What the Big East Should Do

[OrangePA]

Add Central Florida (Orlando) and Houston (Houston, TX) thereby increasing its eyeball count substantially.

Go to ESPN and make a TV deal now.

Increase the withdrawal fee.

And allow Pitt and SU to leave now for $10 million.

 

[SU2NASA]

Add UCF, Memphis, Houston, and East Carolina. Rename itself 'ConferenceUSA'.

 

[Timonen]

Add Central Florida (Orlando) and Houston (Houston, TX) thereby increasing its eyeball count substantially.

Go to ESPN and make a TV deal now.

Increase the withdrawal fee.

And allow Pitt and SU to leave now for $10 million.

who's going to agree to increase the withdrawal fee when everybody wants to leave?

 

[javadoc]

Disband. Every man for himself, and Rutgers too.

 

[OrangePA]

who's going to agree to increase the withdrawal fee when everybody wants to leave?

Well, there's no place to go.

WVU tried and failed with the ACC and SEC.

It seems that the ACC will not increase to 16 teams now that the Pac 12 has capped its membership and the Big 12 will apparently survive.

Television is the controlling force. By adding C Florida and Houston along with TCU, the BE can boast of some pretty decent TV markets with plenty of eyeballs.

 

[SU2NASA]

Well, there's no place to go.

WVU tried and failed with the ACC and SEC.

It seems that the ACC will not increase to 16 teams now that the Pac 12 has capped its membership and the Big 12 will apparently survive.

Television is the controlling force. By adding C Florida and Houston along with TCU, the BE can boast of some pretty decent TV markets with plenty of eyeballs.

For Rutgers, I hear the Patriot League is interested in expanding.

 

[OrangePA]

Add UCF, Memphis, Houston, and East Carolina. Rename itself 'ConferenceUSA'.

Nope.

The Big East brand is too strong.

Memphis - maybe - decent TV market.

 

[SU2NASA]

Nope.

The Big East brand is too strong.

Memphis - maybe - decent TV market.

Who else is there? They're down to 7 teams with TCU, who else is there to add?

 

[Timonen]

Well, there's no place to go.

WVU tried and failed with the ACC and SEC.

It seems that the ACC will not increase to 16 teams now that the Pac 12 has capped its membership and the Big 12 will apparently survive.

Television is the controlling force. By adding C Florida and Houston along with TCU, the BE can boast of some pretty decent TV markets with plenty of eyeballs.

while nobody knows the speed of upcoming changes, things will be fluid for the next few years. if any current BE football program signs a deal that ties their hands with regard to any future options, the decision-makers should be fired on the spot...and perhaps shot.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The Big12 is at 8 (Big 8???) ... I'm sure they would take WV, Louisville, and Cinci in a heartbeat.

 

[Timonen]

The Big12 is at 8 (Big 8???) ... I'm sure they would take WV, Louisville, and Cinci in a heartbeat.

Not sure they'd go beyond 10 right now since splitting the rev probably offsets the advantage of a conf title game at this point. WVU and TCU would fit there nicely and they'd be in no danger of losing their bcs bid. At least in recent years, that'd be an upgrade over a&m and Colorado who they lose last year. of course, this highlights the uconn/rutgers plight.

 

[OrangePA]

The Big12 is at 8 (Big 8???) ... I'm sure they would take WV, Louisville, and Cinci in a heartbeat.

The Big 12 is an issue.

The Big East has to take action now to thwart a Big 12 raid or it will die as football conference.

Hence, my suggestion - create a solid TV audience - get the TV contract and create stability.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

The Big 12 is an issue.

The Big East has to take action now to thwart a Big 12 raid or it will die as football conference.

Hence, my suggestion - create a solid TV audience - get the TV contract and create stability.

The NCAA says a conference needs a minimum of 8 teams to be recognized, but there's no maximum. If all the conferences could be capped at 12 or 14, and TV money could be regulated, there would be stability simply because there would be no place for anyone to go.

As long as there are open slots in the power conferences, there will always be unrest, and the BE will be vulnerable to another raid.

The last time there was stability in college football was the 80's, when the CFA controlled ALL the TV money, conferences were satisfied with only 8-10 members, and you could thrive as an independent.

 

[Madbiker]

As long as the conference is a hybrid with BCS football schools and basketball onlies, it will be dysfunctional and the same problems will keep repeating with schools leaving.

 

[OrangePA]

The NCAA says a conference needs a minimum of 8 teams to be recognized, but there's no maximum. If all the conferences could be capped at 12 or 14, and TV money could be regulated, there would be stability simply because there would be no place for anyone to go.

As long as there are open slots in the power conferences, there will always be unrest, and the BE will be vulnerable to another raid.

The last time there was stability in college football was the 80's, when the CFA controlled ALL the TV money, conferences were satisfied with only 8-10 members, and you could thrive as an independent.

And . . . . . ?

 

[OrangeXtreme]

And . . . . . ?

If I had the answer, I'd volunteer to be commish.

The BE needs to add more football teams, but there really aren't any sexy names left. And the basketball schools will still argue against expansion.

If the ACC wants two more schools, UConn and Rutgers won't think twice. Same with the Big12.

In the mean time ... grab the best CUSA teams you can find and hang on.

IMO it's just postponing the inevitable. Just get the 5 superconference deal over with, and the BE can go back to being what Gavitt intended ... an eastern basketball conference devoid of any football influence.

 

[SWC75]

The ACC will take UCONN and Rutgers, assuming they can't get Texas or Notre Dame. That will leave West Virginia s the alst original Big East football member and trhey will be looking elsewhere, (and I still think somebody will take them to go to 16). The Big Ten will vacumn up the remanats of the Big 12 North. Texas might wind up indepednet because of their demands for a bigger peice of the pie but I think the Oklahoma teams will ehad west. Cincy, Lousiville and South Florida will be looking to the SEC.

I think the best thing would be for the Big East to give up the football conference and return to be a basketball only league, which would please the basketball only schools to no end.

 

[OrangePA]

If I had the answer, I'd volunteer to be commish.

The BE needs to add more football teams, but there really aren't any sexy names left. And the basketball schools will still argue against expansion.

If the ACC wants two more schools, UConn and Rutgers won't think twice. Same with the Big12.

In the mean time ... grab the best CUSA teams you can find and hang on.

IMO it's just postponing the inevitable. Just get the 5 superconference deal over with, and the BE can go back to being what Gavitt intended ... an eastern basketball conference devoid of any football influence.

Right.

Get CFU and Houston and then push for a solid TV contract.

That is how the Big East survives.

 

[Dnyr85]

Who else is there? They're down to 7 teams with TCU, who else is there to add?

That's why I brought U at Buffalo earlier today. I do not see much out there for them to add. The service academies would be nice. But realistically who wants to join the BE?

 

[OrangeXtreme]

If you keep replacing BE teams with CUSA teams, sooner or later you'll be CUSA.

 

[Shenexon]

Now that SU and Pitt are leaving, perhaps the best thing is for the BE football schools to find new homes, i.e. TCU, South Florida, WVU, Cincinnati & Louisville to the Big 12 with UConn & Rutgers to the ACC. The Big 12 would be stronger for the change and the Big East can return to being a very good basketball league...not a bad thing.

 

[OrangePA]

That's why I brought U at Buffalo earlier today. I do not see much out there for them to add. The service academies would be nice. But realistically who wants to join the BE?

Any program that wants a chance at an automatic BCS bid and a chance to play in the best college BB conference in the USA.

 

[OrangePA]

Now that SU and Pitt are leaving, perhaps the best thing is for the BE football schools to find new homes, i.e. TCU, South Florida, WVU, Cincinnati & Louisville to the Big 12 with UConn & Rutgers to the ACC. The Big 12 would be stronger for the change and the Big East can return to being a very good basketball league...not a bad thing.

I don't want UConn or Rutgers in the ACC.

 

[OrangePA]

If you keep replacing BE teams with CUSA teams, sooner or later you'll be CUSA.

I think you're focusing on the wrong criteria.

The TV industry is concerned about eyeballs, not "traditional college football."

That's why Oklahoma and Texas are prepared to jettison their rivalry game. That's why Nebraska left the Big 12.

TV isn't parochial - it doesn't care about the image of the old Conference USA the way many on this board do.

TV cares about advertising revenue - audience numbers - eyeballs.

So, it doesn't matter if Houston once played in the Patriot League. The Cougars are the top college team in a very large TV market. That's what counts.

The Big East has to establish TV markets and that can be done.

That's the strategy - that's what I would do.

 

[SaintTristan]

Fold.