Quote:The Big East is wisely going to exhaust every possibility to solve their dilemma internally before addressing the complications created by adding "football only" members or leaving their 16 team consortium to create a new conference. The "internal" solution of choice is for Notre Dame to agree to move their football program into the Big East. As long as there is the slightest possibility this could happen, the Big East will not close the door on that possibility by adding someone else as the ninth member.


Another internal solution for the Big East is for Villanova to upgrade its national champion FCS (formerly Division I-AA) program to FBS status, just as UConn did several years ago.


It is my belief that most FBS institutions in the Big East would genuinely like to have a ninth FBS member, but at this time, a ninth member is not an absolute necessity. The desire for a ninth member is not enough of a necessity to disrupt their relationship with the seven non-FBS schools and Notre Dame in all other sports.


If the Big East does still end up losing a FBS member (or members) to expansion in another conference, it will replace that all-sports member or members based on a pre-determined pecking order that addresses the conference's needs at that particular time.

Those needs may range from:
(1) the best football program available to bolster the Big East's chances to keep their BCS automatic qualification,
(2) the best overall sports program,
(3) the best location for travel for all sports
(4) other perceived needs of the conference membership as a whole.

Replacements for all-sports members in the Big East would have to be approved by all of the remaining members, not just the FBS members. So, if two Big East FBS members are lost to expansion, there would be 14 members remaining in the Big East. Eight of the 14 votes would be institutions which are not playing football in the Big East.

http://www.ecupirates.com/genrel/061110aaa.html

-As long as ND is in the fold the BE will not move past 8 FB members. Watch if the Big Ten takes ND though, all bets are off.

-The BB schools are going to have to do the voting on this and that fares well for Temple or Memphis and not so well for Toledo or Northern Ill.

-Travel costs and name recognition. This will help schools like Ohio or Miami over schools like USM or UAB.

"Another internal solution for the Big East is for Villanova to upgrade its national champion FCS (formerly Division I-AA) program to FBS status, just as UConn did several years ago."

Looks like ECU's AD is a moron.

Quote:Those needs may range from:
(1) the best football program available to bolster the Big East's chances to keep their BCS automatic qualification,
(2) the best overall sports program,
(3) the best location for travel for all sports
(4) other perceived needs of the conference membership as a whole.

Temple or Buffalo.

It's likely that only Temple leaves and things can go back to normal in the MAC.

(06-11-2010 03:52 PM)Airport KC Wrote:  -Travel costs and name recognition. This will help schools like Ohio or Miami over schools like USM or UAB.

Name recognition? You mean like:

"Where did you go to school?"

"Ohio."

"Oh, a buckeye."

(06-11-2010 04:02 PM)ksu sucks Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 03:52 PM)Airport KC Wrote:  -Travel costs and name recognition. This will help schools like Ohio or Miami over schools like USM or UAB.

Name recognition? You mean like:

"Where did you go to school?"

"Ohio."

"Oh, a buckeye."

Perhaps more like this:

http://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/m-bask...10aaa.html

Or even this:

http://www.ohiobobcats.com/sports/m-bask...10aaa.html

Wait, you're telling me you haven't e-mailed those links to the Big East commish yet? Get on that! He only checks the MAC forums on Thursdays!

I doubt if Villanova is interested in upgrading football, but that would be the easiest way to add a football member since the basketball schools have to vote on membership. Since Temple was never a basketball member of The Big East and was kicked out of the football part, my guess is that Temple will remain in the MAC for football for near future.

(06-11-2010 04:15 PM)Flat Tire 2 Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 04:00 PM)JHG722 Wrote:  "Another internal solution for the Big East is for Villanova to upgrade its national champion FCS (formerly Division I-AA) program to FBS status, just as UConn did several years ago."

Looks like ECU's AD is a moron.

I doubt if Villanova is interested in upgrading football, but that would be the easiest way to add a football member since the basketball schools have to vote on membership. Since Temple was never a basketball member of The Big East and was kicked out of the football part, my guess is that Temple will remain in the MAC for football for near future.

If the near future includes the next 18 months then I agree with you.

(06-11-2010 04:15 PM)Flat Tire 2 Wrote:  I doubt if Villanova is interested in upgrading football, but that would be the easiest way to add a football member since the basketball schools have to vote on membership. Since Temple was never a basketball member of The Big East and was kicked out of the football part, my guess is that Temple will remain in the MAC for football for near future.

We have no interest in remaining in the MAC beyond our contract.

(06-11-2010 04:20 PM)Airport KC Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 04:15 PM)Flat Tire 2 Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 04:00 PM)JHG722 Wrote:  "Another internal solution for the Big East is for Villanova to upgrade its national champion FCS (formerly Division I-AA) program to FBS status, just as UConn did several years ago."

Looks like ECU's AD is a moron.

I doubt if Villanova is interested in upgrading football, but that would be the easiest way to add a football member since the basketball schools have to vote on membership. Since Temple was never a basketball member of The Big East and was kicked out of the football part, my guess is that Temple will remain in the MAC for football for near future.

If the near future includes the next 18 months then I agree with you.

The Big East will cease to exist as a football entity by 2012. So if you folks at Temple and Ohio have designs on joining a league that will be nothing more than a Catholic basketball conference, keep dreaming.

(06-11-2010 05:47 PM)JHG722 Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 04:15 PM)Flat Tire 2 Wrote:  I doubt if Villanova is interested in upgrading football, but that would be the easiest way to add a football member since the basketball schools have to vote on membership. Since Temple was never a basketball member of The Big East and was kicked out of the football part, my guess is that Temple will remain in the MAC for football for near future.

We have no interest in remaining in the MAC beyond our contract.

Of course your school has no interest, you don't rent an NFL stadium to play solely in the MAC. The question is whether a BCS conference (ACC or BE) would invite you into the fold. A win against UCLA would have helped, but even still it's a long shot at best even with the Philly TV market.

(06-11-2010 06:05 PM)notauser Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 05:47 PM)JHG722 Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 04:15 PM)Flat Tire 2 Wrote:  I doubt if Villanova is interested in upgrading football, but that would be the easiest way to add a football member since the basketball schools have to vote on membership. Since Temple was never a basketball member of The Big East and was kicked out of the football part, my guess is that Temple will remain in the MAC for football for near future.

We have no interest in remaining in the MAC beyond our contract.

Of course your school has no interest, you don't rent an NFL stadium to play solely in the MAC. The question is whether a BCS conference (ACC or BE) would invite you into the fold. A win against UCLA would have helped, but even still it's a long shot at best even with the Philly TV market.

If you say so. We're not spending all of this money on upgrading our facilities, and working with Notre Dame to schedule a game there to stay in the MAC...

We're in contact with both the BE and ACC. We just need to keep being proactive and hope some of the dominoes fall our way. I think the ACC is looking to lock up more of an east coast presence, and we certainly give them that.

(06-11-2010 03:52 PM)Airport KC Wrote:  -As long as ND is in the fold the BE will not move past 8 FB members. Watch if the Big Ten takes ND though, all bets are off.

-The BB schools are going to have to do the voting on this and that fares well for Temple or Memphis and not so well for Toledo or Northern Ill.

-Travel costs and name recognition. This will help schools like Ohio or Miami over schools like USM or UAB.

Toledo and NIU have virtually no shot at going to the Big East straight from the MAC. Temple is the only MAC school that has a great chance, and Buffalo an outside chance. The rest of the MAC would have needed to join C-USA when Marshall and UCF did in order to have any kind of real chance at the Big East right now.

(06-11-2010 06:23 PM)BrianNowicki Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 03:52 PM)Airport KC Wrote:  -As long as ND is in the fold the BE will not move past 8 FB members. Watch if the Big Ten takes ND though, all bets are off.

-The BB schools are going to have to do the voting on this and that fares well for Temple or Memphis and not so well for Toledo or Northern Ill.

-Travel costs and name recognition. This will help schools like Ohio or Miami over schools like USM or UAB.

Toledo and NIU have virtually no shot at going to the Big East straight from the MAC. Temple is the only MAC school that has a great chance, and Buffalo an outside chance. The rest of the MAC would have needed to join C-USA when Marshall and UCF did in order to have any kind of real chance at the Big East right now.

No, that is not true at all. You don't have to join CUSA first to get into the Big East.

(06-11-2010 06:23 PM)BrianNowicki Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 03:52 PM)Airport KC Wrote:  -As long as ND is in the fold the BE will not move past 8 FB members. Watch if the Big Ten takes ND though, all bets are off.

-The BB schools are going to have to do the voting on this and that fares well for Temple or Memphis and not so well for Toledo or Northern Ill.

-Travel costs and name recognition. This will help schools like Ohio or Miami over schools like USM or UAB.

Toledo and NIU have virtually no shot at going to the Big East straight from the MAC. Temple is the only MAC school that has a great chance, and Buffalo an outside chance. The rest of the MAC would have needed to join C-USA when Marshall and UCF did in order to have any kind of real chance at the Big East right now.

I don't really think there is any difference.
Toledo or NIU have the same chance either way.
Both bring something to the table in their own ways that make each attractive additions.

(06-11-2010 07:48 PM)owen Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 06:23 PM)BrianNowicki Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 03:52 PM)Airport KC Wrote:  -As long as ND is in the fold the BE will not move past 8 FB members. Watch if the Big Ten takes ND though, all bets are off.

-The BB schools are going to have to do the voting on this and that fares well for Temple or Memphis and not so well for Toledo or Northern Ill.

-Travel costs and name recognition. This will help schools like Ohio or Miami over schools like USM or UAB.

Toledo and NIU have virtually no shot at going to the Big East straight from the MAC. Temple is the only MAC school that has a great chance, and Buffalo an outside chance. The rest of the MAC would have needed to join C-USA when Marshall and UCF did in order to have any kind of real chance at the Big East right now.

I don't really think there is any difference.
Toledo or NIU have the same chance either way.
Both bring something to the table in their own ways that make each attractive additions.

With Iowa State possibly in the BE that makes NIU a more attractive add.

Chances for Toledo are lower.

(06-11-2010 06:44 PM)Airport KC Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 06:23 PM)BrianNowicki Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 03:52 PM)Airport KC Wrote:  -As long as ND is in the fold the BE will not move past 8 FB members. Watch if the Big Ten takes ND though, all bets are off.

-The BB schools are going to have to do the voting on this and that fares well for Temple or Memphis and not so well for Toledo or Northern Ill.

-Travel costs and name recognition. This will help schools like Ohio or Miami over schools like USM or UAB.

Toledo and NIU have virtually no shot at going to the Big East straight from the MAC. Temple is the only MAC school that has a great chance, and Buffalo an outside chance. The rest of the MAC would have needed to join C-USA when Marshall and UCF did in order to have any kind of real chance at the Big East right now.

No, that is not true at all. You don't have to join CUSA first to get into the Big East.

Not if you are Temple or maybe Buffalo, but the rest of us would need to unless we magically started averaging at least 25-30K, started paying our coaches at least $750K base salary, and started beating top BCS schools on a regular basis to get our name out there more like a Boise State, Utah, or TCU. Unfortunately, I don't see all of that happening in the MAC unless there are changes to the thought process from MAC leaders and presidents/AD's at all MAC schools. That is unlikely though.

(06-11-2010 09:43 PM)BrianNowicki Wrote:  Not if you are Temple or maybe Buffalo, but the rest of us would need to unless we magically started averaging at least 25-30K, started paying our coaches at least $750K base salary, and started beating top BCS schools on a regular basis to get our name out there more like a Boise State, Utah, or TCU. Unfortunately, I don't see all of that happening in the MAC unless there are changes to the thought process from MAC leaders and presidents/AD's at all MAC schools. That is unlikely though.

Sounds like Toledo.
Gonna be a helll of a season in the Glass Bowl.

(06-11-2010 10:00 PM)owen Wrote:  

(06-11-2010 09:43 PM)BrianNowicki Wrote:  Not if you are Temple or maybe Buffalo, but the rest of us would need to unless we magically started averaging at least 25-30K, started paying our coaches at least $750K base salary, and started beating top BCS schools on a regular basis to get our name out there more like a Boise State, Utah, or TCU. Unfortunately, I don't see all of that happening in the MAC unless there are changes to the thought process from MAC leaders and presidents/AD's at all MAC schools. That is unlikely though.

Sounds like Toledo.
Gonna be a helll of a season in the Glass Bowl.

Big step-up for UT over the next two seasons. Big improvement in team speed with some big playmakers.