(12-22-2012 01:09 PM)EagleProf Wrote: So if the nBE dissolves, who will get left out in the cold completely? Anyone?
Anti-ECU rhetoric aside, it was, according to the Marquette AD, Tulane that "broke the camel's back".
http://www.sportsnola.com/sports/sports-...-east.html
Look, the Catholics were likely gone when Louisville left anyway. Villanova had said as much months ago.
Temple and Cincy have options. UConn and Navy not as many but they still should be attractive.
Leaving CUSA (which is full) out as a fallback option, and looking at geography, things could go as follows: (admittedly a lot of IFs here)
Memphis is desirable because of it's basketball tradition and top 50 television market. It could be attractive in a number of scenarios including the MWC, a new East Coast conference or Southeast conference. (Memphis, IMO, is also the most likely program admitted back into CUSA.)
Any future speculated upon geographically based conferences place USF and UCF with a Southeast based conference (which could ultimately include SoMiss, and UAB) or an East Coast conference. The Florida schools offer good athletics and desirable television markets.
SMU and Houston have tradition and desirable television markets. The MWC or a new Texas based conference could include them, as well as Tulsa and maybe some others.
So;
The real losers in all of this, who could realistically be "left out in the cold" would be ECU and/or Tulane.
ECU has an attractive football program, mediocre mbb, and a large and enthusiastic fanbase. However, ECU has little in the way of television market. (Potentially a member of a new East coast based conference)
Tulane has tradition and academics, but little else. Revenue sports have been awful for years, and the fanbase apathetic. It's television market is outside of the top fifty and dominated by the LSU Tigers and the Saints. (Possibly a member of a new Southeast based conference)
Tulane looks to be the most likely "biggest loser", and the above hypotheticals likely have a huge impact on CUSA as it exists now.