Jose_Jalapeno_on_a_Stick Wrote:Rank what you consider the most to least preferred configuration direction the BE should take, and explain why. Let’s speak in general terms and try to avoid squabbling over particular schools.

Me first:

1. Split. BB schools continue with 9-10 (add Xavier and maybe one other), and FB schools add 1-2 (NO MORE THAN 10). Both sides probably agree that few home-homes for basketball is no way to run a conference, or build rivalries.

2. Maintain reduced hybrid of 12 (add FB member, retain 3 BB). There are enough prosperous B-ball only members in solid markets to make this happen.

3. Keep conglomeration as is, wait for candidates to emerge. Not my preference at all. But, unwieldy as it is, it’s better than the following…

4. Split and maintain eight football members (don’t add). Since the football scheduling issue is one of the drivers toward the split sentiment, what’s the point of splitting and NOT adding a member?

5. Pump the monster up to 18 by adding a FB and BB. It might solve FB scheduling, but that’s it. More mouths to feed = weak revenue/school.

6. Split and expand to 12. With the general failure of conference championship games (except SEC, B12), there is no point in diluting the product this significantly.

animus Wrote:Option 1. to split and go to 10. You add Memphis and Temple and call it a day.

Option 2. Stay the same BBall is great, football is getting better and gaining respect as the years go, and great enthusiasm over a new Lacross League

Option 3. Go to 18 teams, add a football school and basketball school to help the football schools with the scheduling problems.

Option 4. Add a football only ECU(least likely to happen).

Option 5. The impossible I mean impossible happens, a split and a whole new conference is formed with Notre Dame, BC, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Penn ST, WVU, Pitt, Syracuse, Rutgers, Uconn, Temple, Louisville... Sorry Cincy and USF your the odd teams out. And remember this is only a pipedream which means it will never happen.

Krocker Krapp Wrote:1. Split. Both sides stop at 10 members. Football side adds Central Florida and Temple for a Pac-10 of the East type of configuration. Basketball side adds St. Louis and Holy Cross to put some old rivals back in the fold for their two sides.

2. Split. Both sides stop at 12 members. Football side adds Central Florida, Temple, Memphis, and East Carolina in an attempt to mimic the SEC, Big 12, and ACC. Basketball side adds St. Louis, Holy Cross, Xavier, and Dayton for balance.

3. Stay together, extend Get Out Of Jail Free card four or five more years, and go to 18 to fix scheduling problems and foreshadow a split. Central Florida is added for football and St. Louis for basketball to help geography mesh together.

4. Stay still, extend the Get Out Of Jail Free card four or five more years, and wait for Boston College to change their minds or another school to become something the football members are just unable to live without. Split at that point.

5. Split but do not expand. As mentioned above, there is no point to doing something like that, it only makes sense to split in order to accomodate expansion. That includes if the Catholic basketball schools do not extend the card longer.

6. Screw over five Catholic schools and form a 12 team hybrid. That is just ruthless. It looks like a chapter from the John Swofford Handbook For Trying To Make As Much Money As Possible While Ignorantly Damaging Other Universities.

esayem Wrote:1. Fine, except add Xavier in for da Cross. The next best New England option is UMass, you know it, and I know it.

2. Fine, except New Basketball League wouldn't go to that many members, beyond 10 is fuzeball territorr.

3. Fine, you love this freakin' idea, except I kinda prefer Memphis over UCF in this scenar.

4. Northern Private School likes playing alone in the ACC.

5. For sho.

6. Thanks for ending with the dis.

Jose_Jalapeno_on_a_Stick Wrote:Rank what you consider the most to least preferred configuration direction the BE should take, and explain why. Let’s speak in general terms and try to avoid squabbling over particular schools.

Jose_Jalapeno_on_a_Stick Wrote:Krocker, the auto-bid for basketball is, IMO, the most overrated factor in all this, or close to it. Suppose Neil's #2 comes to pass. Then suppose the five remaining basketball schools pick another school located in Southwestern Ohio, starts with "X", and has a rather disturbing blue blob of a mascot (how's that Neil ). Do you honestly think a conference with that school and the one near Laverne and Shriley's old brewery have to worry about an automatic NCAA qualifier for three years?