a second and think of this from a TCU leadership perspective. You just saw Pitt, the school that lured you to the big east in the first place walk out the door. You've heard WVU pimp itself out to the SEC, and you've heard that both UConn AND RU have not committed to the conference. You think they're signing up for that? Maybe they do, ill have to see it.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

Coach, should have just stopped at....the first order of business is to take away Marinatto's ability. Period.

This is based on the premise that Marinatto actually has any ability.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Waylon stop fronting for a second and think of this from a TCU leadership perspective. You just saw Pitt, the school that lured you to the big east in the first place walk out the door. You've heard WVU pimp itself out to the SEC, and you've heard that both UConn AND RU have not committed to the conference. You think they're signing up for that? Maybe they do, ill have to see it.

I have made way too many posts outlining my position to repeat it again.

UConn, Rutgers and WVU's behavior in the last week has been a total embarrassment to those institutions, and could result in catastrophe for all three. If I were TCU, I would want nothing to do with them either.

 

[noeynox]

Once that cat is out of the bag, you can' stuff back it in. The WHOLE world knows every school is looking for another alternative, even if it seems unlikely there is one.

 

[WestCoastHusky]

At least we are upfront with what we want. Unlike Pitt and Cuse, we are doing it in the open while Pitt and Cuse dropped the bomb on rest of us right before we negotiate for the biggest TV deal. Pitt, Cuse, ACC and ESPN damaged the other 15 schools. We won't know the extend of the damage until next year.

 

[whaler11]

I almost hope that the people who advocate for ECU end up in a league with them for a little while just so they can see how wrongheaded the idea is.

If Tulane wins 3 in a row are we going hear about how valuable the New Orleans market is?

 

[WestCoastHusky]

I almost hope that the people who advocate for ECU end up in a league with them for a little while just so they can see how wrongheaded the idea is.

If Tulane wins 3 in a row are we going hear about how valuable the New Orleans market is?

ECU has a good football program. They draw 50K to their games. They are not sitting in a huge TV market but they are the second largest school in that state. Their academics are questionable but who else we got that has similar profile? Temple? Navy? UCF? At least ECU wants to be in the BE and they are in the EST time zone. BE just needs bodies right now to keep the BCS bid viable.

 

[whaler11]

ECU has a good football program. They draw 50K to their games. They are not sitting in a huge TV market but they are the second largest school in that state. Their academics are questionable but who else we got that has similar profile? Temple? Navy? UCF? At least ECU wants to be in the BE and they are in the EST time zone. BE just needs bodies right now to keep the BCS bid viable.

You can't add bodies and keep your BCS bid viable. East Carolina is a running joke at this point to the ACC and Big East. If everything collapses and you need to put together 9 teams to fill out a schedule then you call ECU.

 

[whaler11]

I have made way too many posts outlining my position to repeat it again.

UConn, Rutgers and WVU's behavior in the last week has been a total embarrassment to those institutions, and could result in catastrophe for all three. If I were TCU, I would want nothing to do with them either.

Do you really think that if those schools can't get in a better league that Cinci, Louisville, South Florida or whomever is left without a seat at the party won't associate with them? You think that is a risk? South Florida will turn their back on Rutgers and UConn to align with East Carolina and Southeast Missouri State?

 

[HartbeatHusky]

You can't add bodies and keep your BCS bid viable. East Carolina is a running joke at this point to the ACC and Big East. If everything collapses and you need to put together 9 teams to fill out a schedule then you call ECU.

If everything collapses? Has it not? I guess I missed the part where everything had not collapsed.

 

[ctchamps]

If everything collapses? Has it not? I guess I missed the part where everything had not collapsed.

Most of us are still trying to pick ourselves off the floor.

 

[HartbeatHusky]

Most of us are still trying to pick ourselves off the floor.

As am I but right now we are in a 6 team BCS conference that is looking at adding Navy and Air Force for Football only as the first order of business. I've got news for you, they won't even bite unless we can get some more football schools in here ahead of them.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

Do you really think that if those schools can't get in a better league that Cinci, Louisville, South Florida or whomever is left without a seat at the party won't associate with them? You think that is a risk? South Florida will turn their back on Rutgers and UConn to align with East Carolina and Southeast Missouri State?

If you can't work for Goldman Sachs in finance, or Wachtell Lipton in law, or McKinsey in consulting, are you better off collecting unemployment? That seems to be the consensus on this board. I will let most of the posters her in on a little secret. We went to UConn, not Harvard.

 

[uconnbaseball]

We can still play "ball" with the likes of USF and TCU while working on membership with the ACC and Big 10 behind the scenes. Now that we have made our conference preference clear in the form of leaks, we can quiet down on that front and work together building back up the Big East. If something better comes along, we'll take it. If not, then keep clawing on up in the NBE.

Hopefully the SEC decides what they want to do soon. If they add Missouri, expansion probably stops. If they add FSU, we probably get the golden ticket to the ACC.

 

[ctchamps]

As am I but right now we are in a 6 team BCS conference that is looking at adding Navy and Air Force for Football only as the first order of business. I've got news for you, they won't even bite unless we can get some more football schools in here ahead of them.

I'm not sure they will join the BE. But anything is possible. The only possibility will be if they are convinced the other conferences are through with conference changes. If they can be comfortable with that position, then you are correct they may want guarantees additional schools are added to the conference as conditions for joining.

The sad thing is that Navy was caught off guard along with everyone else. One of the things that made the BE attractive to them was that they played Pitt and Cuse. So who knows if the loss of those teams will deter them directly as well as indirectly.

 

[whaler11]

If you can't work for Goldman Sachs in finance, or Wachtell Lipton in law, or McKinsey in consulting, are you better off collecting unemployment? That seems to be the consensus on this board. I will let most of the posters her in on a little secret. We went to UConn, not Harvard.

I might not get the job at Goldman... but I know I've got a job at EF Hutton if I need it, so I don't need to pretend that EF Hutton is the place I want to be.

 

[gars44]

We can still play "ball" with the likes of USF and TCU while working on membership with the ACC and Big 10 behind the scenes. Now that we have made our conference preference clear in the form of leaks, we can quiet down on that front and work together building back up the Big East. If something better comes along, we'll take it. If not, then keep clawing on up in the NBE.

Hopefully the SEC decides what they want to do soon. If they add Missouri, expansion probably stops. If they add FSU, we probably get the golden ticket to the ACC.

Too sensible!

 

[toppencil]

I would recommend only dropping the basketball schools if they don't allow FB schools to go to 12.

The basketball only schools have never held back the football schools. That's why you have TCU, that's why Miami and VT were added years ago only to leave, and Rutgers, Louisville, Cinn and USF etc.. When has football been held back? Which school was not allowed in by the basketball schools?

The problem is not the basketball schools, it's the lack of success on the football field. Last year was embarassing for the whole league. This nonsense about trouble adding schools is ridiculous. Go form your own football league, no New York market, no Philadelphia market, no Chicago market, good luck.

The success of basketball in the Big East has carried the conference, football has twice caused the league to look foolish. There is only one school left that has a long standing tradition of football and it's not UConn. If they go, say goodbye to the BCS.

 

[nelsonmuntz]

The basketball only schools have never held back the football schools. That's why you have TCU, that's why Miami and VT were added years ago only to leave, and Rutgers, Louisville, Cinn and USF etc.. When has football been held back? Which school was not allowed in by the basketball schools?

The problem is not the basketball schools, it's the lack of success on the football field. Last year was embarassing for the whole league. This nonsense about trouble adding schools is ridiculous. Go form your own football league, no New York market, no Philadelphia market, no Chicago market, good luck.

The success of basketball in the Big East has carried the conference, football has twice caused the league to look foolish. There is only one school left that has a long standing tradition of football and it's not UConn. If they go, say goodbye to the BCS.

Good post.

 

[FDNY99]

No New York market? What about Rutgers

 

[Bootsthemonkey]

It

Why is leaving a good basketball conference to going to help football? If there were a plausibly stable and decent football conference available, okay, I get it. But in the near term there isn't, barring an ACC invite. We are currently a basketball school. Maintain that brand at all costs, and eventually the football team might get a tag-along invite to a good conference. Everyone accepts it as fact that basketball doesn't't matter, but it is our basketball team that makes us attractive to Coach K and Duke. And basketball was surely a big factor in the ACC's approval of Pitt and Syracuse.

Basketball may make UConn attractive to Coach K, however without football there is a zero chance of joining the ACC. It is football that holds the key. The problem continues to be that this league has too many members influencing decisions without any interest in the survival of a few members football programs. The basketball-onlies could not care less what happens to football. They will always survive as basketball programs whether the Big East remains together or splits. To the football schools, because of what is invested, the future of football is absolutely crucial. People can call UConn a basketball school all they want but like it or not the future of UConn athletics is tied to football.

 

[weyuo]

The dream basketball conference took a hit when Pitt and SU left anyway, no time now to hang on to nostalgia.

I agree with that statement 100%. It's time for the remaining football schools in the Big East get together with like minded schools in the North and start a completely new all sports conference. Notre Dame only has a couple years left on their current TV contract. If an attractive enough conference was formed they may look at it as a positive and join up. Having the prestige to be an original/charter member of a exciting new league that makes sense travel/fan wise, competition wise, but most importantly financially wise might be the carrot that makes the deal. Penn ST & Temple should have no lingering resentment if the new league cut all ties to the Big East completely. Hell, even BC & MD might take the bait. Add Navy if you need to get to 12 or 14 or some even number in football only if it makes sense because a new league would be run by the all sports schools, not the basketball onlies. It's time folks!