That's when it should have happened.

The travel and expenses are exaggerated. Only a few sports do home and homes and the Zags would travel east of Lake Michigan rarely, especially if Dayton isn't the hypothetical 12th.

Volleyball, tennis, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball. Baseball and softball for weekends, maybe a full week at times.

I like the WCC, but wouldn't fault them at all. Have a Big East west division (now where have we heard that before?)

Take a collection of 6-8 western teams with decent basketball and Olympic sports. All those people who want the WAC to come alive again can rejoice at yet another shot at a D1 football conference comprised of Big East teams that need a place for football.

But, you have to have enough local teams to make it worth it financially. Gonzaga, BYU, St. Mary's, and who else?

Pull Creighton into the west, combine with Witchita St., and St. Louis. Do you combine with big state schools like SDSU and UNLV - provided they can keep football in the MWC?

You basically have to have a legit conference in the east and in the west. Fun if it would happen, but hard to do.

I could see a BE/WCC scheduling alliance, but I definitely cannot see a full-membership.

(10-25-2016 12:42 PM)HawkeyeCoug Wrote:  I like the WCC, but wouldn't fault them at all. Have a Big East west division (now where have we heard that before?)

Take a collection of 6-8 western teams with decent basketball and Olympic sports. All those people who want the WAC to come alive again can rejoice at yet another shot at a D1 football conference comprised of Big East teams that need a place for football.

But, you have to have enough local teams to make it worth it financially. Gonzaga, BYU, St. Mary's, and who else?

Pull Creighton into the west, combine with Witchita St., and St. Louis. Do you combine with big state schools like SDSU and UNLV - provided they can keep football in the MWC?

You basically have to have a legit conference in the east and in the west. Fun if it would happen, but hard to do.

Xavier, Butler, DePaul, and Marquette would have to be western teams as well as Creighton. What seems to be proposed here is three divisions.

Yeah, it seems to me if they thought it was possible they would have done it not just yesterday but 3 years ago. Like the saying goes, if it makes dollars it makes sense.

(10-25-2016 12:29 PM)jdgaucho Wrote:  Volleyball, tennis, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball. Baseball and softball for weekends, maybe a full week at times.

Gonzaga doesn't sponsor softball and it appears that the Big East doesn't have regular-season tennis matches; they just do the tournament. So that's six sports. It'd take some doing, but the increase in TV revenue would pay for it pretty quickly, I'd think.

Are there enough "Gonzaga level" bball program schools, that don't have FBS football, to make a A10 or Big East equivalent in the west? Taking teams from basically any DI conference in the west except MWC and PAC.

When did Gonzaga's campus move to Detroit? That's the only way they are getting in.

Or to put another way:

if you took the average RPI over the last 5 seasons, and took the top 10 schools in the Pacific and Mountain timezones that did not have FBS football, it would be Gonzaga plus who else?

St Mary's, Long Beach St, .... ???

NM St with FCS move down I think would work. And it should be ok to include BYU, since their football does its own thing.

Gonzaga to the Big Xii!!!

(10-25-2016 12:42 PM)HawkeyeCoug Wrote:  I like the WCC, but wouldn't fault them at all. Have a Big East west division (now where have we heard that before?)

Take a collection of 6-8 western teams with decent basketball and Olympic sports. All those people who want the WAC to come alive again can rejoice at yet another shot at a D1 football conference comprised of Big East teams that need a place for football.

But, you have to have enough local teams to make it worth it financially. Gonzaga, BYU, St. Mary's, and who else?

Pull Creighton into the west, combine with Witchita St., and St. Louis. Do you combine with big state schools like SDSU and UNLV - provided they can keep football in the MWC?

You basically have to have a legit conference in the east and in the west. Fun if it would happen, but hard to do.

You wouldn't need more western teams, the Zags wouldn't travel more than the typical AAC team, especially the east coast teams. Baseball could be a burden but the rest of the travel and expenses are overstated.

(10-25-2016 12:42 PM)HawkeyeCoug Wrote:  I like the WCC, but wouldn't fault them at all. Have a Big East west division (now where have we heard that before?)

Take a collection of 6-8 western teams with decent basketball and Olympic sports. All those people who want the WAC to come alive again can rejoice at yet another shot at a D1 football conference comprised of Big East teams that need a place for football.

But, you have to have enough local teams to make it worth it financially. Gonzaga, BYU, St. Mary's, and who else?

Pull Creighton into the west, combine with Witchita St., and St. Louis. Do you combine with big state schools like SDSU and UNLV - provided they can keep football in the MWC?

You basically have to have a legit conference in the east and in the west. Fun if it would happen, but hard to do.

I'd imagine Denver and Seattle would be interested in that.

Unless it's a 24 team big east with a east, central and western set of8 teams divisions doesn't make much sense

(10-25-2016 12:12 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  That's when it should have happened.

The travel and expenses are exaggerated. Only a few sports do home and homes and the Zags would travel east of Lake Michigan rarely, especially if Dayton isn't the hypothetical 12th.

Why? They are doing fine where they are at.

The Big East is doing fine without them.

And to those who think it's far fetched or illogical, just how many close games does UConn have in the AAC? Temple and..? Navy is football only and even they are in the other division, playing schools thousands of miles away from Maryland.

As I said, baseball is a hassle but in basketball they'd only play 3-4 games east of Indianapolis per year in the nBE (we're talking 8 home games, 5 intradivision road games and 3 interdivisional road games), plus non-conference play and the BETournament.

Would they be doing all that much more traveling than UConn or Notre Dame in the AAC and ACC?

(10-25-2016 03:17 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-25-2016 12:12 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  That's when it should have happened.

The travel and expenses are exaggerated. Only a few sports do home and homes and the Zags would travel east of Lake Michigan rarely, especially if Dayton isn't the hypothetical 12th.

Why? They are doing fine where they are at.

The Big East is doing fine without them.

Looks like I didn't add my numbers right. How is this for a Big East olympic sports conference:

Add UConn in the East to make 10.
Put Creighton, Gonzaga, BYU, St Mary, Wichita St., UNLV, SDSU, and 3 more west/midwest programs to make 10 in the west.

20 team superconference for Olympic sports only. Divisional play would limit crossover travel expenses. You would basically destroy the olympic sports power of the remaining conferences, locking in the Big East as a rival to the P5 conferences. You would lock up a bunch of TV rights, and probably be able to have a conference network (if those are still valuable). You would still have the Eastern rivals and TV markets, while adding the best remaining properties in the west.

While I think something like this could work on paper, no way you could get all those schools to cooperate, even if they were making more money. The only reason I would even bring up such a thing is that previously the Big East (all sports version) made a play for SDSU, Boise, and BYU. Though it fell through for football, an olympic sports conference may stand a chance - though a 1 in a million one.

(10-25-2016 02:24 PM)CitrusUCF Wrote:  I'd imagine Denver and Seattle would be interested in that.

Denver is an interesting case, as the wikipedia page says that they are not only in the Big East for Lacrosse, they are three time regular season champs. Who would have guessed?

(10-25-2016 03:17 PM)bullet Wrote:  

(10-25-2016 12:12 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  That's when it should have happened.

The travel and expenses are exaggerated. Only a few sports do home and homes and the Zags would travel east of Lake Michigan rarely, especially if Dayton isn't the hypothetical 12th.

Why? They are doing fine where they are at.

The Big East is doing fine without them.

They are now but what if BYU gets picked up by a bigger conference? What happens when St. Mary's declines (all they have is a good coach with an excellent recruiting system)? When the Zags decline (no one is immune, it's inevitable for everyone without an endless cash flow like Kentucky), they could be stuck right back where they were in 1998 before their run began. At least if they hop conferences while they're still hot, they'll be propped up by their conference mates if they ever unravel.

They both would benefit with each other. If nothing else, my main point is that geography and travel expenses are overrated in this argument and shouldn't be used as a deterrent for either side.

(10-25-2016 03:24 PM)_C2_ Wrote:  And to those who think it's far fetched or illogical, just how many close games does UConn have in the AAC? Temple and..? Navy is football only and even they are in the other division, playing schools thousands of miles away from Maryland.

As I said, baseball is a hassle but in basketball they'd only play 3-4 games east of Indianapolis per year in the nBE (we're talking 8 home games, 5 intradivision road games and 3 interdivisional road games), plus non-conference play and the BETournament.

Would they be doing all that much more traveling than UConn or Notre Dame in the AAC and ACC?

UConn HAS to travel that far. Given the option they wouldn't. The Big East has the option, they don't need the Zags to survive.

One more thing, no way they decide to ever go to divisions. The 16 team Big East didn't have divisions, no way Creighton gives up games in the eastern cities to play Gonzaga.

NO ONE HAS DIVISIONS ANYMORE BESIDES OVC AND THE MAC!