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What They Are Saying: Big East & BCS
September 1, 2005
By KEN DAVIS, The Hartford Courant

Conference champions from the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and Pac-10 will continue to hold automatic berths in the Bowl Championship Series through the 2007 season. After that, football's 11 major conferences will be evaluated every four years to determine automatic berths. In addition to the existing policy based on the average rank of a conference's highest-ranked team, the new formula will also consider a conference's overall strength. The BCS has establish a maximum of seven automatic bids under the new guidelines. The new evaluation process was part of a model designed to grant greater access to the BCS. But some would say it serves the purpose of judging the Big East, a conference weakened by realignment.

During recent interviews, Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg and Tulane president Scott Cowen were asked to address the Big East's situation. Weiberg is BCS coordinator. Cowen, a 1968 graduate of UConn, heads the Presidential Coalition for Athletics Reform.


Weiberg
"I think [Big East commissioner] Mike Tranghese would acknowledge as well that there are going to be a lot of eyes on the Big East in terms of its performance. But you also have conferences like the Mountain West, which felt strongly that they were an improving conference. They had a team finish in the top six a year ago and in a major bowl game. They are a conference that aspires to annual automatic qualification. "It will be interesting to see how teams play and I think the standards require some consistent performance over time. I think it is true that [the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-10 and SEC] are likely to continue with automatic qualification. It's important that conferences have good balanced performance. Simply having a single team that performs at a high level may not be enough.

"I think the Big East has a chance to perform at a very good level. It seems to me that the Big East is still pretty well regarded in the bowl community. I think Louisville is a good addition and a team that is going to be very competitive. The system provides a mechanism that I think is a fair one for evaluating conferences and gives a similar comparison for all conferences. I don't know what you can ask for beyond that."

Cowen
"I think it's safe to say that of the old six BCS conferences, the one that is clearly most at risk is the Big East. That's no secret to anybody. Who may replace them, if anybody, I think right now is up in the air.

"Did I have sympathy for the Big East [when Miami and Virginia Tech left]? The answer is no. Remember that the Big East was one of the conferences that created this system and that it ultimately undid the Big East. I think people lose sight of that. The Big East commissioner was head of the BCS for several years. They were part of the system that, quite honestly, led to conference realignment. Therefore, it's hard to have sympathy with them. I don't mean to be unkind or critical, I just think that's the reality of it.

"You have to ask yourself which conferences are positioned to qualify for a BCS bowl. I think we'd all agree the Big East is not as well-positioned as they were before. The other five certainly aren't worse. They are either about the same or marginally better. If you define losing as not being an automatic qualifier any more, that speaks for itself. I'm not sure not being an automatic qualifier is necessarily a losing strategy though."

New Alignment
When Miami and Virginia Tech left the Big East to join the ACC, Boston College insisted the security of its football program was linked to a continued alliance with Miami. BC has departed the Big East, giving the ACC 12 teams and a conference championship game in football for the first time this season. The loss of three major programs forced the Big East to pursue new members. Louisville, Cincinnati and South Florida have been added for football, and the basketball conference has expanded to 16 teams.

Now the Big East has to convince the BCS that it deserves its automatic berth to the lucrative postseason party that drives college football. During recent interviews, Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese and Boston College athletic director Gene DeFilippo were asked to assess the altered landscape.

Tranghese
"Two years ago we really got blindsided. I don't think there was a lot of optimism. I think it was a gradual rebuilding. I think we had to rebuild our own self-esteem, where we wanted to go and where we could go. It was a long process, step by step, by step, by step. I'm not saying we're exactly where we want to be because I think we still have a lot of work to do. But I think as time has gone on, I think we've got a lot of things in place that a lot of people didn't think we could do. We retained our BCS berth. We're announcing new bowl deals. We retained our television contract. Louisville had a particularly good year last year, which helps. I think there's an attitude out there. They know Connecticut's track record.

They see new coaches at Syracuse and Pitt and see the excitement in those programs. I think people are generally looking at us and saying this might be worth watching. And that's what we're trying to get people to do. The BCS was a long, time-consuming process. For a year, that was at the top of my list. Until that came down in a positive way, until the standards were agree upon that were fair, there was a lot of nervousness in our camp."

DeFilippo "First, the Atlantic Coast Conference secures our athletic future, and particularly our football future, for the next 50 or 60 years. After Miami and Virginia Tech had left the Big East Conference, the Big East Conference was never going to be the same. Second, it's fair to say that we have a lot in common with many members of the ACC regarding academics. The third reason is that the ACC will provide us with a significant increase in revenue. And we need that revenue in order to pay for scholarships and to build facilities. And the fourth reason is the exposure. We have become a national institution and we were more of a regional athletic department. Joining the ACC allows us to do our job and that is to provide name recognition and exposure for our institution. We are going to do that because of who we will be playing, primarily in football. The ACC television package is better than the Big East, both in revenue and number of exposures. And in basketball, I don't know how those 16 [Big East] teams are going to get on. I think it's going to be tough for them. People talk to me about extra travel. Had we stayed in the Big East, it's not easy traveling to South Florida, Louisville, Cincinnati, Marquette, DePaul and Notre Dame. Those aren't bus trips."

Here's the part that gets me, endemic of the entire Coalition charade:

Quote:Cowen
"I think it's safe to say that of the old six BCS conferences, the one that is clearly most at risk is the Big East. That's no secret to anybody. Who may replace them, if anybody, I think right now is up in the air.

"...You have to ask yourself which conferences are positioned to qualify for a BCS bowl. I think we'd all agree the Big East is not as well-positioned as they were before.

No offense, but by critiquing the Big East (and lauding the other conferences) within the parameters of the BCS criteria Cowen is approving of the whole system, bowls and postseason play based at least in part on market appeal. In order for the BE to be "at risk," then you have to assume that postseason value rests on more than simply on-field performance. Cowen's words allude to bowl appeal, traveling fans, the absence of a conventional national power for TV appeal... They ackowledge and suggest support for the norm. Not a good stance for someone trying to buck that system, IMO.

Call it fair or unfair, but don't make yourself out as someone who can be bought, Mr. Cowen.

Just for the record, Scott Cowen is the President of Tulane, not the AD. Of course he's going to be too busy to worry about the Big East or the BCS over the next few months. And who cares what BC says? They don't even exist anymore.

Too funny! Is replacement even an issue other than in the minds of Cowen and other fantasy land wishful thinkers?

Worst case for the BE, if it does fall on its face (not saying it will, or close, just IF), it's not like Cowen's conference would be next in line as the replacement. The MWC kicks C-USA's azz. Why else would TCU bail :laugh:

Tell me one thing he said that isn't true.

3601 Wrote:Tell me one thing he said that isn't true.

Well, for starters:

"If you define losing as not being an automatic qualifier any more, that speaks for itself. I'm not sure not being an automatic qualifier is necessarily a losing strategy though."

Give me a break. No one sensible is going to say that having your conference not earn an auto bid is a good thing unless you have your head in the clouds.

As for this part:

"You have to ask yourself which conferences are positioned to qualify for a BCS bowl."

The answer is absolutely no other league based on the criteria of leagues as a whole. The MWC can't even fill its bowl committments and CUSA has 2 or 3 teams that just flat out suck each and every year.

3601,

It's not a matter of Cowen speaking the truth here; I tend to agree with his words. The problem I have is that he began a campaign to dramatically alter the postseason landscape. Given the untested, potentially meager impact of his actions now is not the time for him to give the BCS any credibility.

Is the BCS more accessible to other schools (read: non-BCS conferences) now as compared to before? Yes. Buuuuut... the system as a whole is not favorable to that occuring, IMO. Time may prove me wrong, but right now I don't think there will be more than 1 "non-BCS" team that will make the BCS every other year, if that. And the odds of it being the championship game are even worse. I dare say that were it not for their schedules this year involving UGA and USC respectively, neither Boise St and Fresno St could make the NT game even if they were unbeaten. So the BCS is more accessible, the mythical national championship game, however, is not.

Do the "non-BCS" schools have access to more BCS money? Debatable. Obviously those programs and conferences represented in the BCS will have their paydays, paydays now less than desired due to the extra bowl game (that was created to increase access). But if my suspicions concerning the ability of those schools to make the BCS come true, then the whole thing becomes a ruse to send even more "BCS" schools to higher paying bowls. Meanwhile the entirity of the landscape again appears less favorable to the coalition schools: Those currently labeled as having automatic bids will entrench their positions through scheduling and TV contracts while potentially further alienating those on the outside looking in.

Simply put, Cowen started this fight with a cause and a moral right. His statements above sound like a man no longer with that cause and instead focusing on playing the BCS game. 'ats all I'm sayin.

It sounds like sour grapes to Cowen because he wanted the Big East to be stripped of their BCS bid so he could ride their tails against the BCS. Wasn't Tulane rumored to be a candidate in Big East expansion early on? These articles use to annoy me, now they ust put a smile on my face. Jealousy can be a b*tch!

I agree with Cowen for the most part. The Big East does have to prove itself worthy to remain among the "elite". On the other hand, the BCS changes its own rules for just about everything every year. Two years from now, the rules will likely be different yet again.

I think the only risk of the BE losing its BCS bid will be because of basketball. If the BE rules in basketball, I can see the other whiny conferences band against them in football in a sophmoric attempt to "even the score."

Not intending to offend anyone, but with everything that New Orleans and Tulane is going through now, is this the time that you choose to be critical of Tulane or its officials I've had my own petty issues with some Tulane fans, but they seem awful small to me now. Our prayers should be with all of NO and Tulane at this time.

Not intending to offend anyone, but with everything that New Orleans and Tulane is going through now, is this the time that you choose to be critical of Tulane or its officials I've had my own petty issues with some Tulane fans, but they seem awful small to me now. Our prayers should be with all of NO and Tulane at this time.

Give me a break. Criticizing an official that takes a shot at you has NOTHING to do with New Orleans. Period. It's weak to even try to equate the two. I mean come on, I have a friend at work whose family is stuck in New Orleans and whose cousin is missing and has been missing for days. Don't come in here and try and tell me I'm insensitive to them because I criticized quotes made by a Tulane official ripping on the Big East. I can send a prayer to you and tell you what I think of you at the same time, trust me.

WOW. Have a nice weekend. May your family have shelter, clean water and food for Labor Day.

My personal opinion is that CUSA officials should be working to bring the league up to BCS standards instead of trying to verbally lower other conferences. However, the timing of the comments in this thread is all wrong. There is no way that any Tulane official has given a thought to the BCS standing of the BE within the last 4 days.

It's stupid to try and put what an AD said and a hurricane hitting in the same category. Period. My comments on Cowens and his attacking the conference and Hurricane Katrina are two different things. Unless the Tulane AD is hurt or something in the hurricane he is free money to unload on. Don't attack a conference and then try and hide behind a tragedy, that is a weak copout. Period.

Cat's_Claw Wrote:It's stupid to try and put what an AD said and a hurricane hitting in the same category. Period. My comments on Cowens and his attacking the conference and Hurricane Katrina are two different things. Unless the Tulane AD is hurt or something in the hurricane he is free money to unload on. Don't attack a conference and then try and hide behind a tragedy, that is a weak copout. Period.

I wonder if his tune has changed considering that SU has allowed 300 or so Tulane students to come up to SU for school until things get back to normal if they ever do down there.