(02-28-2013 10:54 AM)johnbragg Wrote:  

(02-28-2013 10:47 AM)bearcatfan Wrote:  

(02-27-2013 10:39 PM)johnbragg Wrote:  There is a risk that UConn, USF, Cincinnati and maybe Temple will sell the Big East name to the C7 in exchange for all claim to the exit fee money, and then divide up the exit fee money amongst themselves. According to the emails sent by the Aresco League lawyer last December, there will be about $18.8M in the Realignment Reserve Fund by June 2013. Call it $21M when you include Boise's cancellation fee of $2.5M.

So they could sell the name to the C7 for the Realignment Fund, and then distribute the money amongst themselves, $7M each.

Sounds ok to me. UC, UConn, and USF have been screwed over the most in this realignment age so they should profit the most from exit fees.

It might sound OK to you, but how do you think it sounds to Memphis/Houston/UCF etc? They're paying $2.5M in entry fees, they pay $500,000 in CUSA exit fees, and you're handing over conference property for money that they're not getting a piece of.

That's when legal counsel starts talking about "nuclear options." Maybe the incoming schools can't get an injunction against the Big East settling anything with the C-7 until the new members come in. But you can try. And you can try it in a Texas court, a Florida court, a Tennessee court, and maybe a Pennsylvania court at the same time.

Realistically, a three-way deal will get done.

I agree with this final sentence. It just makes the most sense to work with the incoming members.

No one argues UConn, UC, and USF especially have been hit hard with the changes the past 1.5 years.

But take MEMPHIS as an example of the hurt the newcomers are experiencing. The Big East that invited MEMPHIS to join on 2-8-12 had Louisville, Rutgers, the C-7 and Notre Dame for BB. It had Boise State and SDSU joining for FB.

Now all of those long time members (and new entrants for FB) are gone or going to be gone by 7-1-13 or 7-1-14 (RU and UL).

The truth is the Big East that invited MEMPHIS, UCF, SMU, and Houston over a year ago is not the SAME Big East these schools are joining.

It might not be the smartest thing to greedily try to take the $7mm each before the newcomers join. I agree with JohnBragg legal counsel will most definitely intervene to delay/prevent this. Who knows? Such a thing might delay the C-7 from being able to leave on 7-1-13 and I KNOW they really don't want to hang around another year.

No...the financial split will be negotiated with all current and incoming members' input and agreement. It could include reducing the entry fee, too. Don't worry; UC, UConn, and USF will get a larger piece of the pie, no doubt. But no way they get it ALL.