I understand the B-10/ND situation. I just don't understand why a conference would want to sit at 11 members. Everyone says a school shouldn't be added unless it can make more money for the conference. It would seem to me that just about any addition to the B-10 would add positive funds since the B-10 could have a championship game. Maybe, the B-10 will not add members since the B-12 already has that name.

Quote:It just seemed to me that Syracuse would have been preferred by UNC & Duke.

True. Especially considering basketball. Maybe it was just the principle of the matter, but hey I'm not complaining, I'm glad we kept Syracuse over Virginia Tech.

Quote:I just don't understand why a conference would want to sit at 11 members.

I think the Big 10 distributed the most money per school year before last (or 2nd behind the 9 team ACC). They can wait an eternity for Notre Dame.

Quote:True. Especially considering basketball. Maybe it was just the principle of the matter, but hey I'm not complaining, I'm glad we kept Syracuse over Virginia Tech.

I agree, but an argument can certainly be made that the Big East football schools might have actually been better off with VT staying, instead of Syracuse.

The combo of VT and Louisville would have given the Big East TWO top 10 football schools and solidified the auto-BCS bid even moreso, imho.

big 10 will not changes name if 12 school is added. B-12 already has rights B-14 & B-16. How long is enternity, let them drop to 3rd or 4th in revenue & see how fast they add 12 school. Did not say B-10 was intrested in other schools. Informally 5 schools contacted B-10, told them they were intrested & here what we offer, B-10 kept info in case landscape ever changes. this does not mean Exp is around corner for B-10. I'm sure all conf have backup plans. & all schools have feelers out.

First off, the Big Ten won't drop to 4th in revenue. And if they do, how is adding a 12th team going to improve revenue? Because the Big Ten has said that a championship game hurts their revenue especially since it diminishes the chance of a 2nd team going to a higher bowl. Now, several schools did inquire with the Big Ten during a time when it looked like the Big East would lose their BCS bid. The Big Ten said NO. Period. They told the schools that they had no interest in expanding at the time. They have been telling people this for 10 years so why would they be interest in it now? By the time another conference expands what's to say the Big East isn't high up the food chain in generating revenue? And million things can happen but why people are convinced the Big Ten will expand I'll never know. Just because you think it's a bad idea for them to have 11 team doesn't mean THEY think it's a bad idea for them to have 11. If scheduling is brutal with 11 teams how does 12 teams work? If anything the Big Ten probably wouldn't mind if one of the schools left (someone like Penn State or Northwestern), just to get back down to 10 and schedule better. Of course that isn't likely to happen, and neither is expansion to 12 outside of Notre Dame. The reason Notre Dame is the only one is because they generate their own revenue thus they're not another mouth to feed.

Brick City Pirate Wrote:I understand the B-10/ND situation. I just don't understand why a conference would want to sit at 11 members. Everyone says a school shouldn't be added unless it can make more money for the conference. It would seem to me that just about any addition to the B-10 would add positive funds since the B-10 could have a championship game. Maybe, the B-10 will not add members since the B-12 already has that name.

A championship game WOULD NOT generate more money for the Big Ten. People don't get that. The Big Ten has crunched the numbers and looked into the possibility but a championship game doesn't generate more money for them and may, in fact, cost them more money. People are wondering why a conference would sit at 11 teams, what's the difference between a conference having 11 teams, or 10 teams or 9 teams? It doesn't matter.

Okla lost Championship game went to NCG & KSU was added to BCS, it works both ways.

templefootballfan Wrote:Okla lost Championship game went to NCG & KSU was added to BCS, it works both ways.

That's right, and the way for the Big Ten is that they don't like it and they think it would hurt the conference.

Quote:The combo of VT and Louisville would have given the Big East TWO top 10 football schools and solidified the auto-BCS bid even moreso, imho.

True, and from a purely selfish perspective (WVU fan obviously), it would have been reeeally nice having Pitt, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Virginia Tech in a league that's practically built around my home state. I guess it all depends on whether you're looking from a basketball or football perspective.

Quote:How long is enternity

However long it takes for the Irish to lose their TV appeal and ties to the Big East would be my guess.

nflsucks Wrote:True, and from a purely selfish perspective (WVU fan obviously), it would have been reeeally nice having Pitt, Louisville, Cincinnati, and Virginia Tech in a league that's practically built around my home state. I guess it all depends on whether you're looking from a basketball or football perspective.

Good point. The center of balance of Big East football is the Ohio valley. 50% of the schools are here (Pittsburgh, WVU, Cincy, and Louisville).

I think the best thing we can say about all of this is that it has finally brought together the four schools in the Ohio valley that had been independent, and were left out of the big conferences. Hopefully, this association will continue for many decades to come as it is a natural and logical group.

Throw in Syracuse, Penn State, Rutgers and Connecticut; and then toss in Notre Dame and Navy. Sounds like a damn fine all sports conference doesn't it? Maryland actually would have been better, but they are lost to the ACC for many years now.

What if.

The point now is to assemble a workable conference from the core group, and that core group is the Ohio valley four.

I personally wish we had not invited South Florida, because it is stupid to have a Florida school in a north+east conference.

I think we have the makings of a very good stand-alone conference with our football schools. We just need to do it.

North-Eastern 10 Conference

Cincinnati
Connecticut
East Carolina
Louisville
Memphis
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
South Florida
Syracuse
West Virginia

Call it the Nor'easter conference.

I remember the most frustrating moment during the ACC raid for me was when BC left. Because, if I recall, it was common knowledge that Cincinnati and Louisville were replacing Miami and VPI. We had this perfect little set up of 4 Ohio Valley Schools (WVU, Pitt, Ville, UC) and 4 Northeastern schools (BC, Cuse, RU, and UConn), then the NCAA declined the ACC proposal of a championship game with 10 schools, and BC was gone.

I know BC was by far the least impressive program that left, and that they could easily be replaced, but dang... I was more angry about them leaving than Miami.

Quote:I remember the most frustrating moment during the ACC raid for me was when BC left. Because, if I recall, it was common knowledge that Cincinnati and Louisville were replacing Miami and VPI. We had this perfect little set up of 4 Ohio Valley Schools (WVU, Pitt, Ville, UC) and 4 Northeastern schools (BC, Cuse, RU, and UConn), then the NCAA declined the ACC proposal of a championship game with 10 schools, and BC was gone.

Yep and if we wanted a 9th school, Temple was in the perfect location to be a "bridge" to either cluster.

Unfortuntely, their lack of success in football put an end that dream.

Quote:I think we have the makings of a very good stand-alone conference with our football schools. We just need to do it.

North-Eastern 10 Conference

Cincinnati
Connecticut
East Carolina
Louisville
Memphis
Pittsburgh
Rutgers
South Florida
Syracuse
West Virginia

Call it the Nor'easter conference.

Beautiful thing about that is, that includes most of the major powers of the current (well... "near-future"), bloated BE. Tossing in another national name with great support (*cough*) to replace whichever of the Providence/Nova/GT group steps up in a given year would basically bring the same amount of quality with less chaff/mouths to feed.