CSNbbs

The Big East is not through raiding C-USA. After USF they will focus on Central Florida and East Carolina. Please note they mention the UC and UL are Research I schools like the rest of Big East schools. And we all know who the lone school in the MAC is that is NOT a Research I school. :D

It looks like the MWC will go after TCU. After the Big East and the MWC are through, C-USA will be begging Sun Belt teams to join.:D

<a href='http://www.sptimes.com/2003/10/22/Sports/Big_East_ADs_sold___w.shtml' target='_blank'>http://www.sptimes.com/2003/10/22/Sports/B..._sold___w.shtml</a>

College football
Big East ADs sold - want USF invited
Decision now lies with presidents after officials make big impression.
By PETE YOUNG, Times Staff Writer
Published October 22, 2003

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Lee Roy Selmon and Judy Genshaft have sold Big East administrators on South Florida. Only the league presidents remain to be convinced.

Big East athletic directors will recommend to the conference presidents that USF be asked to join the league, Rutgers athletic director Bob Mulcahy told the Newark (N.J.) Star-Ledger for today's editions. The presidents will meet and extend invitations Nov.4 at the Grand Hyatt in New York City.

"(Selmon and Genshaft) made a very favorable impression on Friday," Mulcahy told the Star-Ledger.

Administrators from Big East schools and league officials, including commissioner Mike Tranghese, met Friday with USF president Genshaft and AD Selmon at the Continental Airlines suite at Newark Airport. Mulcahy said they left a distinguished image of USF, and the Bulls are the clear-cut next selection to be included in the ADs' proposal for expansion.

"That's very confirming," Genshaft said. "I'm pleased to hear that."

Genshaft said everything has gone well since Friday.

"I've talked to a number of people and things look very optimistic," she said. "I've talked to (administrators at) Conference USA schools and Big East schools and it's looking positive. But we don't know anything formal until November 4th."

Mulcahy and Syracuse AD Jake Crouthamel head the Big East football expansion effort to replace Miami, Virginia Tech and Boston College, who are leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference. Big East presidents are expected to follow the ADs' recommendations by adding five C-USA schools: Cincinnati, Louisville and USF for all sports, plus non-football schools DePaul and Marquette.

Mulcahy also said he is confident the Big East will maintain its automatic berth in the lucrative Bowl Championship Series despite the loss of football powers Miami and Virginia Tech.

Changing leagues would be expensive, with the combined exit and entry fees for jumping from C-USA to the Big East in the millions. Also, accurately projecting future league affiliation with the BCS is critical in determining the financial benefits of the move.

"We're working the numbers right now," Genshaft said. "I haven't seen the results yet of what it will cost to leave (C-USA) and enter (the Big East) and what kind of revenue we would anticipate. That will be coming. We will be holding an executive board meeting next week to go over those numbers."

Cincinnati AD Bob Goin said exit and entry fees shouldn't be a deterrent.

"The value of this option with the Big East is the long-term relationships and rivalries," he said. "It's compatible schools and institutions joining together for the long-term benefits."

Genshaft said she would have final say on whether to accept an invitation and that the Big East is a "good fit."

"I value the board's input, and I wouldn't accept without the board knowing ahead of time the finances of the situation before I made the decision," Genshaft said. "Our university is a Research I university, and when you look at the other (all-sports) institutions in the Big East, you've got Rutgers, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, West Virginia and Syracuse - those are all top-notch schools. And Cincinnati and Louisville are Research I schools as well, so it's a good fit to be with the counterparts in the Big East."

The five proposed new schools are expected to join the Big East for the 2005-06 season, though it's possible that could be moved up or back a year.

Big East football would be expected to emerge as a weaker league; men's basketball might be the strongest conference ever with seven schools that have won the national title (Cincinnati, Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse and Villanova) plus traditional teams (St. John's, DePaul, Providence) and programs on an upswing (Pitt, Notre Dame, Seton Hall).

The Big East also expects to add a football-only member, with Central Florida, East Carolina, Army and Navy among the candidates. However, that decision is expected to come after Nov. 4.

<a href='http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/mac/invision/index.php?act=ST&f=1&t=6784' target='_blank'>http://www.ncaabbs.com/forums/mac/invision...t=ST&f=1&t=6784</a>

1. I don't think it will discourage the Huntington folks. At least I hope not, and I wish some of you posters here would stop trying to discourage them from moving on. Remember change is a good thing.

2. TCU's decision to go to the MWC has nothing to do with what anyone else in C-USA does. TCU will take the offer when it is extended simply because the MWC is a better conference.

Hmmm! What if, by chance, the Big East offered football-only membership to all four candidates under consideration: UCF, ECU, Army and Navy? That would give the Big East 12 football schools for a lucrative conference title game and kill C-USA plans for the same. I think Marshall will stay in the MAC if either ECU or UCF joins USF in the Big East.

If the Big East went to 12 with these four additions:

North
1) Syracuse
2) UCONN
3) West Virginia
4) Pitt
5) Rutgers
6) Army

South
1) Navy
2) Louisville
3) Cincinnati
4) ECU
5) USF
6) UCF

ARMY WANTS TO BE AN INDY AGAIN... hence they are leaving CUSA... what dont people understand about this concept???

redskins4ever Wrote:ARMY WANTS TO BE AN INDY AGAIN... hence they are leaving CUSA... what dont people understand about this concept???

Do any of us truly know Army's thinking. Supply links that shed light on it.

All I see is that Army is leaving Conference USA. The rationale for leaving could be, simply, that Army was getting its butt kicked.

If that's the logic for leaving, the Big East may *not* appeal to Army.

But the MAC might.

if ecu leaves, I don't wanna be in the cusa at all.

Frankly, Marshall getting an invite to CUSA isn't a given. La Tech makes alot of sense as well. They've had good seasons and put good players in the pros (From Bradshaw to Rattay). Their w-bball is awesome, and their men's bball has its years.

Geographically, LaTech makes far more sense, unless you're trying to capture the lucrative Huntington market.

Moreover, if UL-M and UL-L go under (a distinct possibility) then LaTech would have a broader recruiting base, and would be that much better.

DrTorch Wrote:Frankly, Marshall getting an invite to CUSA isn't a given. La Tech makes alot of sense as well. They've had good seasons and put good players in the pros (From Bradshaw to Rattay). Their w-bball is awesome, and their men's bball has its years.

Geographically, LaTech makes far more sense, unless you're trying to capture the lucrative Huntington market.

Moreover, if UL-M and UL-L go under (a distinct possibility) then LaTech would have a broader recruiting base, and would be that much better.

Louisiana Tech is clearly in line behind Marshall. Unless the Big East takes another Conference USA or Conference USA-bound team, Louisiana Tech will be on the outside looking in. That's pretty apparent.

Schadenfreude Wrote:

DrTorch Wrote:Frankly, Marshall getting an invite to CUSA isn't a given.&nbsp; La Tech makes alot of sense as well.&nbsp; They've had good seasons and put good players in the pros (From Bradshaw to Rattay).&nbsp; Their w-bball is awesome, and their men's bball has its years.

Geographically, LaTech makes far more sense, unless you're trying to capture the lucrative Huntington market.

Moreover, if UL-M and UL-L go under (a distinct possibility) then LaTech would have a broader recruiting base, and would be that much better.

Louisiana Tech is clearly in line behind Marshall. Unless the Big East takes another Conference USA or Conference USA-bound team, Louisiana Tech will be on the outside looking in. That's pretty apparent.

What about Toledo?

Tulane does not want LaTech in. If I recall both Toledo and LaTech are on the outside looking in with CUSA. It would make more sense to build around Marshall for CUSA.

Truthfully, I think Miami is far more attractive than Marshall and I don't understand why CUSA hasn't put a big ol' target on them.

Then again, I'm a mark for Hueston Woods....

I don't really think C-USA is in any "trouble" so long as they can get Marshall to join up to shore up their sagging football fortunes with USF and UL/UC all leaving. Although the inclusions of Rice, SMU, and Tulsa will really hurt the WAC and makes sense (to CUSA) geographically, collectively these are not very good football programs, and now UCF is something of a question mark.

C-USA will no longer be a "power" hoops conference; instead, it'll be a southern-based, football oriented conference which is OK with Marshall I think. To me, the only thing that would make Marshall turn down C-USA (other than lack of money to make the move), would be if ECU unexpectedly gets a BE invite. Then, they'd have no rivals within "shouting distance" at all.

As for Miami in C-USA, if Marshall goes in you'd think that it might make some sense (from C-USA"s perspective), as it gives some midwest presence (with UL and UC leaving). The problem is that Miami would never accept anyway, as C-USA does not fit us from a geographic perspective.

Flipper Wrote:Truthfully, I think Miami is far more attractive than Marshall and I don't understand why CUSA hasn't put a big ol' target on them.

Then again, I'm a mark for Hueston Woods....

Two things:

1) Marshall attendance is better
2) Marshall is in a much bigger market (don't pull that Cincy market stuff, 'cause that's not our market)
3) Marshall has gotten more national exposure the last five years
4) Marshall fans desperately want to be in C-USA, and Miami fans don't

OK, Schadenfreude wants a link to an article. Below is a link and the story. The bottom line is that Army has integrity and good academics. C-USA does not.

<a href='http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2003/07/11/kkgarmyc.htm' target='_blank'>http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2003/0...11/kkgarmyc.htm</a>


Give Army kudos for leaving C-USA

Finally, something to celebrate. Finally, a cause for hope and excitement among Army football fans.
Army's leaving Conference USA.
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah.
Hallelujah.
Every person who drives past Army's gates on a football Saturday, every player and recruit and alumnus: something to grab onto. They have their football future back. They have a reason to cheer.
Finally.
There is no future in Conference USA. No annual bowl party. No rivalries.
No celebrations.
Only lopsided losses, institutional introspection and fan frustration. On deck stands the worst brand of disillusionment: Apathy.
Army didn't only decide to leave Conference USA. Army had to leave Conference USA.
Army's an academic giant graduating players *** laude. Conference USA's an academic dwarf graduating players accidentally.
Army players have good prose. C-USA players become good pros.
Army has players of character. C-USA has characters.
All of it makes Conference USA members no different than most major-college teams trying to swim in the NCAA cesspool. Only the strong survive.
But Army was never one of them, no matter how hard it tried. And boy did it try.
Army fired a coach (Bob Sutton) and hired a sideline salesman (Todd Berry) thinking it could compete for C-USA titles.
It couldn't. Not under Sutton, dismissed following the 1999 season. Not under Berry, curiously inaccessible yesterday. If Army's 7-27 C-USA record doesn't painfully explain the competitive disadvantage, nothing ever will.
Army is one of the good guys trying to beat the bad guys. The bad guys won.
But now Army wins.
Who knows what to make of its official reasons for leaving? Army superintendent Lt. Gen. William J. Lennox Jr., notes "limited scheduling flexibility'' as a result of playing C-USA games and the Navy and Air Force games. But what Lennox really means is having the flexibility to schedule teams Army can beat.
Army must endure two more seasons of losses, if not humiliation. Army paid $400,000 to get out after the 2004 season, which could cost the Academy a couple toilets and seat cushions. Nevertheless, it's money well spent.
Army figures to become an independent. But the Academy will survey the landscape for a better opportunity in the meantime. Independent, Big East, Mid-American Conference

Amen.
Well said.
C-USA is UC/UL carpetbagging conference built for their own convenience. Once they are gone, C-USA will have a major identity crisis. The teams they are considering adding just make the conference less of a national conference. Had UC/UL been able to pull in better football schools, it could have become another essentially BCS conference, becasue it was there already in basketball.
Army never fit in at all.

Look for C-USA to "pull out all the stops" to entice Marshall to join up.........with UC and UL gone, USF was quickly becoming one of the league's better football programs, and if they "fly the coop" the only real decent programs left are So. Miss and TCU. Adding to the desperation would be ECU leaving for the BE, but I guess that possibility is somewhat remote.

If Marshall declines, then TCU will have to think hard about their inclusion......on one hand C-USA will be much easier to win, and TCU will have lots of geographic rivals within the conference. OTOH, C-USA will be perceived as much weaker, esp. with the likes of Rice, SMU, and Tulsa (combined 4-17 or something like that) joining up. I don't think TCU likes the Mountain time zone (of the MWC), but there are only 8 teams over there, and revenues per team may be higher, plus after the reorganization the MWC will likely be perceived as the best non-BCS conference, already they already are in most quarters.

I still think C-USA will be a viable conference, no matter what, but the question will be if they fall to being the worst non-BCS conference (assuming that the SunBelt is history). That decision may be up to Marshall.

Viable, sure. But the national respect will be long gone, especially aftet the first basketball season with the new teams--can they get ANYONE ranked, let alone have 3-4 ranked teams. Most years, doubtful.

axeme Wrote:Viable, sure. But the national respect will be long gone, especially aftet the first basketball season with the new teams--can they get ANYONE ranked, let alone have 3-4 ranked teams. Most years, doubtful.

Without Huggins and Pitino to play with look for Calipari to run from Memphis as soon as he can. Now add in the NBA Grizzlies and Memphis is not so attractive.

Kit-Cat Wrote:Tulane does not want LaTech in. If I recall both Toledo and LaTech are on the outside looking in with CUSA. It would make more sense to build around Marshall for CUSA.

Why?

Other than Tulane's illogical aversion.

Rocky Wrote:Big East football would be expected to emerge as a weaker league; men's basketball might be the strongest conference ever with seven schools that have won the national title (Cincinnati, Connecticut, Georgetown, Louisville, Marquette, Syracuse and Villanova)

As they say, "Past performance is no guarantee of future results."