The Big East Will Not Exist In 2013
by Sean Keeley on Apr 19, 2010 6:04 PM EDT
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When backed into a corner, facing a life-or-death situation, an animal can make one of two choices.
It can choose to fight. It can bear its teeth, extend its claws, crouch down in a fighting stance and commence attacking until it's either dead or it has escaped. If a limb becomes ensnared in a trap, it will chew off that limb no matter the pain involved, in order to preserve its life. Morals, ethics and rules no longer apply. Whatever it takes for the animal to survive it will do and it doesn't matter how that affects any other animal in the vicinity, even members of its own pack.
Or, it can simply lay down and await death. It can abandon hope that there is any chance it will survive and simple wait for its attacker to kill it. It will not fight. It will not try to buck the odds. It will decide that the will to live isn't worth the effort.
The Big East Conference is choosing the latter road. No one has said as much, but that's exactly why its true. For all the talk about Notre Dame, Nebraska and Texas, Big East teams like Syracuse, Pitt, Rutgers and UConn remain the most likely to jump at the chance to join the Big Ten if invited. These teams remain on every list. They've been name-checked by a Big Ten coach multiple times. Even some members of the Big East schools have publicly discussed the possibility to going to another conference as an inevitable move.
And yet...the Big East says nothing. Does nothing. Tries nothing.
The conference has laid down. It waits for the Big Ten to sink its teeth in and end it all. And in doing nothing, it gives its members every incentive they could ever need to run to another conference. Why stay for a conference that doesn't want to put in the effort to keep you?
Don't be fooled into thinking this is the same as when the ACC raided the Big East nd took three of its most prominent football members (Miami, Virginia Tech & Boston College). The college landscape was different then and the fact that it was the ACC, whom the Big East has a standing East Coast rivalry with, made it personal. Plus, the two conferences were on even ground (and the argument could be made the Big East was the better football conference). By stealing away our top two FB programs, you were out to destroy us in the process of making yourself better. The ACC had that first mentality I mentioned.
This? This isn't an emotional decision. There is no real rivalry between our two conferences (in the grand sense). This is a big guy moving in on a little guy, taking what he wants. It might not seem right but it makes sense. And like I said, the college landscape is different now. Try as we might, the BCS isn't going anywhere. And that system is set up to favor the big conferences. And the bigger your conference, the more you profit from the BCS and bowl system. So it's in your best interest to get bigger. And if you're not part of one of the big boys, well, that's just too bad.
We've wondered for a while when the Era of the Superconferences would begin. Well, it's beginning now.
The only time someone broached the topic with Big East Commissioner John Marinatto, he quite literally said that he "doesn't want to talk about this." Well that's too bad, John, cause everyone else does. This isn't conjecture, it's actually happening. Very soon. And by not doing something, anything, you've already shown your hand. The Big East is ripe for the plucking and it's not going to put up much of a fight to stop you.
You need a simple reason to why Marinatto will do nothing? Here you go. He's a Providence guy. Nothing wrong with being a Providence guy...except in this instance. This is a football and "big picture" discussion. Providence is on the wrong side of that discussion. They're part of the small school, regional, traditional side of the Big East. The side that remembers when this was just all about basketball and nothing else. The side that cares so much about the history of the conference that it will do everything it can to maintain that. The side that only likes to think about the Big East in terms of how it was in the 80's. A Providence-centric guy is not going to sacrifice the old to make way for the new.
So what SHOULD the Big East be doing right? If the Big East were that first kind of animal, unencumbered by emotion or history or tradition...how would it react right now? If we stripped away everything...
1. Kick out Notre Dame. It alleviates one piece of the the basketball bloat but more importantly it gives the Irish more incentive to join the Big Ten.
2. Kick out DePaul. Regardless, we should probably do this.
3. Cut the cord on St. John's, Seton Hall and Providence. The conference should be moving towards a model that focuses on schools with prominent football programs (I'll get to the other basketball-only schools not mentioned here). As far as these three programs are concerned, none of them are playing FBS football anytime in the foreseeable future. And as for basketball, there's a strong case to be made that their best days are behind all of them. Any given season, they're three pretty good Atlantic-10 programs (and in St. John's case that negligible). Admit it, if you were starting from scratch to build an Eastern conference, none of these schools would be in your Top 15. It's one of the toughest decisions you'd have to make but it's necessary.
4. Force Villanova (or work out a financial arrangement with them) to bring their football program up to FBS within the next 3-4 years. It gives the Big East back a stranglehold on the Philly/Eastern PA market, gives Rutgers a regional rival and turns Nova into a legit conference member.
5. Force Georgetown to grow its football program into a FBS-level one within the next 7-8 years. Again, it's about finding balance in a conference that needs to focus on FB. Georgetown will need some more time than a 1-AA power like Villanova, and will need the time to figure out where to play and whether or not to build their own stadium. Don't like it? BYE GEORGETOWN.
6. Sorry Marquette. You guys have a great basketball program but if we're going to build back up to 16 teams, we need synchronicity. You're out.
6. With those six teams expunged, that gives us 10 Big East squads. That said, all the big boys are going to 16 so we'll need to as well, but this time only with schools that will play football as well as basketball. It's too far-fetched at the moment to think we can snag BC or Maryland from the ACC so let's assume we have to work with what's available. We know Memphis is in and I'm pretty sure we can count on Central Florida and East Carolina as well. After that, let's fill in some Eastern-area blanks. Army and Navy want to be half-members so screw them. We'll take Florida Atlantic to round out a Florida contingent, ask Temple if they want to come back (but only if they bring basketball with them) and tell UMass we'll let them in if they bring their successful FCS football program up to FBS-level.
It's messy, there will a lot of opposition and a lot of name-calling and it'll take a few years to work out the many kinks but it also puts the Big East on the best road to staying alive as a football conference. Remember, the idea of UConn and USF fielding quality football programs seemed preposterous a decade ago. Good things happen quickly when you try.
But none of that is going to happen. Of course it won't. There's NO WAY Marinatto would have the balls to give St. John's, Seton Hall and his Providence the heave-ho. There's NO WAY he'll give Villanova and Georgetown an ultimatum and see who blinks first. There's NO WAY he'll swap out all the teams I mentioned for the all of the new ones. It's just not going to happen because it requires too much forward-thinking and too-little emotional decision-making.
For some strange reason the Big East thinks it has no power. Compared to Big Ten, maybe not. But the Big East looms over Conference USA, the Atlantic-10, the MAC and the Sun Belt in much the same way. If the conference told Memphis and Central Florida to jump, they'd not only ask "how high" but also how many flips they should do while up there. The Big East might be the weakest BCS football conference but it's still a BCS conference, with all of the perks, bowl guarantees, TV appearances and paydays that come with it. You should act like it.
But, no. This is actually what's going to happen.
1. After Notre Dame finally says "no" one more time, the Big Ten will invite Syracuse, Pitt and Rutgers to join it's conference along with Missouri and someone else (not sure who, exactly. Kansas? Maybe even UConn).
2. Syracuse, Pitt and Rutgers accept. (This will be in June 2010, by the way)
3. Realizing that the move to 16-team conference has begun, the ACC/SEC start talking to West Virginia, South Florida, Louisville, UConn (if they're still available). Eventually, they all leave the Big East for greener pastures.
4. Realizing that expansion is a moot point, the Big East announces it will cease being a football conference. Sorry about that, Cincinnati.
5. Big East basketball is now a 9-team conference led by Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette and Notre Dame. Maybe they take on Memphis as a basketball-only partner. They'll want to keep things even.
6. The Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Pac-10 will all expand membership to at least 12 members and as many as 16. The Big 12 may or may not disperse, depending on who ends up where. The Mountain West will absorb the top WAC teams and get invited into the BCS fold. As for basketball, the Big East will continue to have a decent presence in the NCAAs but nothing remotely close to how it was.
So I suppose the title of this post is slightly misleading. The Big East will probably still exist in some form in 2013, just not in a form you or I recognize. They'll keep the name but they probably shouldn't.
As for college sports, life will go on. Football will continue on its inevitable path. Conference TV and Media Networks continue to crop up and grow bigger. Syracuse will still play Georgetown every year, though it will be a non-conference match-up. Pittsburgh and West Virginia will play the Backyard Brawl every year, though the circumstances around it will have changed. Rutgers will...do whatever it is Rutgers does. Fans of those schools will slowly but surely get used to playing the likes of Iowa, Minnesota and Northwestern every year and fans from those schools will get used to these newbies who think they're so cool but they're really not, ya know?
Life will go on. Just not for the Big East. That much is sure.
Further readings...
Four Things The Big East Conference Needs To Do Right Now...TNIAAM
Five Reasons Syracuse Will Go To The Big Ten...TNIAAM
Five Reasons Syracuse Won't Go To The Big Ten...TNIAAM
It Is Big East Panic Week...Pitt Blather
The Big Ten Expansion Index: A Different Shade of Orange...Frank The Tank's Slant
The Expansion Game - How Much Are The Candidates Really Worth...The Rivalry, Esq.
Counterpoint - Rutgers Doesn't Deserve the Big Ten...The Rivalry, Esq.
The Value of Expansion Candidates to the Big Ten Network...Frank The Tank's Slant
Multi-Phase Big Ten Expansion: How to Create a Super Death Star Conference...Frank The Tank's Slant
Beginning of the end for the Big East?...ESPN's Briant Bennett
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Great write up. And so true.
This is definitely starting to get serious. The Big East is doomed because either it thinks it’s weak or it is honestly naive to the reality. Part of me thinks that Marinatto and the powers that be honestly believe that no one would leave the Big East if wooed. Really, the first and most important step is simply calling ND’s bluff. Tell them to sign on the dotted line for everything or GTFO. If they actually stay, great. That’s just what we need. If they leave, which is likely, they probably end up signing into the B10 all the way. Which is also great for the BE temporarily because it halts the B10 expansion machine for probably a couple years, giving us time to make more moves and strengthen football. But that won’t happen and we will bow to the B10 overlords.
I also really like Frank The Tank’s entries on the subject. Specifically the Expansion Index piece and the Super Death Star Conference piece. The thought that the Big Ten taking one school from the Big East and one school from the Big 12 could definitely cripple one conference (BE) and possibly cripple another (B12) at the same time is scary.
Guys
Notre Dame has zero interest in joining the BE in football. There is no bluff to be called. If they don’t join the Big 10 to make $15,000,000 more per year… you can forget about the Big East.
I think there's one scenario where they do
1. Big Ten adds one B12 team, and that’s it, and over the next few years the mini-boomlet in interest in 14 and 16 team conferences dies off.
2. When ND’s NBC contract runs out, NBC (and everyone else) only offers somewhat less than Big East money.
And then at that point it’s join the Big East or nothing.
If ND is not jumping at Big 10 money
Then this is not about the money at all. The alums prefer independence, even at the expense of, well, money.
If you notice, I did say:
If they leave, which is likely
I am well aware they won’t join Big East. I’m saying give them an ultimatum. All or nothing. Let them walk. We don’t need them in basketball, or anything else really. Their only choice will be to join the B10 all the way. Which is exactly what the B10 wants and could shut down expansion talk for a bit. Most ND sports besides football can’t survive as independents and I doubt they will want basketball to join with a mid-major conference. The B10 won’t be chicken-shit enough to offer the same deal the BE does, so ND will be left with two choices when we tell them to shit or get off the pot. They would almost certainly choose the B10 in that scenario, but it’s a move that should be made. Without football, ND doesn’t do much for us athletically. Academically sure, but if it’s the difference between the conference surviving or not, sacrifice their academics for the good of the group.
Big East Football needs them
the prospect of hosting Irish are a big influence on the Big East bowl tie-ins.
If the conference disintegrates because the Big Ten pillages it, bowl tie-ins it won't matter.
ND is the one school that could join the Big Ten and keep them appeased for a while.
What if...
Since this whole expansion fiasco is powered by football, why not expand for football only? The Big East decides it’s no longer going to sponsor football, the 8 football schools find other places to play football, and every other sport continues to compete in the Big East.
Problem solved.
but why?
The Big Ten is expanding for football purposes, and football purposes alone. They don’t need to expand in any other sports…and there’s no rule against schools participating in different conferences in different sports.
I think this is a good idea. It won’t happen, but it is a good idea.
Part of what makes us valuable
is our basketball program. Remember, the Big Ten wants in on NYC and our basketball program gives them that in a way our football program can’t (like Frank The Tank says)
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
How does
the Syracuse basketball program “give” the BIg Ten NYC?
Simple.....
Think of a few things:
(1) Sheer # of Syracuse alums in the NYC area would either pay for the Big Ten Network or demand that companies like Cablevision carry it on either the sports tier or basic tier (if you are a S.U. hoops fan and you live in NYC and you want to catch that mid-February matchup between Syracuse and Iowa, you will likely need the B10 network).
(2) Advertising huge matchups in the lucrative NYC area (again, a massive media market) would no doubt result in ever-increasing ratings for Big Ten matchups, especially if Syracuse played in a “neutral site” game at MSG against a glamour hoops team such as Indiana, etc.
State College, PA..
..is closer to NYC than Syracuse. And Penn State is a pretty big school. I’d wager it also has a pretty significant alumni base in NYC.
Sure, if you added Syracuse, you’d “double” that presence, but it’s not like NYC is some untapped market that the current Big Ten is nowhere near.
And
if you held an SU vs. Penn State event in NYC, you would get way more Syracuse alums to show up just on the basis of how many live there. No question.
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
You sure about that?
Penn State (State College) has 45,000 students. All 24 campuses total 94,000+ students. That makes for a ton of alumni and they don’t all move to Chicago or Philly….I’d have to imagine the PSU presence is pretty significant, at least it is from what I’ve seen….
~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."
It's about 10 miles closer.
So yes, not a big difference. But, as I said, it’s not like Syracuse puts the Big Ten way closer to NYC than it’s ever been before.
You're thinking about geography, not mindset.
There is a great deal of affinity for Syracuse from non-alums in NYC that does not exist for PSU. There is no question that Syracuse is NYC’s college basketball team, no matter where St John’s might play. PSU, for it’s vicinity to the East Coast, has a Midwestern vibe. Syracuse does not, even if it is just as close to (or far from) NYC.
+1
Penn State reminds me of an Ohio type school [in terms of location/ distance/ being perceived as far away], not anything associated to NYC.
For me it is in some ways.
Pitt is a city school and all that comes with that, while Penn State is in the middle of nowhere in PA. The middle of PA is the Midwest basically. If you had a scale with Midwest on one side and East on the other, I’d put Pitt somewhere in the middle of the last third before Midwest with Penn State right behind them (towards Midwest), but still behind them.
Syracuse alone doesn't give the B10 the NYC market.
ND, Syracuse and Rutgers give the B10 a big piece of the NYC pie. The B10 is more interested in Rutgers then many are recognizing. If B10 does 16 team conference, I say invite: Syracuse, ND, Rutgers, Texas and Nebraska. If Texas says no, ask Mizzou. If ND says no ask Kansas or UConn. If both Texas and ND say no, Invite: Rutgers, Syracuse, Mizzou, Nebraska and UConn. Then break up the B10 into East and West conferences. West: Mizzou, Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Northwestern, Iowa, Minnesota and
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
Purdue. East: IU, Mich, Mich St., Ohio St., Penn St., Syracuse, Rutgers and Uconn. The only negative will be splitting Purdue and IU. If You switch Kansas for UConn then it would allow the IU -Purdue to be in the same division.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
Or...
You could just have permanent non-division opponents, so that way Indiana and Purdue could play each other every year. This is what the SEC does. For example, Auburn is in the SEC West but we still play Georgia (our oldest rival) every year even though they are in the SEC East.
Auburn-Georgia
Alabama-Tennessee
LSU-Florida
Miss. State-Kentucky
Ole Miss-Vandy
So with your set-up for the Big Ten (16), you could have these permanent opponents…
Missouri-Rutgers
Nebraska-Syracuse
Illinois-Ohio State
Wisconsin-Michigan State
Northwestern-UConn
Iowa-Penn State
Minnesota-Michigan
Purdue-Indiana
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
Although really
I think a conference with as many as 16 teams needs 3 or 4 divisions with a play-off of the divisional champions at the end of the regular season. That way you can still play everyone a decent number of times per year. For example…
If Missouri, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, Notre Dame and Rutgers joined the Big Ten…
You could have these divisions…
North Division: Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State
West Division: Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin
East Division: Penn State, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Syracuse
Central Division: (geographically it just makes the most sense to call it Central rather than South) Illinois, Indiana, Northwestern, Purdue
So everyone would play the other teams in their own division, but you would also play 1 permanent opponent from each division. For example, Syracuse would play Northwestern from the Central every year, Minnesota from the West, and Michigan from the North. You would also play Penn State, Pittsburgh, and Rutgers every year. You would also play 1 more team from each division every year, bringing your total to 9 conference games (then 3 out-of-conference games). This would ensure that you would be able to play non-permanent non-divisional teams 4 times every decade.
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
typo
That way you can still play everyone a decent number of times per year.
I meant per decade… sorry.
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
Oh, and I forgot
South Carolina and Arkansas are in the SEC too lol. Duh. They are each other’s permanents as well.
"We're at AUBURN. I think that says it all. We're going after the best in the country -- no matter when, what, where, how. That's how we're going to do it. We're going to work really hard to try to get that done every year -- including this one." -- Auburn University Head Football Coach Gene Chizik
^^^I like that idea alot^^^^
I really think Texas and ND hold the swing votes here. If Texas and ND join, I think the B10 asks Nebraska, Mizzou and Rutgers. Then the divisions are West: Illinois, Mizzou, Nebraska, Northwestern, Texas, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa. The east: Notre Dame, Indiana, Purdue, Michigan, Michigan St., Ohio St., Penn State and Rutgers. This is a dream conference for the big 10.
If Russia attacked Turkey from the rear, Do you think Greece would help?
If Notre Dame calls the Big Ten offices and says they want to join for football, but do something else with the rest of their program, I bet the Big Ten goes for it.
The problem is that is the opposite of what Notre Dame wants
They want football independence and their other sports to be in a conference.
The Big East started out life as a hoops conference.
Well, Georgetown, Nova, St Johns, Seton Hall, Providence, Notre Dame, Marquette, Depaul, Xavier, UMass makes a helluva hoops league.
You're right
the conference could very well survive with that
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
That'd be a perfectly fine basketball conference
A beefed-up A10. For the basketball-only schools that’s a very sensible choice.
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Apr 19, 2010 7:46 PM EDT up reply actions
true.
Other schools could join in a Catholic b-ball league – it’s come up a bit over the years. Dayton, St. Joseph’s and other Philly teams could be involved. And it doesn’t even have to be such a wide region (but Marquette and Chicago would help get a better TV contract. The A-10 teams would be compelled by the ability to be seen somewhere, their contract is crap.)
The East Coast Bias - St. John's blog with midwestern interludes.
B.E. Network
Very well done, and I agree wholeheartedly.
Simply put, the Big East made a huge error in not putting together a network, a la the Big Ten. Someone said on Axe’s twitter feed this morning that basketball re-runs alone would lead to tremendous viewership. I’d agree with that. Wouldn’t you tune in to watch a marathon of “Uconn-Syracuse Rivalry Games: 1995-2010”? Or “the Top 10 Moments in Georgetown vs. Villanova History”? I mean to me this is a no-brainer. Plus the “BEN” could have simply given a lucrative deal to cablevision et al. on the football side and then made it up on the hoops contract. Seems like that would have been a solid and creative way to at least head off some of this most recent raid.
Having said all of that: I remain convinced that the Big Ten is definitely the best landing spot for Syracuse, with the ACC a distant second. And there is no third.
If I’m DOC Gross, I’m trying to let it be known lound and clear to the B10 that Syracuse can somehow dig up the $5M break-up fee to pay off the BE.
"Third" option
would result in a riot. Syracuse was stubborn last time around but as Sean said, it’s different this time. Syracuse has no choice. Whatever patchwork solution the Big East Reimagined could come up with will spell the death of whatever “major” programs are left in it. Syracuse, UConn, Louisville, Pitt, Rutgers, and West Virginia should be — and probably are — already trying to get first and second options hammered down.
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Apr 19, 2010 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions
hate it
but i know its coming and gtown cant do anything about it, their football program wont be close to ready in 7-8 years.
hopefully there are no hard feelings and they keep the cuse-gtown games, it is good for the fans of both schools.
worst thing that could happen to gtown right now is if nova makes a push to move up to D1-A.
will boeheim retire if cuse moves to b10?
Good talk.
I think for as much as he was opposed to the ACC move
you would have to hope he’d realize this time around that attempting to stick around would be suicide for the Athletics Department. Syracuse will not be a major program in any sport besides lacrosse if it’s playing with the Big East leftovers and some MAC/C-USA replacements. Seven years ago, it made sense, sort of. Now, it’s indefensible not to go.
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Apr 19, 2010 7:49 PM EDT up reply actions
Right on Sean
I don’t see how anyone can defend the Big East after the way they’ve handled football. Sure, the basketball is incredible, but one sport a conference does not make these days. We need to be in a conference that takes football, as well as other sports, seriously.
As much as I hate to part ways with all the great rivalries, this is a must in order to survive. I was hoping that the Big East would one day announce a secret plan they’ve been working on for months, even before the B10 announced they were looking to expand, to bring football up to par. Any plan, and I mean ANY, would be better than the complete apathy they’ve shown towards football. Even if that means diluting the conference by lumping in a few non-BCS schools and/or bringing Villanova to FBS level. At least act like football matters and that you’re willing to do SOMETHING to preserve it.
In the end, the Big East deserves whatever coming storm it has to face. I just hope that SU doesn’t have to bear the brunt of it this time.
"I'm going through a rough patch in my life right now. Syracuse is 0 and 3" - Adam Sandler
What about the ACC?
Sort of borrowing from a conversation on another thread, but I think it’s safe to say that after the Big Ten makes its move, the ACC will probably swoop in and pick up the pieces of the shattered Big East football conference. If the ACC had a deal firmly in place with, say, Syracuse, UConn, and West Virginia, do you think there’s any way Syracuse would say no to the Big Ten (if they come around) and join the ACC instead?
You know the ACC’s going to have to be on the offensive — or they will be if they’re smart, because the SEC is going to try its best to get some combination of Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, and Virginia Tech. In many ways, the ACC makes a little more sense for Syracuse. Better basketball conference, slightly easier football conference with a more familiar recruiting base, awesome lacrosse conference that I don’t think Syracuse would bat an eye at joining, continuation of some multi-sport rivalries with the fellow Big East teams that leave with you (plus BC and potentially VA Tech or Miami again). You leave a little money on the table, certainly, in joining the ACC but there would still be a net gain there.
I think it’s something to think about. Given a choice, which is unlikely, I realize… would you rather Syracuse went to the ACC or to the Big Ten?
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
A reason I mention this is because
we’re taking for granted that SU is firmly in the Big Ten’s sights. The LAST thing SU would want is for things to fall through with the Big Ten and to not have a backup plan. Doing something like this would be a way of staying on the offensive in the matter and not just sitting back and waiting for a phone call that may never come.
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Apr 19, 2010 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions
If we somehow didnt get picked for the Big Ten
we would definitely go to the ACC, who would be looking to expand to 14-16 teams at that point.
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
I feel better realizing that.
Syracuse will not end up completely high and dry. It would be foolish and irresponsible on SU’s part to not end up in one of those two conferences when they’re clearly one of the best available options.
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Apr 19, 2010 8:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Between the two of them
our tradition, the success of our basketball program and our New York State (and City) ties make us too valuable not to get gobbled up by someone.
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
UConn fan checking in here
I agree with just about everything Sean said, and am envious of SU’s position of knowing someone will pick them up. I feel relatively comfortable that UConn will either get invited to a 16-team B10 or bigger ACC, but the thought they might not is terrifying.
Anyway, my dream scenario is for ’Cuse to somehow not wind up in the B10 and join UConn in hopping to the ACC after the BE collapses. An ACC north division with Cuse/BC/UConn/Maryland/Virgina/VTech would be great. Same with the existence of a conference that would have an absolute stranglehold on basketball.
As a reasonable observer, it seems pretty clear that won’t happen, if only because ’Cuse is the team to me that seems to make the most sense for joining the B10, but I can dream.
by Andrew Porter on Apr 19, 2010 8:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Honestly
I’d love that. For all reasons except finance — which, of course, is far and away most important — it seems like the ACC makes more sense. (Of course, it did in 2003, too, but we were just too stubborn for that. Myself included.)
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Apr 19, 2010 8:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Far from certain that ACC will take anyone
Think about it. The ACC has all the leverage at that point. If the ACC cared about expanding, they would be doing it now.
The best case scenario for a snubbed UConn/Syracuse/Pitt tandem would be if the Big 10 did land Maryland. Then the ACC is at 11 and needs to add. Why not add in a bunch of teams?
Well you have to consider the SEC as well.
If it’s clear the B10 is moving towards a 14 or 16 team league (as opposed to 12), the SEC may feel inclined to expand. They are starting their own network and may feel a need to firmly be the other mega-conference (and know they have the clout to do it). In that situation, the ACC has a few teams that could be in the crosshairs (GT, Clemson, FSU, WVU, VT). In that case, the ACC will need to consider multiple additions just to maintain. SU, UConn, Pitt all represent sensible two sport solutions.
Obviously I didn't mean to include WVU.
I meant they might be in the SEC crosshairs, but not as an ACC team.
Yeah, I'd assume that'd be their ideal destination
But I don’t know if West Virginia would be one of the SEC’s first choices if they could get, say, Georgia Tech, Florida State, and one of Oklahoma/Oklahoma State/Texas/Texas A&M. Without maybe two of those last four long shots, West Virginia would be in play. This is why the ACC has to do what the Big East hasn’t done and be proactive and get a bunch of new teams lined up.
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Apr 19, 2010 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes
UL would also be a good fit for both hoops and football.
"I'm going through a rough patch in my life right now. Syracuse is 0 and 3" - Adam Sandler
by bloodyyank44 on Apr 19, 2010 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Over the ACC? Abso-friggin-lutely.
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
It's too late
The Big East should have:
#1. Sat down with all football schools in 2007 and negotiated a $25M buy out for leaving. If not interested, there is the door.
#2. Assuming all teams stayed, talk to G’Town and Villanova about upgrading. I assume “no” would be the answer.
#3. Recruited Central Florida, Memphis, Houston, and Temple to be conference members in all sports.
#4. Created two conferences— The Big East All Sports (football teams) and The Big East Basketball Division (8 other teams, plus perhaps a few more…. does not matter).
#5. Started the Big East Network showing games in all sports. Partner with some baseball team… perhaps the Marlins or Nationals… to have a summer sport purpose. If not that, then partner with the International League to show ML games.
#6. Revenue divided according to contribution… original 8 teams get 3 shares (24)… new football schools 2 shares (8)… basketball schools… 1 share (8). Partner—40 shares.
#7. Football conference divides into divisions: Syracuse, UConn, Rutgers, WVU, Pitt, and Temple. So Florida, Ce Florida, Houston, Memphis, L-ville, Cincy. Championship game held in Miami each year. Each Northern team gets to play one road game in Florida each year in football and basketball. Helps with recruiting.
#8. Basketball conferences holds championship game in MSG on alternate years. Other sites include Chicago, Miami, and Dallas.
Instead of lamely following what other schools were doing in creating a 12-team conference… they needed to build off of 16 and create a network. Who cares if it has not been done before? The Big 10 Network should have been a failure, and now they are printing money like crazy.
And how could a Big East Network not thrive. Look at the markets: Houston, NY, Philly, New York, Cincy, Kentucky, Tampa, Memphis/TN, etc. etc. etc. For the basketball schools, you also add in Chicago, Milwaukee, DC, etc.
It didn’t need to make $250M. It just needed to make more than what the pittance that the schools are getting now.
Too late for this. Unless the BIg 10 steals Notre Dame and ND only, BE will just react.
I don't think they'll be able to react
I think what’s left of the Big East will be GONE to the ACC (or SEC, perhaps, in West Virginia’s case) if they’re lucky enough to get invites, and the rest will either keep the Big East going as a mid-major type supporting the non-revenue sports or find greener pastures.
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Apr 19, 2010 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Georgetown went 0-11 in the Patriot League last year
I highly doubt moving up would be a viable option
gtown cant move up
they dont have the facilities/resources to move up to d1-a.
Good talk.
by Hire Esherick on Apr 19, 2010 8:39 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm giving you 7-8 years
take out a loan
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
You may be right and this is all inevitable but the B-10 makes me gag.
I’d rather sleep with a Hoya.
I'm waiting for it
There has to be an Octonian brewing with all this new, right? Pretty please…
by RockLloyd on Apr 19, 2010 9:11 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Perhaps...
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
by Sean Keeley on Apr 19, 2010 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Delicious
"Size matters. At least in basketball." - James Arthur Boeheim
by Bernie Fine is the Man on Apr 20, 2010 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Something that just occurred to me with all this
Where does the BCS (and its current contract, running through 2014) fit into all this? Obviously, with no Big East—or an embarrassing shell of a Big East, almost certain by 2014—the BCS and ESPN will want out of this contract. How difficult would it be for both parties to break this deal and rewrite it to include only the new Voltron conferences?
And would this ensuing chaos—and so much power concentrated in so few places—in any way open the door for a playoff / post-season reform?
(We are at war with East Asia… we have always been at war with East Asia…)
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
+1
to the term “Voltron conferences”
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
And I'll form the head...
Yeah my guess is that the powers-that-be will stipulate some kind of clause that kicks that Big East out and, my guess, is that the Mountain West steps into that slot.
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
by Sean Keeley on Apr 19, 2010 10:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Will there definitely be a (strong) Mountain West by then, though?
Assuming the dominoes all fall within the next few years (say, by 2014 at the latest), most of the good Mountain West teams will have found their way into the Big XII or Pac 10, right? The SEC and Big Ten will probably take at least one team each from the Big XII and I don’t think it will up and die like the Big East…
Based on little more than conjecture and a rudimentary knowledge of each school’s academics…
Utah and BYU are probably the best fits for the Pac 10, which wants to expand, and some combination of TCU/New Mexico/Colorado State will probably head to the Big XII (and/or possibly Boise State if they could swing it academically?)
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Apr 19, 2010 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah depends on whether or not they
lock themselves up before the Pac-10 steals some of their teams
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
by Sean Keeley on Apr 19, 2010 10:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Depending on how the Big Ten goes...
The Big 12 could pick up some of their teams, too. Heck, if the Big Ten and Pac 10 go to 12 and both raid the Big 12, then the MWC likely loses 3 teams (Utah to the P10, TCU & BYU to the B12)… which probably blows up the WAC indirectly unless the MWC grabs some CUSA schools for replacements instead of purely raiding the WAC.
My Two Cents
Great comments. The Big East has no options, and its days are numbered. The notion we should try to get Georgetown to develop a FBS program- really? Why? And then go get East Carolina and Central Florida so we can cobble together 12 desperate teams just to have a championship game in the Yale Bowl in mid-December that no-one will watch? (Its the Fucillo Ford Big East Championship- is going to be HUUUUUUUUUUUGE!- its Marshall vs. Temple!!!)
I do believe SU ends up in the Big 10 or ACC, and have a preference for the latter, much better hoops, and more recent rivalries to build on in football. I believe 16 is too large for conferences, and they will not end up there, but 12-14 can work well. So if you start with this premise, and the dominoes start falling here’s what I would be happy to see.
Big 10 adds 3: Missouri plus 2 BE Teams (let’s say Pitt,Rutgers) The Big East is now dead. Notre Dame, with its NBC deal and barnstorming bullshit, flirts but continues to go it alone, and sees new opportunities with other midwest refugees for other sports (L’ville, Cinci, Marquette, DePaul, Memphis, hell, Butler, Xavier)
Pac 10 swipes Utah and Colorado to get to 12 as it has promised.
Big 12: Has lost 2 members, it lures Arkansas back to join its ole Texas foes, and adds TCU to return to 12 teams, creating a mini- revived southwest conference in its south divsion.
SEC: A lucrative football conference that has no need or desire to expand, but still needs a 12th, so it grabs Clemson, an SEC school in hiding, to fill out its card. (Could also go for
WVU I suppose).
ACC: Now down to 11, adds 3 teams: West Virginia, UConn, and SU. It would result in this conference:
North:
Syracuse
UConn
Boston College
West Virginia
Maryland
Virginia
Virginia tech
South:
N. Carolina
NC State
Wake Forest
Duke
G. tech
Florida State
Miami Fl.
I would much rather see this collection on my bball slate (division teams twice a year, others once), and while its nice to fantasize about Penn State again, that series ended 20 years ago. SU has great recent rivalries (albeit a bit one-sided) with UConn and WV, will start up instantly again with BC, and can reheat with Maryland and VaTech quickly.
Indiana? A yearly crushing by Ohio Sate . Meh.
I would rather be in that league
better basketball, more of a chance in football, and a few more private schools. The ACC dosent have the balls though.
Agree with both of you
ACC is probably a better fit — more like the Big East with some smaller schools, with many traditional rivals, an awesome conference for basketball and lacrosse, a puncher’s chance in football without leaving a BCS-affiliated conference.
But it won’t happen because the ACC will just sit back and see what happens. I think they’ll lose a few teams to the SEC and will NEED the Big East to replenish their stock. It would be a nice surprise if Syracuse ended up there but they’d be stupid to say no to the Big Ten if the option’s there.
...it's the most bullshit thing I've seen in thirty years.
by Girardi Party on Apr 20, 2010 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions
Unless the Big 12 can radically redo it's TV contract
I can’t see Arkansas being swayed to go there. Yes, they have old rivals, but again, you can’t look at this like a fan. It has to be viewed like the school president. Arkansas currently makes more money than they would in the Big 12. Unless there is some reason to believe that’s going to change, there’s no way they’ll be swayed.
That’s the whole reason the Colorado to the Pac 10 rumor makes sense. They could get a better geographic / social fit on top of more cash.
It never gets to be easy
by chitownhawkeye on Apr 26, 2010 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions
61 comments and counting.....
Where do I guess the date of Big Ten Expansion for my chance at a free t-shirt??
"Size matters. At least in basketball." - James Arthur Boeheim
by Bernie Fine is the Man on Apr 20, 2010 9:44 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Bottom line
As a Syracuse fan (and admittedly I’m more of a football fan than a basketball fan, although I love basketball), we have to leave. The Big East WILL be raided again, so whether we end up in the ACC or the Big 10 in any of the above outlined scenarios doesn’t really matter. What DOES matter is that if the Big East gets plucked apart (and lord knows the gutless conference leadership will continue to fiddle as Rome burns), that Syracuse land in another BCS conference. Football means to much to me to get relegated to some bullshit league like Conference USA. We’re better than that.
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
BOEHEIM TO RETIRE
Not only will SU not be in the Big East, but apparently we will be without or Men’s Basketball coach as well… Sounds like Boeheim is planning to be retired within 5 years…
"Boeheim said that Boston College’s move to the A.C.C. had not worked well for that college and said that Syracuse would be an odd fit in the Big Ten for basketball, much like Miami is in the A.C.C. and Penn State in the Big Ten. He did not necessarily disagree with Crouthamel’s statement that Syracuse would be in a different league in five years, only predicting that he would be "off fishing" when it happened."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/sports/20colleges.html
Orange you glad it's not football season?
the hits just keep on coming...
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
by kotite4ever on Apr 20, 2010 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Not at all surprising.
It has to be somewhat on his mind already, why would he want to do all the work to learn an entirely new recruiting area when he would probably be retiring a couple years down the road anyway? Better to hand the keys to Hop and ride off into the sunset.
We kinda
know that already anyway
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
by Sean Keeley on Apr 20, 2010 12:06 PM EDT up reply actions
theres a lot of comments to read thru so i dont know if this has been said
but theres no way syracuse or any other big east school can ever win a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP in football under the current format. the SEC/BIG10/BIG12 and maybe 1 other conference have a monopoly on the championship game and theres no way any undefeated big east team gets to play in a bcs national championship game without a LOT of help. cinci went 12-0 and they weren’t even in consideration. thats the ONLY positive that can come of a move. if only we could go in football but remain big east in basketball. thats the ideal scenario.
Ugh
Here is the deal. Who gives a shit about football?
The way I see it, we have two options.
a) join the ACC. if the big 10 goes to 16, so will the SEC, the Pac 10 and the ACC. There will be 4 super conferences. everything will suck.
b) who gives a fuck about football? Join the MAC for football or someshit. Go back to the old big east, drop football, and restart a hockey program.
Who gives a fuck about football?
Every university in the FBS, because it makes more money than any other sport.
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
by Sean Keeley on Apr 20, 2010 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions
well, yeah
but Syracuse making a decision based on what is best for football is like the USA making policy decision based on whats best for North Dakota.
Its there, but c’mon, its North Dakota. Its not even the good Dakota. I think, right? which is the best Dakota? Nonetheless, Syracuse football is the worst Dakota.
You're thinking short-term
SU football can be a cash cow within 2-3 years, making more money than the basketball program. No reason we cant be a good program again and it wasnt that long from when we were.
We’re a middling Dakota.
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
I disagree.
Football was for a long time a backbone for Syracuse. There is a lot of tradition there (way more than a hockey team) and the team looks to be on its way back. A couple bowl-worthy seasons and attendance climbs to home-field advantage numbers. All the sudden, without doing too much, football makes more money for the school than any other sport. The Dakota analogy falls flat for me because Dakota doesn’t have the economic potential for the country that football does for Syracuse. Football is more like a down on it’s luck Texas or California and its return to success is actually great for the USA/Syracuse.
Insane argument
Football ALWAYS drives revenue, that’s college athletics 101. Also, to put Syracuse football in the category of the MAC or “some shit” is a complete slap in the face to the history (and recent history) of Syracuse football, and what it has always meant in a regional (and sometimes national) sense. Are you basing your blase attitude towards the program on the last 6 years? If so, that’s an INCREDIBLY short sighted mentality.
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
I care about football.
My favorite sport. And I hope to see Syracuse regain its rightful place near the top of the sport.
Big 10
Oh, and I meant to say, we just can’t join the big 10, it would be the death of basketball. can you imagine getting a season ticket package and seeing these 9 games for the conference…..
Purdue, Penn State, Rutgers, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska
On the other hand
Indiana, Ohio State, Illinois, and MSU might be nice, and Wiscy will be a good game even it’s hopelessly slow.
might be interesting...
It might be interesting to see how an up-tempo offense would match-up against their slow paced half court games. The 2-3 zone would likely work well in Big Ten play. I think a match-up with Michigan State, Purdue, and Illinois could draw large crowds to the Dome. I think match-ups against Indiana would be particularly interesting for fans from Syracuse who are still haunted by the ghosts of ’79.
Orange you glad it's not football season?
i am slowly coming to the realization...
it is over for me.
this whole thing makes me feel so dirty. I can only duck my head in the sand for so long.
I am not sure I will live and die with Syracuse basketball in the big 10 conference.
Than you were never really a Syracuse fan as much as a Big East basketball fan.
Don’t get me wrong, Big East basketball is awesome. Best there is. But I am a Syracuse fan and always will be no matter who we play.
by NOLACuse on Apr 20, 2010 4:45 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
My fan credentials
are outstanding. I am not going to pick another university to root for or something., I can just see college basketball sliding down the list of important things in my life. I will watch, I will cheer, but I probably won’t make the road trips and such. We’ll see.
I guess I don't understand why you wouldn't live and die with the team because of who, or how, they play.
I’m not a fan of SU because of how they play, I’m a fan of how they play because I’m a fan of SU (and because it seems to work given our situation). Is Big Ten basketball boring? Yes. But I’m sure it gets significantly less boring when you have a horse in the race. Who knows, maybe we can take the conference by storm and decimate them all with our zone and transition, and before you know it, everyone adjusts to try and match us.
I am clearly doing a poor job of explaining myself
This would be a reboot, and I am not sure I can start again at 0 with the same intensity. Maybe I can, but I don’t know.
I have almost 30 years of Georgetown hate in me. I have almost 20 years of UConn hate in me
Plus, this is all an ugly money grab. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.
by SJ on Apr 21, 2010 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions
Truly sucks to break up a sweet conference
I guess the Big East will go back to being a catholic school conference almost exclusively…no more gtown cuse rivalry…BOOO
High fives only on three pointers.
by TheYellofAllYells on Apr 20, 2010 12:41 PM EDT reply actions
I doubt it
That a lucrative rivalry; it will stay on the schedule.
I doubt Pitt and WVU will stop playing each other even if they land in different conference once this is all over.
Lacrosse
While not a revenue generating sport, what impact will a move to the Big Ten have on Syracuse Lacrosse? Lacrosse largely functions outside of the traditional conference setup (regardless of the nascent Big East Lacrosse conference). Syracuse could likely continue to thrive as a Lacrosse independent, but might a move to the Big Ten also bring more attention to Big Ten Lacrosse? Might we see lacrosse spread further west into the American heartland? Would we see college Lacrosse broadcast on the Big Ten network? A move to the Big Ten could be good for Lacrosse as a national sport.
Orange you glad it's not football season?
Big East Lacrosse
would become a 2nd tier conference immediately.
Between SU, Ohio State, maybe Notre Dame and a couple others, a Big Ten lacrosse conference would be alright…not good but not terrible.
OR, SU could go back to being an independent. Worked fine I suppose (though I’d prefer a conference)
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
And frankly...
…that’s the Big East’s problem. We sure as hell didn’t need them for lacrosse, we did the conference a favor by signing on for a Big East lacrosse league. Given how the conference has shafted the football schools in favor of the basketball schools, I could care less if the lax conference becomes second tier (because we’re still Syracuse, and we could play in the goddamned PAC-10 and it wouldn’t matter for lax).
"(BARF)" - Donovan McNabb, during his game winning drive against Virginia Tech in 1998
A big 10 lacrosse conference would consist of Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, and Syracuse in this situation, right? In that case it is pointless. Syracuse would likely return to independent status unless several B10 teams moved from club to varsity lacrosse (the prime candidates likely being Michigan with its ridiculous club team and Northwestern because of their dominance in women’s lacrosse). Otherwise this is a four team league with no automatic bid and with negative RPI and SOS implications for Syracuse.
My guess is a Big Ten lacrosse conference would be put on hold pending ND.
If all this megaconference stuff went down, ND would most likely join the B10 eventually. If we are there already when they do, forming a lacrosse conference becomes a real possibility at that point.
Your point about Syracuse playing more in the heartland may be on point.
While some of these kids may see lacrosse, the don’t see lacrosse. Syracuse playing their dad’s schools or Syracuse being on the Big Ten network could accelerate interest in the sport in an area where it is already taking hold.
Troy Nunes is a fuckin' idiot
Syracuse, just coming off of one of it’s MOST successful bball seasons, along with getting a highly regarded recruiting class, is not going to jump to A WEAKER BASKETBALL CONFERENCE!! for the sake of football. Yes, I get the point that it’s “all about money”, but when June, 2010 comes and goes and Troy is made to look a complete idiot because Syracuse is STILL in the Big East, what will you and everyone else say is wrong? Remember, it’s all about money, so why — come June, will they still be in the Big East? What explanation will you give idiot?? This should wonderful to read. Pitt has already been asked about this and Jamie Dixon has basically said No we don’t want to leave because it’s not worth our while. I like the way Troy and all of these stupid ass prognosticators completely forget about basketball rivalries and the paying alumns that follow them…not football! When Syracuse, Pitt and Rutgers are still in the Big East after June, what stupid ass excuse are you going offer up as to why they didn’t take the money and why didn’t they jump????
The vehemence of this comment
Is tempered somewhat by the fact that the author not only thinks that basketball is a more significant factor in the decision of college athletic programs than football, but also that he thinks that Troy Nunes actually wrote this article.
by Trapped_In_ACC_Hell on Apr 21, 2010 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions
His post is explained
when you look at his profile page and see that he joined the CasualHoya page back in January. He goes to a school that would be left out of either move because they don’t have football.
See, I considered this
But the other comments from Georgetown folks on this thread have been lucid, rational, and understanding of the situation in which the Big East finds itself [he admitted, reluctantly], and it seems he joined TNIAAM just to post this screed. So for that, he gets mocked.
by Trapped_In_ACC_Hell on Apr 21, 2010 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions
You have no idea how this all works
Sorry
Syracuse '12
by blackknight76 on Apr 21, 2010 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
Fuck that Troy guy
He was a terrible QB and he’s a terrible blogger!
Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician - The Syracuse blog that cares.
by Sean Keeley on Apr 21, 2010 11:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Man, I'm curious to see what Troy Nunes wrote about.
Sean, do you have any idea? It must have been really stupid.
You are the idiot.
If you think football doesn’t dictate the college sports landscape you are a complete moron. Basketball is great, but the difference between football schools and non-football schools financially is astounding. And last time I checked we don’t have Harvard’s endowment so we can’t simply shove athletic money aside. If you really can’t see why this all very relevant and worth discussing, I’m not sure what there is left to tell you.
P.S. Why do I get the sense that everyone who claims we should think about basketball and only basketball has only been an SU fan for somewhere in the neighborhood of 7-9 years or fewer? (Disclaimer: I have actually been an SU fan for 7 years myself, I’m just sayin…)
Heck, even a fifteen-year Orange fan like me...
… is still a relative newbie.
ACC guy's perspective
Great article, over on tomahawknation we have been kicking around the repercussions of the B10’s expansion. Sadly, there are only two strong commissioners in charge of BCS conferences. And neither of them is running the ACC. If the ACC is smart they will form a network, pull in 4 football playing members of the BE and become THE athletic conference of the East Coast. Even if the B10 snatches the teams with a shot of delivering the NYC market that still leaves the ACC with the chance of pulling in every market from Miami to Maryland plus Massachusetts. But as of right now it looks like the ACC instead will just sell the secondary tv rights to Raycom.
But if the ACC does expand some things are still up in the air. I doubt the ACC loses a team in the short term. Someone mentioned losing Clemson to the SEC after they lose Arkansas, but Arkansas would lose out on over $10 million a year going from the SEC to B12. No way they do that. The SEC is also locked into their media contracts and will gain no extra money from expansion until they are done with their current contracts with ESPN and CBS. Expanding before then would actually be reducing the payout to each member. So the question is would the ACC go to 14 or 16.
But if the ACC goes to 14 or 16 the odds are against re-aligning divisions into North and South. Reason being every football school in the ACC, with the exception of Va Tech, would be in the South. FSU and Miami would definitely be against that, and odds are Ga Tech, Clemson and UNC would be as well. Since the ACC would most likely feel like they were “rescuing” the football programs that used to be in the BE I doubt the BE teams would have enough pull to force the change in divisions. So the BE teams would be split up in football in an effort to keep some sort of competitive balance in the divisions.
Personally though, I am all for 2 or 4 quality programs from the BE joining the ACC. I am one of the FSU fans not clamoring to join the SEC, and for the ACC to continue they need to become more aggressive about increasing revenue.
Very aggressive
Could work if the commish makes the move. Yes, the Big East would still be near the bottom of the BCS ladder but they should be able to stay in the race. Memphis has a a ton of D-1 talent, and Villanova could be a power or at least very good like UCONN shortly after their move up.
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