(12-10-2017 09:36 AM)GoldenWarrior11 Wrote:  As I have stressed here numerous times, the C7 knew that ECU being promoted to full member was a matter of when, not if.

Then why bother to make their invite football-only?

The ECU move indicates that the presidents had not decided. USNWR top 50 private school Tulane was a partner they were happy with. ECU was not.

Quote:Interestingly enough, I think it was the Big 12/Big East merger discussions with Fox that sparked the C7 breaking away and forming their own conference with the network. These occurred in September 2011, which would have matched up with the timeline.

Hmm. The Big 12/Big East merger/takeover rumors had always been presented as the Big East taking in the homeless Big 12 refugees--but going the other way would have gotten out from under the Big East 2006-07 ESPN contract, and into the much more favorable 2009 Fox Big 12 TV contracts (ESPN had Tier 1 football, I don't think they had rights to Big 12 basketball

(12-10-2017 09:43 AM)orangefan Wrote:  I do think that once the C7 knew that they were going to lose UConn or Louisville, they no longer saw the value of keeping the old Big East together.

One thing that I find interesting is that the Presidents of the C7 voted to add Tulane for all sports and ECU in football just days before announcing their intention to leave. It strikes me that they either did so knowing they might be about to leave, but needing to keep it quiet, or without knowing that the ADs were talking with FOX about a TV deal.

I don't think they had decided in advance. And any talks with Fox (or ESPN) would not have been through the ADs--they would have been through intermediaries, who would have been whispering to the presidents (most likely Paul Tagliabue, or trusted Tagliabue contacts.)

IF they had decided in advance to leave, then they would have just rubber-stamped Tulane and ECU, chosen by either Aresco or by Aresco together with the football schools, new and old. Or they would have delayed a decision and let the new group formally decide who they wanted.

I think the split decision--Tulane yes, ECU no--indicates that the C7 presidents were still deciding. OF course, deciding didn't take very long, but such is life.

There were also big questions on this board at the time about just how much information sharing Aresco did with the presidents--C7, holdover and newbies. Also big questions about what offers Aresco had or didn't have to share with the presidents if he wanted to. Dennis Dodd and Brett McMurphy were both pouring cold water on the idea that the New Big East was going to command a huge payday in the new TV contract.

There is a lot of uncertainty there, and probably will be for a long time. I doubt that there will be enough interest in the subject for ESPN to do a 30 for 30 by the time people are willing to talk.