03-29-2007, 01:17 PM
03-29-2007, 03:13 PM
I've been monitoring this on the other boards (I'm a browser). The Bible mentioned "wars and rumors of wars" for the end of the world, and I suspect the same holds true for major conference upheval. I don't think the Big East will change anything until 2013 when the contract runs out.
My take? After the contract they'll probably add a football school with a good basketball program and a bowl tie-in (Memphis?) and go to 9, and drop one of the weaker basketball programs without a football squad (Seton Hall? St. John's? Providence? I don't know who candidate #1 is). It will be after their next contract runs out that they will look to expand to 12 in football if they deem it profitable. I suspect that the 16-team basketball conference will stay, they'll just push out the smaller guys.
For UAB, Longterm look: Unless there is major upheval in the BCS and a real playoff system in created, C*USA is going to have another major raid of the Eastern division sometime after 2013 (which may then cause the western division to split off). Not this round, but the next round will be where UAB wants to look to if it wants to be in a new look C*USA East (otherwise known as Big East South), or otherwise be in the Sun Belt East (aka C*USA East). If the Big East wants to become a football power with a conference championship game and broad appeal, it will look to the southern metro areas first to see if those schools are ready (Orlando, Birmingham). UAB has the metro area in a football town, a bowl game, and a strong basketball tradition in its corner. Basketball will need to wake up next year and the football program needs to look decent (CNC himself pointed out Louisville as the model) if we want a hard look. The mini-dome and entertainment district could help tremendously if it ever gets off the ground.
Only way UAB gets moved in the next 5 years into the BCS is if CNC pulls off a miracle in football (major bowl wins, maybe not BCS but close), CMD takes UAB to the final four, and the city agrees to the dome in the next few months. Odds of such: slim to none IMHO. Should that be our goal? Yes, because falling short of that just means a shorter distance to go next time there is conference turmoil.
Do I like C*USA? Yes, I love it and I'd hate to lose conference rivals (Memphis, USM, being a part of C*USA baseball). Problem is, every school is going to go on its own to make itself profitable (profit==survival). Conferences also want profit, so change is inevitable.
My take? After the contract they'll probably add a football school with a good basketball program and a bowl tie-in (Memphis?) and go to 9, and drop one of the weaker basketball programs without a football squad (Seton Hall? St. John's? Providence? I don't know who candidate #1 is). It will be after their next contract runs out that they will look to expand to 12 in football if they deem it profitable. I suspect that the 16-team basketball conference will stay, they'll just push out the smaller guys.
For UAB, Longterm look: Unless there is major upheval in the BCS and a real playoff system in created, C*USA is going to have another major raid of the Eastern division sometime after 2013 (which may then cause the western division to split off). Not this round, but the next round will be where UAB wants to look to if it wants to be in a new look C*USA East (otherwise known as Big East South), or otherwise be in the Sun Belt East (aka C*USA East). If the Big East wants to become a football power with a conference championship game and broad appeal, it will look to the southern metro areas first to see if those schools are ready (Orlando, Birmingham). UAB has the metro area in a football town, a bowl game, and a strong basketball tradition in its corner. Basketball will need to wake up next year and the football program needs to look decent (CNC himself pointed out Louisville as the model) if we want a hard look. The mini-dome and entertainment district could help tremendously if it ever gets off the ground.
Only way UAB gets moved in the next 5 years into the BCS is if CNC pulls off a miracle in football (major bowl wins, maybe not BCS but close), CMD takes UAB to the final four, and the city agrees to the dome in the next few months. Odds of such: slim to none IMHO. Should that be our goal? Yes, because falling short of that just means a shorter distance to go next time there is conference turmoil.
Do I like C*USA? Yes, I love it and I'd hate to lose conference rivals (Memphis, USM, being a part of C*USA baseball). Problem is, every school is going to go on its own to make itself profitable (profit==survival). Conferences also want profit, so change is inevitable.
03-29-2007, 03:29 PM
C-USA is very unlikely to change at all on the eastern side.
Big East is not going to change. There will be no split.
East Carolina will pimp themselves and try to get in as No. 9, football-only, and would be willing to take all their other sports to a lesser conference. They probably get to be Big East's No. 9. No other school will be willing to do that.
After 2013, there will be a four-team playoff implemented.
This will serve two purposes:
1) generate a boatload of cash.
2) put the non-BCS back in their place. Boise scared them this year. There will be greater access to NYD bowls for the non-BCS but it will be very difficult for a non-BCS to reach the four-team playoff that'll be created.
This is already beginning ...
http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegefootbal...y/10091824
Big East is not going to change. There will be no split.
East Carolina will pimp themselves and try to get in as No. 9, football-only, and would be willing to take all their other sports to a lesser conference. They probably get to be Big East's No. 9. No other school will be willing to do that.
After 2013, there will be a four-team playoff implemented.
This will serve two purposes:
1) generate a boatload of cash.
2) put the non-BCS back in their place. Boise scared them this year. There will be greater access to NYD bowls for the non-BCS but it will be very difficult for a non-BCS to reach the four-team playoff that'll be created.
This is already beginning ...
http://cbs.sportsline.com/collegefootbal...y/10091824
03-29-2007, 03:46 PM
Quote:it will be very difficult for a non-BCS to reach the four-team playoff that'll be created.
How about impossible..........
03-29-2007, 05:20 PM
I doubt that with 2 eight team leagues they would have gotten 8 bids between the two, as Jim claims. Jim is just crying about him not getting in. He had a really weak OOC schedule, its his own fault.
03-29-2007, 10:45 PM
Blazer14172 Wrote:I doubt that with 2 eight team leagues they would have gotten 8 bids between the two, as Jim claims. Jim is just crying about him not getting in. He had a really weak OOC schedule, its his own fault.
The Big East had a down year in basketball overall. I expect it will up again next year with 7-8 bids.
As for the conference realignment, I just don't see it happening as soon as some have claimed. I do think the BE needs to expand to 9 teams. It's bad for a conference to only have 7 conference games.
East Carolina is the only school that would go football-only and falls within the geographic footprint. For them, the only sport that needs to be in a good conference is baseball. Marshall would an option except WVU would never allow it. Not that it matters, as I doubt any of this will happen soon. The rumblings will continue, but that doesn't mean any action will be taken.