This is getting old. The Big East had multiple Champions in 2004 season and more that one this year. Coach Rod of WV and other Ad of each BE shool have expressed the dificulties of finding 5 non-conference games each year. Adding a 9th team would give each team 4 home and 4 away games. It would also add in determining a sole Big East Champion each year to represent the Big East in the BCS. The Big East football members could finally break away from the non-football members. The present Big East hoops is too confusing and if the 2 groups did break off there could be a Champion of each new league say the Big East (Hoops Schools) and Eastern conference (football). The next school would have to have good fan support, A school committed to sports(not Temple), a stadium that fans will support and a resonable market to market the big East. Well I only have 3 schools.

School University of Central Florida

Location Orlando Fla
Found 1963
Enrollment 40,000
Stadium Brand new bright House on Campus 2007
Capacity 45,000
Fan Support
44k per game for 2007 so it was sold out almost every game
308k total

The skinny. They have tremendous fan support at 44k per game this year. They have committed to a new stadium but with 40,000 enrollment this is also a big draw. The Big East already has a team in Fla with South Florida Bulls and this could be a huge annual rivalry game in the Big East between Tampa and Orlando. This would also help the Big East recruit in the fertile state of Florida. UCF is the best team of the 3 schools, has a new stadium, has great fan support and has the biggest potential being in the fertile rich recruiting area of Fla. Hoop image is a problem.


School Memphis, Tennessee
Football
Found 1912
Enrollment 20,332
Stadium Liberty Bowl 62,380
Avg Att 2007 29.k6
Basketball
Stadium Fedex Forum $250 Million
6 straight 20 win seasons

The skinny Memphis is solid in both football and hoops. Their fan support is little behind UCF and this could be their problem. They are located close to the other Big East schools. Both Hoops and football are solid. This could get them the invite.

East Carolina

Location Greenville, NC
Found 1907
Enrollment 21,979
Stadium Dowdy-Ficklen 43,000

Fan support
41.5k attendance close to capacity
Hoops ??

Memphis was averaging over 40,000 before last year's 2-10 season and this Fall's 2-4 stumbling start (which finally improved to 7-5 and our 4th bowl in 5 years).

What's going with UMASS? Are they still planning D-1A expansion?

I don't visit this board often, but it seems like every time I drop in there is someone talking about expansion. The horse was beaten to death long ago, and now new people who are just passing by are taking a few whacks at it too.

Most fans of the big east & external observers will agree that something needs to change with the structure of this conference, just not how to do it. In any case, nothing will happen for at least a few years, and nobody on this board really has any say in what happens when the time comes, so what's the point of all this?

As a side note to your analysis, UCF actually has about 47,000 students, and we came in 2nd place in CUSA in BB last year (behind Memphis of course). :)

UCF actually has 48k students. We are definitely putting plenty of money into athletics, it just remains to be seen how the return is. I'd say the knock on UCF is there is very little history here. However, USF had no football history when it was invited to the Big East in 2003 and has clearly prospered from the BCS connection.

Let it go... expansion is dead...

Knights_of_UCF Wrote:UCF actually has 48k students. We are definitely putting plenty of money into athletics, it just remains to be seen how the return is. I'd say the knock on UCF is there is very little history here. However, USF had no football history when it was invited to the Big East in 2003 and has clearly prospered from the BCS connection.

Keep building. When the timing is right and UCF can bring something to the table, I am sure it will help its chances to be invited to the BE.

ECU has 26,000 students.

Our basketball arena seats 8,000. We have had over 7,000 the last 2 games. Both were ACC teams.

This year marks our 9th Bowl game. Which is more than the other schools you mentioned (COMBINED!!!). We do not have a new football stadium or basketball arena..........because we already had them!!!

As far as football.....ECU beat UCF and Memphis this year.

Hmmmmmmmmm last year too!!!!!

We will have ALL 13 of our football games televised this season.

Basketball is a work in progress but recent victories over George Mason on the road and NC State has filled us with some confidence.

ECU has sold more Bowl tickets to Hawaii than Memphis sold to New Orleans. Memphis is a half day drive from New Orleans!!! ECU to Hawaii is nearly 5,500 miles (1/4 of the Earth!)

UCF has sold ~8,000 tickets to the Liberty Bowl so far. Not bad?!? ECU sold 12,000 and 15,000 the two times we went. This was before the on campus ticket office was able to handle all of the order. There were several thousand more through other ticket avenues.

Look back at the markets covered by the Big East football games this year. The Orlando market was already covered by the Big East broadcast. By adding them you are not adding market share.

ECU football and basketball is covered heavily in the Eastern part of NC but also the triangle area (Raleigh). In fact several of our home basketball games are being picked up to be broadcast in the east...AND THE TRIANGLE.....AND Charlotte.....AND Wilmington.....AND Greensboro.

That gives us a DMA number >6,000,000. This compared to Memphis' 1,500,000.

Ecu is a tad bit closer to memphis than orlando.. so I would expect u to send more fans.. As for who the BE should take... Buffalo and temple are the only logical choices.

Knights_of_UCF Wrote:UCF actually has 48k students. We are definitely putting plenty of money into athletics, it just remains to be seen how the return is. I'd say the knock on UCF is there is very little history here. However, USF had no football history when it was invited to the Big East in 2003 and has clearly prospered from the BCS connection.

USF has definitely benefited from BCS, but USF was more than holding it's own against CUSA competition. USF was selected b/c of it's potential and market. USF was as good if not better than most CUSA programs back in the Fall of 2003 when the decision was made, so it wasn't all based on potential but selecting the best combination of competitive on the field, market and potential. Winning on the field mad a huge impression as well, especially when we were talking about what was then a 6 year old program that was soundly beating programs that had been around for decades.

UCF shot itself in the foot when it's previous Athletic Director thought the Knights were too big for CUSA, back when the conference was being formed.

Great. Another opportunity to watch fellow league mates trash their only
program of value. If any of you gimps had ever even sniffed a top ten
ranking it might matter to someone.


I don't think any of our schools go to the BE, but I'm pretty damn sure
we'll decide to jump ship, rather than sharing a league with mutts like this.

goodknightfl Wrote:Let it go... expansion is dead...

If expansion were dead the Big East wouldn't have discussed adding a 9th team last year and the Big Ten wouldn't have discussed adding a 12th team this year.

Bambu Wrote:Great. Another opportunity to watch fellow league mates trash their only
program of value. If any of you gimps had ever even sniffed a top ten
ranking it might matter to someone.


I don't think any of our schools go to the BE, but I'm pretty damn sure
we'll decide to jump ship, rather than sharing a league with mutts like this.

Ouch! The man speakth his mind! :)

Bambu Wrote:Great. Another opportunity to watch fellow league mates trash their only
program of value. If any of you gimps had ever even sniffed a top ten
ranking it might matter to someone.


I don't think any of our schools go to the BE, but I'm pretty damn sure
we'll decide to jump ship, rather than sharing a league with mutts like this.

In fact we have finished a season #9 in the country!! Of course that was football something you must not care about.

You do realize that ECU to Memphis is ~1,000 miles??

Topcard91 Wrote:You do realize that ECU to Memphis is ~1,000 miles??

And?

Your school wanted a league and we gave you one. Now you
want to trash the only school that's left feeding your ungrateful asses
just so you can look good to message board posters.

Pathetic.

Topcard91 Wrote:

Bambu Wrote:Great. Another opportunity to watch fellow league mates trash their only
program of value. If any of you gimps had ever even sniffed a top ten
ranking it might matter to someone.


I don't think any of our schools go to the BE, but I'm pretty damn sure
we'll decide to jump ship, rather than sharing a league with mutts like this.

In fact we have finished a season #9 in the country!! Of course that was football something you must not care about.

You do realize that ECU to Memphis is ~1,000 miles??

That was 10 years or so ago. This year ECU and Memphis have the same record.

Bambu Wrote:Great. Another opportunity to watch fellow league mates trash their only
program of value. If any of you gimps had ever even sniffed a top ten
ranking it might matter to someone.


I don't think any of our schools go to the BE, but I'm pretty damn sure
we'll decide to jump ship, rather than sharing a league with mutts like this.

I agree that it is pathetic for C-USA schools to be putting each other down on a Big East board. The Big East isn't going to expand until at least 2010 and most likely 2013 with the current T.V contract is up. Each C-USA school mentioned has plenty of value, so no reason to trash another fellow school. (At least keep in on the C-USA board if you want to trash us)

For all we know it will be status quo for years to come so

Can we please move this from the main board>

Everyone knows that the BE is a basketball conference. Which is why if they split I see them taking in Memphis to make up in basketball and UCF to upgrade in football. IMO it would be the best choice. Memphis has a history with Cincy and L'ville and UCF can start a huge rivalry with USF. Just my opinion of course.