The idea that was always mentioned was that JoePa wanted an all-sports conference for the old Eastern Independents to join and not just a basketball conference that also sponsored the minimum number of sports to be considered a conference under NCAA rules. That pretty much would have shut out the urban Catholic schools that are in the present Big East.
I will not vouch for the veracity of that in any way, shape, or form. I will also not claim that he didn't have a hidden agenda to exploit that conference for the greater glory of PSU. It just was what was constantly mentioned as his view of the Big East.
Yes, Paterno wanted an all sports conference for the East. This was what the region needed. Given his position and power, Paterno was well positioned to make it happen. Unfortunately, Paterno was a highly flawed man who thought he could railroad the rest of the schools in the East to agree to a conference where Penn State got highly preferential treatment, made all the decisions and kept most of the money.
His lack of integrity, wisdom and political acumen left a void Dave Gavitt was more than happy to step in and fill. Despite his relative lack of standing as the PC basketball czar, Dave had all things Paterno lacked and made the Big East happen based largely on his own charm and wit.
I agree with Jake Crouthamel about Penn State. Penn State is fundamentally different than the rest of the schools that were once Eastern Independents. Football is everything to that school. They don't really care about other sports and their support for football is blind and cult-like.
It is a huge land grant school who will do anything to win football games. It has little in common with other schools in the East and everything in common with the B1G, a conference where everyone cheats all the time, there are no morals, and major scandals happen regularly, are expected and considered a cost of doing business.
Penn State was destined to end up in the B1G. Even if Paterno had common sense and set reasonable terms the other Eastern Independents could have agreed to, they would have left the minute the B1G expressed interest in them.
Syracuse is in a conference with schools similar to it. The schools have similar sizes to Syracuse. Many are private, like Syracuse. The sports Syracuse fans care about are important and valued by other ACC schools. It is relatively easy to get to many ACC campuses and there are many SU fans living in areas where ACC schools are located.
I would love the ability to have an easy drive to road games for football or basketball a bunch of times each year. I miss that. I miss the BET in MSG. The Big East was great for SU sports. But with the changes in college sports, the time came where it no longer make sense to stay there. We, like Penn State, are where we belong.
I am not so sure about Maryland or Rutgers. Or even UConn for that matter.
