Yahoo Sports writer's opinion on expansion

[Upstate]

@TomDienhart Tom Dienhart

Here is what I hear Big East could look like. West: K-St.; KU; U of L; Mizzou; TCU; Cin. East: USF; WVU; Pitt; Syra.; Rut; UConn.

 

[SUinNYC]

That's a pretty good football conference and a damn good BB conference. The only problem is that the conference isn't splitting FB and BB. The BB onlys bring incredible value to the overall TV contract (G-Town, Nova, ND) and the BE needs that $.

 

[44PRIDE]

@TomDienhart Tom Dienhart

Here is what I hear Big East could look like. West: K-St.; KU; U of L; Mizzou; TCU; Cin. East: USF; WVU; Pitt; Syra.; Rut; UConn.

So he's predicting a BE Football breakaway conference? While I think that's the preferred scenario, I just don't see the BE football schools taking that radical of a step.

 

[PeteCalvin]

That's a pretty good football conference and a damn good BB conference. The only problem is that the conference isn't splitting FB and BB. The BB onlys bring incredible value to the overall TV contract (G-Town, Nova, ND) and the BE needs that $.

You don't need a split if the football schools keep their football $$$ separate from the bball onlies. I believe that is what the conference would have to agree with those schools on. None of the bball schools, especially ND, get a share of the BE Football money. If they don't like it, go to the Big Ten. The BE could always add another school for BBall in their place. The split is all about the $$$. If they can find a way to keep the two money streams separate, then all would be well.

BB East
SU, UConn, Pitt, SJU, GTown, Nova, Providence, Rutgers, USF, Seton Hall,

BB West
WVU, Louisville, Cincy, Depaul, Marq, ND, KU, KSU, TCU, Mizzou

WVU would move to the west division for BB. You retain the core of the original BE BB teams in the east division. You play everyone in the conference once and have one rivalry game. Schedule goes to 20 games. The top 2 teams in each division get double byes in the tourney. The remaining 16 play off to see who makes the quarterfinals on Thursday, with teams hosting the first round on campus.

 

[44PRIDE]

That is unless they are doing the 20 bball/12 fball split

 

[Moontan]

The monies (football vs basketball) are already split.

A major issue that was mentioned in the past was how to split the NCAA hoops credits (based on previous years), the automatic bid (though you'd think both would get one eventually) as well as MSG access.

 

[kyleslamb]

All the talk of the Big East going beyond 8 teams is probably silly. Even if the Big East expands, and I'm sure they will, they'll be raided by the ACC at some point, as it's the only way for the ACC to keep up with the other three major conferences in expansion.

Point is the Big East might get to 12-16 teams but will lose 7-8 of them and wind up with 8. Prediction: when this is all said and done, the Big East football portion of the conference will be the Big Midwest.