It seems that today's theme is the Big East should be proactive. That makes sense, but this is my opinion of how it should be done.

1) Break from the Basketball schools first. I know it is painful, but they are holding you back. And, they may eventually rip the whole conference apart anyway. Also, it will be virtually impossible to go to 12 football members with the hybrid format (if that is necessary in the future). I know most of you don't want to split the pie further, but I think the 12+ member conferences will be the future for AQ status (like it or not).

2) Add a 9th football member as soon as possible. I think it should be either Memphis (for the basketball) or UCF (for all the reasons previously stated).

After those two moves, then you can alleviate your scheduling problems (with the 9th member) and be able to make your own decisions without being controlled by the basketball side. At that point, you can wait for the B-10 move.

If you don't split, perhaps you should add a football only member now that has the ability to go all-sports after the B-10 move. This is harder than it sounds because you will have limited options (hold your nose, it might have to be Temple!). It is unlikely that a CUSA team will leave the conference for just football (since CUSA requires all-sports memberships). So, you might have to look at a MAC team or a rising star from FCS.

Here's the problem with being proactive: Seems Pitt, RU and SU are collectively sitting out of any BEFB attempt to protect itself (if Sandman's post is correct).

I just don't see any additions unless/until the Big Ten expands for a couple of reasons.

1. If there is a raid, the football schools are probably going to be better off with the basketball schools still. They'll want to emphasize that strength until they recover at least in my opinion and thus a split is absolutely out of the question. Even if a split is seriously considered, the football schools will probably want to know what exactly they have and don't have before permanently leaving the conference. In the end, without a split, it's hard to justify adding schools with the conference already at 16.

2. There is no guarantee the conference will be raided and if it is raided which teams will be taken. The Big Ten presidents might not be able to agree on a course for expansion. Even if they do, the choices they make will likely impact the choices the Big East makes for replacements. Thus it's really hard to invite new members before seeing who you are going to lose.

The big advantages in adding members before being raided are:

(1) Time for the new members to improve.
(2) Better perceptions of the new members and the conference overall.

Adding CUSA schools and/or Temple isn't being proactive.

(04-21-2010 08:54 AM)animus Wrote:  Adding CUSA schools and/or Temple isn't being proactive.

You guys really need to get over your SUPERIORITY COMPLEX. The point of my proactive suggestion was not WHO you add, but rather that you prepare yourself to make it easier to add whomever your heart desires.

Has nothing to do with some stupid complex. It has everything to do with finding ways to keep current schools in the Big East. Not freaking finding ways to distribute money more ways. Which means schools make even less money than we do now.

(04-21-2010 09:22 AM)animus Wrote:  Has nothing to do with some stupid complex. It has everything to do with finding ways to keep current schools in the Big East. Not freaking finding ways to distribute money more ways. Which means schools make even less money than we do now.

Correct. The only caveat I'd say is if they are going to lose one in 27 months and can add one earlier (say 15 months), that might help the perception?

Just spitballing...

(04-21-2010 09:17 AM)CorporateRobot Wrote:  

(04-21-2010 08:54 AM)animus Wrote:  Adding CUSA schools and/or Temple isn't being proactive.

You guys really need to get over your SUPERIORITY COMPLEX. The point of my proactive suggestion was not WHO you add, but rather that you prepare yourself to make it easier to add whomever your heart desires.

Sorry, but Animus is right. The BE still fights an image problem to this day. I think 2009 was the first year the BE was treated with decent respect - then UC got smoked by UF in the Sugar Bowl....but that's a different issue....

If the BE "proactively" adds a CUSA school now, it only hurts perception even more on the FB side. BB would go to 17 teams - which is a non-starter by itself. The BE will NEVER invite a member for FB only again. It was the big reason why Temple failed in the BE (IMHO).

(04-21-2010 09:27 AM)miko33 Wrote:  BB would go to 17 teams - which is a non-starter by itself.

Actually 17 for BB is ok. 16 games 8h/8a on a yearly alternating basis. It would work fine...

I also think 17 would work out fine.

And nine in football. That was the original plan all along, until the B10 started rumbling.

I don't see any team staying in the BE if a Big 10, ACC and/or SEC invite comes. They would be totally crazy to turn down any of those leagues. Why? Because the BE is the weakest conference out of the six and they show no desire to make it stronger. The BE powers are totally basketball people and don't really care about the FB side of things. The BE is, has been and always will be Basketball first.

It's true, and I'm definately a Pirate fan that non of the teams as they are today offer a great deal to the BE, SEC or ACC but really neither did Cincy and/or L'ville when they joined. Yes, L'ville had the most upside as they won several conference championship games and won some big OOC games as well, but Cincy was a middle to lower level CUSA team but when they got to BCS and into the BE they took off. They were able to upgrade their FB talent and they are now one of the top teams in the BE.

Until the FB schools get off their duff's and force a split they will continue to be in the weakest BCS league. No, the BE will never overtake the Big 10, Big 12 or SEC for the lead but they can overtake the PAC 10, as they are now, and the ACC, but only if the move and add some teams and give them the same BCS status as Cincy had to recruit under.

As for the teams involved with expansion talks, UCF, ECU, Memphis, Temple and Marshall, each of those teams need a year or two to recruit to build up their programs even more than now. Each are making improvements to facilities and each brings in a different market.

As for the teams that I expect to move to the Big 10: Mizzou, Nebraska, Rutgers, Cuse and Maryland or BC. This would give them Big 10 both the DC or Boston and NY markets, St. Louis and the entire state of Nebraska. Not bad.

Again, no matter what the BE does, it won't stop any team from leaving but it would be in their favor to move forward with 12, get them upgrading and then when the Big 10 calls, they will be better off to deal with the loss.

(04-21-2010 07:38 AM)CorporateRobot Wrote:  1) Break from the Basketball schools first. I know it is painful, but they are holding you back. And, they may eventually rip the whole conference apart anyway.

Who's holding who back? The I-A schools can't even agree among themselves what to do.

(04-21-2010 09:38 AM)animus Wrote:  I also think 17 would work out fine.

Which is why we should poach TCU ... NOW.


A BCS caliber program, added to the Big East (and taken from the Mountain West) will help the perception on the field, while weakening the BE's biggest threat of conferences angling for a BCS auto-bid.

It also solves the scheduling issues facing the Big East.

TCU gains access to a league that has an auto-bid, so it doesn't have to run the table at a chance at a BCS bowl.

TCU is a smaller private school, which shouldn't threaten the hoops powers like GTown, Villanova, or the rest.


Then .... we wait for the shoe to drop .... but we'll have positioned ourselves a little better depending on who we lose in expansion.



Just my two cents.

(04-21-2010 12:14 PM)Pervis_Griffith Wrote:  

(04-21-2010 09:38 AM)animus Wrote:  I also think 17 would work out fine.

Which is why we should poach TCU ... NOW.


A BCS caliber program, added to the Big East (and taken from the Mountain West) will help the perception on the field, while weakening the BE's biggest threat of conferences angling for a BCS auto-bid.

It also solves the scheduling issues facing the Big East.

TCU gains access to a league that has an auto-bid, so it doesn't have to run the table at a chance at a BCS bowl.

TCU is a smaller private school, which shouldn't threaten the hoops powers like GTown, Villanova, or the rest.


Then .... we wait for the shoe to drop .... but we'll have positioned ourselves a little better depending on who we lose in expansion.



Just my two cents.

I agree. TCU is probably our best option. They would probably help increase our TV deal. TCU-WVU, TCU-Pitt are instant TV games as well as TCU-Cincy. More TV games equal more viewership, ratings and ads. They offer alot more than the other schools out there. The only problem is that they are in Texas. Would they be willing to make the move w/o a travel partner?

(04-21-2010 12:20 PM)animus Wrote:  

(04-21-2010 12:14 PM)Pervis_Griffith Wrote:  

(04-21-2010 09:38 AM)animus Wrote:  I also think 17 would work out fine.

Which is why we should poach TCU ... NOW.


A BCS caliber program, added to the Big East (and taken from the Mountain West) will help the perception on the field, while weakening the BE's biggest threat of conferences angling for a BCS auto-bid.

It also solves the scheduling issues facing the Big East.

TCU gains access to a league that has an auto-bid, so it doesn't have to run the table at a chance at a BCS bowl.

TCU is a smaller private school, which shouldn't threaten the hoops powers like GTown, Villanova, or the rest.


Then .... we wait for the shoe to drop .... but we'll have positioned ourselves a little better depending on who we lose in expansion.



Just my two cents.

I agree. TCU is probably our best option. They would probably help increase our TV deal. TCU-WVU, TCU-Pitt are instant TV games as well as TCU-Cincy. More TV games equal more viewership, ratings and ads. They offer alot more than the other schools out there. The only problem is that they are in Texas. Would they be willing to make the move w/o a travel partner?

They certainly aren't going to make such a leap now that the BE is rumored to be pilfered . The only teams begging to get in now are the ones that will be there if you need them down the road anyway.

(04-21-2010 11:41 AM)SmokinPirate Wrote:  Until the FB schools get off their duff's and force a split they will continue to be in the weakest BCS league.

The Big East hasn;t been the "Weakest" BCS league since 2004. Actually on the field they have been in the 4 range most years. The problem is image and money. They were forced into signing a horrible TV deal when they had no other options, and ESPN reaped a ton of money off it, because of the staggerign ratings they received for Peanuts.

The ACC is in the oppsite situation. They were given a blockbuster raise on TV a TV rights deal, that is goign to come crashing down. If the BE were proactive, given the large markets it sits in, its basketball draw, and its potential (as beign made public knowledge by the Big Ten's desire to have half of the conference), could easily be made into a strogn conference if the right leadership were in place.