Navy To Join Big East. Whatevs.
by Sean Keeley on Jan 24, 2012 12:01 PM EST
in Syracuse Football
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PrintDespite the fact that the Syracuse Orange are still locked in to the Big East for another two football seasons, the news that the Navy Midshipmen are joining the conference doesn't really affect us. We'll be long gone by then.
The Big East will host a teleconference today at 3:00 p.m. to announce the future addition of Navy as a football playing member in 2015. The official release states the call will address conference membership, but reports began to trickle out last night that Navy will join the conference and announce that decision today. Big East commissioner John Marinatto, Navy athletic director Chet Gladchuk, Vice Admiral Michael Miller, and football coach Ken Niumatalolo will all be on the call to field questions from the media.
You know how I feel about it. A long time ago I said that adding Navy (and Army) was the Staples Easy Button solution for the Big East. It's exactly the kind of decision that we've come to expect from Big East brass and the exactly the kind of reason we needed to leave. You'll hear the word "tradition" a lot in Navy's introduction but the word you won't hear very often is "relevant."
Once West Virginia, Pitt and Syracuse leave and Boise St., San Diego State, Houston, SMU and UCF arrive, this will give the conference eleven football teams. If it wants an even divisional line-up and a conference championship game, they'll need to add one more school. Maybe it'll be Army. Maybe East Carolina. Maybe a western school. Does it really matter at this point?
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Has to be Army now that Navy is in
And no, it does not matter.
http://cusepulp.blogspot.com/
by Lots of Pulp on Jan 24, 2012 12:05 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Sinking Ship
I guess they figure bringing in the navy is the best way to save the Big East before it completely sinks. Bring in the Army so that they can shoot themselves in the foot as well.
by IraSez on Jan 24, 2012 12:13 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
oh, I hadn't even read the Army "shoot selves in foot" part
puns obviously intended. well done
Shut up brain or I'll stab you with a Q-tip
And while your at it
Bring in the Air Force Academy so that everyone knows that the big east is flying by the seat of its pants.
But Army-Navy!
Tradition! Pageantry! Patriotism! You guys, where are you going?
Fly, Eagles, fly...down, down the field!
Navy without Air Force doesn't make a lot of sense for CUSA+
(If Rutgers is all you’ve got left from the original football Big East, you ain’t the Big East)
The deal to get Boise (and SDSU) in pretty much requires that #12 be in the west, and it would have been more logical for #11 to be as well, to avoid sending Louisville and Cinci to the western division (unless they’re figuring Louisville and Cinci to the Big 12 is inevitable and so not worrying about them).
Air Force took a pass
AF actually was courted by the Big 12 but took a pass because they wouldn’t be able to compete at that level. Yeah, a school took a pass on big money. They were just about in the BE, but changed their mind and will stay in the MWC. I think the BE really wanted them to shore up that western front and they are a legit football program. In the end, the service academies are not a great choice for BCS level competition. Navy has been great over the past decade and AF has been solid-to-great for the 20+ years I followed them. But, both will have trouble competing against the size they will face even in the BE. Both teams are really small and don’t carry the depth. I don’t think freshman are even allowed to play varsity. You figure all academies have weight standards, it is going to be tough rolling out those 300lb lineman. They play great against custom schedules that have a few good games. But the weekly grind is going to be rough.
Someone said it. This is the easy move. Army is not a good move. They are rarely any good and won’t get any better.
by orangetundra on Jan 24, 2012 12:32 PM EST up reply actions
Rumor mill says....
Beijing State and Sydney Tech are next in line to join the BE.
No Way
Beijing State is going PAC12. Sydney could be a good add, though – it’s really improve the Big East Rugby Conference.
Fly, Eagles, fly...down, down the field!
Don't forget about University of Phoenix and NJIT
http://cusepulp.blogspot.com/
by Lots of Pulp on Jan 24, 2012 4:16 PM EST up reply actions
Villinova will be the 12th
2015 should leave enough time to allow Villinova (and their soccer stadium) to move their football team into the Big East. Most of the schools that blocked their move last summer no longer have a vote (WVU and Pitt), so I’m guessing Johny Marinatto will have enough votes this time around.
If 12th isn't in the west, Boise and SDSU's exit fees drop considerably
So probably not ’Nova.
Interesting, was that part of their agreement reported officially?
Not that it really matters. There are no winners available in this scenario.
McGill University
Take off to the Great White North.
This is some weird way to preserve the Big East's BCS Bid
I read a while ago on Frank The Tank that adding the Service Academies is sort of an easy way for the Big East to keep its BCS Auto Bid. The thinking goes, in J. Marianatto’s brain, that if the Service Academies come into the BE, it’ll difficult to strip the BE of the BCS bid. These Service Academies, while mostly athletically irrelevant hold a bunch of political sway. So, if the BCS wants to get rid of BE’s BCS bid, that will prevent Navy, et al from playing in a BCS game. Apparently, the BE is prepping to go before Congress or whomever and make a big deal about this. “You can’t take this opportunity away from these good soldiers, blah, blah.” At the end of the day, the other 5 conferences probably won’t vote to remove the BE’s auto bid for fear of Congressional hearings and the resulting PR bloodbath.
Obviously, this will not be the case if the BCS does away w/ the auto bid altogether. Either way, thank God we’re joining the ACC soon. This is a (continuing) disaster.
I think the consensus
Is there will be no more auto bids. That gets rid of a major controversy. I really doubt there will be a playoff no matter how many times they say there will be. I think they will tweak the BCS criteria that guarantees 1 vs 2 in the Championship game. Then teams 3-6 are guaranteed a bid. That leaves 4 at large bids. They then put out something like the bowls can pick any teams rated 7-12 or 7-14 for the at large. This gives the bowls flexibility to create matchups and no bowl tie-ins. With Boise and TCU in bigger conferences they shouldn’t have any more controversy about being left out. Whatever they decide, I think the BCS has had enough of the AQ controversy and bowls are sick of taking teams that don’t sell tickets.
by orangetundra on Jan 24, 2012 1:56 PM EST up reply actions
Since they need West Coast
What about the University of Phoenix?
Something tells me that #12 won't be ECU...
Orange you glad it's not football season?
by SUMB44 on Jan 24, 2012 3:08 PM EST via Android app reply actions
Poor ECU.
That must be the only program that has gone out of their way to show how much they really really want to be a member of the Big East. With all the talk about “loyalty” and “commitment”, you would think they (Marinatto et al) would be in favor of a team that would actually be excited (legitimately) about playing in the Big East.
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