Brett McMurphy says Boise getting cold feet http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball...t-big-east

One quibble with his story. He says Boise has to pay $5 million to get out of the Big East. Boise has already budgeted to pay Big East $2 million to get in and the WAC $1 million to get in. That means they only have to find $2 million they haven't already budgeted.

Let's all pick a number between $500,000 and $2 million to guess how much the MWC would kick in toward that. I would bet they can find a million easily to split between Boise and SDSU to get them back in.

If this happens, you have to think that the Big East is going back on the prowl.

Most people are guessing ECU and USM.

I concur on ECU. They sell 50,000 tickets a game. They are on the east coast. Hoops is improved. Small market but they are still going to draw more Big East viewers in other Carolina markets than a Big East without them and the other markets are large.

I disagree regarding USM. The Eagles have been successful, they draw well, and hoops is improved but I think someone else catches the Big East's eye.

Tulsa. Reason 1. Market is nearly 5X larger than Hattiesburg. Reason 2. They are a private school and would have more in common with the league's private schools. Reason 3. Successful football, four division titles in seven years, cracked top 25 in 2010. Reason 4. History of having a very successful basketball program.

If the Big East goes prowling, I think ECU and Tulsa are the new members.

In which case, what CUSA does becomes interesting. Technically they would still have 12 teams at that point, and could just opt to sit with what they have. However, this is CUSA we are talking about and I imagine they would immediately work on MTSU and WKU.

If Boise State leaves the Big East, the SBC will need to immediately do whatever it can to secure App State and Georgia Southern.

The good news is that ECU is the one really pushing CUSA to expand to a crazy number of teams. I dont know if Marshall and Charlotte will be as pushy. I could see them going back to 14 and then stopping easily. I think the MWC tries to convince SDSU to stay if Boise State does, and if that happens the Big East is in even more trouble then it is now.

If C-USA loses Tulsa and ECU, the Sun Belt needs to grow a pair and invite USM and UAB.

There's so much stuff going on right now...it's crazy

Almost laughable, this is getting crazy. Any movement is good for us I suppose.

The REALLY strange part to me is the SPEED of this stuff. I mean its not like these teams move, play 2-3 years and leave. At MOST its like 1 year or none.

Is it TCU that went to the Big East and before the season ever started or they played a down, they then went to the Big 12?

Thats the insane part. Can you imagine if ECU, who by all accounts pushed for UNCC and ODU to give them "close" teams bolts for the Big East? Wouldnt that piss the other CUSA schools off to no end?

We're all just fighting over crumbs, at the end of the day.

The rich will continue to get richer.

Maybe, just maybe, college athletics "should" be about sports rather than the all-mighty dollar.

Take any 2 of ECU, USM and Tulsa out of CUSA and it is not even possible to make an argument that it is superior to the Sun Belt with a straight face. The prudent thing to do if that happened would be to sit down with CUSA and work out a swap and some adds to get both to 12 and create 2 strong regional conferences but that won't happen. Some would still jump to get that watered down patch on their jersey.

(05-11-2012 12:23 PM)Crump1 Wrote:  Take any 2 of ECU, USM and Tulsa out of CUSA and it is not even possible to make an argument that it is superior to the Sun Belt with a straight face. The prudent thing to do if that happened would be to sit down with CUSA and work out a swap and some adds to get both to 12 and create 2 strong regional conferences but that won't happen. Some would still jump to get that watered down patch on their jersey.

In addition to ECU and Tulsa you could also have UTEP and one other, probably UTSA heading off to the MWC in that case.

ECU fans have all accepted the Big East will die before inviting us, and everyone else should as well. I'm rooting for their death, as I think we would get in a new league with the leftovers, but if the non-FB schools are still around we won't be there end of story.

(05-11-2012 12:33 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  ECU fans have all accepted the Big East will die before inviting us, and everyone else should as well. I'm rooting for their death, as I think we would get in a new league with the leftovers, but if the non-FB schools are still around we won't be there end of story.

So if the Big East does implode (B-Ball schools leave, and a few of the F-Ball go to Big 12/ACC) what happens then?

Do the Commisioners/Presidents of CUSA/MAC/SBC schools get together and do a draft with the left behinds?

Regionally you could get 2 REALLY good confrences:

"Something Southern related confrence"

Citrus: FAU/FIU/UCF/USF/GSU/MTSU/WKU/
Bourban: ECU/Marshall/ODU/USM/UNCC/Troy/UAB

"Something Gulf related Confrence"

Bayou: ULL,ULM, LA Tech, Tulane, USA/stAte, Tulsa
Texas: UTSA/UNT/Rice/TxState/UTEP/SMU/Houston

(05-11-2012 12:55 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(05-11-2012 12:33 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  ECU fans have all accepted the Big East will die before inviting us, and everyone else should as well. I'm rooting for their death, as I think we would get in a new league with the leftovers, but if the non-FB schools are still around we won't be there end of story.

So if the Big East does implode (B-Ball schools leave, and a few of the F-Ball go to Big 12/ACC) what happens then?

Do the Commisioners/Presidents of CUSA/MAC/SBC schools get together and do a draft with the left behinds?

Regionally you could get 2 REALLY good confrences:

"Something Southern related confrence"

Citrus: FAU/FIU/UCF/USF/GSU/MTSU/WKU/
Bourban: ECU/Marshall/ODU/USM/UNCC/Troy/UAB

"Something Gulf related Confrence"

Bayou: ULL,ULM, LA Tech, Tulane, USA/stAte, Tulsa
Texas: UTSA/UNT/Rice/TxState/UTEP/SMU/Houston

You left out Memphis and your divisions for the Southern conference are pretty goofy, I think a North South alignment makes way more sense... and not having Western Kentucky in the Bourbon division?

(05-11-2012 12:55 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(05-11-2012 12:33 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  ECU fans have all accepted the Big East will die before inviting us, and everyone else should as well. I'm rooting for their death, as I think we would get in a new league with the leftovers, but if the non-FB schools are still around we won't be there end of story.

So if the Big East does implode (B-Ball schools leave, and a few of the F-Ball go to Big 12/ACC) what happens then?

Do the Commisioners/Presidents of CUSA/MAC/SBC schools get together and do a draft with the left behinds?

Regionally you could get 2 REALLY good confrences:

"Something Southern related confrence"

Citrus: FAU/FIU/UCF/USF/GSU/MTSU/WKU/
Bourban: ECU/Marshall/ODU/USM/UNCC/Troy/UAB

"Something Gulf related Confrence"

Bayou: ULL,ULM, LA Tech, Tulane, USA/stAte, Tulsa
Texas: UTSA/UNT/Rice/TxState/UTEP/SMU/Houston

Holy crap that looks awesome.

(05-11-2012 01:03 PM)MTPiKapp Wrote:  You left out Memphis and your divisions for the Southern conference are pretty goofy, I think a North South alignment makes way more sense... and not having Western Kentucky in the Bourbon division?

I knew I was gonna miss one and Memphis was it.

Lets swap Marshall to MAC and add Memphis. And I did have WKU in the Bourban confrence but they got moved at some point. LOL

Feel free to move the teams around division wise, I just tried to keep schools pretty close to each other. I know stAte and USA are proably more out of whack then the others, but other then that I think its decent. Never gonna happen but would be cool.

"Something Southern related confrence"

Citrus: FAU/FIU/UCF/USF/GSU/MTSU/Memphis/
Bourban: ECU/WKU/ODU/USM/UNCC/Troy/UAB

"Something Gulf related Confrence"

Bayou: ULL,ULM, LA Tech, Tulane, USA/stAte, Tulsa
Texas: UTSA/UNT/Rice/TxState/UTEP/SMU/Houston

This was my dream for a while...well actually this is the updated one to show Memphis and UCF to the Big East. Georgia Southern and App replaced Memphis and UCF.

(05-11-2012 12:55 PM)OwlFamily Wrote:  

(05-11-2012 12:33 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  ECU fans have all accepted the Big East will die before inviting us, and everyone else should as well. I'm rooting for their death, as I think we would get in a new league with the leftovers, but if the non-FB schools are still around we won't be there end of story.

So if the Big East does implode (B-Ball schools leave, and a few of the F-Ball go to Big 12/ACC) what happens then?

Do the Commisioners/Presidents of CUSA/MAC/SBC schools get together and do a draft with the left behinds?

Regionally you could get 2 REALLY good confrences:

"Something Southern related confrence"

Citrus: FAU/FIU/UCF/USF/GSU/MTSU/WKU/
Bourban: ECU/Marshall/ODU/USM/UNCC/Troy/UAB

"Something Gulf related Confrence"

Bayou: ULL,ULM, LA Tech, Tulane, USA/stAte, Tulsa
Texas: UTSA/UNT/Rice/TxState/UTEP/SMU/Houston

Nope never happen. What would happen is essentially old C-USA would be reformed, and probably some of the perceived "dead weight" would be left behind. What would be interesting is ODU and Charlotte. Charlotte has deep relationships with the original C-USA and I can see them making the cut with the top left behind league. ODU might have more trouble making the top league but would certainly garner consideration. It wouldn't just break down by geography like that though. My guess is assuming the group of USF, UCF, SMU, Houston, and Memphis is what's left then you'd see them add us, USM, and Tulsa for sure and then it gets tricky. UAB and Tulane have very long standing relationships with those schools, but I don't know that would automatically allow them to make the cut. Charlotte would have a real chance to make the cut even though most wouldn't think so. UTEP would want to stay if Houston and SMU were still around. Marshall would certainly want to be wherever we are. I'm not sure how hard Houston would push for Rice. UTSA might would have an outside shot as silly as it sounds. I don't think any of this stuff happens, but if it did only thing I can promise is the leagues would not break out how you laid them out.

(05-11-2012 01:24 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Nope never happen. What would happen is essentially old C-USA would be reformed, and probably some of the perceived "dead weight" would be left behind. What would be interesting is ODU and Charlotte. Charlotte has deep relationships with the original C-USA and I can see them making the cut with the top left behind league. ODU might have more trouble making the top league but would certainly garner consideration. It wouldn't just break down by geography like that though. My guess is assuming the group of USF, UCF, SMU, Houston, and Memphis is what's left then you'd see them add us, USM, and Tulsa for sure and then it gets tricky. UAB and Tulane have very long standing relationships with those schools, but I don't know that would automatically allow them to make the cut. Charlotte would have a real chance to make the cut even though most wouldn't think so. UTEP would want to stay if Houston and SMU were still around. Marshall would certainly want to be wherever we are. I'm not sure how hard Houston would push for Rice. UTSA might would have an outside shot as silly as it sounds. I don't think any of this stuff happens, but if it did only thing I can promise is the leagues would not break out how you laid them out.

But let me ask you this would you as an ECU fan be ok with those confrences? It solves so many of the 'Travel/rivalry/Markets" issue that everyone seems to have.

I know its not gonna happen, but damn I would love to see those confrences. I think every school would benefit and grow in them.

Never said I had a problem with it, but most of the original C-USA members would want to stick together. I could envision UAB and Rice getting booted for maybe Charlotte and someone else. I think we'd fill in the geography, but I can't see 4 Florida schools in any league, and certainly not 4 Louisiana schools in a league. If you took all that group and asked me what I would most want this would be my list.

East
ECU
Marshall
Charlotte (my only issue with them is my fear they will get invited to the BE, not an issue in this scenario)
ODU (same as Charlotte)
UCF
USF

West
Memphis
USM
Tulane
Houston
SMU
Unsure about the 6th out west but wouldn't surprise me if it was UTSA

(05-11-2012 01:54 PM)b0ndsj0ns Wrote:  Never said I had a problem with it, but most of the original C-USA members would want to stick together. I could envision UAB and Rice getting booted for maybe Charlotte and someone else. I think we'd fill in the geography, but I can't see 4 Florida schools in any league, and certainly not 4 Louisiana schools in a league. If you took all that group and asked me what I would most want this would be my list.

East
ECU
Marshall
Charlotte (my only issue with them is my fear they will get invited to the BE, not an issue in this scenario)
ODU (same as Charlotte)
UCF
USF

West
Memphis
USM
Tulane
Houston
SMU
Unsure about the 6th out west but wouldn't surprise me if it was UTSA

As a Marshall fan, I don't think there's much else I could ask for lol.

(05-11-2012 12:10 PM)SkullyMaroo Wrote:  If C-USA loses Tulsa and ECU, the Sun Belt needs to grow a pair and invite USM and UAB.

I just don't think that will play out..C-USA will fill the hole and we will stay on board. Take UAB, great school, but U of A has them hog tied.