Quote:The argument: The new schools, headed by Memphis, SMU and Central Florida, objected to a distribution plan which would have given the old schools as much as 90 percent of that total. The new schools wanted a much more even distribution, arguing that the Big East conference which existed when they made the decision to join had change dramatically in the past several months. So much in fact, that they should be compensated on a more equitable basis.

The old schools said that that none of the schools–with the exception of Temple which joined as a member in football last July–had done anything to contribute to the money that was in the fund and did not deserve a greater share than the $10 to 15 million which had been originally proposed.

The new schools countered with the argument that had they known about all of the defections and the drastic reduction of the television deal the Big East signed–a drop from a previous offer by ESPN of $151 million a year to slightly less than $30 million–they might not have agreed to join the league and that without their participation, Big East football would not even exist.

The old schools said th none of the new schools were being courted by the major BCS leagues and the best offer they could have received was from the Mountain West, whose new contract is still LESS per year than the deal ESPN and the Big East agreed to last month.

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