lion1983
1st String
Posts: 1,905
Joined: May 2015
Reputation: 80
I Root For: North Alabama
Location: Florence Alabama |
RE: Trickle Down Effect From UConn To Big East
(06-25-2019 11:38 AM)Keswick_Crusaders_Forever51 Wrote: (06-25-2019 11:00 AM)lion1983 Wrote: (06-25-2019 10:28 AM)Keswick_Crusaders_Forever51 Wrote: (06-25-2019 10:08 AM)lion1983 Wrote: (06-25-2019 09:52 AM)Keswick_Crusaders_Forever51 Wrote: I'm sorry, but we do not have anywhere near the same prestige as the Big East, particularly in basketball. We have a long way to go to be compared to that conference, though it pains me to say that.
We were ranked 21st out of 32 for basketball, while the Big East was 5th here: http://warrennolan.com/basketball/2019/conferencerpi
And here: https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-basket...ng-by-conf
I would be happy if were half as prestigious, but let's not kid ourselves. We have a long way to go as a conference, starting by not being a steppingstone conference. People look to come in & jump ship from the ASUN, while people want to end up in the Big East.
I agree on the prestigious aspect, I was talking in terms of how competitive the conference could end up being with a better possibility for multiple bids and what part of the regions each school represents. By no means saying that the ASun is the Big East. But I do think it could be, with the addition of the College of Charleston, a great conference that would no longer be a stepping stone. And to add to the stepping stone deal, we have to ask ourselves why is it? And whith the core line up as it sits, is it anymore? If the schools that are in will band together, I see it as a great conference that can grow into something special.
I don't want to be rude, but even if we could somehow convince College of Charleston to come, we're still miles behind most conferences. Compare the names in this conference with other conferences. Compare the rate of sustainability of schools in the ASun to most other conferences. Heck, I would not be shocked if you guys take a look around in a few years to see where else you could land with more money & greater exposure, should y'all have the success I expect you to have.
The only schools that this conference is perfect for long-term are the Florida schools, due to the fact that they make up almost half the conference, & they're natural long-term rivals. We keep discussing NJIT moving on, Liberty's search for another conference, & I think I've even seen Lipscomb mentioned as moving on in the future.
I think UConn's move to the Big East spurs at least two of those three schools to move on & up to conferences that just fit them better, especially NJIT.
Knowing what I know and being close to UNA, there is no other non football non FBS conference they are likely to be interested in within our logical region. UNA also likes to be able to be seen and recruiting the Florida landscape. The OVC would have been an option, but now UNA wouldn't consider them for various reasons. UNA would likely like to stay in the ASun with a football deal in FBS one day, but that's a ways off.
Also knowing several Lipscomb guys, and yes a couple in the know, they are actually pretty happy with the ASun. They also like the Florida landscape. The only reason they would consider leaving is if the conference was on the verge of folding.
The ASun is bending over backwards to accommodate KSU, even putting the headquarters in their, literally back yard. And if you take into account 3 things about KSU, it tells me they aren't going anywhere anytime soon, their enrollment, endowment, fan base... enrollment is around 30k, but endowment around 36 mil. And their fan support is lacking. Fan support could change, and I think will, but the rest will take some doing. In contrast, UNA, about the same endowment, with around 7k students. And a very good fan support for the size.
Liberty, and I'm not trying to be rude, just stating facts, couldn't buy their way into a FBS conference, and not because they wouldn't bring value, but because conferences generally dont want the controversy that has been with Liberty. For whatever reasons, the ASun is willing to accept Liberty for what it is and I'm glad, but you would think Liberty would be gracious enough and gritty enough to make the best of it and help build the ASun into what it can be instead of just trying to jump to something else.
The Florida schools are not the majority anymore, and would not be able to carry the conference by themselves, but at the same time, they havent been trying to jump ship either, they want to make it a great conference.
Hopefully the powers at Bellarmine will want to stay and help build.
NJIT can stay or go, personally I'm indifferent on them, but I fully understand why they would want to go.
If we could get the College of Charleston, it would show up the ASun in the Southeast and the conference could go forward, I think the schools would work well together and help make the conference very strong. But it will not happen when you have speculation that certain schools want to leave for better pastures instead of taking care of their own pastures.
Hey, if y'all & Lipscomb are in for the long haul, that's great! I know Lipscomb has been around for some time, & since they do well in most sports in the conference, it would make perfect sense for them to stick around if they didn't find any other conference to be more their style.
But let's be honest here, you're already ready for NJIT to go, which doesn't speak well of this camraderie you're talking about.
Has the College of Charleston actually said they want to join us in the future? We can all speculate about how much they want to join us, but until they start saying they do, it's not even close to reality. Additionally, while the College of Charleston is big on this board, the reality is is that outside of our conference & theirs, I can't think of a whole lot of conferences vying for them.
If we want to become a Big East of sorts, we have to either find other big names or become a conference of big names on our own. Outside of a few schools, most schools in this conference are not known outside of a few circles.
You're right about Liberty having controversy. Unfortunately, that's true, & I wish it wasn't. But if controversy was the swan song for schools, there would be a lot of schools out there that would have been dismantled by now that have not been. And Liberty has somehow still grown overall despite the controversy. We are looking, not because we don't like you guys, because we do, but because we have to be able to do something to best benefit our football team & school. We made this clear when we met with the ASun initially, & officials in the conference & school knew this would benefit both parties while we remain here.
I never said I was ready for NJIT to go. I said I am indifferent either way, cool if they stay, then any additional school (College of Charleston) wouldn't be an issue.
But rather I said, I would not blame them if they did go, unlike the rest of the schools in the ASun, they have no real ties to the South (and I'm not talking civil war South) and it makes sense for them to be looking for a more regional conference. The NEC for example.
The College of Charleston, to my knowledge, has never expressed interest in the ASun. It's just my opinion that they would be a great fit for the ASun if NJIT was to move.
I (opinion) think that Liberty, unlike most schools, would benefit from being Independent in football, with the primary conference being the ASun for a long term commitment. It would also benefit the ASUN in terms of stability, and stability will help the conference members grow and get better both in competition and along with that prestige.
But back to College of Charleston, the reason I mentioned them is, it seems like most on our forum likes the idea of them, they add competition value and they are in a great area of the Carolinas well within the footprint of the ASun. And they would be a great compliment to the other schools and Cities that the schools service.
|
|
/
Trickle Down Effect From UConn To Big East
