(11-02-2011 07:17 PM)UConn-SMU Wrote: (11-02-2011 12:20 PM)TommyC Wrote: I think the Big East made some nice additions in terms of retaining the AQ label. Apparently the BCS AQ tag is all the Big East was concerned with here because in every other way this is a crazy expansion plan.
To the casual college football fan this is completely off the wall. Most of the posters on this board are die hard college football fans and understand why the Big East is doing what they are doing. To the average college football fan, though, this is crazy. Boise State and Rutgers in the same conference? Air Force and Cincinnati? Navy and Houston? Marquette and South Florida? Seton Hall and SMU? Absolutely nuts.
The Big East originally had the identity of the preeminent national basketball conference with a significant northeast/urban flavor. Then the Big East morphed into a football collection of the old Lambert Trophy teams again with a solid eastern identity. Now, what is the Big East's identity? I would say that the Big East has no identity other than a mish mash of completely different universities from Milwaukee to Orlando and Providence to Boise. The Big East has military academies in Colorado and Flagship state universities from Connecticut. They have Catholic universities in Queens and Methodist universities in Dallas. It is simply a money grab and a stepping stone. It is incoherent and confused.
On my way to work this morning I was listening to the local sports talk radio station. They are not huge college football people but at least one of the hosts of the show has a Heisman Trophy ballot and another one does play by play on the weekends for the local FBS college team. They were laughing at the disorganization and randomness of the Big East. They thought it was funny that there will now be a division called the "Big East West". My brother is a casual college football fan. He does not follow this stuff as closely as I do. Last night I was explaining this Big East expansion stuff to him and he just gave me a strange look and changed the subject.
This move does nothing to improve the stability of the Big East. The hybrid model remains in full effect and if anything it has been made more confusing. Any one of its 9/9/3 or 8/6/6 or 12/20 or whatever the model is would still leave at the drop of a hat if given a better opportunity.
Yes, The Big East will probably keep its BCS AQ status as a result of these moves. I hope they make the best of it because in order to keep their AQ status they have foresaken their identity and their sanity.
So UConn and Rutgers should have invited Buffalo, Marshall, and then waited patiently for Villanova? No thanks.
I'm excited about the new schools. And I believe we all have something in common - we have quality programs with lots of potential, and we'd all be on the outside looking in if it wasn't for the new Big East.
I posted in another thread what I think the remaining Big East football members should do. I will sum it up again here:
1. Break off from the Catholic Basketball teams. (This may be tough for UConn because I know their men's basketball coach loves the games against St Johns, Georgetown, Villanova etc; but it has to be done). I really do not think Louisville, Rutgers, Cincinnati or USF care about the Catholic Basketball and would break away at the drop of a hat. The hybrid model simply does not work for a Division 1A Football conference and of all people, the Big East should have learned that by now. The break from the basketball teams has to happen.
2. Take the five remaining teams (UConn, Rutgers, USF, Louisville, Cincinnati) and add Temple, UCF, ECU, Memphis and UMass in all sports. This results in a 10 team all sport league. You have three major northeastern flagship state universities (Rutgers, UMass and UConn). You have four urban research universities with strong basketball tradition (Louisville, Cincy, Memphis and Temple). The two Florida teams provide access to the fertile recruiting ground and ECU allows you to plant your flag in the heart of ACC country.
This proposal at least has some identity. You can remain a predominantly Eastern Conference. No hybrid. Strong Basketball. Reasonably good football and room for football growth. With this proposal there is the chance for rivalries to grow. UCF v USF, UConn v UMass, Louisville v Memphis, Temple v Rutgers. All of this makes so much more sense than SMU vs Navy? Don't get me started on basketball rivalries. Cincinnati vs Temple or Providence vs Houston? A presence in all the major eastern media markets etc.
This is an attempt to establish a functional conference filled with like minded universities with similar academic and athletic goals. It would more than a desperate attempt at groveling to the BCS powers that be. The BCS will not be around forever after all. This conference would have a coherent identity and the hope of stability. The idea of a conference is that it has staying power and tradition. The Big East should stop with goofy hybrid amalgamation of football teams in Idaho and Catholic Basketball teams in Rhode Island. What they are doing makes no sense. The Big East should try to be a strong Eastern Collegiate Conference again.