Big East Conference Football Will Expand To Ten Teams
by Sean Keeley on Nov 2, 2010 3:27 PM EDT
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Big East announcement: The presidents have agreed to expand to 10 football teams, will begin evaluating candidates.
"Begin" evaluating? But you're already on record as having spoken to Villanova and TCU? Don't give us that, you've been evaluating, now you just have to see whether or not they'll jump.
So right away, two distinct ways of going about this come to mind.
TCU and Villanova
You get an instant National Title contender in TCU as well as the Dallas market (No. 5). Despite having played in the non-BCS world for a while, they're a traditional power and have been one of the top teams in the nation for the last half-decade.
With Villanova, you get a team that's already a Big East school and you lock down the Philadelphia market (No. 5). Plus you only have to add one more team to the basketball side.
The downside is that Villanova is going to need time and some serious stadium expansion and/or new deal. Also, TCU doesn't bring too much to the basketball table.
TCU and Houston
Go this route and you get TCU as well as a runnin' buddy for them. The Cougs don't need any start-up time, they're ready to play Big East ball right away. They also give you the Houston market (No. 11) and give the Big East some serious access to the state of Texas and its recruits.
Downside? Big East basketball needs two more mediocre teams like it need a hole in the head. And...TCU vs. Houston is now a Big East game? That's...weird.
The truth is, however, Big East fans are going to have to set aside their whole "east" thing from now on. This is about building a network and the only way the conference is going to become a viable network is by being as national as possible. Combine Dallas and Houston with NYC, Philly, DC, Tampa, Chicago and Pittsburgh and the Big East now has the kind of access the Big Ten Network dreams of.
Who knows. Maybe we'll end up inciting Memphis and UCF and then count the minutes until Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and UConn leave for greener pastures. I'd like to think the brass are smarter than that...but you never know.
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So long DePaul
It was nice having you here.
We will not rest until we see these capitalist octopuses annihilated.
-Che Marrone
Temple Got Kicked Out
DePaul must have naked pictures of someone. They bring nothing to the table. I’d toss Providence too, except for the fact that it’s the whole “birthplace of the conference” and all
Send Marquette with them.
I dont think we’ll miss the Milwaukee tv market….
cool
we can haz conference tournament now?
Im betting Nova comes on board. Not sure about TCU though.
Need 12 for that.......
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Nov 2, 2010 3:40 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Better be offering TCU ASAP
I can’t see Villanova as an option. That will take some time for the school to improve facilities, get the financing and make the jump to FBS. And it just doesn’t seem financially sound for a smaller, private school to make that move. Keep a spot for them in future expansion, or I suppose the 10th team down the line. Sounds like the BE wants to expand now; adding Villanova doesn’t do that however.
I guess UCF would be #10 if its all about expansion as soon as possible…
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Nov 2, 2010 3:45 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
2 years too late, 2 teams too short.
Standard operating procedure!
Plz to be getting tcu. I can’t state enough how important it is to get an elite program in the league. Getting a program like TCU that opens up Texas recruiting for other BE schools is a coup.
Not sure what to think re: basketball. I really don’t think TCU makes much sense for any non-rev sports…
by brendoh on Nov 2, 2010 3:49 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Of course hoops is a rev generating sport,
But what happens to every other sport in their AD?
by brendoh on Nov 2, 2010 3:54 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yeah, if they are expanding to ten, why don;t they just expand to 12 and get that extra game. Make the one solid expansion. With Villanova, I would add Memphis. Then either TCU or Houston (get the big market) and Southern Miss (about 30k average attendance ) or Eastern Carolina (about 43k average). Split up between the North (SU, Rutgers, UConn, Nova, Pitt, WVU), and South (Cincy, ‘Ville, USF, UM, TCU/Hou, ECU/SoMiss). Basketball and other sports have a 20 mega-conference with two 9 team divisions. Depaul, Marquette move into the South (WVU shifts to South). Seton Hall, Prov, St.John’s, and G’town go into the North.
In Lou We Trust: SBN Blog of the New Jersey Devils
"Hockey is the only job I know where you get paid to have a nap on the day of the game." - Chico Resch
by Matthew Ventolo on Nov 2, 2010 11:30 PM EDT up reply actions
18 mega conference*
In Lou We Trust: SBN Blog of the New Jersey Devils
"Hockey is the only job I know where you get paid to have a nap on the day of the game." - Chico Resch
by Matthew Ventolo on Nov 2, 2010 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Incidentally, I was at UHouston campus
when they were playing a home game two weeks ago. The city itself is like NY insofar as it’s a balkanized market amongst several teams. But I was surprised by the robust walk-up crowd of UH fans adorned in red. When Case Keenum was healthy, there was of course an upsurge in local interest; but this was after he and his back-up were hurt at Washington. So they got people.
The point being…Dallas-FW and Houston are cosmopolitan in their own Texan sort of ways. But there are enough transplanted Yankees and curious bystandards to get behind Big East football. (At least definitely maybe) And they wouldn’t be too shabby in hoops.
Is this a crazy, dumb, maybe both question?
Is it out of the question to raid the ACC to get our old teams back? Miami, BC etc….?
Is this crazy?
BC should have never left. Lost their identity and their rivalries. I have heard many BC alums wish for their return. Miami is gone.
Finances will prevent that
unless the BE finds a way to top the new media deal the ACC just put together. Right now any team jumping from the ACC to the BE would loses money.
by osceolafan2.0 on Nov 2, 2010 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Correction - Philly is #4 market
so long as we’re talking tv markets.
I say TCU and Nova for now, Memphis, UCF, Temple and Houston after that. Then when armageddon occurs and the Big 12 (10) finally folds under the weight of Texas, we grab Kansas and friends.
But maybe thinking a bit too far ahead
Big 12
What’s preventing the Big 12 from adding TCU and Houston & forming an all TX division w/Texas, A&M, Tech, & Baylor? This way they can actually still be a 12 team conference. Don’t you think thats more attractive to those schools then the big east?
by sieg44 on Nov 2, 2010 4:22 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
The Texas Longhorns
are preventing them from adding those teams. They control what that conference does and they don’t want to have to compete with 2 more BCS conference schools in that state.
Smu would be preferable to UH anyways
If they wanted to recreate the swc
by brendoh on Nov 2, 2010 4:49 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Just a note
Big East approved expansion analysis for “increasing the number of Bowl Subdivision football-playing members to 10.”
I don’t think this is considering full-membership for TCU, Houston, Central Florida, etc. This appears to be couched in “football-only” (with the obvious exception of Villanova).
How do we do this?
Add two FB only teams?
Nova and Temple.
Note that it doesn’t say, “adding 2 additional schools”; it’s “increasing the number of football-playing members”.
Could the TCU/Houston rumors just be an attempt to further get Notre Dame and ’Nova???
I know, I know…It’s highly unlikely that ND would give up their independence, but now would be the time to capitalize on the fact that ND football sucks right now, the Big T1E1N doesn’t look like it’s expanding beyond 12 any time soon, and BK may still have some loyalties to the BE.
Not to mention it would be the cleanest, easiest, smoothest change and would probably provide the biggest impact nationally.
Plus, if all 16 members were present at today’s meeting…that would include Notre Dame.
Again, it probably won’t happen…but who knows?
All that means
Is ND is looking to protect the home for it’s non FB sports. If the BE ever goes tits up the Irish are screwed. No conference major conferece will let them be all but football, so find a new home for hoops, et-al would mean giving up their precious football independent status. Not that that will matter much. If they continue to suck they won’t be able to get a contract and will have to crawl to someone to give them a home, and then if there were any justice every major conference would tell them to go pound salt and suffer.
Arrogant bastards.
We will not rest until we see these capitalist octopuses annihilated.
-Che Marrone
Who fucking knows.
This press release is a piece of shit. It doesn’t say anything. It only confirms that there was a meeting.
It equally implies “football-only” and potential full membership. It’s so vague that it’s pointless. I don’t even think they know what they want to do.
I hate this fucking conference so much right now. Just do something so that Syracuse can figure out what it needs to do (if anything).
I agree
Honestly don’t care if the Big East lives or dies. This winter I was excited about the mega-expansion era because it looked like, either in the ACC or Big Ten, Syracuse would be safe. Whatever the Big East does is just delaying the inevitable raid of its most desirable schools. Syracuse just needs to make sure it’s one of those schools.
It's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Nov 2, 2010 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Football coming out
of the Big East basement can only help if we have to move to the ACC/Big10
www.CuseRugby.com
www.SyracuseRugby.com
Add TCU & UCF
Adding a TX school & another FL school helps open the recruiting to even more talent. I think the best option would be to add Memphis & ECU as well but if they’re only lookin to add 2 teams it makes it hard, especially if that pushes the bball #s to 18 I say make it 20 & 12 for football.
Then you have the following for 18 team bball:
DePaul, Marquette, Georgetown, Providence, Villanova, St. John’s, Notre Dame & Seton Hall & TCU all part of the Parochial division
Then the remaining 9:
Syracuse, UConn, Pitt, WV, USF, Cinci, Rutgers & Louisville plus the other new team whoever it may be.
by sieg44 on Nov 2, 2010 4:16 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Would love to add the two Texas schools. Conference needs to do the smart thing, though: Add 4 football teams (two Texas schools, UCF, and Villanova), and let the basketball-only schools break off. We can play Georgetown non-conference every year, don’t care about the rest.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll bring you down to their level and then beat you with experience.
by wildcatlh on Nov 2, 2010 4:29 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Exactly
That’s a conference that works. Yeah, it’s a little funky with a far-flung south division of new guys (mostly — it’s TCU, Houston, Cinci, L’ville, USF, UCF) and a tightly packed north division of teams that have been in the Big East almost from the beginning (mostly — us, UConn, Pitt, WVU, Rutgers, ‘Nova), but I think it’s good conference that’s probably fairly stable unless someone kicks of the 16-team major all-sports conference thing.
Disagree
Big East basketball needs two more mediocre teams like it need a hole in the head
I think the BE needs more mediocre teams. There are too many strong BBall teams in the BE. It really isn’t fair to the top teams to have to all play each other twice while the bottom teams play each other twice. If you have 18 BBall teams then you have a true round robin 17 games plus 1 rival game. You will no longer have a 10-8 team whose 8 Ls are a product of the schedule and no longer have an 11-7 team whose 11 Ws are a product of schedule. Now 10-8 will mean 10-8.
Albany's I-AA for football
so there’s the same issue as Villanova, except that it’s not an extant basketball member and it doesn’t have as strong a football program.
It's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Nov 2, 2010 5:02 PM EDT up reply actions
I didn't think 'Nova would be ready for a few years.
maybe we could do TCU and Houston next year in the conference, thus bringing it to 10. Then we have Nova come in (11) and maybe even bring in another team.
Even if ’Nova is ready to go FBS in 3 years, would they be Independent for a few years like Uconn did? Or would they just get their heads kicked in for a few years?
by Rocket Ship Science on Nov 2, 2010 4:34 PM EDT reply actions
Just had a new thought
We must add Seton Hall. If you thought the basketball rivalry was one of the hottest in the country, I can’t imagine what football would be like. Move over Iron Bowl, the Battle for New Jersey is here. Adding Seton Hall and having an annual game with Rutgers (which is, in all honestly, essentially a Big East Championship Game) would make the Backyard Brawl look a middle school girls volleyball rescheduled double header.
by Rocket Ship Science on Nov 2, 2010 4:52 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
ECU?
Houston & obviously TCU are the “prime” targets. ‘Nova makes sense but they need serious upgrades. ECU is a very good football program but it doesn’t bring a market. Rabid fans but no TV or recruiting market. I’d grab the Texas two-step ASAP.
If Basketball Goes to 18
They’d have to split it into 2 9-team divisions, so it wouldn’t be as bad. You play everyone in your division twice or something and rotate playing people in the other division. They should keep the traditional big east teams together that way
Obligatory Wow look at these comments comment
Nothing to the stir the pot like expansion talk.
Well, almost nothing....
I heard that Randy Moss might be claimed by the Big East. Discuss.
"Size matters. At least in basketball." - James Arthur Boeheim
by Bernie Fine is the Man on Nov 2, 2010 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions
I heard that the Texas school that could be invited will be the Dallas Cowboys. They are the only of the Dallas teams that are on the same level competitively as the Big East this year.
by Jameson_Fleming on Nov 2, 2010 5:12 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Imagine
if Coach P ended up being the interim head coach of the Cowboys… what a Big East Homecoming!
It's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Nov 2, 2010 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions
This is news?
I thought we already knew the big east was going to expand. Now we play the “ouuu I wonder who it is” game because the guys in Providence said they plan on doing what we knew they were already doing? That just speaks to the sorry state of our league.
Like Seinfeld is a show about nothing...
…this is an announcement about nothing.
However, I will say that at least the Big East is acknowledging the obvious. They need to follow up this bullshit press release with something of substance within the next few weeks, though. If they don’t say anything for a long time, then it’s just another example of a conference that….moves…too….slowly.
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
I guess that they actually copped to it is news...
Anyway, I say TCU is a must. Nova is the obvious other choice in a vacuum, but can they be ready? If not, I like either UCF or Houston. Houston because they aren’t bad at football and it’s a sizable market, UCF because it never hurts to be more involved in Florida when you are talking college football. Also, since my gf lives in Houston (and I will too at some point soon I think) I would selfishly like for Houston to be added so that I can easily get to a game.
I saw someone toss out the idea...
… of TCU & Houston now (or for the 2012 season, rather); ‘Nova announces plans to move up to FBS. When they’ve been in FBS a few years (2015 or so), they & UCF join and we split off from the non-football members.
Well
#2… if we are adding two…. TCU and UCF. We can always accommodate Villanova and Houston later on.
#1, my plan remains this:
BIG EAST:
As I have posted elsewhere a number of times… why must the Big East be "one of the two"? Why can’t the Big East have two conferences under its umbrella and operate a network regarding both? The two divisions can agree to have plenty of OOC games between the two sections to retain rivalries. By having a solid MidWest presence, the hoops inventory would be substantial…games at 7pm and 9pm every night of the week. Plus, more fball games for inventory–two extra games per week. More fodder to pass down to the network. And just look at the markets.
Big East:
North:
UConn
Syracuse
Pitt
WVU
Temple (Philly Market)
Rutgers
South:
TCU (Dallas Market)
Houston (Houston Market)
Lville
Cincy
UCF (Orlando Market)
USF
Big East-Gavitt:
East:
Providence
Villanova
Seton Hall
Georgetown
St. Johns
Richmond (VA Market) or Northeastern (Boston market)
West:
Notre Dame
Marquette
DePaul
Butler (IN Market)
St. Louis (MO Market)
Xavier (add to Ohio/Cincy market)
For Bball…might lose automatic bids, etc., but when does THAT really matter? Not like any of these schools really need the automatic bid.
The bball tournament can be held simultanteously in Brooklyn and MSG, with championship game between the two sections in MSG on Sunday. Any games not shown on ESPN, Big East Network can pick up.
The football championship game can be played in Miami.
Basketball Schedule–play round robin within division (10 games), and 3 teams against each other division.
Football schedule:
Play 8 games… all within division and 3 from other division on a rotating basis. A typical schedule for a North team would be: 1 game against each other North school, plus one each of Cincy/Lville, USF/UCF (one Florida game), and TCU/Houston (one Texas game). Every other year, a North school would have a game IN Texas or Florida somewhere. How does that not help recruiting? Each team has a natural pair.
Divide money:
6% to each football school = 72%
6% to Notre Dame = 6%
2% to each basketball school = 22%
That market swath has to be close to 100,000,000 households. If the Big 10 can average 70 cents, why can’t the Big East get 15 cents/mo.? That is a whopping $1.80/year. But with that many households–why can’t you get $100,000,000 (excluding advertising)? Partner with a network to keep 90% of advertising revenue as its share for facilitating same.
For a current football school… the current TV contracts become MORE valuable to the networks because there are 2 extra games to choose from–better chance of a good match-up. Plus, there would be better rivalries–Temple/Rutgers… winning team’s coach gets to take over for Paterno. UCF/USF. TCU/Houston. And so on. The network $$$ would be ADDITIONAL, rather than a substitute. An extra $6M per football school suddenly narrows the gap a bit.
Frank took me to task on the 15/cents per subscriber, but the TENNIS CHANNEL charges 15 cents. The MWC channel is 20 cents. If the Big East can’t get 15 cents, might as well go away.
I'd vote for it
If, you know, my opinion actually mattered.
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
Some Changes
First I don’t think there is enough money to go to 12 FB teams. But if there is I would change…
-Swap Nova FB for Temple FB
-Take Northeastern over Richmond since Richmond would want in for FB eventually
-With Nova gone you need another BBall so add Towson. Yes they stink but they add Baltimore and Lax.
-Xavier seems over kill on Cincy. It would make more sense to add Detroit or even Denver, who now plays in the Sunbelt which is far away and they add Lax.
-FB champ game in Miami is a huuge fail. See the ACCCGs. You need it close to most teams as fans won’t be able to travel on short notice. IMO the best thing to do would be have it in the closest pro stadium to the team with the best record. So…
SU/RU/UConn have at Meadowlands
TCU have at Jerry World or Cotton Bowl
Pitt/WV have at Heinz
Cincy/UL at Paul Brown
Nova at Linc
Houston at Reliant
USF at Rayjay
UCF at Citrus Bowl
-For FB we should play 9 conference games.
-For BBall play division twice each year. Then rotate other three divisions every year (6 games). That way you play each team one in three years and at home one in 6 years. That totals 16 games. Then add two more games as permanent rivals from the other two divisions. For instance…
SU would play UConn, Nova, Pitt, WV, RU all twice a year. We would play the teams in the South, East, and West once in three years. The permanent rivals from each would be GTown, USF, and Depaul who we play every year.
Villanova and Memphis
In Lou We Trust: SBN Blog of the New Jersey Devils
"Hockey is the only job I know where you get paid to have a nap on the day of the game." - Chico Resch
An Absurd Dream
Wow- sound and sensible comments above, but please , no East Carolina or Memphis- both dogs, with nothing to offer..Ezcuse- extraordinary work- and you have too much time on your hands.
Allow me an alternate and ridiculous dream for a moment:
1. Notre Dame, continuing to struggle in football, is unable to secure AS attractive a tv deal with NBC ( and begins to fear expulsion from BE hoops in these uncertain times). Meanwhile, BC base continues to moan about the ACC, and their lack of natural rivals
2. The Big East, in a masterstroke, works out a deal with both schools, agreeing to bring them to the Big East. ND gets some already in place rivalries, as wellas conference security as does BC, and both see, (arrogantly), an easy annual route to the BCS. And they will play each other every year in the new BE.
TV loves it, as they have locked up the northeast plus Notre Dame. ND stomachs it, giving up their yearly games with Navy plus one one big ten team, but getting every other year trips to NY,NE,Pha, Fla . BC bites, liking the rivalries, albeit with an acknowledgement of UConn as an equal NE rival.
And SU says hell yeah!- guaranteed yearly games with ND,BC,UConn, and Rutgers.
The League:
North Division:
Boston College
Notre Dame
Syracuse
Connecticut
Rutgers
Templanova
South Divison:
Pitt
West Virginia
South Florida
Central Florida
Louisville
Cincinnati
Chances of Implementation- 0.000001%
Desireability vs. adding Texas, etc.- 100%.
G’ORANGE
Notre Dame
Should just join the Big East for football with no long-term contract. Play year-to-year and are free to leave whenever they want. That’s what I’d offer them.
People in a BCS conference are excited about the prospect of adding my team? I don’t believe it.
So why add TCU? TCU is a solid program that’s been performing at a high level for over a decade, we already have hate backlogged from our CUSA days with Louisville, USF and Cincy. We’re also not going to rock the boat in basketball- on the outside of the bracket? Need one more conference win to have a good chance? Gentlemen, we at TCU can be that win. Problem with the whole “The MWC is better than the Big East” meme? Add TCU, and suddenly your historic W/L against the MWC defies reproach!
We’re also pretty consistently good at that Baseball thing. You guys play baseball, right? We’ve made the tournament every year since 2004, and went to the CWS this year. Just saying.
The BE is in what they call a "Down cycle"
so adding TCU makes us legit immediately and secures our AQ status. My bet is that Nova will be the other team. Maybe ND if they are forced to $#%@ or get off the pot. Nova will need some time to ramp up to D1 standards especially in the recruiting aspect. I still think there are good football teams in BE, but things are not going well this year. Youth and coaching changes are a big part of that. In the upcoming years we will be fine again. We just have to wait and see if this expansion move is coming to late, as in there may not be a BE in the future. Way to cold up in CNY for basbeball….just Lax,Football, B-ball and beer!
We don't do baseball at 'Cuse
That would interfere with lacrosse season :).
But the Big East does sponsor baseball, and almost everyone else has a team; it’s just us, Providence, Marquette, and DePaul that don’t. The ’ville won the league last year.
Get the Big12 castoffs.....
Kansas, KState, and Mizzou, solid 11 team conf with good basketball and balanced football schedule.
by OrangeinJersey on Nov 3, 2010 8:48 AM EDT up reply actions
I Would Go...
TCU and Memphis or Houston right now and then tell Nova we plan to have a Big East Championship Game by 2013 so either join or not, your choice and then add another team by then (either the other team above who did not join, ECU or tell a Georgetown or Seton Hall to ramp up and join).
The only change to this would be if Notre Dame wakes up and realizes that the more conferences that have 12 teams and championship games, the harder it will be to schedule anyone and jumps on board now. I am not a Notre Dame fan but I am not stupid enough to realize they will bring a lot to the table as far as fan bases in various markets and money.
Idea - Go big or go home
I know there are alot of ideas out there, so I figured I’d throw one out there.
14 team football (new teams):
South/New:
(Houston)
(TCU)
(Memphis)
(UCF)
USF
Louisville
Cincinnati
North/traditional:
(Notre Dame/Nova)
Syracuse
Pitt
Rutgers
Cinncinati
UConn
West Virginia
Basketball and Olympic sports:
Providence, (Villanova/Notre Dame), St. Johns, Georgetown.
Kick out:
Marquette (out west, not adding enough to conference), Depaul (dead weight, out west), Seton Hall (overlaps with Rutgers for TV, Providence adds lacrosse).
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