There is NO reason to go to 10. We only need 9 football members. If Temple keep inproving they could be an option.

And the 9th team should be MEMPHIS.

Wilkie01 Wrote:And the 9th team should be MEMPHIS.

Sorry but I have to break away from my Louisville friends but I gotta go with the rest of the board right now in Temple over Memphis.

I do disagree with my USF Friend Cubanbull and I understand why he doesn't want a 10 team especially UCF. I am just looking it this long term and with the cost continuely rising for OOC games a 9th conference game would ease a lot of that burden and UCF would strength on influence in Florida.

Louisville-Cincinnati
South Florida-Central Florida
Temple-Rutgers
Pittsburgh-West Virginia
UConn-Syracuse

Maize 10 teams mean an unbalanced schedule, it also means you must split the money with one more mouth without adding any big money like 3-4 mill. So either we go to 9 or 12 to add a championship game. The problem is that there is not enough candidates that would bring 3-4 mill by their addition. Thats why i see 9 teams for football as best financial deal.
UCF has improved its facilities and certaintly brings in a large school with a large TV market. But it also elevates another florida school to BCS status that will make it even more difficult for UL,WV,Pitt and RU in recruting our state.
I dont buy the talk about USF needing a travel partner or the BE needing another florida school for recruiting because there is nothing stopping USF or any BE school from scheduling UCF for long series right now.
I just dont see any of those schools that heavily recruit florida pushing to elevayte another florida team.

Maize Wrote:Central Florida - Orlando TV Market - Fans are jackwads

if you think this is bad, try going over to there board sometime.

we only split if the money is right, and if we do we'll only go to 9, gives us a balanced football schedule, and home/away in basketball. i still believe we'll only split for a team that will enhance the league, but the basketball side is getting a bit restless, especially if they job the big east again, it could get interesting.

I have three things to add to this conversation:

1).Don't bring back TS2.

2) I knew eventually the lack of bids to NCAA tourney would create some buzz in the BE.

3)If not for FB and BCS dollars I could care less if Memphis were in this monster BB league.

4).Maize doesn't want Memphis in the BE cause he's sceered!

5) If you don't come in the top 6 in your league why should you get a shot at BB championship.

Tigeer Wrote:4).Maize doesn't want Memphis in the BE cause he's sceered!

Actually for the longest time I was on the Memphis bandwagon and I have nothing against the Tigers.

But, we are not a Southern League and if we are barely in the BIG EAST footprint here in Louisville then what would you call Memphis. They are closer to the Texas Border then they are to the heart of BIG EAST Country.

Tigeer Wrote:) If you don't come in the top 6 in your league why should you get a shot at BB championship.

If that comment was directed at Syracuse, well the Cuse actually finished at #5 in the BE last year.
And because the BE has 16 teams it is usually a deeper league than any other. So the sixth place team in the BE is usually a better team than the sixth place team from other leagues. The BE also doesnt help its top teams when they play their morror games against the other top BE teams which can result in an extra loss or two

If you are going to limit conferences then you certainly have to go with percentage of the total membership. Absolute numbers make no sense. If they would say that no more the a third of any conference could get in I'd have no problem with that. You are not getting the best 65 of course but those that don't get in haven't made a strong case that they belong.

Cubanbull Wrote:I dont buy the talk about USF needing a travel partner

I think you are confused about "travel partner".

USF doesn't need a travel partner with UCF...its all the OTHER Big East Teams that would benefit from a "travel partner" with UCF.

Many teams (Men's and Women's Hoops, Men & Women Soccer, Volleyball, etc...) could fly to Tampa or Orlando....then drive over to the other school...play another game 2 days later...then fly home.

THAT'S what a travel partner is...it doesn't help USF...but it helps all the other teams that now have to fly all the way to FLA...and play just one game/match vs USF...and FLY HOME.

Those costs add up greatly for non-revenue sports.

Exactly it helps out especially in the nonrevenue sports.

Wilkie01 Wrote: The reason to split spin is starting!

Split and add Memphis and we will have fixed the football scheduling problem and added one major basketball program! The resulting basketball conference will get 4 to 6 bids each year and only have to split the money 9 ways instead of 16 ways! This is a no brain-er!

Exactly. This is what ive been saying. If Temple continues to improve they could be #10.

KnightLight Wrote:

Cubanbull Wrote:I dont buy the talk about USF needing a travel partner

I think you are confused about "travel partner".

USF doesn't need a travel partner with UCF...its all the OTHER Big East Teams that would benefit from a "travel partner" with UCF.

Many teams (Men's and Women's Hoops, Men & Women Soccer, Volleyball, etc...) could fly to Tampa or Orlando....then drive over to the other school...play another game 2 days later...then fly home.

THAT'S what a travel partner is...it doesn't help USF...but it helps all the other teams that now have to fly all the way to FLA...and play just one game/match vs USF...and FLY HOME.

Those costs add up greatly for non-revenue sports.

and whats stopping any of those non-revenue sports from already doing this?
Why cant the soccer team from WV play USF and UCF in one trip?
Its all baout scheduling, those schools dont come to USF yearly.
Baseball programs already do this by having northern programs come down south and play 2 or 3 series.
Sorry I dont buy it because elevating UCF to a BCS conference will make it more difficult for BE teams to recruit florida. UCF does NOT bring the amount of money needed to make it make sense financially and as i said before adding another florida school hurts rather than help BE teams.

Wilkie01 Wrote:BIG Eastern Conference
UConn / UMass
Syracuse / Rutgers
Pittsburgh / West Virginia
Cincinnati / Louisville
Memphis East Carolina
South Florida / Central Florida

For the LAST TIME, there is NO NEED to have 12 schools. That is just stupid and even more stupid to think that 2 of those 12 should be ECU and Memphis. ECU adds NOTHING to this conference and only takes away money and causes a burden on travel.

Just because a conference has 10 teams does not mean everyone needs to play nine games. The Big Ten and Pac-10 used to skip one opponent when they both had 10 members. It may not be ideal but it worked for many years. Quite honestly, in this day and age, it would be an advantage if it helps us get two schools into the BCS. I would take that anytime.

The only caveats I would make would be that BC/Temple, Connecticut, Syracuse, and Rutgers always have to play each other in football ... Pitt, West Virginia, Louisville, and Cincinnati always have to play each other in football ... and USF and UCF always have to play each other in football. One opponent from the other groups could be skipped every season.

It is not possible for every Big East team to schedule UCF when they visit USF. There is this thing UCF has called a Conference USA schedule that makes them unavailable most of the time when Big East teams are playing USF. The same situation applies to FAU, FIU, Jacksonville, North Florida, Stetson, FGCU, or anyone else you may suggest. It does not work.

One of the last things I would want to be bothered with as a Big East AD would be finding an extra Florida team to play when my volleyball, soccer, baseball, or softball team travels to USF. Those schools are generally booked with their own conference games and it is too logistically difficult to assume you can do this for every sport throughout the school year.

Adding another Florida school will make it easier for other Big East teams to recruit down there. Greg Schiano or Dave Wannstedt would be able to promise recruits that they will return home to play in front of family and friends in Tampa or Orlando every year (or 3 out of 4 years if we go to 10 members). It is the ACC, SEC, CUSA, and Sun Belt who would lose out.

Also this is something to consider. Some who want to keep it as is will point to the new TV Contract. I maintain that it is currently undervalued due to the fact it was renegotiated before last football season.

As we have seen the past two years BIG EAST Football is a ratings monster for ESPN and its family of networks. Also BIG EAST Basketball with the Football members still speaks for itself with UConn, Syracuse, Louisville, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and West Virginia along with coaches like Calhoun, Boehiem, Pitino, Dixon and Huggins.

Both sides would IMO work out good deals with CBS/ABC-ESPN and both sides would have the same agenda instead of the current 3 directions we have in the current BIG EAST.

Also, to keep the BBall rivalries going you can have a Eastern 10-BIG EAST challenge in December.

Eastern 10
West Virginia-Pittsburgh
Rutgers-Temple
UConn-Syracuse
Louisville-Cincinnati
South Florida-Central Florida

BIG EAST
Notre Dame-Saint Louis
DePaul-Marquette
Providence-Holy Cross
Seton Hall-Saint John's
Georgetown-Villanova

Eastern 10-BIG EAST Basketball Challenge
Syracuse-Georgetown
Louisville-Marquette
Cincinnati-DePaul
Temple-Villanova
Pittsburgh-Saint John's
Rutgers-Seton Hall
UConn-Notre Dame
West Virginia-Providence

Do you mean, Maize, that the basketball challenge would only be those 10 games? I think it would be better as a multi-day event where teams face two opponents in the same weekend.

Connecticut + Syracuse vs. Georgetown + Villanova
Rutgers + BC/Temple vs. St. John's + Seton Hall
Pittsburgh + West Virginia vs. Notre Dame + St. Louis
Cincinnati + Louisville vs. Marquette + DePaul
South Florida + Central Florida vs. Providence + Holy Cross

How about that? I have a feeling that Villanova would not want to play Temple, since they usually meet later in the season, and Notre Dame would not want to play the Florida schools.

We will just have to disagree on this. Yes it might be difficult to schedule in the non revenue sports. But I dont think thtas a major issue. In football ANY school in the BE that wants to play n florida yearly can schedule,UCF,FIU,FAU,Miami. on those years they host USF.
All im saying is that brining UCF a BCS status would make them more difficult to recruit against for BE teams. They will then offer same thing USF does to a Floruida kid, stay in state play in the BE and have an automatic shot to BCS Bowl yearly.

Krocker Krapp Wrote:Do you mean, Maize, that the basketball challenge would only be those 10 games? I think it would be better as a multi-day event where teams face two opponents in the same weekend.

Connecticut + Syracuse vs. Georgetown + Villanova
Rutgers + BC/Temple vs. St. John's + Seton Hall
Pittsburgh + West Virginia vs. Notre Dame + St. Louis
Cincinnati + Louisville vs. Marquette + DePaul
South Florida + Central Florida vs. Providence + Holy Cross

How about that? I have a feeling that Villanova would not want to play Temple, since they usually meet later in the season, and Notre Dame would not want to play the Florida schools.

That is just as fine as well. That would be a great made for TV event.

The other Florida schools already have games scheduled and can't be forced to play Big East teams. Just because four Big East athletic directors call four Florida schools requesting football games does not mean those Florida schools would say yes.

Basketball and non-revenue sports are also a very big deal. Schools have just one football team. They have more than 20 other teams. I have already pointed out how adding UCF makes recruiting easier, not harder, for schools like Rutgers and Pitt.

Every high school player in Florida does not wish to go to college in Florida. Many people want, and more often than not, need to get away from home for various reasons. It would be better to have them in the Big East rather than the ACC or SEC.