CardinalJim Wrote:The only thing I know about Delaware is they have not once, but twice, studied moving up to Divison I. Both times the study came back stating that is would not be possible. This is yet another Big East pipe dream. File this along side the Penn State and BC coming home wishful thoughts.
CJ
I've heard this somewhere before. The thing with Delaware is, while the funds may be there, the school really likes being the big fish in our FCS pond. UDelaware thinks they can make more money at FCS that they would in a non-AQ conf (Think MAC or C-USA); and they're probably right. Both UD and UMASS are in a similar boat here.
On Temple: I don't HATE the owls. It's just I'm reluctant to support re-admitting a school that struggled as much as Temple did in football. Let's be honest, the school was the Big East version of Duke: 20-25k attendance average in a BCS conference and 2-3 wins a season. I think the school can improve; I really can. They are smack-dab within the 4th biggest metro area in the nation. There's just so much competition in the Philly area: Like Rutgers, Penn State, the Eagles, that I'm just not sold on it. I'm also not sold on the partial-member angle if only because Virginia Tech and West Virginia performed brilliantly under the EXACT same circumstances.
Need a different analogy? I think Delaware's worst case scenario is bringing a 500k market, drawing between 30-35k a game, and occasionally flirt with .500. If the school can expand the stadium, the potential is there for an average attendance in that range. If Temple can't get football off the ground, will they continue on the same path? Do we get a school as good as invisible in Philadelphia, drawing 20k a game, and being overmatched in Big East play? [Imagine a mid-90's Houston in the Big East]. After just one MAC season, I'm just not convinced Temple has it's act together yet.
I'm all for the wait and see side of expansion. Wait 5 or 10 years and see which Northern program is ahead. Right now, I'd take Central Florida or Memphis way before i'd start looking at Temple
or FCS canidates. But at the same time, I think the post-split Big East has to look at options within the original footprint down the road;
especially if we lose Rutgers.
And if you put a gun to my head and made me choose between Delaware and Temple; I'd choose UD. Philly or No Philly, Delaware has proven it can draw fans to its games. Temple has not. That, more than any other factor, is a sign of a healthy football program and what I look for in a Big East team. One of the major reasons ECU [and to a lesser degree, Marshall] comes up as an expansion canidate is because of its active fanbase; UD can probably draw what they do if they gave FBS a try (though I really doubt they can travel as well as ECU can).
(I post alot on UD because I follow conference realignment, mostly future Big East canidates. In fact, that's what brought me here in the first place; due to the chaotic conference nature of the Big East, news tends to break here before other places. I don't even live in the Northeast: I'm born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, home of the Big Orange Army
)