CSNbbs

As we all know, media partner ESPN had a huge hand in shaping the ACC. When the ACC was looking to nab Miami + 2 to establish a CCG, it was big northeastern markets they were after in suggesting BC & Syracuse (before Syracuse got dumped in favor of VT for political reasons). But what if, confronted with these circumstances, the Mouse says add 5 and they take Miami, VT, BC, Cuse, and Pitt?

Here’s why I think that move made sense for ESPN—it consolidated the east coast into 1 league to negotiate with and they could gain the whole eastern seaboard with 1 conference instead of 2.

Come up with some ugly zipper scheme or just put UVA and Maryland in the North and call it a day (protected rivalries for UVA-UNC & FSU-Miami).

Here’s your fallout:

WVU —> C-USA
Rutgers—> C-USA (fb only)
Temple fb & UConn fb —> Indy or MAC
DePaul & Marquette —> Big East
St Louis & Charlotte —> A-10

C-USA is a tough league anchored by TCU, WVU, Louisville, & Cincinnati. Football becomes a required sport. Army still leaves due to competitive struggles.
MAC keeps Marshall and probably affiliate UCF too (and possibly pick up 2 additional East Coast fb only members)
The Big East maintains its core and builds a bigger Midwestern presence.

Elsewhere, you have the MWC sitting with just 8 members. You could speculate that they could go looking for a different 9th, with TCU happy in C-USA. (SMU perhaps? Maybe Boise sooner?)

The WAC has 5 in the East (LA Tech, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, UTEP) and 5 in the West (Hawaii, SJSU, Fresno St, Nevada, Boise St). My speculation would be that like C-USA and the MAC, they also look to add a CCG which would necessitate adding a pair at some point. Utah St in the West seems sensible but the East is a little trickier, especially if schools try to protect their turf.

The Sunbelt fairs far better in this timeline:
NMSU, UNT, Ark St, ULL, ULM
MTSU, Troy, FAU, FIU
They still have their non-fbs WKU, USA, UNO, & UALR (w/ those 1st 2 working to upgrade. Idaho hangs around as an fb-only for a bit until they aren’t needed.

———
But here’s the underlying reason for ESPN to disrupt the Big East: to try and flush them out and into the Big 10, who they were heavily invested in at the time.

Why would WVU take its non-FB sports out of the Big East for CUSA?

NMSU from Sun Belt to WAC, as in our timeline, is a no-brainer. Maybe UTEP tries to block, but the other schools want a CCG here.

What does your last sentence mean?

(03-17-2023 03:24 PM)Nerdlinger Wrote: [ -> ]Why would WVU take its non-FB sports out of the Big East for CUSA?

NMSU from Sun Belt to WAC, as in our timeline, is a no-brainer. Maybe UTEP tries to block, but the other schools want a CCG here.

What does your last sentence mean?

Better institutional and cultural fit. The Big East wasn’t exactly thrilled to add them in the first place and they’d stick out like a sore thumb in a league with:

Providence
UConn
St John’s
Seton Hall
Rutgers
Villanova
Georgetown
Notre Dame/St Louis
Marquette
DePaul

I wouldn’t be surprised if they were incentivized to leave.

Nobody was thinking of 14 team leagues in 2003. Even in 2011, Syracuse and Pitt were really only added to protect the conference against a possible SEC raid.

(03-17-2023 03:43 PM)Poster Wrote: [ -> ]Nobody was thinking of 14 team leagues in 2003. Even in 2011, Syracuse and Pitt were really only added to protect the conference against a possible SEC raid.

I don't think it had anything to do with a potential raid by the SEC or any other conference. I think those two were added to reopen the TV contract (which it did).

Generally speaking, conferences don't add schools simply in anticipation of losing members to other conferences. Conferences adds are usually made because the conference wants to expand or to replace members who are already leaving for other conferences.

(03-17-2023 03:59 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote: [ -> ]

(03-17-2023 03:43 PM)Poster Wrote: [ -> ]Nobody was thinking of 14 team leagues in 2003. Even in 2011, Syracuse and Pitt were really only added to protect the conference against a possible SEC raid.

I don't think it had anything to do with a potential raid by the SEC or any other conference. I think those two were added to reopen the TV contract (which it did).

Agree. The ACC had long been talking to both schools. Syracuse was approached after Penn State joined the B1G Ten—before the conference approached Florida State. After its 2003 expansion the ACC knew every football-playing school in the Big East was available to it. Every school had by then approached the league.

You'd be hard put to find much past discussion, serious or wacko, about Pittsburgh and Syracuse as SEC targets, if that's the suggestion here. Both schools did appear in B1G discussions. Many at the time saw the B1G's addition of Rutgers as a reaction to the ACC's welcoming of Syracuse. Pitt did appear often on B12 wish lists, too (but doesn't everybody?).

(03-17-2023 03:03 PM)Fighting Muskie Wrote: [ -> ]As we all know, media partner ESPN had a huge hand in shaping the ACC. When the ACC was looking to nab Miami + 2 to establish a CCG, it was big northeastern markets they were after in suggesting BC & Syracuse (before Syracuse got dumped in favor of VT for political reasons). But what if, confronted with these circumstances, the Mouse says add 5 and they take Miami, VT, BC, Cuse, and Pitt?

Here’s why I think that move made sense for ESPN—it consolidated the east coast into 1 league to negotiate with and they could gain the whole eastern seaboard with 1 conference instead of 2.

Come up with some ugly zipper scheme or just put UVA and Maryland in the North and call it a day (protected rivalries for UVA-UNC & FSU-Miami).

Here’s your fallout:

WVU —> C-USA
Rutgers—> C-USA (fb only)
Temple fb & UConn fb —> Indy or MAC
DePaul & Marquette —> Big East
St Louis & Charlotte —> A-10

C-USA is a tough league anchored by TCU, WVU, Louisville, & Cincinnati. Football becomes a required sport. Army still leaves due to competitive struggles.
MAC keeps Marshall and probably affiliate UCF too (and possibly pick up 2 additional East Coast fb only members)
The Big East maintains its core and builds a bigger Midwestern presence.

Elsewhere, you have the MWC sitting with just 8 members. You could speculate that they could go looking for a different 9th, with TCU happy in C-USA. (SMU perhaps? Maybe Boise sooner?)

The WAC has 5 in the East (LA Tech, Rice, SMU, Tulsa, UTEP) and 5 in the West (Hawaii, SJSU, Fresno St, Nevada, Boise St). My speculation would be that like C-USA and the MAC, they also look to add a CCG which would necessitate adding a pair at some point. Utah St in the West seems sensible but the East is a little trickier, especially if schools try to protect their turf.

The Sunbelt fairs far better in this timeline:
NMSU, UNT, Ark St, ULL, ULM
MTSU, Troy, FAU, FIU
They still have their non-fbs WKU, USA, UNO, & UALR (w/ those 1st 2 working to upgrade. Idaho hangs around as an fb-only for a bit until they aren’t needed.

———
But here’s the underlying reason for ESPN to disrupt the Big East: to try and flush them out and into the Big 10, who they were heavily invested in at the time.

If Rutgers is playing football only in the CUSA, where do their non-football sports end up?