10-09-2010, 11:28 PM
Those who were here back in 2003 remember all the threads. There were literally hundreds of them. Fact or a bunch of message board nerds pretending like they knew what they were talking about?
(10-09-2010 11:28 PM)3601 Wrote: [ -> ]Those who were here back in 2003 remember all the threads. There were literally hundreds of them. Fact or a bunch of message board nerds pretending like they knew what they were talking about?
(10-10-2010 12:22 PM)Wilkie01 Wrote: [ -> ] He is saying jurich is the reason Memphis can not get in the Big East!
(10-09-2010 11:35 PM)99Tiger Wrote: [ -> ](10-09-2010 11:28 PM)3601 Wrote: [ -> ]Those who were here back in 2003 remember all the threads. There were literally hundreds of them. Fact or a bunch of message board nerds pretending like they knew what they were talking about?
Huh? I remember the discussions, but where did this come from?
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)PharaohBully Wrote: [ -> ]I think 3601 may be referring to yesterday's Commerical Appeal column by Dan Wolken talking about how Louisville was a potential ally for Memphis perhaps someday joining the BE. Here's the link:
http://m.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/...iger-ally/
(10-10-2010 06:13 PM)ULdave Wrote: [ -> ](10-10-2010 03:51 PM)PharaohBully Wrote: [ -> ]I think 3601 may be referring to yesterday's Commerical Appeal column by Dan Wolken talking about how Louisville was a potential ally for Memphis perhaps someday joining the BE. Here's the link:
http://m.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/...iger-ally/
"There's been a lot of strategy put in place that people don't have a chance to see behind the scenes," Jurich said. "But you have some great minds in that league to make sure we put together the best (alignment of teams) we can."
Perhaps an interesting quote?
(10-10-2010 08:59 PM)CatsClaw Wrote: [ -> ]I know what 3601 is talking about. The rumor back in the day was that Memphis supposedly fought to have all of the departing C-USA schools, particularly Louisville and maybe Cincinnati leaving early and they were behind us having to stay two years instead of one year. I think that was BS though because I remember Tranghese saying that we could come early if we wanted to but I thought some of the talk was that the Big East schools preferred that we come a year later so that they could feast on that TV contract for one more year. Anyway, that is were the "Jurich hatez Memphis because Memphis suckz azz and we rule!" came from.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]They were terrific rivals once, with a contempt born from their similarities as cities, fan bases and universities.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]But Louisville and Memphis operate in different NCAA galaxies these days, one graced by the money and prestige of the Bowl Championship Series and the other on a frustrating quest to get to the opposite side of that line.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]It's been seven years since Louisville left Memphis behind, accepting an invitation to the Big East but more importantly throwing its support and influence behind South Florida instead of Memphis as the final team to be included in the 2003 realignment.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]Given that history, it would be no surprise if Memphis fans, and maybe even administrators, harbored some bitterness as the Tigers return to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium this afternoon for the first time since Louisville left Conference USA.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]Just because the Cardinals shunned Memphis once, however, doesn't mean it has to happen again. Though it may not show in today's result, the Tigers have done a lot of work the past few years to lay the foundation for advancement to the Big East. But without the support of Louisville the next time around -- and particularly its power-broker athletic director, Tom Jurich -- it will probably be a wasted pursuit.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]"If I'm in the Big East and I'm looking at Memphis, I'd probably talk to the guys at Louisville first, no question about it," Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson said. "The fact that we have good relationships certainly is a plus."
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]Despite recent reports that the Big East invited Villanova to move its football program up from the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) and that the league has talked with TCU about membership, Johnson said he does not sense any major moves are imminent.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]In a phone interview this week, Jurich echoed the league's long-standing, vague position that it will only pursue expansion that "makes sense."
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]"There's been a lot of strategy put in place that people don't have a chance to see behind the scenes," Jurich said. "But you have some great minds in that league to make sure we put together the best (alignment of teams) we can."
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]That's certainly not much of a hint about the Big East's direction, but with the constant chatter about its current football struggles, the threat of the Big Ten expanding again and the inconvenient arrangement of having eight football programs and 16 for basketball, Memphis' campaign is ongoing.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]Obviously, the Tigers have never been closer than they were in June, when it appeared a significant conference shuffle was about to take place. Though those leading Memphis' push (including FedEx founder Fred Smith) closed ranks at that time, some on the periphery believed that Memphis was working closely with Jurich to land in the Big East or perhaps a new conference had the former been pillaged beyond repair.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]Jurich wasn't forthcoming about the nature of his dialogue with Memphis officials, but he didn't exactly deny it, either.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]"Those would be conversations I'd keep in private," he said. "They've got a great administration down there, they know what they're doing, and I know they're talking with all the right people. If it's meant to be, it will happen."
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]If the Big East expands, Jurich's endorsement of Memphis may not be enough to get the Tigers in ahead of Central Florida, East Carolina or any of the other usual suspects. But they surely won't be able to do it without his help.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]It was Jurich's vision to invest in facilities and coaches that helped lift Louisville football in the late 1990s and put the school in position to be first on the Big East's list in 2003. Since joining the league, Louisville has been one of its most successful programs, winning championships in football, men's basketball and baseball. Jurich is widely considered one of the country's best athletic directors, and his viewpoint is important in all matters regarding the Big East.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]It will be especially crucial if the conversation shifts to Memphis. Though Jurich said it would be "unfair" to characterize any programs as potential candidates, it's important to remember how much these two institutions have in common. If Louisville can't support the inclusion of another urban university in the South with a similar academic mission, student body size and an athletic history going back decades, then Syracuse and Connecticut certainly won't.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]"I think that would be accurate," Johnson said. "They've done such a good job in the time they've been in there, and I think they'd have some say in it. It's always better to have them supporting you."
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]The last time Memphis played in Louisville was 2003, shortly after it learned it would remain in C-USA while many of its traditional rivals would be moving on. The Tigers won 37-7, and on that day, nobody would have blamed them for feeling like the Big East took the wrong team.
(10-10-2010 03:51 PM)Dan Wolken Wrote: [ -> ]For rebuilding Memphis, things probably won't go quite as well this afternoon. But this is one game where the handshakes will be more important than the final score.