(12-24-2012 06:05 PM)thegalen Wrote: ... Even if the C7 retain BE naming rights, they'd be starting a new conference. Either that or the non C7 schools are the new conference.
Yes, the name has nothing in particular to do with it ~ its a copyright / intellectual property issue, and whether or not the NuBigEast sells the name to the C7C, the NuBigEast is still the original conference.
And the reporting has been consistent that the C7 left the NuBigEast (they held a "get out of jail free" card if they let together, from back in one of the earlier compromises that kept the BigEast together). So its the C7C that is the new conference.
(12-24-2012 06:30 PM)ivet Wrote: ... The only ones who would be screwed are the non-c7 if the C7 keep the Big East name since they meet the minimum requirements of members and have continually competed for so many years.
Getting the BigEast name does not change anything else. The C7C is still the new conference.
I'd think its a non-issue at present. Removing the C7C champion from the automatic bids will still leave the C7C champion and runners up with invites, and the same team or teams on the bubble will still be on the bubble with the same chances whether or not the champion goes as an at large team or as an automatic bid team.
Its a bigger issue for the non-revenue sports. Cross worked hard to establish a BigEast Cross championship, only to lose a team to the Big Ten. And now BigEast Cross has moved to the C7C since Rutgers was the only FB school with a cross program ~ which would seem to lose the Cross AQ, which would make it harder to recruit a sixth associate member to maintain the championship.
(The at-large field is fairly crowded for the Lacrosse national championship tourney, so the AQ could be the difference between having one team in the tourney and having none.)
Though the Big Ten only have five men's cross schools now, so maybe the new conference could invite Rutgers and MD as Cross associate members, while the C7C works to regain AQ status and the Big Ten programs look to building (or adding) a 6th cross program to the Big Ten.